Renowned “Star Trek: The Next Generation” director Charles C. Washburn will be joining the Star Trek New Voyages’ growing list of Star Trek alum as its first AD for the company’s production of “Blood and Fire.”

Charlie has a long history with the Star Trek franchise having worked as the first AD on such landmark TNG episodes like “Haven,” “Justice,” one of my favorite episodes called “The Last Outpost” and “The Naked Now.”

Charlie will lend his vast directing talents to New Voyages and David Gerrold’s updated script of “Blood and Fire,” an idea originally conceived by David when he worked as a writer for ‘The Next Gen’ but was deemed at the time as too socially controversial for television.

“Blood and Fire,” first conceived by Gerrold in 1987 for possible treatment for TNG was eventully rejected by UPN and Paramount as being too socially controversial and challenging. The reasons given did not fit well into Gene Roddenberry’s idea of an all inclusive society and controversy still revolves around the idea that Gene himself may never have actually seen the script for final approval.

“Blood and Fire” is the first script to seriously address the idea of openly gay crew members as part of Starfleet starships. Gerrold and Washburn will work closely together with series creator and executive producer James Cawley to bring this enlightening script to the viewer for the first time with shooting on the episode to start at the New Voyages studio set in Upstate New York beginning in June 2007.

Actor Bobby Rice will join the cast of regulars as Captain Kirk’s nephew and young Starfleet officer Ensign Peter Kirk. Also on hand will be actor Evan Fowler and Nick Cook, actor and producer of the “Star Trek: Intrepid” series.