Trekkies have boldly gone where the franchise's producers feared to tread, and have produced their own version of an infamous "gay" episode of Star Trek.
The episode, ‘Blood and Fire’, was scripted in 1988, but dropped by nervous studio execs from the shooting schedule of Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG).
However, 20 years later, an updated version of 'Blood and Fire' had its premiere at Shore Leave 30, a sci-fi convention in Baltimore, on the weekend.
The version screened contained no special effects, which are yet to be added.
Made by the team of fans behind the Star Trek Phase II series, the episode uses the characters from the original series rather than the TNG sequels.
However, the script's original writer, David Gerrold, reportedly approved and polished the new script by Carlos Pedraza.
Gerrold, who also wrote an episode of the original 1960s series, later turned his original ‘Blood and Fire’ script into a novel.
Among the changes, the gay relationship has been expanded, as it was only hinted at in the original script, and one of the gay characters is Peter, the nephew of Captain James T. Kirk.
The original script, which was considered an allegory on HIV/AIDS, told of a derelict spacecraft whose crew had all been killed off by deadly Regulan bloodworms.
Several original Star Trek cast members have made guest appearances in the Phase II series, which is available for download at www.startreknewvoyages.com
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