Even though Paramount is not producing Star Trek at present, it would be wrong to say that no new shows are being made. Fan productions are filling the gap. They are also proving that Gene Roddenberry's vision truly is a global phenomenon. The latest success has come from Finland, a country not renowned for its cinematic output. Yet, "Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning" has become Finland's most watched film, according to Reuters.

Before "Star Wreck," the Finnish film that had been viewed the most was "Tuntematon Sotilas" ("The Unknown Soldier"). After its theatrical release this 1955 film about Finnish soldiers serving in the Second World War attracted 2.8 million viewers. "Star Wreck" has now topped that. Magenta, an international web hosting company with its headquarters in Espoo, Finland, estimates that since Oct. 1 the fan-film's viewing audience has grown to nearly four million.

The figures for "The Unknown Soldier" and "Star Wreck" are not directly comparable because those for the former are based on theatre audiences and those for the latter are the estimated number of downloads from the internet. It is likely that fans have now watched "Star Wreck" several times and have distributed copies themselves. Magenta's figures might therefore underestimate the actual number of times that the movie has been seen.

"Star Wreck" is not the only high quality fan-based "Star Trek" series to go out over the internet. "The Furry Conflict" is an audio series that blends the "Star Trek" and "Star Wars" universes using convincing sound effects. Meanwhile the makers of "Star Trek - New Voyages" have attempted to extend the original series by filming stories with new actors in the roles made popular in classic "Trek." Unlike both "New Voyages" and "The Furry Conflict," though, "Star Wreck" is a spoof. It is not aimed only at "Star Trek" fans, though, say its creators.

"It is a motion picture for everyone with a taste for action, humour and zany characters," the film's website says. "It is the story of Emperor Pirk -- a star fleet commander who declares himself a global overlord and decides to expand his reign beyond the farthest reaches of the universe. The story that unfolds amidst the space battles is a stark reminder of how dangerous the mixture of ambition, cowardice and stupidity is."

The decreasing price of technology and the ready availability of the internet are making home-made productions increasingly appealing to fans of popular films and shows. So far the studios are making little attempt to prevent this. In the case of Star Trek, Paramount may be hoping that the popularity of fan films will keep the public's attention on the franchise while it is in hiatus.

The popularity of "Star Wreck" should show Paramount that there is still a fan-base for some kind of professional "Star Trek" production. Because "Star Wreck" can be downloaded for free, it might also encourage them to decrease the price of "Star Trek" series on DVD. Fans have complained that these are exorbitantly expensive. At some stores the season sets cost almost three times as much as those for TV series such as "Stargate SG-1" that have almost the same number of episodes.

"Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning" can be downloaded from www.starwreck.com