Roger, Denise, and Keith met on June 10, 1996 to brainstorm. Denise had just been to a convention in Bonn, Germany, where she had signed 2500 autographs in one day, and the filmmakers discussed how to best capture the Trek phenomenon on film. They called Richard Arnold, Gene Roddenberry's former researcher, who gave them a wealth of information about the size and breadth of Trek fandom.

Nygard recalled, "Of course we asked the most-asked question: 'Why did this show, and no other, spawn the largest fan phenomenon of all time?'" Richard Arnold gave them the beginnings of the answer they would find later in great detail from the fans: "'Star Trek' is not really a science fiction show. It was sold as a sci-fi show to get around the censors. It was actually about the human condition. It was the positive view of the future that attracted more and more fans as the years went by."

Keith, Denise, and Roger began preparing for their first shoot, watching and studying other documentaries. They saw CRUMB and THEREMIN on a double bill. Keith said afterwards, "We agreed we wanted to make a film as engaging as CRUMB--but a lot shorter!"

Next they began searching for a crew in earnest. Having to find a camera person and sound person, both with their own equipment, willing to work for free, was not an easy task. By July 31, just a few days before their first big convention shoot, they still didn't have a crew. Keith recalled, "We were facing a decision, either call the whole thing off, or pay a crew. The latter simply wasn't an option." Documentaries are expensive, due to the large amount of footage that has to be shot. Nobody was willing to give the filmmakers financing. Nygard finished the story, "A couple days before the shoot we got lucky. I called Harris Done, the cameraman who had done a terrific job shooting second unit on my last film, BACK TO BACK. He was available and agreed to join our crew." Harris Done owned an Eclair NPR 16mm camera, a basic grip package, some gels, and a few lights; enough to get them by.

Larry Scharf, the sound mixer from BACK TO BACK, also agreed to sign on. Denise had a friend at Birns and Sawyer Camera Equipment named Jeff Mazzotti who came up with a free rental on some camera batteries and lights. All they needed was a camera assistant and a couple of production assistants. Denise came through again. She met Lisa Raymond at a wedding. Lisa was a Trek fan, and she agreed to be a production and continuity assistant, and she happened to know a camera assistant named Elio Concepcion who was available. After signing on a couple of production assistants, they were ready.

The TREKKIES production shot their first convention, WILLIAM CAMPBELL'S FANTASTICON, in Los Angeles the weekend of August 2nd, 1996. That first weekend they interviewed six of the nine original "Star Trek" cast members and dozens of Trek fans. The footage that came back was terrific; it was humorous, touching, nostalgic, and inspirational. This successful weekend led to many more, over the next year, with the small crew shooting at conventions all over the country.

Every convention contained countless interesting subjects. The list of potential interviewees never seemed to end, but eventually one has to stop shooting and complete the film. That's what they finally did in May of 1997. Nygard continued the arduous task of editing the film. "We had over 35 hours of footage. It was a huge puzzle. The hard part was finding the links, the transitions, the themes that guide the viewer through the movie.

Most documentaries have a built-in ending: a verdict, the big game, the concert, the election, arriving somewhere, or finding the person or thing you're searching for. TREKKIES is different--we had no ending. The film is a document of a pop culture phenomenon unparalleled in society. But the reason TREKKIES is so engaging is because it's simply about people, people who are ordinary and extraordinary all at once."