Post by Captain Benjamin Maxwell on May 25, 2005 17:17:12 GMT -5
Hey guys - I know it's risky posting something like this on a BattleTech fan site - but I really want to champion the cause of these folks, so I felt it was worth the risk. Enjoy!
It ain't real...but it might as well be.[/i]
Following the premature cancellation of the well-conceived, but poorly-executed 'Star Trek' prequel, 'Enterprise,' and with no immediate plans for another installment of the thirty-year-old franchise on the horizon (though negotiations for an eleventh feature film are rumored to be ongoing), fans of the series now find themselves at an impasse:
For the first time in nearly twenty years, there will be no first-run episodes of ‘Trek’ on the air.
There will be no more Archer. No more T’Pol. No more sage advice from charismatic Denobulan physician Dr. Phlox.
The five-year mission of the NX-01 has come to an end.
But ‘Star Trek’ lives on.
The abrupt end to the series has, if anything, garnered new support for a long-overlooked, often-maligned niche of independent filmmaking – fan-created spin-offs. These tributes to the series, often cobbled together with little or no budget, utilizing whatever means are available (the family van becomes a shuttlecraft; the back yard is transformed into the surface of an alien world) represent a labor of love by the most loyal of Trekkers – and the power of their handiwork to entertain is often underestimated.
While some of these creations never get off the ground, those that do are often spectacular, and range from original undertakings, such as ‘Star Trek: Hidden Frontier,’ now in its seventh season, to crossovers, combining familiar characters from several different incarnations of the series, such as the German feature-length film ‘Star Trek: Legacy,’ now in post-production.
But no fan-based series has garnered as much attention, and created as much anticipation, as 'Star Trek: New Voyages'. So ambitious and successful has the undertaking been that it has even caught the attention of Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry (son of late ‘Star Trek’ series creator Gene Roddenberry), Paramount Studios, and a score of cast and crew members from the Original Series. The series is set between the fourth and fifth years of the Enterprise's five-year mission ('Star Trek', in its first incarnation, was cancelled during the third year), and focuses on the events which took place in the years leading up to 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture.'
I will admit, at first, I was skeptical. I had very little familiarity with just how dedicated the fans behind these types of efforts were, and was dubious about just how 'good' something like this could possibly be.
But a glance at the trailer for "In Harm's Way" (the newest installation in the "New Voyages" series) had me curious.
The first five minutes of the full episode had me enthralled.
Utilizing dazzling special effects, professional scriptwriters, talented actors, and painstakingly recreated sets and props, the cast and crew of 'New Voyages' have undertaken the ultimate challenge: continuing the Original Series, recreating every aspect of its original form along the way, and expanding upon it.
And they've pulled it off.
Not only do the sets, costumes, props, special effects, and filmography make this new incarnation look nearly identical to the 'Trek' of the 60's, in most cases, it looks even better. Modern-day computer technology has allowed the filmmakers to introduce advanced special effects, unheard-of in the 1960s, into the show that gives its already strikingly authentic look and feel even more character. Even the acting was superb, with the entire cast delivering amazing interpretations of their characters that nearly made me forget that I wasn't watching the original actors.
By the end of the episode, I was awestruck.
It was the best hour of 'Trek' I had seen since 'The Next Generation' went off the air in 1994.
And did I mention that all of this was accomplished without any funding whatsoever?
The all-volunteer effort (due to copyright issues, 'New Voyages' will never be allowed to profit from the show in any way), is paid for entirely out-of-pocket by the show's producers, but their budgetary constraints haven't diminished the quality of the production in any way. In fact, so well-executed is 'New Voyages' that D.C. Fontana, writer for the Original Series, will be teaming up with the show's writers to script an upcoming episode, and actor Walter Koenig is slated to reprise his now-famous role of Pavel Chekov for an as-of-yet undisclosed episode. Shooting for the series' third episode will begin in September, with a scheduled debut date of early 2006.
So to all those hypochondriacs who cry out that the cancellation of 'Enterprise' heralds the death of the 'Star Trek' franchise, I beg to differ. It is through the storytelling efforts of these die-hard fans that the ‘Star Trek’ saga will continue. 'Star Trek' doesn't need a network to survive - nor does it need Nielsen ratings to tell its executives, who long ago turned a deaf ear to its fans, what viewers 'want' to see.
It simply needs an open heart, and an open mind.
Now, if you'll excuse me - I'm going to go dust off my tricorder.
Benjamin Maxwell is the system administrator of the 'Legionnaires' website, an independent roleplaying group hosted by ProBoards.com.
It ain't real...but it might as well be.
Following the premature cancellation of the well-conceived, but poorly-executed 'Star Trek' prequel, 'Enterprise,' and with no immediate plans for another installment of the thirty-year-old franchise on the horizon (though negotiations for an eleventh feature film are rumored to be ongoing), fans of the series now find themselves at an impasse:
For the first time in nearly twenty years, there will be no first-run episodes of ‘Trek’ on the air.
There will be no more Archer. No more T’Pol. No more sage advice from charismatic Denobulan physician Dr. Phlox.
The five-year mission of the NX-01 has come to an end.
But ‘Star Trek’ lives on.
The abrupt end to the series has, if anything, garnered new support for a long-overlooked, often-maligned niche of independent filmmaking – fan-created spin-offs. These tributes to the series, often cobbled together with little or no budget, utilizing whatever means are available (the family van becomes a shuttlecraft; the back yard is transformed into the surface of an alien world) represent a labor of love by the most loyal of Trekkers – and the power of their handiwork to entertain is often underestimated.
While some of these creations never get off the ground, those that do are often spectacular, and range from original undertakings, such as ‘Star Trek: Hidden Frontier,’ now in its seventh season, to crossovers, combining familiar characters from several different incarnations of the series, such as the German feature-length film ‘Star Trek: Legacy,’ now in post-production.
But no fan-based series has garnered as much attention, and created as much anticipation, as 'Star Trek: New Voyages'. So ambitious and successful has the undertaking been that it has even caught the attention of Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry (son of late ‘Star Trek’ series creator Gene Roddenberry), Paramount Studios, and a score of cast and crew members from the Original Series. The series is set between the fourth and fifth years of the Enterprise's five-year mission ('Star Trek', in its first incarnation, was cancelled during the third year), and focuses on the events which took place in the years leading up to 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture.'
I will admit, at first, I was skeptical. I had very little familiarity with just how dedicated the fans behind these types of efforts were, and was dubious about just how 'good' something like this could possibly be.
But a glance at the trailer for "In Harm's Way" (the newest installation in the "New Voyages" series) had me curious.
The first five minutes of the full episode had me enthralled.
Utilizing dazzling special effects, professional scriptwriters, talented actors, and painstakingly recreated sets and props, the cast and crew of 'New Voyages' have undertaken the ultimate challenge: continuing the Original Series, recreating every aspect of its original form along the way, and expanding upon it.
And they've pulled it off.
Not only do the sets, costumes, props, special effects, and filmography make this new incarnation look nearly identical to the 'Trek' of the 60's, in most cases, it looks even better. Modern-day computer technology has allowed the filmmakers to introduce advanced special effects, unheard-of in the 1960s, into the show that gives its already strikingly authentic look and feel even more character. Even the acting was superb, with the entire cast delivering amazing interpretations of their characters that nearly made me forget that I wasn't watching the original actors.
By the end of the episode, I was awestruck.
It was the best hour of 'Trek' I had seen since 'The Next Generation' went off the air in 1994.
And did I mention that all of this was accomplished without any funding whatsoever?
The all-volunteer effort (due to copyright issues, 'New Voyages' will never be allowed to profit from the show in any way), is paid for entirely out-of-pocket by the show's producers, but their budgetary constraints haven't diminished the quality of the production in any way. In fact, so well-executed is 'New Voyages' that D.C. Fontana, writer for the Original Series, will be teaming up with the show's writers to script an upcoming episode, and actor Walter Koenig is slated to reprise his now-famous role of Pavel Chekov for an as-of-yet undisclosed episode. Shooting for the series' third episode will begin in September, with a scheduled debut date of early 2006.
So to all those hypochondriacs who cry out that the cancellation of 'Enterprise' heralds the death of the 'Star Trek' franchise, I beg to differ. It is through the storytelling efforts of these die-hard fans that the ‘Star Trek’ saga will continue. 'Star Trek' doesn't need a network to survive - nor does it need Nielsen ratings to tell its executives, who long ago turned a deaf ear to its fans, what viewers 'want' to see.
It simply needs an open heart, and an open mind.
Now, if you'll excuse me - I'm going to go dust off my tricorder.
Benjamin Maxwell is the system administrator of the 'Legionnaires' website, an independent roleplaying group hosted by ProBoards.com.
