Exclusive Interview: Inside the Creative Journey of 'Star Trek: Emissary' with David Frank and Christian Lerch

Today, we're thrilled to be sitting down with David Frank and Christian Lerch, the creative minds behind the remarkable fan-made project, "Star Trek: Emissary." Through their passion for Deep Space Nine and their expertise in motion design, they've crafted a captivating continuation of the beloved series. Join us as we delve into the intricacies of their work and uncover the inspiration behind their immersive vision of Benjamin Sisko's continuing journey.

Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to join us for this interview. We truly appreciate the opportunity to delve into the creative process behind "Star Trek: Emissary" with you. To kick things off, can you share a bit about yourselves and your connection to Star Trek? What inspired you to delve into the world of Deep Space Nine in particular?

Chris: I've seen The Next Generation in the early to mid-90's and loved it. Then came a non-Trek time until reruns of Voyager brought me back and got me hooked again. I went to conventions and wrote fanfics. I came very late to DS9. All the Berman-era shows are close to my heart, but DS9 is the one that's in my head the most.

David: I grew up watching the Star Trek movies on VHS in the early 90's and really dove into Trek when Voyager premiered here in Germany in May '95. Accompanied by the reruns and new seasons of DS9, my love for (90's) Star Trek arose and stayed. The cross-episode storytelling, depth, grittiness and character development were certainly things that opened my heart for DS9 in particular. And I cannot think of any other Trek crew I would rather spend time with, than the one on that old Cardassian mining station.

“Star Trek: Emissary” is a captivating title for your envisioned series. Can you take us back to the moment of inspiration? What sparked the idea to create a fan-made continuation of Deep Space Nine, and why did you choose to focus on Benjamin Sisko’s story?

We both like title sequences a lot and that’s something we want to do more of. We are motion designers and that’s right up our alley. So that’s something we wanted to do for Star Trek. The idea came when we watched the amazing DS9 documentary "What We Left Behind" — a project we also worked on. There’s a writers room segment where they break the story of a hypothetical season 8 episode of DS9. So we came up with the idea to tell the story of Benjamin Sisko's origins up until he returns from the wormhole, 20-odd years later.

The opening sequence you created is a visual feast for Deep Space Nine fans. Could you walk us through the creative process? How did you decide on the key moments from Benjamin Sisko's life to include, and what challenges did you face in bringing those scenes to life?

Most of the key moments and places of Sisko's life are pretty well established. So we kicked it off with his birth on earth and let it roll from there. Some details, like the USS Okinawa being an Excelsior class starship are not really canon, but we decided to trust the Okudas "Star Trek Encyclopedia".

The attention to detail in your work is remarkable, it certainly captures the essence of Deep Space Nine. How important was it for you to pay homage to the original DS9 series in your opening sequence, and were there specific elements you felt were crucial to include for the fans?

Thanks! We thought it crucial to include some important events of Sisko’s life, like when he lost his wife at Wolf 359, then he went off to Mars to work on the Defiant project and so on. It’s all there: his mother, Dukat, the solar ship, the Orb of the Emissary, the Dominion War.

The music in the opening sequence, sourced from the Tenet soundtrack, adds a unique atmosphere. How did you go about selecting the soundtrack, and how do you believe it complements the envisioned continuation of Deep Space Nine?

The piece by Ludwig Göransson lends a sombre tone while still bringing a certain pace to the titles. We'd envisioned the Emissary show as not necessarily having constant action where the universe is at stake.

Your video features 3D ship models by Tobias Richter, Alexander Klemm, and Chris Kuhn. Can you share more about the collaboration process and how these models contributed to bringing your vision to life?

When we released our first DS9 teaser back in 2015, Tobias Richter immediately contacted us and offered to support us in the future with his huge library of starship models. We were honored and really appreciated his backing. This collaboration really expanded the scope of what we could show in our projects. In the beginning, we designed and animated the starship shots and Tobias rendered them for us before we composited them. Later he gave us some of his models, so we could directly use and render them in our 3D scenes. While Tobias library of starships is immense, we had to find alternatives for some of the ships, so we approached the very talented 3D modelers Alexander Klemm and Chris Kuhn for some of their models. Both were also very supportive. While we model all of the non-starship shots by ourselves, it just wouldn't be possible to additionally model all of the starships we use in our projects from scratch and at the same quality level as the models these guys already created.

"Star Trek: Emissary" is clearly a labour of love. How has the fan community responded to your work, and can fans expect more content or teasers for the envisioned series in the future? Are there any specific aspects of Deep Space Nine's universe that you're excited to explore further?

We’re blown away by the positive feedback! Some people would rather have DS9 theme music in it, but we felt that this song from the Tenet soundtrack fits quite nicely with the flow of the animations.

As for future projects, we don’t rule anything out. Of course, the season 6 and 7 teasers are still on our list, but these trailers have gotten so huge that it takes a lot of effort and time to craft them. Moreover, we always try to not repeat ourselves and find new angles and storytelling within these teaser formats.

Chris: Personally, I want to do some 3D illustrations for "A Stitch in Time" by Andrew Robinson. If nothing else, I would do it just for myself and print an illustrated edition.

While fans have certainly embraced your work, have you received any feedback from the original Deep Space Nine cast or crew? Are there any standout moments where someone connected to the franchise expressed their thoughts on your fan-made creations?

Ira Steven Behr (showrunner of DS9) called one of our teasers "goddamn impressive", so that was like being knighted by the queen! Also, working with him on the DS9 documentary and being trusted with our work is certainly a highlight for us as huge fans of the show. We are sometimes also in contact with Doug Drexler (one of the creative masterminds of DS9's Art Department), who is very fond of our work. But also Nana Visitor, Armin Shimerman, Jeffrey Combs and Robert Hewitt Wolfe are people who liked and shared our work in the past.

If you could sit down with one person connected to the Star Trek franchise, show them the "Star Trek: Emissary" trailer, and witness their reaction, who would it be and why? Is there a particular cast member, writer, or producer whose response you would be most eager to see?

Probably the writers of DS9, just to see if it would spark new ideas!

Your disclaimer mentions the unofficial and non-profit nature of your work. How do you navigate the legal aspects of creating fan-made content, and what advice would you give to others looking to embark on similar projects within the Star Trek or sci-fi fandom?

Our approach is really being upfront. We clearly say that it’s non-official and try to credit people as best we can. We just love DS9 and want to create these things for free. To grow as artists and spend more time in this marvelous universe.

Looking ahead, do you have plans for more fan-made content, or is "Star Trek: Emissary" a unique project? How do you balance fan expectations with your creative vision for the series?

Hopefully "Emissary" will not be the last title sequence for a (fictitious) TV show we work on. But it does not necessarily have to be connected to DS9 or Trek.

We always try to stay true to the original vision and honor the visual concept of the source material, while enriching it with our own ideas as fans (who really know all the visual aspects of Star Trek) and our experience as (contemporary) motion designers.

For those interested in exploring more of your work, where can they find additional videos, and is there a platform where fans can learn more about both of you? Feel free to share any other projects or channels you're involved in.

We have a website with some of our stuff:

https://timeframes.tv

And also, our social channels are:

https://youtube.com/@NinersDS9Teasers
https://twitter.com/ds9teasers
https://facebook.com/ds9teasers/

There's also the DS9 documentary "What We Left Behind" that we worked on which can be seen here:

https://watch.plex.tv/de/movie/what-we-left-behind-star-trek-ds9

Finally, if you were to walk into Quark's Bar on Deep Space Nine, what would be your drink of choice, and what do you think that drink says about you?!

Chris: I'd be curious if Kanar is actually drinkable...

David: I would probably order a Root Beer first and then drink my way up to a glass of Andorian Ale. What does that say about me? Ask Quark and Garak! Root Beer was actually a thing I came to know through watching DS9, since that's (or was at that time) not really a thing you could get in (rural) Germany.

A heartfelt thank you for sharing your insights and passion for Deep Space Nine with us. We look forward to seeing more of your creative endeavours and say "Qapla'" for all your future projects. Thank you, David Frank and Christian Lerch, for this engaging conversation!

Thanks! Any time!
Live long and prosper!