A Star Trek fan's cross-country quest to prove her capability and independence

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In the 2017 film Please Stand By, an autistic young woman named Wendy embarks on a perilous journey from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Her goal is to personally deliver a 427-page Star Trek screenplay to Paramount Pictures, hoping to win a contest and prove she can care for her niece.

Directed by Ben Lewin and based on a 2008 play by Michael Golamco, the film follows Wendy, who lives in a structured group home managed by Scottie. After missing the deadline to mail her script, Wendy escapes her routine life, accompanied only by a small dog named Pete. Her journey is marked by a series of chaotic obstacles, including being robbed in a shanty town and surviving a bus crash near Bakersfield.

The narrative highlights Wendy's determination as she navigates a world that often underestimates her. When she loses parts of her manuscript, she persists by rewriting the pages on scrap paper. Her eventual arrival in Los Angeles leads to a tense encounter with police, where Officer Frank earns her trust by communicating in Klingon, a detail that underscores the film's central theme of finding connection through shared interests.

While the film ultimately sees Wendy fail to win the $100,000 screenwriting prize, the outcome is not a total defeat. The rejection letter from Paramount encourages her to keep writing, and she successfully reconciles with her sister, Audrey, finally meeting her niece, Ruby. The film received mixed critical reception, holding a 58% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics noting that it follows familiar coming-of-age tropes while offering a unique, Trek-inspired perspective.

Commercially, the film saw a modest release, earning a worldwide total of $406,732. Despite the financial performance, the story serves as a character study on autonomy and the desire to be recognized for one's potential rather than one's limitations. By the end, Wendy returns to her group home, having achieved a personal victory that transcends the contest's original monetary goal.

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