New Clips From Star Trek Phase II + Production Update

The popular fan series Star Trek Phase II has released a couple of clips from "Mind-Sifter," which is currently in production. Check those out below, plus get an update on progress for the three episodes currently in post-production, news for the next episode to be shot, and more.

 

Clips from Phase II’s "Mind-Sifter" – Check out new McCoy

In June the Star Trek: Phase II team began production on "Mind-Sifter," which will be the 10th episode for the popular fan series. "Mind-Sifter" is based on a story by Star Trek Welcommittee founder Shirley S. Maiewski about Kirk having his memory erased by the Klingons and sent back to 1950’s Earth. The episode features the return of John Carrigan as Kargh and the introduction of the TAS character "Ensign Walking Bear," portrayed by Wayne W. Johnson.

"Mind-Sifter" also introduced a new Dr. McCoy to Phase II now that their original actor (and real-life doctor) John Kelley has moved on to other projects. To replace him Phase II has brought in David Sherin, an experienced local actor from Syracuse, NY. Here is a rough cut of Sherin as McCoy confronting Brandon Stacey’s Captain Spock (put in command after Kirk’s disappearance). [NOTE: Clip is rough and doesn’t have final sound]

And here is a brand new (also rough) clip featuring Kirk (James Cawley) facing Kargh (John Carrigan) and the Klingon Mind-Sifter.

Phase II Post-Production Update + Next Episode announced

Patty Wright from Star Trek Phase II has also provided TrekMovie with an update on all their episodes currently in post-production. The next episode to be released will be "The Child" (episode 7), which has just been sent off for final audio mix. Following up will be the Klingon-focused episode "Kitumba" (episode 8) which is currently being edited with Tobias Richter/The Light Works providing the visual effects which are quite extensive, including scenery extensions and replacing whole sets. Both "The Child" and a rough edit of "Kitumba" will be shown later this month at ICon 2011, the annual Israeli Sci-Fi Festival. "Origins"(episode 9), Phase II’s take on Kirk’s early years, is next in the post-production queue with VFX work already started.

"Mind-Sifter," currently in production, will follow "Origins" as Phase II’s 10th episode. The ship-board scenes were shot in June and in 2012 they will do the location shooting. And Phase II has already picked their next episode to shoot. Their 11th episode will be "Bread and Savagery" which is currently in pre production. Principle photography on this sequel to "Bread and Circuses" will begin in 2012. The author of the script has not been announced yet.

Here are some of the previously released previews/clips from the three episodes in post-production.

"The Child"

"Kitumba"

"Origins"

Phase II was also just profiled by WUTR’s "Hello Central New York." The visit includes a behind-the-scenes look plus some footage from both "The Child" and "Kitumba."

"Lost Vignette" To Be Released This weekend

Phase II’s Senior Executive Producer James Cawley has also announced that a "long-lost Klingon vignette" titled “No Win Scenario” will be released on October 8, 2011 – commemorating the seventh anniversary of the release of Star Trek: New Voyage’s very first episode (“In Harm’s Way”, 10/08/04.). The vignette was originally filmed in 2005 was thought lost, but was re-discovered by actor John Carrigan who worked with other members of the team to finish it.

Official description:

After being pitted against Kirk in a Klingon version of the “no-win scenario,” Kargh would hunger for the day when he and Kirk would meet for real. His hunger is soon satisfied! Starring John Carrigan, Anne Carrigan and James Cawley, the vignette features appearances by Larry Nemecek, Jeff Quinn, Julienne Irons, Andy Bray, and Paul R. Sieber. Written by Erik Korngold, directed by Erik J. Goodrich, and with updated VFX by Pony R. Horton and Tobias Richter of The Light Works.

Visit www.startrekphase2.com on Saturday (at 7AM EST) to check it out.

Cawley announces Wild Wild West webseries

Phase II production company Cawley Entertainment Company/Retro Film Studios has also announced a new webseries based on the classic 60’s TV show The Wild Wild West. Titled "Back to the Wild Wild West," the series (currently in preproduction) will star James Cawley as James West and Paul R. Seiber as Artemus Gordon. There is a place-holder website set up (backtothewildwildwest.com) and here is a title sequence test:


 

For more information, and to find out how you can help, visit www.startrekphase2.com.

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I love these guys.

Sorry, I just don’t get it. The acting is pretty terrible and the writing…well the dialogue if awful. I’m glad these guys have a lot of money to spend on a hobby like this and it seems to give them a lot of pleasure, but I’m not sure why anybody would want to watch it. Well, at least the effects are good.

I like progress reports better than broken promises. It actually gives me a REAL idea as to when these are coming out.

I remember when they said there would be 4 episodes last year, I said it wasn’t realistic(although I would have been presently surprised). I was right as there was only one, but wow what an episode it was. I loved the TMP style worm hole.

I’m not sure why, but the child is one of my favorite TNG episodes, so I can’t wait to see your guys’ take on it.

Brevard-
you just don’t get it then…

Can’t wait for more!
The passion and production value in each of these make them the unofficial ‘4th season’ of TOS in my book. The new McCoy does capture some of the more hot-tempered side of the late DeForest Kelley’s character (a fact I was reminded of after recently re-watching “The Tholian Web”).

And IMO, STP2’s “World Enough and Time” was George Takei’s BEST turn as Sulu ever. At Comic Con this last summer, I had the pleasure of meeting Marc Scott Zicree, one of the writers of that episode (as well as so many scifi TV shows and one of my favorite tie-in books, “The Twilight Zone Companion”). It was neat. I geeked out a bit… ;-D

Again, thanks again Mr Cawley. These labors of love you and your team put together are very much appreciated by fans like myself. May the Second Phase live long and prosper….
;-)

awww I really liked John Kelley’s McCoy. That’s too bad, but I wish him well.

These shows are great. What an effort everyone involved puts in! Very bummed though that John Kelley is leaving as McCoy. He has really grown into the roll. If I had one complaint it would be the ever revolving cast. I guess it’s unavoidable given the reality of the production.

although i admit they could reshoot the scene with mccoy

I agree with #5 Sebastian. Not only is “World Enough and Time” my favorite from this series, I consider it to be a REAL part of the star trek universe. Ironic as there are 3 episodes that are official cannon, but I don’t consider them part of the trek universe.

Boy, everyone seems angry…

I too think that the effort and time that these guys are putting in is brilliant! And i’m not just talking bout the actors i’m talking bout the crew, the set builders, prop makers, sound techs, video editors, seat warmers.. everyone!

Well done to Cawley, all the actors and the whole production team.

I really enjoy the episodes and I appreciate all the effort. It’s more than we get from paramount !

I’ll miss John Kelly. The Dr. McCoy reminds me a little of Golum from lord of the rings…sorry don’t know if I spelled Golum right.

but that being said I still love phase 2

John Kelley was an excellent McCoy. Probably the best characterization out of the entire cast. The new guy… Well I hope he grows into the role.

Interesting. When I read this story the first time, it seemed to me that Spock was much colder and emotionless than Stacy’s portrayal. But I could see McCoy being more emotional. I wonder if Stacy is channeling some alt-universe Spock? Also wondered what Spock would look like in the gold shirt. The new McCoy needs a little more hair.

How do you lose a Vignette, I wonder?

As far as I’m concerned Phase II is a worthy continuation of the original 5 year mission of Kirk and the Enterprise crew. I am grateful to James Cawley and his team for producing these fine episodes!

Is this “Mind Sifter” from that old Marshak/Culbreath fanfic compilation from Bantam in the late 1970s?

I remember reading the original ‘Mind-Sifter’ story when I was a kid. It was in one of the first Trek pocket books that I ever owned. Great story, I could always see it as an original series story, had it been given a chance. I guess that time has come!

Gotta say i loved Kelley as McCoy, too. This new guy is WAYYYYY too angry. Even De Kelley, at his angriest, never seemed out of control like this guy. The only thing missing from the new guy’s performance is foam around the mouth. LOL Sorry, not trying to be mean, it just doesn’t “feel” like Bones to me.

I liked the original McCoy as well. Why do modern actors think that “snarling” their lines is the least bit manly? Real people don’t snap at each other in snarling lecturing accustory tones!

Re: #19, AJ: Yes, Shirley Maiewski’s “Mind-Sifter” was published in the first Marshak/Culbreath NEW VOYAGES compilation. It was one of the better stories in the book and one I’ve always had strong mental images of how it should look, whether on screen or in an illustrated comic format.

Very good!! I liked all that I saw!! Can’t wait for these episodes!!

Of course, to fit within the parameters of the five year mission, they had to condense the amount of time Kirk was missing in the past down from what it was in the original story. It seems weird for Bones to be making this big a deal out of marking the ninety day anniversary of Jim’s disappearance. But that’s a necessary evil of adaptation.

I love the production of these episodes but this new McCoy is distractingly bad! The acting has always been uneven at best but this guy’s just not up to the task from what I can see in this clip. The new Spock isn’t really there either. The essence of the characters are missing.

“Mind-Sifter” is one of my favorite short stories of all time, regardless of the fact it was a Star Trek tale. It’s so incredibly moving and well-told. Sad to think that author Shirley S. Maiewski passed away a few years ago, and to my understanding, never wrote anything else.

I’d prefer to see this story filmed by the Trek movie guys, but it’ll be interesting to see Phase II’s take on it, even if it turns out to be awful.

Yeah. Just watched the Mind Sifter clip. New Spock. Emotional? Next.
And, as for the new McCoy. ” Oh he’s rich!”

Acting is not easy.

I’ll miss John Kelly.

Best of luck on your future endeavors, Sir.

-Tomh

Darn. When I saw the title I thought it meant clips from the original 70s Phase 2.

Cool! And Wild Wild West! Looking forward to that.

29 dmduncan

It did’nt look that hard in the “EnemyPreview.wmv.”

Cawley did a great job with that speech.

I remember reading “Mind-Sifter” a long time ago. Very chilling; could make for an interesting episode.

To be fair to both actors… this is a clip of Spock and McCoy decidedly NOT acting like Spock and McCoy and it’s not really a representation of their portrayals of the characters we know and love. The story takes both characters (all 3, if you count Kirk) to… and beyond the limits of who they are to their cores. This particular scene is the “breaking point” for both of them. (which is probably why James chose to release it.) THAT is the story Shirley wrote…and, having seen all three actors do their work on set – it is downright impressive. When you see the rest of the episode it will be easier to judge if they can, indeed, do justice to the parts they play. (They do, IMHO)

AJ, this is “Mind-Sifter” but not the version in the Bantam paperback. Shirley was unhappy with their edits to it and asked James to film HER version – way back before he was filming ANYTHING yet. It is being produced with the permission, cooperation, and participation of her family. In fact, you’ll see her grown grandkids take their place as officers on the ship Shirley so loved.

Marvin, Shirley was quite a prolific fanfic writer. She is best known for this story and for co-authoring the trilogy of novels called “Alternate Universe 4”. If you go to the old fanfic archives on line you can find many of her other works.

Wow; Mind Sifter was one of my favorite fan fics. As an adolescent girl, I had no problems with Mary Sues at the time – and I of course wanted to be Jan ;-)

It took me over a decade to finally sit down and watch the movie version of ‘Interview with the Vampire;’ as I’d feared, I should have stayed away. Not sure if I want to risk having my imagery messed with again… I hope they do it honor, and I look forward to reading about it when it’s been completed. Maybe I’ll have the courage by then…

ah, i really struggled to watch the new McCoy. He’s just plain angry- Bone’s was rarely angry, he was passionate.

if you’d been living with this Spock, you’d be plain angry too. Did you see the number of transfer requests DeSalle added his to? LOL

Spock and McCoy are living together in PhaseII? Wow, thats gona take some getting used to! I thought the Spock/Uhura thing was bad enough in the last fim but Spock/McCoy is really going to take some getting used to! ;-)

#2 watch out posting that you dont like phase 2 on here often results in getting attacked by other readers, no matter how correct you are.

RIP Charles Napier.

Wasn’t Cawley supposed to be doing a Buck Rogers webseries? What happened to that?

I wish I lived closer (or vice versa) so I could help out with / on Phase II

qapla’

I have to agree with post #2. As a Star Trek fan myself, I think it’s safe to say that it’s pretty much every fan’s dream to fill Kirk’s shoes on screen. However, the problem with fan films (shows) is that fans are so desperate to live out their fantasies, their presence in the frame compromises the end result. There’s some great CGI here and the sets are impressive, but the ‘actors’ seem completely out of place – most of all, Crawley. This was obviously his pet project and he wanted to be Kirk. That would have been fine if all of his forced affect and lack of enunciation didn’t completely detract from the viewing experience. One might claim that the acting in the Original Series was far from great. Maybe they’re right, but the acting was being done by professional actors, not professional fans. As bad as the TOS acting may have been (I actually liked it), it was still leaps and bounds better than that of this fan-based series. Fans should stick to what they’re good at (obviously some are great at CGI and set-building) and then call on other talent from the outside to make their projects really shine. All that said, maybe this group doesn’t care about making a great show – perhaps, they just want to make it while spending time living out their fantasies. That’s fair enough, and no one is forcing me to watch it. Though, if it was any better, I’d probably give it a shot.

41
i had same question
also wonder if Cawley saw ‘The Mercury Men’

Agree with 2 and 43…as an actor myself, I find some of the acting cringeworthy….it’s as if the actors have walked in, got changed and ran on set and read out the lines, shows a lack of character development. I’ll give credit to the sets and CGI, the sets are quite impressive actually. But again…this is fans trying too hard to be exactly like the original series actors….whereas, if u look at Trek 09, it was actors bringing out their own interpretations of the original series actors…difference.

Excellent!! Love it!

43. Lazarus

“..Fans should stick to what they’re good at (obviously some are great at CGI and set-building) and then call on other talent from the outside to make their projects really shine…”

Most likely the “talent from the outside” would come at a price. I’m sure Cawley is surrounded by people willing to do most, if not all, of this work for free. I imagine these actors know they are not Patrick Stewart-level actors, but I’ve seen professional, sky-high-budget productions utilize less than capable actors. I’d say Cawley is getting more of a bargain!
In spite of whatever flaws there are, I think these people deserve a lot of praise. Some folks only want to hammer them over the acting. I know from personal experience how difficult it is to organize and produce a program on little or no budget. I had no choice but to work with inexperienced people. My credit cards were completely drained to build sets and feed people. The overall experience – and product – turned out to be a nightmare. The Phase II people are getting it done and on the screen. That, alone, is a massive accomplishment.
Just my 2 cents, of course.

@45– I think Brandon Stacy is definitely bringing his own version of Spock, I can’t wait to see more completed episodes with him.

Really looking forward Phase II’s take on “Mindsifter” and “Kitumba” being realized as I read both of them decades ago.

Totally off topic but

not even a mention of the passing of Charles Napier?!?!?

I must have missed it. I’ll look again.