Star Trek and Persistence: The Making of a Short Film!

During my junior year in high school, my best friend toldand acted in several spoofs. In 1995, I felt the time was
me he was making a parody of Star Trek II: Theripe to make Space Cadets! I had created my first
Wrath of Khan. What was really cool about this shortscreenplay and showed it to my friend Scott John,
project was that I would play a version of Khan andwhom I had acted for his programs. After looking over
do my Ricardo Montalban impersonation. But much tothe script, he phoned me and said, "Jose, this is too
my excitement, the material never happened, as thoselong."My script was about 50 pages. John told me to
involved later graduated, as did my buddy and I wouldconsider how difficult it was to make any video based
a year later.Space Cadets, my short film, would neveron sci-fi, especially when it came to designing the
die, as wouldn't Captain James Kirk, if he and his crewprops, the costumes, etc. He should know: he did a
were caught in a same situation on a reality show.version of Doctor Who that took months and labor. He
After high school, I pretty much bumbed around takingrecommended that I trimmed the script down, maybe
odd jobs before I finally enrolled in a small (butto twenty pages. But I felt that every page could be
expensive) college as a Communications Major. Since Idone. I wish I had listened to him.What begin as a
was raised in a Catholic home, my mom encouragedspoof of Star Trek turned into a version of Kevin
me to attend a religious youth group that met everyCostner's Waterworld, which had premiered in
Sunday. The members that preached the word oftheaters that summer. In fact, this was the nickname I
God also acted in skits, and before I knew it, I wasgave my short film. And soon all the volunteers of the
acting in those skits as well. It took a year before Icable station would peak in the editing room and ask,
introduced the members a skit I had written based on"So Jose, how's Waterworld coming out?"
the original Star Trek series, but with a Holy-twist:They mocked and laughed as my production took
Jesus vs. Khan. They liked it, but the skit, some felt,from spring to the end of the Christmas holidays to
was long, and to design the bridge of the Enterprisemake.During a fight scene between two actors, one of
would have been too costly for a church budget.them accidentally hit his head against a wall when he
Again, my dream of playing a villain from a popularwas thrown against a stack of chairs. When he got
series was closed out.One day I was channel flippingoff the floor after I yelled, "Cut", he had lost some of
on my television when I saw what was a home made,his memory! I rushed this guy, who had done stunts for
video spoof of James Bond. I thought this was theother films, to the hospital. The following day he
coolest thing since cable was invented. When therecovered, thank goodness, and he repeated the
program was over, a screen appeared with a numbersame stunt the following week! As month passed, I
for anyone who wanted to do his or her ownwas burning grudges with the Director of Program at
program. The way it works is that I would take a classthe cable station, and the volunteers were upset with
in learning to run a camera, shoot a scene, and thenme for using up the editing room. Everyone was soon
edit my program, all for free! What excited me moreadvising me to put Space Cadets! in the can. They
was that any program I created would appear on thiswanted me to quit. But whenever I had faced
particular channel, public access television. Well, I calleddiscouragement, I pictured myself having a
that number, but it took about two to three monthsconversation with William Shatner and telling him my
before I took my first class. I graduated, thank you,nightmare on filming this parody.
thank you, and directed subjects for other producers