Star Trek Continues Launches Kirkstarter 2.0 To Fund New Episodes

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After three critically acclaimed episodes (and one more just in the can), the award-winning webseries, Star Trek Continues, today launched their second Kickstarter, dubbed “Kirkstarter 2.0”, to help fund two (or maybe more) new episodes and possibly build some new sets if stretch goals are reached. After only 12 hours, they’ve already raised over $40K, well on their way to their $100K goal.

They can do it; you can help!
The STC crew are eager to make more episodes, and they need your help to do it. The new Kickstarter campaign is hoping to raise at least another $100K to fund two more episodes, with stretch goals that include building out their engineering set ($150K) and a planet set ($175K). Every $50K beyond that will go to fund one new episode.

There are also some pretty enticing backer rewards like episode scripts, signed photos, and even a walk-on role in an upcoming episode.

From humble beginnings
After painstakingly acquiring and building near-perfect replicas of the original sets, hiring a talented group of actors, makeup artists, and crew, and financing the first episode himself, Vic Mignonga (who plays a fantastic Kirk in STC) created what is now among the most popular fan series’ based on Star Trek. Their first episode, Pilgrim of Eternity, garnered critical acclaim and set the scene for Kirkstarter 1.0, the team’s first Kickstarter campaign, which raised over $126K and financed the next three episodes (the last of which just wrapped this weekend).


We’re not kidding about how awesome these sets are

Episode 4: That’s a Wrap!
The new fundraising campaign announcement comes just as principal photography has wrapped for STC’s fourth episode. Details about the story are scarce. We do know that co-writer and director of Episode 3, “Fairest of them All” James Kerwin is back to direct and that the episode boasts an impressive guest star list, including: Colin Baker (the 6th Doctor!), Robert J. Sawyer (award winning science fiction writer), and more. Your favorites will be back as well: Vic Mignonga (who plays Kirk better than Kirk), Todd Haberkorn (who really impressed us with his acting chops as Spock in episode 3), Chris Doohan (his father’s son, Scotty), Grant Imahara (that lovable Sulu), Chuck Huber (telling it like it is as Bones), Michele Specht (as the gorgeous Dr. MacKenna), and Kipleigh Brown (as the Prime Universe incarnate of her Episode 3 Mirror Universe character, Smith).

It's SMITH, sir
To the person on the STC social media team making and posting these gifs on the STC tumblr: keep doin’ whatcher doin’.

STC Group Shot B
We’re loving this EXCLUSIVE cast photo of the Enterprise crew from Episode 4!

 


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I’m sure they’ll get the money. Let’s see what they do with it!

Really enjoyed all three episodes to date, particularly the first and third. They are made with heart and they make the most of their shoestring budget. Pledged.

Wow, a new Kickstarter already. Feels like their last just ran last month. That article sounds like a promo written by the STC crew themselves…

Their last kickstarter was 15 months ago actually…and they’ve released more episodes within that time frame than any other Star Trek fan series.

I don’t this this is really fair coverage. The launching of a new kickstarter compared to the complete lack of news/updates regarding the new episode ‘Mindsifter’ that was released recently.

Zapping my post seems a little harsh. I enjoy STC and PII/NV – when this is the site for all trek I just think its a little unfair that ‘Mindsifter’ went released without a single article.

These fan films are superb and need the best exposure possible to enable them to keep the good work going!

Vic is an amazing Shatner. I love this fan project. Kudos to Phase II for starting all this at such a high production level but ST:C really knocks it out of the park. I’ve got any money left after I’ve finished my tax return, I’ll donate. Hope they can convert UK pounds to dollars.

My paycheck will arrive Tuesday.

Smitty, can I get a rimshot?

Keep up the great work!

Never really enjoyed the Vic version of Shatner/Kirk.
I don’t think he knows who to play- Shatner or Kirk.
It borders on SNL sketches for myself.
It is good to see Chris Doohan honor his Dad, though.

Interesting, since the latest episode of NV/P2, “Mindsifter”, was totally ignored I thought this site was no longer interested in fan productions.

The moderation on this site is shocking.

Admin – actually read the message I wrote before deleting it. I explained I like STC and Phase II but think its only fair and good for the productions to have equal coverage, not skipping the recent release of ‘Mindsifter’.

Good luck with STC and the Kickstarter, but if this site is to be a one trick pony regarding fan films then it can quite happily do one.

It’s annoying how people go on about these sets–what a good job the STC people have done with them. They’re Farragut’s sets. Mike Bednar, John Broughton and an army of others from the Farragut team built those sets. They were mostly complete before Vic Mingona entered the picture. Farragut never gets credit for what they’ve done and it’s unfair.

Why are my FAIR comments being deleted admin?

And yet Mr. Mingona gets the credit and the big bucks for it, whereas Farragut puts out a 2hour episode with 15K, STC needs 50K for 1hour. Seems strange…

Admin, all is forgiven.
It would just be nice to see ALL the fan films given this exposure.

ST:C looks great, but the writing is so uninspired. I feel like this is more of a problem than the sets or even the acting. Does anyone else feel this way?

That Kickstarter video looks amazing! I thought it was A Piece of the Action until they zoomed in on Mignona and Haberkorn.

Can’t wait to see Ep.4!

From the STC facebook page: “We will be premiering Ep4 in April or May at a pop culture convention. Captain Kirk will be sharing the coordinates and stardate shortly.”

I agree that Todd Haberkorn was impressive in Fairest of them All. He’s the best Spock that I’ve seen.

Also glad to see that Kipleigh Brown will be back playing Smith Prime.

Kayla question: If Chuck Huber is back as McCoy, then who is Colin Baker playing? What character is “the 6th Doctor?”

18. Kane Lynch – January 18, 2015

ST:C looks great, but the writing is so uninspired. I feel like this is more of a problem than the sets or even the acting. Does anyone else feel this way?

I think that the writing is as outstanding as the look of the production. The writing on Lolani was great. Maybe watch it again and consider some of the subtleties, like the foreshadowing at the beginning related to the book that Kirk is reading.

18. Kane Lynch – January 18, 2015
ST:C looks great, but the writing is so uninspired. I feel like this is more of a problem than the sets or even the acting. Does anyone else feel this way?

While I was astonished by the looks and found the writing on Lolani ok, I have to say I had serious problems with the acting. If I see it as an amateurish attempt I will say the acting is ok because I couldn’t do much better, but I am not an actor. ;) But if I compare it to professional productions then I have to say it is nearly unwatchable because of the acting, in my opinion.

As #17 Captain Spock has pointed out, hopefully Star Trek Continues will not he the only Trek around for the 50th anniversary. 18 months might be enough time to refit a starship as in TMP, but will it be enough time to write a new script and make a good movie

STC have a better production model than “The Other Guys”, and delivers episodes when promised.

Also, I think it was smart to hold this kickstarter until l episode 4 was done.

21. Stephan – January 18, 2015

But if I compare it to professional productions then I have to say it is nearly unwatchable because of the acting, in my opinion.

The performances are always the weakest element of fan productions. To enjoy them, you have to make certain allowances and manage your expectations—there’s a reason why Hollywood actors are paid so well.

Having said that, I would add that the performances in STC have shown steady improvement since the first vignette up through Ep.3, and there’s every reason to expect that they will continue to develop and improve. They’ve gotten to the point that I really enjoy seeing the interpretations of the TOS characters from the STC cast. And, for me, the performances are more than watchable enough to allow enjoyment of everything else—the writing and the production as a whole.

Except for the fact Cygnus,
These actors are professional actors.(maybe not house hold names or A, B or even C list talent, but they still are proffesionals in the entertainment industry)
It always drives me crazy when people (including the STC crew) call it a fan film

23. Cygnus-X1 – January 18, 2015

I didn’t mean to dimish their effort. They are very good for a fan production. But I have noticed that because of these flaws I can’t watch fan productions anymore. They would have to improve massively to get my interest again. Until then I am happy that there are committed fans who apply themselves to new trek productions but I couldn’t support or even watch them.

STC is my favorite of the fan productions, but I have to say that the Phase 2 folks really kicked it up a notch with “Mind Sifter”. Very nicely done.

This is a great time for fan productions. Some of them are doing stellar work right now.

I’ll be pledging some money. Loved the first three films. Probably better to refer to these films as ‘semi-pro’ rather than ‘fan films’. I’ve not had a problem with the acting or the writing thus far: all versions of Star Trek have had much worse at some stage and these guys are all pros!

Captain Spock (17)

The article you pointed to is very negative. Also, while Doctor Who’s anniversary year was much hyped, we actually got a feature-length celebration of eight years of nuWho and a few clips of past Doctors. They couldn’t even be bothered to get William Russell back, given his character, Ian Chesterton, was arguably the lead when the show started!

Star Trek’s ‘mishandling’ is perhaps due to the split rights. CBS owns the TV show, which is turning 50, and Paramount owns the film series, which is only 36-ish.

So who celebrates and how? The split rights have meant little major media cross-pollination. Star Wars has had The Clone Wars and Rebels, which means there’s a whole new young generation that knows that series without even seeing the films. Star Trek (2009) had some build-up and then . . . nothing. I don’t even think there were any action figures for STID this time.

It’s also not fair in the article to attack the TV work of the various Bad Robo tteam members. TV pilots and pilots that go to series fail constantly in US TV, often not because of poor quality but from everything from scheduling to just not catching the zeitgeist at that time. Plus Person of Interest is pretty darn good!

Trek has enormous possibilities and I’m still hoping for something terrific from Justin Lin, who pretty much turned a b-movie franchise property which looked about to go the straight-to-video route into a global hit series on his own.

Truth is, no one really knows yet where Star Trek 3 is heading, but I wouldn’t write off the film series yet.

Star Trek Continues is a terrific tribute to the television series and I look forward to many more. Wherever the main series heads, in this internet era of productions made by talented fans there’s always something interesting being made.

There is no comparison between “Star Trek Continues” and New Voyage’s “Mind Sifter.” “Mind Sifter is good enough to be a TOS episode and one of the better ones at that.

I like Star Trek Continues, I bear it no grudge. Vic is more of a Shatner impersonator. In “Mind Sifter,” Brian Gross is vulnerable, moving, and does not imitate Shatner. Yet, the nuances of Kirk are all there.

I love “Mind Sifter,” the first of a new round of Phase2/New Voyages. It is in a class by itself – it is excellent. That means excellent acting, production value, excellent story (certainly where Kirk never went before!), excellent sets. Spock and McCoy actors are the best IMO, since Nimoy and Kelley.

Sure, some of this is my opinion but to compare the two objectively, if that can be done, I do believe “Mind Sifter” is by far the better production.

And yet, trekmovie never mentions New Voyages “Mind Sifter.” It is your loss, trekmovie, because this is the start of THE BEST Star Trek since 1968!

Giving credit where credit is due, the only thing I find well done on the Trek Conitnues series is the ability to deliver a very polished product. They have GREAT production values and deliver consistency in their sound work, lighting, cinematography, editing, music and FX. Production wise, it’s very solid and refreshing, considering other ventures that seem to be hit-and -miss most of the time. Where Trek Continues falters is in the stories and the acting. The guy playing Kirk is in his 50’s…if we are going to pretend he is in his early 30’s, then find the right lighting for him….HD is not very forgiving. Also, I know he can’t lower his voice any, but he can stop mimicking Shatner so heavily…all it does is re-enforce the idea that Shatner is nowhere around. In fact, with such exact sets, it’s very easy to think, “Who are are these imposters? When did the stunt doubles for Shatner, Nimoy, and the rest of the cast, slip onto the set and film this lost episode?”.

Wish there were more like Starship Exeter, with a whole different crew that doesn’t invite immediate comparison with the TOS cast…but it is what it is. And like any Kickstarter campaign, not enough checks an balances for my taste, no real accountability means no donations from me. But, no worries…lots of fans dig it and will contribute, they’ll do just fine without me. :)

“I don’t this this is really fair coverage. The launching of a new kickstarter compared to the complete lack of news/updates regarding the new episode ‘Mindsifter’ that was released recently.”

Me, too. “Mind-Sifter,” in the Phase 2 production pipeline for years and endlessly delayed, finally got released at the end of December and turned out to be a pretty decent show, all things considered. The silence from Trekmovie was deafening.

13. Son of Captain Garth – I totally agree about lack of credit for Farragut Films. Star Trek Continues DOES use Starship Farragut’s sets, and I get VERY tired of Farragut Films being treated like a red-headed stepchild whenever STC is mentioned. Vic is VERY talented at self-promotion, I’ll give him that.

Credit where credit is due!

@#30 Jonboc: I can’t believe this, but we’re in agreement. The very first time I heard Vic doing Shatner’s Kirk, I thought, “why did he inhale helium before filming this?”

@#32 PiperKev: Man, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen your illustrious name, dude. We still have to meet for that drink sometime :)

I love, love, love this!!!!!

I only found out that Mindsifter had been released due to the comments on this article. Pretty crazy, how do you guys decide which fanfilms are newsworthy??

That being said, Mindsifter was hilarious. The guy playing Kor should watch some Star Trek sometime.

#33. Son of Captain Garth: I was thinking the same thing when I saw your name on here! Sounds like a plan!

The silence from TrekMovie regarding their lack of non-STC articles is telling. I enjoy and support STC, but I also enjoy and support Phase II, Aurora, Axanar and many other amateur/semi-pro Trek productions. The completely lopsided coverage given to STC is troubling.

Listen children, shut down the jealousy and pettiness and silly scrutiny of 50,000 dollar episodes reduced to your comments about vocal pitch and number of articles on a website. Check it:

Star Trek Continues articles on Trekmovie.com: less than 10.

Star Trek Phase 2 articles on trekmovie.com: over 30.

Makes me laugh when people attack the acting. The very first review of Star Trek said William Shatner was wooden. It’s nothing new. And let’s face it the acting in Star Trek has never been oscar winner worthy! Just look at Robert Beltran and Garret Wang for examples of more modern day Trek woodern.

#36

Phase II/NV has simply been around longer with more episodes, hence the higher number of articles. Sorry to pee on your bonfire wee man.

#37 “Makes me laugh when people attack the acting. ”

Beltran was horrible, wasn’t he? Like watching a live action clutch cargo cartoon. Gate’s McFadden was like watching driftwood. Shatner’s various styles of acting can be called a lot of things, but wooden isn’t one of them! lol

And just because some poor studio got conned into hiring and paying big $ to bad actors doesn’t make bad acting in fan films any better. Most of the acting in Star Trek Continues isn’t very good. Local community theater is full of good actors and bad, I suggest they study the regulars at their local theater and find the good ones.
Anyone doing local theater for free will jump at the chance to play spaceman with real sets and costumes and have internet exposure, Trek fan or not.

27. Brian Drew – January 18, 2015

STC is my favorite of the fan productions, but I have to say that the Phase 2 folks really kicked it up a notch with “Mind Sifter”. Very nicely done.

Totally agree. The competition is improving both camps.

Though, I’m a bit confused by the P2/New Voyages name change. Are the Gross/Kirk episodes going to be under the “New Voyages” name while the Cawley/Kirk episodes will remain “Phase 2?” Or, will all of the episodes from this team henceforth be “New Voyages” as they were in the beginning? And, if so, then why the reversion to the original name?

#39 Yep Beltran phoned in his acting. They auctioned off the paper bag he failed to act his way out of at a recent Star Trek convention! Shatner loved hamming it up. Interesting that Directors like Nick Meyer managed to soften his performance in the less is more style, Khaaaaaaan screaming aside!

I actually think that between Star Trek continues and Star Trek Phase 2 they could put together an ensemble that can have all the key characters acting well. I think the 2 fan films are at war tho based on some conflict brought about between the two main guys. Why skate around the issue they hate each other lol

There is really no need to keep doing shows about one crew over & over again. I’d rather watch a show about a new ship & crew.

#39 Star Trackie: “Beltran was horrible, wasn’t he? Like watching a live action clutch cargo cartoon.”

Quite possibly the funniest thing I’ve read all day; I had totally forgotten about that. Sadly enough, back in the early 70’s, this passed as a Sunday morning cartoon.

#41 Dalek: “#39 Yep Beltran phoned in his acting. They auctioned off the paper bag he failed to act his way out of at a recent Star Trek convention!”

Yeah; oddly, he was much better in 1982’s Lone Wolf McQuade. Of course, next to David Carradine and Chuck Norris (author of my favorite David Carradine critique: “He fights like I act.”), he was bound to shine.

34. PiperKev – January 19, 2015

“#33. Son of Captain Garth: I was thinking the same thing when I saw your name on here! Sounds like a plan!”

I don’t come by as often as I used to and when I comment, I’m usually one of the last ones (as seen on recent threads), because I’m usually late to the party.

#38 – Then if there are plenty of articles, people shouldn’t complain about not getting an article about P2 releasing an episode. Now, I can see why it’s noteworthy; they’ve shot numerous episodes that haven’t been released and have had notorious delays – so the fact that they’ve actually managed to get something released is pretty good. For them.

(Holiest Thing hasn’t been released, by the by, cause its difficult to sit through. And they were told by a hollywood professional not to release it if they cared about their reputation. So that’s why they’re doing “post” work on it to try and salvage the episode. I’ve seen a final cut of the episode…and saw it many weeks ago.)

“There is really no need to keep doing shows about one crew over & over again. I’d rather watch a show about a new ship & crew.”

“Prelude to Axanar” may be your best bet there. It’s difficult to sell all-new characters and crews as it is; doubly so for fans with limited acting experience. With the exception of creator/producer Alec Peters, everyone on both sides of the camera in “Axanar” is a working professional.

To answer a couple of posters above, I don’t comparison-count articles on Trekmovie dedicated to STC and Phase 2/New Voyages, as I appreciate and wish nothing but the best for both productions. It’s just unfortunate that the site elected not to cover the release of “Mind Sifter,” which was a decent effort in which a lot of hard work had obviously been invested; and which ultimately merited the attention.

P2 and STC are just different beasts. My money is on STC and I gladly support their kickstarter. I have seen several P2 episodes and am glad their stepping up their game cause there are some new kids in town. I thought Cawley’s Kirk had a lot of heart for the franchise and actually look forward to meeting him if he ever makes public appearances.

But STC has the production values and the acting chops to keep me intrigued and I’m glad their are options for folks to watch.

Once P2 releases all the episodes they’ve shot (aren’t there multiple unreleased ones?) then I’ll happily send funds to their production.