Two of the big fan film projects have new releases out, both featuring original series talent. Star Trek New Voyages has the full episode of ‘To Serve All My Days’ featuring Walter Koenig in an episode written by Trek vet DC Fontana. And the web miniseries project ‘Of Gods And Men’ has an extended 5 minute trailer now available. OGaM features Koenig along with Nichelle Nichols and a myriad of other Trek luminaries behind and in front of the camera. Both STNV and OGaM aspire to become officially sanctioned Trek projects, but for now remain ‘fan films’. Although both still fall short of TV budget production values, they both are raising the bar for ‘independent’ Trek films.
Click the the images below for their respective download links…
…well, these fan films are a mixed bag to be sure, but ultimately enjoyable. Is the acting bad…yes. The captain is always scowling and doesn’t deliver his lines convincingly. The Doctor is hit and miss, and Spock is actually good, but his make-up is really off. The new Sulu and Scotty are pretty good and the new Chekov is really good. In fact, this latest New Voyages episode with Walter was a HUGE leap over their previous shows. The sound and video looked great and it had a great original score mixed with classic signature pieces from the original show.
Some little nit picks I observed…. I think someone forgot to turn on the lights beneath the control panels on the bridge…the screens were all lit but the jelly beans were dark. It just didn’t look right. and SPock’s morie was on overdrive spinning way too fast. Also, I didn’t care for the rendering of the Enterprise…the gridlines were way too dark on the saucer and it consistantly had a video game quality. Also the space battles could have been much tighter….and the hand held camera work was used almost ALL the time….too distracting. Also I seem to recall an incredible sequence in their trailer of a Klingon ship chasing a shuttle craft through an icy landscape, but it was no where to be found in the episode. It was, instead, replaced by a FX chase that didn’t look quite as good. I don’t really understand why, but I’m sure the story probably dictated some changes in the preliminary effects forcing the change from the old D7 Klingon to the newer design.
Having said all that, believe it or not, I really did enjoy it. Much due to Walter and the new Checkov’s performance. A big tip of the hat to Mr. Koenig for an outstanding performance. And to hear the pen of DC Fontana come to life, once more, was worth the price of admission by itself. Is it Star Trek? No. Is it fun? Sure. Now if we can only get the last part of Starship Exeter’s second episode…that’s another really fun fan film that I’m anxious to see in it’s entirety.
Wow! The Of Gods and Men trailer was truly spectacular! I’m really excited to see the story they have. The performances look great, and many of the Trek greats are back! What a 40th anniversary treat!!!
Starship Exeter’s first couple of acts for their new episode are pretty awesome if they can ever finish the damn thing I think they’ll really have something. The bridge set is especially good with actual updated overhead monitor displays instead of airbrushed space scenery. I think they really capture the look and feel of TOS. Gotta see the crashed starship Kongo looming over an alien planetoid horizon very neat. They even have their own Alexander Courage-esque theme that pays alot of homage to TOS music but maintains it’s own original identity.
Thing is, I won’t watch Exeter until the whole thing is done. No point. Why watch 10 minutes of a 50 minute episode and wait 6 months for the next 10 minutes? I’ll just watch it complete when it’s all set, and I look forward to it.
I really liked the New Voyages episode. The bar has definitely been raised, and I do judge them on a higher standard now, though still not on the same as Paramount. I hope they keep bringing in high level guest stars. It makes the show.
Next episode, as seen, has George Takei as Sulu, from a (revised) script which Paramount had originally bought for Star Trek Phase II.
Then we’ve got Blood and Fire, from a script by David Gerrold. He’s also got a Tribbles sequel in the works.
Lots of good stuff from the NV crew.
My hat’s off to those who produced these films. Pretty doggone good considering the limited budget and resources. To be honest, some of the acting in TSAMD is a bit cringe-worthy. Walter Koenig is quite good, though. The special effects are coming along. They are an improvement over the laughable effects in “In Harm’s Way” where starships loop and barrel-role like F18s, and multiple doomsday machines scurry about like playful puppies, complete with wagging tails.
The trailer for OGaM is impressive. I’m really looking forward to that one as well as the completed Starship Exeter episode. Best of all, they are free!!!
Re OGaML: Man I dig those Dias Irae soundtracks! REPENT! THE END IS AT HAND! WOO HOO!
TSAMY: Great job, fantastic story. DC Fontana is a writer of much talent. I thought Koenig gave a superb performance playing a 25 year old facing ignoble death, and yes, the “young Chekov” actor is not bad at all. In fact, even the Kirk actor seemed to have worked on his delivery at least a little bit, as some of his lines seemed less staccato and “angry”. Honestly, I really enjoyed the “Ambassador” character and thought she was a very sexy, very intriguing woman. No doubt that sexual tension added to Koenig’s perofrmance.
[On a tangental note, has anyone else noted how all the TNG
vilians spit and snear their lines? What’s up with that? The Klingon here was a perfect example of the “Full-on, Ottoman Turk Bad Guy” — super civilized, but super mean, too!
All in all, a great day for us Olde Timey Fans!!!
You guys are WAY too easy to please.That was horrible.
They’re amateurs dude! Are you suggesting, essentially, that we should judge Penn Quaker football against the Philadelphia Eagles?
Wow. Talk about being a hard ass!
If I were Paramount,I’d guard my intellectual property more closely.Could you imagine something like this happening with former Star Wars actors.Lucas would FLIP OUT.
I guess they can do that Jon, it’s certainly within their rights. But I’m glad they don’t!
I believe some of the producers of these things are hoping that Paramount will eventually license them and maybe sell them on DVD – like Pocket Books does with their “Strange New Worlds” fan fiction.
I really like the trailer for “Of Gods and Men” – the acting in that is pretty great…Nichelle looked great! – i just wish it didn’t look quite so “video”. Otherwise great effort.
I haven’t see the whole “To server all my days” ep – but I love the young Chekhov so far.
I haven’t seen all the “new voyages” episodes yet, but I must admit, I’m impressed with the stories and sets.
But I do wish the acting was much better. I find it to be a distraction that takes me out of the story.
I can see that this whole project is the work of very dedicated and talented TOS fans. They are trying their best to put out quality episodes and my hat’s off to their efforts.
I only wish that one day Paramount and CBS will produce a new Star Trek television series that takes place during the time of the original series. It would be great to see the adventures of a new star ship crew on their five year mission….
Mike :o
#9 – You guys are WAY too easy to please.That was horrible.
It goes both ways dude. Some people are too damned cynical to enjoy the blood, sweat and tears of a ‘self funded’ production, that costs thousands of dollars to make. The acting has consistently gotten better with each episode, and the FX were the best they have done so far.
I honestly can’t say a bad thing about this production. They’ve poured years of their own money into it, and have earned the respect of many industry professionals in return.
If you want to see horrible, go watch Voyager.
Everyone has done a good job you have to give a A+ for effort … just wish they would get rid of the handheld camera … makes the whole thing look cheaper and tackier than it needs to be … REALLY started to bug me after a while. Stll, look forward to the next ones
I’m impressed with what they do.
Could I nitpick? Could I criticize? Sure…it’s not perfect.
But as #15 says, considering how much they have put into this and the fact that they are earning industry respect — my hat is off to them.
If anybody wants to criticize what they do, then why don’t they get off their lazy asses and make their OWN film that is “perfect in every way”?
TTM
20 minutes into this, I was prepared to applaud the production values of this yet still make gentle fun of the essential cheesiness.
But by the end, I have to admit, it all came together pretty well.
The ending itself startled me… without giving spoilers, it seems, given what we know of future Trek history, and what we see in the preview for the next episode, there should have been a To Be Continued here.
The one criticism I will say is, since they seem to be trying to recreate the feel of the old show, the four Acts should be of more uniform length, these vary from 7 to almost 22 minutes, and the pacing doesn’t really work.
The new episode of STNV is much improved over their deput show, but I think it still suffers some poor production values (lighting, eneven sound levels, missed music cues and awkward camera angles) not to mention the rather video game like effects. The story is good and the acting is vastly improved in the latest show.
I think Starship Exeter should be awarded most improved fan film franchise. The first 2 acts of their new show is very impressive, while the acting leaves much room for improvement, the sets, lighting, effects and camera work is all very TOS precise. THey seem to take great pains to re-create the look of the original show.
What does “officially sanctioned” Star Trek projects mean? Do the makers want to become paid producers of Star Trek shows or does it mean that they will be the only fans allowed to make fan films by CBS? If it’s the latter, then I think that is really unfair to all the other fans aspiring to make their own versions of ST. Anyone know?
Agreed the acting in Starship Exeter is (mmm let’s not say better) more natural??? More real. Also Exeter sports better FX in the new unfinished episode. I think they capture the feel of peril and comerade of the original better than any of the fan films. In addition I think they should be lauded as doing this all themselves without the benefit of any heavy hitter Trek cast members or writers. I don’t know I just feel Exeter is….. much more ….polished….. and that their second adventure could…. slip right in with Trek Canon seamlessly. (at least so far) I do applaud any of my fellow fans….. for…… actually creating… something… for all of us to share (anything exept any next Gen era garbage)…. that they created through… passion…..and…love… of something….. that…….. means so much to us all. Blessed be the Shatner!!!!
I agree on Exeter as well. The improvement over their first episode was remarkable. I assume the credit goes to director Scott Cummins, who joined the team for their sophomore effort. The lighting, sound, acting, and pace are all top notch. Jo Harris makes some rather odd faces, but aside from that, I have VERY little problem with the acting on this show. And I think their Exter model is as close as you can get to the look of the TOS Enterprise. They also managed to give us the bridge, two corridors, the transporter room and engineering in one episode.
#20, #21,
Yessssir. Exeter is doing a bang-up job and with much less fanfare. Holly Guess is destined to be a Trek babe in her own right, and I would love it if she would drop the wanna-be English accent for a genuine, honest-to-gosh Texas Aggie drawl! Now THAT would be a welcome first on a Trek of any era!
YEEHAW!
I am sure the Exeter creators are reading these posts. Come on guys get this thing done at the very least please give us a status report. I donated via paypal to their effort and recieved a really sweet behind the scenes dvd as well as a producer credit. I implore my fellow fans to support their efforts and donate if you can. go to exeterstudio.com to read about the production and starshipexeter.com to watch the first couple of acts of the Tressurian Intersection. May the Shatner be with you!!!!!!!
Yeah – I admire the way the fans doing Exeter have done their thing down their in Texas with out all the hoopla of the two other big TOS fan franchises. I think the Exeter shows have a real intensity that mimicks the original series. Their lighting, camera, sound and FX are the best so far IMHO…here’s a forum where some of the Exeter folks leave updates:
http://www.subspacebbs.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=483
NV is getting better, no doubt. Lighting and editing are their big remaining issues. Given that they’re shooting on a set and clearly have studio lighting, the existence of lighting problems is difficult to understand. They have to MOVE the lights to where the actors are going to be in a scene. Kirk’s sitting in a shadow in the briefing room. Put a light on him before you do his closeup!
Agreed on all the ‘huzzahs’ for “Starship Exeter.” Easily the best of the fan films.
Exeter: Great. Get ‘er done.
NV: Sucks. Elvis as Kirk?
Gods: Outta this world!
To Serve All My Days was a MAJOR disappointment in that the ending was an incredible violation of continuity. These newbie amateurs have no right to muck about with canon. For all the credit they deserve for their efforts, they ar back to square one with me.
I don’t want to hear dream sequence or alternative universe or that they will bring him back. It’s all been done before. Chekov AND Koenig deserved better treatment and so did we as fans.
God knows what they will do to Sulu next time.
I enjoyed ‘To Serve All My Days’. I could probably nitpick about it like other people are doing, but I think it would be a a great injustice to the people who made it. Their hearts are certainly in the right place, and there is much to like about TSAMD. Koenig certainly delivers one of the best performances of his career, and the production values are incredible for an indie production like this. In fact, the only thing I really didn’t like was the ending. What was that all about?
I do agree with other posters that Starship Exeter is a great fanfilm series as well. Possibly even better than New Voyages. It’s a shame that they aren’t getting more attention.
i have enjoyed exeter and new voyages….and like remastered u have your nit pickers and your fans……by the way its just a tv show….as the shat says ,,,get a life ..lol…an old post about how the kongo looked and the clouds in the sky got panned because i liked them but thats what could help the remasters…..its not like we are gettin our trek fix elsewhere kids…lol…exeter the unfinished episode is the closest to the original feel and i think theyve pretty much moved on with there lives or id be done by now…so that leaves nv…..sure its elvis in space….and there are things about it that could be better….imitating an overactor makes you an over-over-actor…..but the guy grew up wanting to be kirk and guess what….NOW HE IS KIRK….while we read and pan so give him a break….by the way james i liked u as calhoun….tsamd is a fun romp and less confusing as harms way…i like the ship and effects in widescreen …the explosions look bad ….but the ending ship fight had a depth to it like a submarine battle …very dramatic…more than wok….my only huge complaint is the ending…what up with that….is chekov dead…was it a dream sequence….i see the young chekov….by the way best actor in whole thing…..is in the next episode so thanks for the cliff hanger …just dont make we wait a year…..if u wanna beat up the remasters have fun there paid proffesionals…but at least exeter and nv arent standing in front of a blue screen….there make my peace .
Man…the Exeter effects are AWESOME!!!! Ten times better than what’s in New Voyages. Their shots actually look like really clean original series shots.
If anyone from the Exeter team are reading this…excellent work! Even the principal photography looks way better than New Voyages. It’s lit and looks shot like TOS. New Voyages is just too crisp.
Exeter is a Texas production? What software are you guys using for your visuals? Cos…damn. Excellent stuff.
Did anyone notice that the OGAM trailer has the camera look (shakes, quick zooms etc.) of the new BSG?
I actually like the look – but I’m not sure how suitable that is for a TOS show.
I hate, hate, hate, hate, hate shaky camera technique…and quick cuts, and quick zooms. It’s just sloppy and annoying.
On the other hand, I really like the way Exeter looks.
One question — “Of Gods and Men” was supposed to be released on December 26th. Does anyone have an idea when the actual release date will be?????????
Holly Guess is so hot, when we will see her nude?