Exclusive: ‘Star Trek Continues’ Fan Series Premieres At PHXCC – Michael Forest Guest Stars [PHOTOS]

The new fan-mad webseries Star Trek Continues is gearing up to show their first episode. TrekMovie has exclusive details on the premiere, the first images from the episode and more – including breaking the news that Michael Forest is reprising his Star Trek role as Apollo. More details below including a chat with Michael Forest.

 

Star Trek Continues Premiers May 24th With Michael Forest

Star Trek Continues star and executive producer Vic Mignogna is now opening up about the first episode of his new fan series set in the original Star Trek universe. Mignogna has revealed to TrekMovie that the inaugural episode, “Pilgrim of Eternity,” will debut at Phoenix Comicon on May 24th, 2013 (6PM). Following the episode there will also be a panel discussion with Mignogna and most of his cast – including guest star Michael Forest, who is reprising his original role as Apollo from the TOS episode "Who Mourns For Adonais." The inaugural Star Trek Continues episode will also be made available online that same weekend.


FIRST LOOK: Mr. Spock (Todd Haberkorn) and Capt. Kirk (Vic Mignogna) view a monitor displaying archival image of their first encounter with Apollo – from Star Trek Continues “Pilgrim of Eternity"

The new Star Trek webseries was developed by veteran voice actor Vic Mignogna, who stars as Capt. Kirk. He is joined by Todd Haberkorn as Mr. Spock and Star Trek author Larry Nemecek as Dr. McCoy. The cast also includes Chris Doohan (son of the late James Doohan) plays Scotty and Mythbusters’ Grant Imahara as Mr. Sulu. Kim Stinger (Lt. Uhura) and Wyatt Lenhart (Mr. Chekov) round out the ensemble cast.

“Pilgrim of Eternity" will be the first episode of Star Trek Continues – a show that aims continue the story of the original Star Trek series which ended after only three seasons. Mignogna tells TrekMovie "like any fan, I always wanted to see the rest of the five year mission, and that is what ‘Star Trek Continues’ is made to do."


FIRST LOOK: Captains quarters set from Star Trek Continues “Pilgrim of Eternity"

The episode was shot in January of this year, with production taking 10 days. Star Trek Continues is produced by Trek Continues, LLC in association with Farragut Films and it is filmed in Kingsland, GA on what they boast as the "largest free-standing, extensive and accurate Star Trek TOS sets in the world."

The episode is currently in post-production. Mignogna tells TrekMovie that currently they are finishing up the special effects saying "while the show isn’t all about FX, the episode does contain more FX shots than a typical original Star Trek episode." He promised to provide more details on the effects later, but he did provide us a first look at the Enterprise from Star Trek Continues (below) and if you look closely you can see a couple of guys working on the hull.


FIRST LOOK: USS Enterprise in Star Trek Continues “Pilgrim of Eternity"

A chat with Michael Forest

Star Trek Continues also provided TrekMovie access to a chat with guest star Michael Forest. It was a bit of a home-coming for the 83 year-old actor returning to Star Trek. Here is the exchange…

How did it feel to reprise the role of Apollo after 40 plus years?
Michael: The whole experience was surreal!

Describe your experience working on the set of Star Trek Continues?
Michael: I found that working with the people there was different than working on shows in the past. The camera, sound crew, makeup people were all excellent and a pleasure to work with. In fact, everyone involved was a joy! Even though many were volunteers, things were handled and completed extremely well. Their behavior and work ethic was very professional.

How did you become involved with this production?
Michael: I was approached by the Vic, the producer/director and asked if I would do the same character I had done about 45 years ago! It was a rather astounding question, but the concept sounded interesting.

What were some of the highlights or regrets?
Michael: I got a huge charge when they brought me a double whopper from Burger King! [laughs] I would have been happier if I had been a bit younger because I no longer had the agility and stamina so apparent when I filmed the original episode.

Visit with Star Trek Continues at PHXCC

Many of Star Trek Continues cast and crew will be attending Phoenix Comicon 2013 on May 24th, including Michael Forest.
An autograph session will be held after the premiere screening and panel (moderated by yours truly).

What’s next for STC

Mignogna tells TrekMovie that between now and the May 24th premiere there will be more reveals and details on the production of the first episode of Star Trek Continues. And he is already planning his second episode which will begin shooting in October. Mignogna says the goal is to try to get two episodes out each year, and maybe even three, saying "we don’t want fans to have to wait too long between missions."

If you haven’t seen them, there are three fun Star Trek Continues ‘vignettes’ which were shot before production on the first episode. Here is the latest one "Happy Birthday, Scotty."

For more vignettes and details on the show visit startrekcontinues.com.

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Old Apollo? Or CGI Apollo? Give him a Max Headroom personality, that might be funny…

Wow, I have to wait until my boss is in his office with the door closed before I call up photos of guys in toga on my work monitor.

They really are enlightened in the future.

No offense to the other fan productions, but just from what I’ve seen, this captures the essence of the Original Series as a straight forward fan continuation. I love Phase II but it feels more like a different crew aboard a Constitution ship which isn’t a bad thing at all. And again, no offense meant by it.

O_O This sounds awesome! Loved seeing the little guys welding on the saucer section as well :D

Enjoying what I’ve seen so far. Looking forward to a complete episode. Would be nice to have more “fan” productions. Many seem to have to have slowed down lately.

Awesome!

TOS with Kirk, Spock, and again… and again… any original idea?

@3 I’m with you. That pretty much sums up my feelings as well.

“Who Mourns For Adonis” was one of my personal favorites! Can’t wait to see this!

I’ve been very impressed thus far with the STC crew – they capture the look and feel of TOS far more than any other fan production has, right down to the film grain. Can’t wait to see what they’ve done!

Premiere at Phoenix ComicCon next month. That’s great. When do we get news of the web premiere for those of us that cannot afford to travel to Phoenix? As much as I’d like to go, I can’t afford it.

A Brooklyneese Kirk…I was half waiting for…”Nah, What’s up, Doc?!”

Maybe it’s me, and I don’t mean to denigrate anyone’s efforts here, but this, this doesn’t seem like Star Trek to me. I love the sets, costumes, production design and the effects, but the acting is just so bad. Vic SOUNDS like Captain Kirk, but he doesn’t LOOK like Kirk, and the others are not nearly as good.

I know, what do I expect, it’s a fan production.

Much better acting than the typical fan productions. And Doohan sounds so much like his father it is scary.

I have been inpressed from what I have seen so far. Especially from Chris Doohan as Scotty. He looks and sounds so much like his dad I would almost think he is the orignal Scotty. Can’t wait to see this.
Sound’s like fun.

While I think they are doing great with set building, I’d hardly call them “the most accurate.”

I’m hardly an expert, but I can see many differences between their sets and the original sets. Differences some of the other productions don’t share.

Which is not to take away from the hard work and dedication that has gone into all aspects of their production.

But, let’s keep the claims in the realm of reality here.

Ugh. Kirk sounds like a chipmunk.

Awesome. Make Kirk’s voice deeper. But still awesome!

Fan films are my guilty pleasure, and I can’t help but feel that STAR TREK CONTINUES is falling into the same trap that has hampered PHASE II — episode sequels and trotting out former guest stars. This time to an episode that really didn’t beg for a sequel. Frankly, the original show didn’t really do follow ups (yes I know the Tribble sequel in TAS was originally meant for TOS).

Fan films, such as CONTINUES, have the opportunity with its marvelous sets and costumes to really tell the TREK stories that they’ve always wanted to tell. Stories with real themes that aren’t about connecting the dots of canon. Grab our attention with stories that are ABOUT SOMETHING not guest stars, fancy VFX and space battles. Tell stories that matter.

I am very much looking forward to this premiere!
Looks to me like some quality people, producing quality TOS Star Trek.
I’ll take this over that god awful J.J. Abrams production any day!

Can’t wait to see more of this series- It looks awesome so far. The cast has already captured my heart with Sy-fy. And for Mr Scot, aww I always had a thingy for the dad and the son is just as good with the voice. But everyone keep up the good work. I need more please!!

Wow I’m impressed, very nice work guys! I can’t wait to watch!

It kind of runs against the spirit of things to be critical of any fan film. Come on, artist integrity and enthusiasm will carry the day, if nothing else.I can’t wait.

Have to agree with the Kirk voice comments.

This is awesome! The actors might not look too much like the originals, but they captured the same quality of the original series and i love the juxtaposition of the original background music that really conveys the scene.

Mignogna may not have the voice of Shatner-Kirk, but he does a near-perfect job with Kirk’s body language. Chris Doohan is just great [movement and voice], and so are Sulu and Uhura [their body language was also close to perfect]. Chekov did pretty well, and so did McCoy, but Spock was … just painful to watch.

To me Star Trek can’t be good if their Spock isn’t good. Talk about a high voice, OMG, Spock is a BASS, not a tenor. I can’t believe it’s that difficult to find someone who at least *resembles* Nimoy in face and voice … and expressions. This young man was miscast.

Now that my casting rant is over, I did very much like the sets and much of the writing. The music and background sounds made it special, as did the SFX.

I LUV that phaser design!

… Grant Imahara!! /*** fans self ***/ I’ve sat through many a Mythbusters show with my kids over the years. I might have to watch a few Star Trek Continues webisodes. I watched Star Trek Of Gods and Men some time ago and was a bit meh about it, and I don’t think I’ve watched any of the Phase II stuff. This “Happy Birthday, Scotty” scene was rather cute, but it might take me a while to get used to McCoy’s voice…

Hmm.. either the ship is really small or those guys on the hull are pretty big. I make the guys about 1/3 the height of the center part of the saucer. I think there are supposed to be at least 6 decks in that section. The guys should be about 1/2 or 1/3 that size.

Apollo got real big at the end of Who Mourns for Adonis. Maybe that’s him and one of his Greek god buddies on the hull. :)

The video quality is amazing. Lighting and tone are spot on. Chris Doohan steals the scene in both voice and appearance. Spooky! Not crazy about the other voices. Still excited to see it!

All I could think of was how many times I’ve stopped in Kingsland, GA for gas on my way from FL to SC. I didn’t know anything cool happened there.

Well, there IS a Cracker Barrel. LOL

OMG! I hate to be critical of this. As a long time Trekkie (since before the term Trekker even existed) I really, really do as I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time. I fervently hope that in the vignette, Vic was just settling into the role because the constant muscle flexing, tight shirt and off key voice (never mind how short he is compared to the other actors) just threw the whole thing off for me. Reminded me more of a SNL skit than a Trek episode.
That being said, I’ve met Doohan and like his dad, he’s a really nice guy. I want this to succeed. Please guys, concentrate on stories, not doing impersonations. I like Phase 2, Farragut and a couple of the other fan films, each for thier own take. Some have better acting, some have better sets. As I said, give us stories and we’ll be along for the ride.

The minutia criticisms of Trek fan productions is so boring. They’re non-professional productions produced by fans, not high-budget Hollywood, and of varying quality but I’ve enjoyed all of them—Phase II, Exeter, ST Continues, Farragut, and others.

That was actually pretty good. The rhythm was much snappier and closer to the style of TOS than some of the other productions I’ve seen (where scenes just seem to drag on and on and are cut horribly).

And yeah Kirk’s voice is a little high, but if i could get used to Quinto’s higher Spock voice I’m sure i could get used to this too.

Gotta say, Chris Doohan is excellent! Really. Such a great interpretation of the character. Has so many characteristics of his dad, but still his own. Vocally, facially and body language. Just living, No! being the character. Really uncanny. I’m impressed. Makes me happy to hear it. There’s your Scotty. I’d have given you the role in the movie, Chris. Too good! ” Ahw, aye, she’s a beauty”. Agreed. Really well done.

While I like sequels, original stories are nice too. One thing I like about New Voyages/Phase II is that lately they’ve taken to filming stories that were written for ST in one incarnation or another but never put into production – like Gerrold’s “Blood and Fire” and Povill’s “The Child” (rewritten for TNG during the Writer’s Strike but originally written for the 1970’s Phase II) and so forth. And I’m particularly stoked that they are producing “Mind-Sifter”, a fan story that appeared in the New Voyages paperback back in 1975. I’ve always wanted to see that story made into an episode and I hope the P2 people can pull it off.

In the meantime – the ST Continues stuff looks good too; after all, one can never have too much Star Trek. And you are absolutely right that Chris’ take on his father’s delivery is uncanny. And great.

Really, really good!!!!! I enjoyed it very much indeed.

These fan productions always get soooo close, but can never seem to seal the deal. Oh well, just like all all the others, I’ll be there with bells on when it becomes available online. I wish them much success!

Very impressive. Production is pristine. Chris is EXCELLENT!! But accurate sets?? Sorry, but the blue frames on the viewscreens are WAAAY too wide, for one thing. If you’re going to do it all the way, get the obvious things right. The CGI E? Needs work. Gabe- you can do better, dammit!
Love the Nakada phasers… gotta get one.

The set of Kirk’s quarters looks stunning. Absolutely magnificent!

And as for Michael Forrest? I met him & got his autograph at my very first ST convention back in 2001. He was a nice guy. Can’t wait to see him reprise Apollo.

I really love these fan films. More ST (especially made with so much ‘love for the game’ as these are) is always a good thing, IMO.

Hey all! Thank you for checking out the article. Its fun to see so many folks ready to watch the first episode and give their two cents. I’m always on the look out for good Spock info. I’ve had a blast researching this character and what makes him tick as he battles with being half-human/half-Vulcan on the bridge of the Enterprise.
So, if you could point me in the direction of the sources that say Spock’s voice absolutely must be a deep bass and not just Nimoy doing his take on the character of Spock that has been portrayed probably more than a few times over the past several decades, please point that out to me cause I’d love to add it to my research notebook for future reference. Thx!

Not sure what “rulebook” says Spock’s voice must be a deep bass, but that’s just nonsense. Quinto’s voice is nowhere near as deep as Nimoy’s – it takes 30 seconds to get used to, not a big deal.

Enjoy these fan productions, folks. They’re made by us, for us. They’re not gonna be perfect, but they can be a helluva lot of fun.

Kudos to Vic and the gang!

This is an exciting time for Star Trek fan, with what is sure to be a great new feature film, and what is shaping up to be a very cool new Fan Series. can’t wait

While Vic does indeed have the Shatnerisms down, I hope to see a more nuanced performance that makes it more his own. That said, I’m looking forward to the first full episode. I’m curious how Michael Forest will be able to pull of the flawless god at his present age.

@41 I didn’t work on that shot

DAAAAANG that Chekov is mighty fine! Very very excited to see the finished production!

Wow. Regarding that shot of Kirk’s quarters, mark me down as a fan of the folks who built, and lit, that set. Matt Jeffries and Jerry Finnerman would no doubt be pleased and proud to see such a fine homage to their work.

That said, I’ll second the poster who wondered why it was necessary to film a sequel to “Who Mourns for Adonis?”, an episode that to put it kindly doesn’t make too many ‘best of TOS’ lists. Not assuming that I know better I’ll be very interested to see what the producers have come up with. And as a former Phase 2 crew member, I’m hoping that production will soon resume releasing new material as well.

@ 29. ObsessiveStatTrekFan – April 10, 2013
“… but it might take me a while to get used to McCoy’s voice…”

According to the article he got recasted anyway.