Eyeing new episodes, New Voyages launches 2015 Kickstarter

c0a9444a13c8d1d6c36f2cacacfaade0_originalStar Trek: New Voyages/Phase II has been going strong for 13 years now, and it feels like they are just hitting their full stride. With nine full episodes under their belt and three more in various stages of production they’re turning back to the fans to help them keep moving along at warp speed with a fresh Kickstarter campaign.

Taking a page from Star Trek: Axanar, they’ve set the initial bar low and readily achievable so that they can pay to shoot their upcoming episode, Torment of Destiny. As additional stretch goals are reached, it will feed directly into additional sets and episodes. With two weeks left to go, they’ve already handily passed their first goal of $20,000 and are just past the halfway point to their $50,000 first stretch goal.

Their episodes continue to be recognized at film festivals with nominations as well as awards, as they did when Clay Sayre recently won the Best Supporting Actor award from the Star Trek Independent Film Awards for his portrayal as the Klingon Kor in the episode Mind-Sifter.

The independent Star Trek film and series projects continue to see newcomers entering the pack, and for most of them they are learning from each other and the level of production quality as well as performances continues to step up. Original cast members have been part of many of the episodes, including Walter Koenig, George Takei, Grace Lee Whitney, and Denise Crosby to name a few.

With a nod to classic tastes as well as new, their most recent episode, Mind-Sifter was made with both styles of ship models and effects, so if you’re someone who prefers the classic 60’s-era look, you can watch that version, or if you’re more of a later films fan, then you’ve got another variant which will do your 3-axis maneuvering heart good. Visual effects artist, Tobias Richter and his company, The Light Works, are fans themselves first, so they continue to create scenes that they would love to watch themselves.

The perks range from $1 to $8,000, with a number of the $5,000 range donors receiving actual pieces from their bridge set. If you’ve always wanted to have Uhura’s or Spock’s full sized stations from the bridge of the Enterprise, this is your chance (note you have to come pick it up yourself from their set in New York). Sadly there are no producer or associate producer slots available, but if custom made costumes or signed scripts speak to you, then those are available as options.

So many beloved series have been swept away before their time (Firefly and Farscape both leap to mind), and it’s through fan-produced continuations of the series that networks can best realize that there’s still a hunger for more stories in those universes. If you’re a lover of Trek, check out their episodes if you haven’t done so already, since it’s by supporting and watching independent efforts that will keep the flag flying.

UPDATE: It seems the lack of the Associate Producer perk was an oversight and they’ve now added it into the mix. Thanks guys!

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First!

Thank you for the added push, Bill! What we do can be summed up best in the phrase” By Fans, For Fans”. To that end, we need our fans to step forward and join us in our mission to keep making good Star Trek!

Hey all, until the gang at TrekMovie manage to fix the links, our Kickstarter address is here:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2075083284/star-trek-new-voyages-phase-ii-2015

Is this a paid advertisement?

I don’t know… Is it a pais advertisment everytime any other fan film is mentioned

I will happily give money to any group that can produce so fierce looking a D7!! Goddamn I love the D7. So badass.

^ Is this a joke?

non related to this artical

Benedict cumberpatch & his wife sophie hunter are parents of a son

http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/benedict-cumberbatch-welcomes-baby-boy-5876991?ICID=FB_mirror_main

Excuse me but the kickstarter link is setup as an email link, just thought I’d let y’all know

No, this is not a paid advertisement and no it is not a joke. Unlike some “fan” productions who want you to provide them $150K to cover their entire startup costs without having providing even 30 seconds of footage as a proof of concept, Star Trek New Voyages is the real deal. It is a true series of episodes made by fans for fans. The production crew and its actors are passionate about the project and Gene Roddenberry’s vision of Star Trek. From authentic costumes and sets to the final cut, this is the most bang for your Star Trek buck from anyone out there asking for your money. Witness New Voyages’ latest episode Mind-Sifter if you have any doubts about the quality of their episodes.

It’s news. The fact that it seems very much like advertising is irrelavent (i think, i could be wrong)

Mind Sifter was definitely a move in the right direction and I’m excited to see what they do next. My chief complaint with P2/NV is always the pacing. In every episode there is invariably 5 min or so that are superfluous and should have been cut. The performances in Mind Sifter were definitely better on the whole than in past episodes.

And here’s the thing. CBS/Paramount could easily donate resources to these sorts of production, and still come out ahead in terms of free advertisement and publicity. All the production people would need to do is put time and effort in making these, and even allow them to get paid talent (i.e. professional actors). This doesn’t include the fact that these productions is a great way of people getting into the industry, by gaining some experience, either as writers or producers. Ergo, I just don’t understand why studios don’t take advantage of this sort of thing…

Oh, and, again, I see NV/P2 as “Season 5” to STC’s “Season 4”, only in terms of how these things are progressing.

I feel like New voyages does a better job at producing stand alone accessible episodes, but when it comes to canon I accept new voyages and continues to fill in the gap for season four and five.

I am a huge fan of STNV, as I got my start there in 2010 thanks to the generosity of James Cawley. We at Axanar are big fans of James and New Voyages and we wish them well!

Alec Peters

thanks for the update

I wish they’d stop changing the name. New Voyages. Phase 2. No, it’s New Voyages again. Make up your mind.

I like Cawley and Co., as they brought ST back and really shifted fan-made shows into high gear.

However, ST:Continues has set a slightly higher bar now in terms of editing and pacing of story. And the acting ain’t half bad, either.

Just my humble opinion.

In any case, I wish both productions all the best and look forward to more ST.

10. Tiberius Subprime – June 13, 2015

I wish they’d stop changing the name. New Voyages. Phase 2. No, it’s New Voyages again.

I agree it’s confusing.

Someone explained the difference as Phase II episodes being set after TOS, and New Voyages episodes being set during TOS. I think Phase II is set after TOS because the look of the show—particularly the aspect ratio—is different. But the two names do seem to imply that the show keeps changing its name, when it’s actually supposed to be two different shows.

I think James recently posted on TrekBBS that they dropped the “Phase2”, probably because it was too confusing. So it is “New Voyages” from here on. I personally liked the “Phase 2” name and thought it was appropriate, with the new captain and the new ship, but it seems they want to tell stories with the old ship and the new ship, so it would be a constant change – so I guess dropping it is a wise decision. I am looking forward to their next episode and wish them luck for their fundraiser. They seem to be needing it, as they seem to be constantly underfunded, which makes their accomplishment so much more astounding.

This is no more advertising than this: https://trekmovie.com/2015/05/25/new-documentary-short-our-star-trek-the-fifty-year-mission-focuses-on-fan-series-star-trek-continues/

And both articles are just fine but New Voyages’ headline and article are perhaps more honest. STC’s sounded like a more objective documentary but was a promo but, hey, not complaining.

I watched “Mind Sifter on a big screen for the first time last evening, had not seen it in a while, and was reminded how I love it. My (adult) daughter who is not a Trek fan but has been exposed to it incessantly ( ask her:-)) was reality impressed with the performances. I love the way Brian Gross makes Kirk his own. To me it makes Shatner’s great original Kirk MORE respected, less manipulated.

We dropped the Phase II moniker because so many fans have expressed to us that they prefer the New Voyages moniker. With Mind-Sifter we have begun anew and we Thank everyone for their words of support and encouragement and of course their contributions. We have recently completed construction of Main engineering and are moving to finish the entire Medical complex which will complete our Desilu recreation. Look for more New Voyages later this summer.

Personally I preferred the direction things were taking under the phase 2 banner, but sometimes when only one makes all the decisions democracy fails.

All the best to them, even though they have a higher pitched Kirk than us lol.

As a long time fan and contributor I don’t care what you call STP2 or STNV. My only wish is more than one episode a year. Yes I know that this great team is what prodded Paramount to hire JJ to make three films. I once watched a video where James said Paramount should treat fan films like they do with the paperback books. Now that is a great idea.
For Mrs. PW, it has been a long time need to see more comments form you.

I loved Mind-Sifter. I had read the short story years ago and though the episode matched the book version perfectly.

James… What are we to expect of the ship? Are you making the “phase 2” changes, or will it be the version we know?

Mr. Cawley,

Thank you so much for the blood, sweat, treasure, and tears you have devoted to keeping the final frontier alive.

14. James Cawley

I know your a tad busy but is there any chance of re-editing the title sequences for the “Phase II” episodes so the Series is consistent as “Star Trek New Voyages?

21. northstar – June 14, 2015

I personally liked the “Phase 2″ name and thought it was appropriate, with the new captain and the new ship

Now you’re confusing me anew. What new captain and ship?

I’ve seen most of the Phase II episodes, and they’re all set aboard the USS Enterprise commanded by James T. Kirk.

23. James Cawley – June 14, 2015

We dropped the Phase II moniker because so many fans have expressed to us that they prefer the New Voyages moniker.

I think that’s a good decision.

I’ve never said anything, but I’ve always thought that “Phase II” was kind of cheesy sounding, notwithstanding that it was the original title for a TOS sequel.

And thank you for clearing up the confusion about the names.

I’m thinking that my recurring issue with the pacing of your episodes may just be attributable to a difference in taste, but please consider it anyway. In each P2/NV episode that I’ve watched, I’ve had the same problem with scenes dragging. Even in Mind Sifter, which I found to be an improvement over past episodes in every other respect, the scenes with Spock dealing with his Kirk anxiety, for example, really drag for me.

P.S. By “drag” I mean in terms of superfluous or slowly delivered dialogue. There’s way more screen time of Spock talking to people about his Kirk issue than I think is needed to get across his concern and I invariably find myself wanting the plot to move along.

I feel the need to weigh in a little here. NV was set up as a hobby, it has since become a beast, and a good beast at that! For what they do on the budget they have compared to others (as they had to build their sets, not steal then) is simply outstanding.

Here’s to the future guys.

@ Gygnus X1- we tried to stay true to the Mind-Sifter short story and fit it into an hour long episode.
Your input is valued, Thank you!

@31: Sorry, I meant new actor for the captain – and the “half refit” version of the Enterprise they did. Both got introduced with the “Boldly going” vignette. But it´s still Kirk and the Enterprise.

“We dropped the Phase II moniker because so many fans have expressed to us that they prefer the New Voyages moniker.”

As I recall, so many fans expressed to you that the preferred the New Voyages moniker way back when you first announced hat you were changing to “Phase II” starting with “Blood and Fire.” Why did you change to “Phase II” in the first place when there was so much fan preference for “New Voyages?”

I enjoyed watcing “Mind Sifter”. I loved the cameo by James Cawley.

This is really the Golden Age of fan films. Amazing stuff. Keep it up, guys and gals!

This is fan fiction featuring amateurish acting. The sets look great, but that’s about it. Anyone who thinks Paramount or CBS should fund projects like this has NO idea of how television works.

Star Trek fan films are amazing. They’re usually based on TOS and yet they have all the dull talk of TNG and all the pointless explosions and dog fights of DS9 with absolutely none of the charm of TOS. I feel like they watched the show just for the set measurements because there’s nothing else present. That goes for Phase II, Continues, Axanar, and Renegades.

Pow, pow, pow, fap, fap, fap.

I wouldn’t mind the bad acting and editing if they just had one coherent story with actual characterization in it. Hundreds of thousands of dollars can’t buy that.

Somehow I’m not getting the feeling that praise for a particular series or two is the same as asking corporate behemoths to fund anything at all. I’m just commenting as a fan. It’s really not for me to filter my comments through the “but what would CBS do with this?” criterion. I couldn’t care less if CBS funds anything. I’m just being entertained and this, frankly, is good entertainment in my book.

Hard for me to agree that New Voyages is just now “hitting its stride” when its greatest achievement remains Marc Scott Zicree’s moving “World Enough and Time,” produced the better part of a decade ago. There have been a number of worthwhile moments in subsequent shows, but it was WEAT that convinced me fan films could be more than an exercise in nostalgia and self-aggrandizing wish-fulfillment, and to volunteer my services for a NV shoot several years later.

I don’t know that they will ever produce another show of that quality–but I sure hope they keep on trying.

I have been a fan of New Voyages almost from day one. I find James Cawley to be a Great Spokesman for Star Trek. What he does with his show is nothing less then Amazing with what little budget he has. I can’t wait to see what else he comes up with. I do enjoy some other the other fan production’s. But New Voyages is my Fave.

I think there are a few very good candidates for “best fan film,” and I personally stated that the latest “Star Trek Continues” effort, “White Iris,” was the best that I had seen.

There are, however, many rungs to the top of the heap on a conceptual basis. “Axanar” appears to be in the running for the most professional of these efforts, but I have not seen the full movie — only the “Prelude,” which, I must say, was very very good.

I suppose I should probably make a distinction between “fan film” and “independent film.” If I do, then “Axanar” may eventually claim the title of the best “independent film,” featuring professional actors that we all know and love. (Colin Baker was great in “White Iris,” but the leads were played by non-professional actors in that production.) “Renegades” is also in the running for best independent film — it is chock full of professionals in the industry, from what I can see.

In any event, this is a golden era for fan and independent films set in the Trek universe, and for that I am thankful as a fan.

It’s getting to the point where I’m not as interested in the third Star Trek movie any more, based on the idea that there are all these other offerings which are, emotionally and entertainment-wise, just as fulfilling for me. If not more.

Everyone wants my money. Oh, dear. Decisions, decisions.

World Enough and Time? That was HORRIBLE.

@46. BatlethInThe Groin: For what it’s worth, “World Enough and Time,” despite its horribleness, was nominated for a Hugo Award (losing out to the “Doctor Who” episode “Blink”). It was also nominated for a Nebula Award (losing out to the motion picture “Pan’s Labyrinth”). It must not have been *too* horrible.

# 40. BatlethInTheGroin – June 14, 2015

” This is fan fiction featuring amateurish acting. The sets look great, but that’s about it. Anyone who thinks Paramount or CBS should fund projects like this has NO idea of how television works.” — BatlethInTheGroin

How many pilots sold a show but the actual series was recast because the pilot’s casting was found wanting? Amateurish acting in a pilot is not the same thing as a slam dunk on not being able to sell a show’s series concept.

I’m also not interested in critiquing a production for “amateurish” acting when in fact most of the actors are absolutely not professionals and don’t pretend to be.

The pros who do appear are quite believable, in my view. Once again, I refer to “White Iris,” in which Colin Baker puts in a good effort as the alien representative. Nothing he did in that episode would be out of place in a network production that emulated the acting styles of the 1960’s on television. I think he did a very good job. The same goes for Michele Specht’s performance — very credible, even by today’s standards.

In “Prelude to Axanar,” the pros show their stuff very well. There is no stiffness or self-consciousness at all in these performances — they are by and large excellent.

The problem with “amateur” (non-pro) acting often is that there isn’t enough of a projection of the character the actor is supposed to represent; the enunciation is a little off, or the “sincerity” quotient is not quite there. But practice makes perfect. I was very impressed by Vic Mignona’s version of Kirk in this last NV episode, in that I believed that this was a continuation of the Kirk character I saw in TOS. I can’t say the same of all fan films, simply because of the differing skills of non-pro actors playing that part.

None of my criticisms really matter. I watch Star Trek in all its forms not to be hyper-critical or to pick at nits. I watch it to have fun and to ponder the future and to while away an hour or two. These fan films and independent features make it lots of fun to be a Star Trek fan once again. For that, I am grateful.