They say what goes around, comes around and there may be more truth to that than we know.
After a number of incarnations that have met with varied degrees of success, Star Trek has returned once again… only this time, it’s not on TV or the big screen. This time around it is on the internet and is being done by those who care more about the franchise than the box office receipts. They have been given permission by Paramount, who ‘owns’ Star Trek lock, stock and barrel, to make these episodes so long as they don’t do it for profit…
Star Trek: New Voyages, picks up where the original series left off, with the Constitution Class, USS Enterprise continuing its five-year mission. The characters are the same - Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy, Chief Engineer Scott and the rest… they’re all there but we have a fresh class of young actors and actresses filling their uniforms.
Oh, you’ll also find much of the same sound track from the series, though mixed at times with nuances from the movies and the same ship… the same, original ship.
I had heard rumors of something like this since the demise of the series, “Enterprise” but nothing more. I guess I may be one of the few Star Trek fans that was asleep because it looks to have been going on for a couple of years already. But then again, over that period of time, there have been less than a handful of actual episodes completed so I’ll forgive myself for the oversight.
To date, there appears to only be two episodes available for download. The pilot is called “Come What May” and spends most of the time in a lighthearted effort to acquaint… and reacquaint you with the characters, their personalities and some of the things most Trekkies will immediately identify with… such as the 3-D chessboard and Romulan Ale. This first effort is more than a little rough around the edges as far as acting but improves as the story progresses.
The second episode, “In Harm’s Way” also uses some of the original series’ storylines… a couple to be exact, to weave a far more serious tale of time travel and the deadly ‘dooms day’ machine that (supposedly) took the life of Commodore Decker. Compared to the first episode, the acting is vastly improved… and though not perfect, it is an easy thing for any Trek fan to get lost in.
Between the first two episodes, there is so much of an effort to utilize the familiar, you often wonder if they aren’t just remaking the original series one episode at a time. But that is not the case. They’ve just borrowed in large does from it and then done a remix to create the new story lines.
As for the new cast…
James Cawley is James Tiberius Kirk and of all the reconstituted crew, he is the best fit. His performance in “In Harm’s Way” is really quite convincing and may actually make a better Kirk than… well, Kirk.
Jeff Quinn fills as Mr. Spock and looks as though he may really be Vulcan. I think he struggles a bit to come across as Leonard Nimoy, though, and may do himself and the fans a favor if he tries to evolve the character some into closer fit to himself.
John Kelly plays Dr. McCoy and I wish he had something of a southern accent because he just doesn’t satisfy when it comes to playing an old redneck doctor in space. He may also be trying too hard to play the part of the original.
I could critique each of the new cast but before I spend the cyber ink doing so, I’d like to see the 3rd episode, “To Serve All My Days”, which is due to be released this spring and guest star Walter Koenig, reprising his role as Mr. Chekov.
Each episode is broken up into multiple downloads. If you decide to go and get them, be sure to download the files labeled ‘teaser’ because they are actually the opening sequences for each episode. The rest of the installments are numbered.
Here are the links - (whether due to a lot of visitors or sluggish servers, they’ve been a little slow opening today)
November 24th, 2006 at 11:01 am
[…] As we’ve reported previously, each episode has gotten better in the areas of acting and presentation. This most recent effort is no exception as it is replete with stunning special effects that present the Constitution Class USS Enterprise, the Kingons and their universe in ways that the technology and budget of the 1960’s series could have never imagined. […]