Star Trek New Voyages releases latest episode, “The Holiest Thing”

newvoyages

The fan production Star Trek New Voyages has released the latest installment in their long-running series.  More after the jump.

The new episode, “The Holiest Thing”, is the tenth entry in the series and features an appearance by someone very familiar to Star Trek fans.

From the episode summary:

Captain Kirk and the Enterprise investigate the devastation of Lappa III, apparently by the terraforming efforts of Dr. Carol Marcus.

The episode is written by Rick Chambers and stars Brian Gross as Captain Kirk, Brandon Stacy as Mister Spock, John Kelley as Dr. McCoy, and Jacy King as Carol Marcus.  Daren Dochterman, who was the visual effects supervisor for the Director’s Edition of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, directs.

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Great to see, hopefully New Voyages won’t be limited by CBS.

@2 I doubt they will, unlike Axanar, the people involved don’t constantly badmouth CBS/Paramount at every turn, and didn’t use their kickstarter to make an media empire.

Although, I am still waiting for my perks from the New Voyages Kickstarter….

Al in all its a great episode. Fx was top notch and the music was great. Acting was pretty good as well. Story line left me a little off though. On a scale of 1 to 10 I give it a 8.

Great job! Thank goodness there’s still something out there to keep us TOS fans interested! I too hope CBS leaves New Voyages and the rest of the fan films alone! The FX in the new movies are no substitute for a good story!

Finally — I have been waiting 2 years for them to complete this one so that I could see the hybrid Enterprise (i.e. in-between TOS and the TMP Enterprise), and I must say, I really like this version of the E…in fact, this may be my personal favorite look for all time of the Enterprise designs.

And the HD 16×9 aspect ratios looks tremendous….in my mind, in terms of the viewer experience, it really puts Star Trek Continues at a disadvantage….this aspect ratio view experience is demonstratively better versus watching STC in 1.33:1 — it’s a huge positive advantage for the New Voyages films over STC.

The ongoing competition between New Voyage and STC has improved both productions. Now, New Voyages takes the lead again….let’s see if STC responds? Certainly 16×9, at least as a option, would be an obvious choice for STC if they are going to match the outstanding production look of this latest New Voyages episode.

The lawsuit with Axanar isn’t about bad-mouthing, haters and the like. It’s about a group of people who made money off of something they don’t own. They admitted to it – and they pushed their luck. They get what they deserve.

…and congrats to Pony Horton on this — you nailed the hybrid Enterprise design!!!

An enjoyable watch. For me Star Trek New Voyages and Continues fill in the blank for season 4 and 5 of TOS. I’m also loving Farragut and loved the latest Exeter episode. This episode was an enjoyable watch. I like the way the investigation into the explosion was handle. My favorite scene was the briefing room scene between Marcus and Kirk before she went on the away team with Spock. Some of the romance sub plot fell kind of flat like that scene where Kirk proposed to Marcus or the scene where Kirk and Marcus first kissed. Some people may cry foul about the Ferengie, but I like the way they were handled in this episode. I can see TOS running into a race like them.

8:+1

There was some sound issues with Uhura during the Ferengi engagement but maybe it was the version I watched. Still a overall hoot to watch. And I agree, the ship views were well done!

Was there ever an explanation for the name revert from Phase II back to New Voyages? (No complaints, it’s less confusing that way).

That acting… it’s painful to watch. Painful. Nice special effects and music, though.

Like a leaf on the solar wind. Nice Firefly reference.

Well done. A tad on the nose at times. But pretty good overall.

This was one of the more uneven episodes from NV/Phase II. Effects were top notch, and I love the upgraded E design. Acting was good in some spots, not so much in others. On the one hand, it’s nice that they finally have a Captain Kirk who kinda looks like Captain Kirk. On the other hand, Gross doesn’t really feel all that commanding as Kirk (maybe that’s something that’ll improve with time). The most grating thing for me in his performance was a shot of him picking away at an eye booger while talking to the Ferengi!

My biggest complaint, though, was the shoehorning in of the final scene where Kirk proposes to Marcus. It was just far too much at one time, and therefore lacked any real poignancy. Not to mention the fact that it after a relationship which lasted all of three days, maybe a week, Kirk is ready to give up the Enterprise, and Marcus knows she’s pregnant AND that it’s a boy! They would have been much better served saving this as a story line for another episode.

@5

Agreed. I know Vic is trying to recreate a fourth season as much as possible, but I’m just too used to the widescreen experience to enjoy that particular detail of his production.

@10 I heard something a while back that they might switch back and forth between the two monikers. But they might also be sticking to NV from here on out possibly because of CBS’ edict to them not to use anything that CBS had bought previously. (Disclaimer: The preceding was sheer speculation on my part, and in no way represents any actual knowledge of the inner workings of Cawley’s production)

This was a good, solid, tight episode. The NV/P2 people are finally catching on with regard to editing and pacing. My chief complaint about NV/P2 has always been the editing and the pacing—that there are typically 5-10 min of superfluous dialogue that the story would be tighter, better paced and more compelling without. And, with this episode, they’ve finally addressed that issue. Even though it clocks in at 1hr, 7min, which is on the long side for one of these episodes, this one barely drags at all. There was just one scene that I think would have been better trimmed by 10 sec or so, but that’s really a nitpick. On the whole, this episode is cut together better than any other NV/P2 episode that I’ve seen, including the oft-praised World Enough and Time, which drags in the middle.

The production values in this episode are very good, maybe the best yet of an NV/P2 episode. But, the performances—owing I assume to the direction—are also perhaps the best yet for this outfit. There are very few awkward acting moments that took me out of the story. The actor who plays Carol Marcus in particular did a very good job. Brandon Stacey was a bit inconsistent as Spock, but on the whole he reigned in his performance here over what I found to be an excessively emotional Spock in Mind Sifter. Brian Gross is still a little green in the role of Kirk, but he has potential and I can see him growing into this role and making it his own in subsequent episodes.

My biggest complaint about The Holiest Thing would be that it’s a bit weak thematically. The story’s themes are all pretty generic and don’t really amount to all that much in the end. Two ambitious professionals who can’t pursue their mutual romantic interests because of their careers…OK, that’s a fine theme, but it’s not developed here much beyond a generic trope that we’re all very familiar with by now. Carol Marcus being unwilling to consider that her subordinates/friends were responsible for the accident…again, a fairly generic trope that’s not developed into much in this story. Likewise with the mother-as-creator trope, which is barely developed beyond the generic trope and Samuel Coleridge quote.

Plotwise, this story was a neat way to introduce the Ferengi into the Trek timeline, the reveal worked well, and the actor who played the Ferengi gave an outstanding performance. The intro/outro with TNG-era Scotty in the shuttle was a bit of a squandered opportunity as it doesn’t relate to the story at all, other than as a means of introducing the setting by association. But, still it was fine and added a bit of setting variety and pacing dynamics as book-ends to the main story.

All in all, this was an impressive episode of NV/P2, and I think their greatest technical achievement so far. Between The Holiest Thing and STC’s most recent episode, Divided We Stand, I have to say that I enjoyed this one more. And that’s the first time that this has happened for me, as I’ve typically preferred STC to NV/P2. But, now that NV has finally started addressing their pacing/editing issue, which tightens up their storytelling, they’re going to be giving STC some increasingly stiff competition. And I’m looking forward to it!

Congratulations New Voyages crew on an excellent production that has brought this series to the next level!

Great effects for a fan film but boy that acting is bad. I know they try hard but they just don’t have it as actors. It’s almost painful to watch.

Frankly, the acting was very average. The girl playing Dr. Marcus did an admirable job, however. The guy playing Kirk is not effective nor is he convincing. You need someone who is a bit cocky with confidence. He comes across as a wimpy Kirk. The the writing of the dialogue in this film didn’t help either. The topic of conversation would just go on and on before the transitioned to another topic. And the delivery by some of the actors didn’t help either. For all of the time it takes for them to make these production of episodes, it should be spent wisely on a better script and both better and convincing acting. There should have been less lingering dialogue on trivial stuff and more interesting dialogue between characters. Those scenes with the Ferengi were silly. I am sorry to be bit of a malcontent, but they need honest feedback.

Enjoy them now before they get sued by Paramount/CBS too…

@10 Crazy Horse

The reason for the switch back to New Voyages was originally due to us shooting ‘Mind-Sifter’ which was in the Star Trek The New Voyages books and was the original concept of the show. Also, we at New Voyages see this as a reboot of sorts, with Brian Gross as Captain Kirk and practically a new crew behind him save Charles Root. So going forward the show will be known as New Voyages.

Memory Alpha puts David Marcus born in 2261. Nowhere that I have seen in the TOS prime timeline has anyone ever even speculated that Carol & Jim had a child while he was commanding Enterprise.
So that giant discontinuity turd threw me right out of the story. The other thing, I just don’t see Carol getting into a relationship with Kirk when she has just had 2000 employees die in an accident which she is blaming herself. Also, Kirk is the biggest predator since Bill Clinton for bedding her in those circumstances.

Back to the discontinuity issue… This is not JJ Trek, NV and Continues, IMO, should not be playing with the timeline and creating new universes. Either play in the TOS > TNG > DS9 prime timeline, or play in the JJ Trek timeline.

That said, Gross is a decent enough actor, but I prefer Cawley.

Overall, I love having all this new Trek, I prefer Continues because it plays much more like it is exactly season 4, also some of the post production work, especially in sound, is better. I like Vic as Kirk, maybe even better than Chris Pine. Vic has found a great mix of Shatner & Kirk, where Pine is a great Kirk (given what is written for him), but could add a touch more Shatner to it…

As always, the production values are great. But the acting… oh, god, the acting. Why is it that fan films can’t seem to ever get the acting right? It’s like watching a big-budget high school play.

Production value looks good but not so much the acting.

I enjoyed the story until the last segment where Kirk asks Carol to marry him. that last segment seemed thrown together at the last moment. even Kirk isn’t that impetuous. he only knew her for a day. if they had inferred a previous relationship i.e. “that little blonde lab technician” I may have bought it. I also agree with others that Brian Gross doesn’t appear to have the swagger Kirk should have. anyway, don’t let that deter you from producing more, I wish I could. Jacy King was good but who is going to believe Kirk is running around the galaxy with his mothers wedding ring looking for the right moment. Live long and Prosper!

No matter how good a fan film looks, it will and should always still feel like a fan film, because it is made by fans. Is the acting and all other elements going to match a Pro production, No and it should not.
That is the true charm of these productions! They are a Labor of Love for the material by the fans making it. Those Criticizing fan films for acting and the like, don’t get it and never will. Fans make these to connect with a fictional universe they love and to share that passion with one another.

Hello. I didn’t know the fan-made series has reverted its title from “Phase II” to “New Voyages.” Thanks for posting and sharing. What a perfect way to celebrate a half-century of “boldly going where no one has gone before.” Live long and propser! \\//

I enjoyed this episode. When I see some things off, I remind myself that I am watching a shoe string budget fan production filmed in a warehouse in rural New York. With that perspective in mind, I think they did VERY well here. Congratulations James Cawley and New Voyages!

@ 25 James Cawley

Thought the acting by most was fine. Jacey King put in a good performance. Your Admiral comes off authentic, especially in Mind Sifter. I’m told he is a real Admiral?

#25

James, I love the effort you guys have been doing for the last decade or so, but I beg to differ. The goal of every fan film is to be as good as it can be. Maybe they can’t quite reach the production values of a professional production, but they must try their best at it. To say fan films should look amateurish just because they are labors of love doesn’t make any sense. By the same token, we should have all fan sites be worse than Startrek.com, just because they are made by fans. And we obviously know it is not true.

Now, some fan films are reaching that kind of professional quality. Continues is there (I know there’s bad blood between you guys and Continues, but let’s face it: they’re good), and I feel Axanar is there as well (again, trekkies can bash all they want about it, but their work so far has been very good). In my opinion, New Voyages is one small step behind those two, but many steps ahead of all other productions — including Renegades (for which I had many hopes, and it turned out to be disappointing, in spite of all the professionals involved).

The last two New Voyages outings were terrific, though, and they are almost at that point where we stop thinking “this is a Star Trek fan film” and we just think “this is Star Trek, period.” And that’s the goal. You’ll get there, I’m sure. And I’ll be here to cheer you, rest assured! Just don’t try to misconstrue any failures you might have along the way as virtues. We want the best Star Trek you can give us, not something that purposefully has to have warts just to look like it’s been made by fans.

Cheers,
Salvador

everyone. You need to remember these are actors (maybe not professional) who are giving their time to make these episodes. A little less complaints on the acting please. i am 45 and have been a Star Trek fan all my life and would love to do what these people are doing. Mr Cawley and his crew are giving us a gift of the dream we all have had after Star Trek went off the air – the dream of what more there could have been. Everyone who knows this series has always wondered – what if it has continued in the 60’s and was more popular then… what would it have been like? It didnt. Thanks to Mr Cawley we now have something that continues the dream of what Star Trek is all about and hopes he can continue going forward in the future.

Constructive criticism … it’s worth what you paid for it. :-)

Having said that, a few things jumped out at me immediately … namely, the pacing and the acting. Others have posted above that the pacing was much tighter. I still submit that it’s not tight enough. During dialogue sequences, perhaps it could be looser, but during action sequences they need to pop.

Charles Root as Scotty has never really grown on me. Brandon Stacy is a better Spock than just about anyone except Zac Quinto or Leonard Nimoy. John Kelly is a pretty good McCoy (no disrespect to Chuck Huber over on that other series), but Brian Gross doesn’t really do it for me as Kirk. He has the look, but not the personality or attitude. Vic M. makes a better Kirk for me.

Audio is still pretty poor. Lots of room noise; you can tell it when dialogue pops in and out. Some better audio gear is needed, or at least a more directional boom mic.

Having said that, too, hopefully they can continue to improve and grow without Paramount/CBS throwing down on them. With as much love and attention that is clearly evident, they should be given every opportunity.

@7 I did not do the hybrid Enterprise design; that was Tobias Richter. At most I helped with some texturing on the hull and lettering here and there.

Being on the production team, I feel the need to respond to some of the criticism. Some warranted, some not.
First of all, for the most part, we are all volunteers who donate our time an resources to help make these episodes.
We have no budget to speak of, so we can’t just throw money at a problem to make it go away.
We have time constraints while filming. We had 10 days to complete principal photography.
Filming the shuttle explosion, presented unique difficulties. We could only locate one shuttle chair. James Cawley BUILT and painted one in a matter of hours.
A piece of wardrobe was sipped to the wrong location causing delays.
On top of that,some “plague” caused two thirds of our crew to fall ill.
We worked 24+ hours one day to complete the bridge scenes.
I, personally, am happy to see it released.
Thanks to all who worked so hard on this.
Thanks to all of you who waited.
We can always make an episode better.
If you can, send us a donation.
Every bit helps.

@ James Cawley @ Pony Horton

Don’t worry about the detractors, my friend. This episode looks great.

Please, please continue on with the new hybrid Enterprise and the 16×9 aspect ratio for future episodes.

Pony, please convey to Tobias how awesome the hybrid E looks — it’s my favorite Enterprise of all time. In fact, I am hoping that if the E in destroyed in Beyond, that JJ and company will “steal” your design for the 4th nuTrek movie. Well done!!!

Thanks!

@ dennycranium

Ignore the whiners — great job on this one!

I AGREE 100%

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
29. joe kennedy – January 19, 2016
everyone. You need to remember these are actors (maybe not professional) who are giving their time to make these episodes. A little less complaints on the acting please. i am 45 and have been a Star Trek fan all my life and would love to do what these people are doing. Mr Cawley and his crew are giving us a gift of the dream we all have had after Star Trek went off the air – the dream of what more there could have been. Everyone who knows this series has always wondered – what if it has continued in the 60’s and was more popular then… what would it have been like? It didnt. Thanks to Mr Cawley we now have something that continues the dream of what Star Trek is all about and hopes he can continue going forward in the future.

I enjoyed the Kirk/Marcus/Genesis backstory a lot and the visuals were top notch, but I felt there were pacing problems and some of the acting was pretty hard to watch.

I’d like to have seen the relationship between Kirk and Marcus spread out a tad so it didn’t seem so impulsive. That wasn’t particularly believable, especially knowing that she was pregnant with a boy after only three days. It would have made more sense to give them a bit more history or spread the story out continuity wise, over a period of months instead of days.

I also thought the “old Scotty” bits didn’t make a lot of sense. I get the intention, but the whole episode is supposed to be Scotty recounting the incident and the vast majority of the story are events he would have had very little knowledge of. These scenes just seemed unnecessary and confusing to me. Nice to see the 1701D shuttle though!

Overall, it was enjoyable to watch. Keep ’em coming! The production values on these fan films are astounding. Great work! The Phase II E is super cool.

I thought the lighting on the bridge overall was to bright. Selective lighting with shadows like Gerald Perry Finnerman did is more evident on Star Trek Continues.

Well done NV/PII, to Mr. Cawley and associates!

I’m making a (non-trek) fan film, and in my case it’s to honor a late friend who made some of my favorite ’50s and ’60s theatrical sci-fi “b-movies”. I only have a “used car” budget to do this (about $5k already spent to buy our equipment and supplies), and I cannot begin to possibly create as professional-looking a film as you folks have done. My heart is where my idea began nearly 30 years ago, and I hope that my late friend would appreciate what we will have when our film is completed next spring. It’s so very hard to make an indie/amateur film of any kind these days (I can’t imagine the cost of shooting this film on 16mm, as I was once hoping to do!) The only way I was able to afford to make films in the ’70s and ’80s was when I was able to find outdated film stock for a buck a roll. :)

I learned a lot in the early to mid-’70s, when I took my films to filmmaking clubs and sci-fi conventions, mainly that we, as people who do what we do not to make money, but for fun, have to try to ignore the nay-sayers.

I can’t afford much, but will donate $50. My hat is off to you, NV/PII!

I enjoyed the episode, and from what I understand the post production on this episode was long and laborious. This episode more than any other was a labor of love for all involved.

If you only knew how difficult the filming was, and how hard the post team worked, you’d be amazed. Kudos to everyone involved!

I think the main reason the TNG Scotty bits were included, was to let that actor, who contributes a lot to the production, have a moment to play in the sandbox.

I even got to be an extra in Kitumba, totally as a surprise. And, for me it was gift to be in an actual episode — even if you can barely see me, and only if you know where and when to look.

Because, the main reason these shows get made is for the people involved to live their dream of making, or being in Star Trek.

I haven’t seen the new sets, but I’ve been told it’s a moving experience to walk down the corridor and see the sets recreated as exactly as possible, as they existed at the Desilu studios.

I hope to get up there for Trekonderoga next year to walk the sets for myself.

That we get to see these episodes is a gift. And, I for one appreciate it with all my heart.

New Voyages is providing the Star Trek I’ve wanted since the original series left the air.

I was unaware that works of fan fiction were above VALID criticism. I haven’t seen anyone needlessly bashing the film, which was good don’t get me wrong, but it needs to be stated that the acting of certain individuals was a little off and when that happens it takes you out of the experience. It’s human nature.

I’ve watched a lot of fan films from several franchises over the years and some acting is great, some is good, some is poor. This is simply fact but as long as people are being civil, the creators of this fine Star Trek series need to take the good with the bad. When you put your work online for the world to see, it will be dissected by the viewer that is simply life in our online world.

No one is trying to take away from the time and effort put into the film by any means and it was a good fan film.

It’s heartwarming to hear these great stories about a true, voluntary fan production, and all the hard work and love that goes into it.

I just hope that the situation with that greedy bastard over at Axanar doesn’t result in the great fans at New Voyages and STC being shut down at some point?

With a couple of exceptions, it’s good to see the comments trending toward enjoying the fan production for what it is – a fan production. Viewed in the same context that one would see community theater or a good HS play, these offerings are very enjoyable. It’s those individuals who fancy themselves as Roger Ebert clones, and insisting on their rights to be heard, that continue to foul the fan experience. Do you guys honestly believe that the viewers DON’T understand that this is an amateur production on a shoestring budget, that compels you to gripe and nitpick everything??

@40 I really don’t expect that to happen. These guys seem to understand the rules of the sandbox they are playing in, and don’t seem interested in being clever to see what they can get away with.

Overall, it’s a fine tribute to the dedication of the crew and their love of Trek.
Yes, there are some issues that should be addressed as these productions go forward.
Please rethink the Spock make-up. It’s just pea soup. I know you found Granny T’Pao’s secret recipe for Vulcan greenface… but, someone back then apparently knew to add facial powder. The ears look odd as well.
Please rethink the Kirk haircut. He looks 12.
Audio and blocking need to work together. There’s a lot of clutter in the soundtrack and awkwardness in the physical movement of the actors as they sit or stand. Editing may help, or improving the framing.
Pacing suffers during the first Kirk-Carol chat-a-thon. It’s 4’20” that is supposed to lay the groundwork for the relationship fans expect. But, the dialogue wanders and goes on forever, leading to a lean-in with no smooch. This really could have been cut in half.
Please let’s see Uhura’s face. She has to cheat a bit, but it’s worth it, rather than having us look at the back of her head. And give her a mic.
Brian: rockin’ the dad bod’!
Honestly, 67 minutes is long. As fans, we trained our brains on TOS with run times around 51 minutes. Since then, shows have gotten shorter and budgets have packed in many, many more action set pieces.
Shout out to Gertrude!
The FX are fine.
Brandon is a very good Spock. Seriously. However, someone needed to rethink his frequent eye flares (might as well have just looked Godwards) during “emotional” moments.
None of this means I don’t appreciate your work. I want you to keep going… onward and upwards!

#27 Linda D.
Your Admiral comes off authentic, especially in Mind Sifter. I’m told he is a real Admiral?

Our Admiral Withrow is played by Robert Withrow. No, he is not a real Admiral, and not a professional actor. Just one of our many talented volunteers.

This would make David Marcus 12 or 13 years old in TWOK.

D’Oh! OK, I see the actual run time was closer to one hour even, including credits. **best Emily Latella voice** Never mind!

46 – This would make David Marcus 12 or 13 years old in TWOK.

Maybe proto-matter did that to him? He showed up on a pregnancy test after just 3 days. In 12 years, he’ll be a grown man… with a tennis sweater.

@ CmdrR

So, Doogie “Marcus” Howser, PhD…genius kid inventor of protomatter

I seen a spinoff series in the making here! :-))

29.Joe Kennedy
Very well put Joe and I agree totally with you

I enjoy any new fan Trek…guess am a Trekkie

OK, there are canon continuity issues, but I enjoyed it and loved the TNG Scotty book ending, doesn’t matter why it was done, it was a nice touch and an extra bonus of enjoyment that they did it.
I also really enjoyed seeing John Kelley again as my favourite of all the fan Dr McCoys, I got used to him and invested in him as McCoy, where did he go? What happened to him?
Anyway, here’s to more wind to your sails!