After launching on Star Trek Day, the second episode of the new Star Trek: very Short Treks’ series of (very non-canonical) promotional shorts is now online. This time it’s set on Pike’s USS Enterprise with the voices of several Strange New Worlds stars along with a Discovery cameo.
Strange New “Holiday Party”
The second episode has a simple premise “It’s a First Contact Day celebration and Spock is in charge of the entertainment.” It features the voices of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds stars Ethan Peck as Spock, Bruce Horak as Hemmer, Celia Rose Gooding as Uhura, and Gia Sandhu as T’Pring. Discovery star Doug Jones also makes a surprise appearance as Saru. Other voices are provided by Bonnie Gordon.
Watch it…
“Holiday Party” was written by Claire Friedman, an Emmy and Peabody-winning writer and producer who has worked on Saturday Night Live, Desus & Mero, and Nick Cannon. Star Trek: very Short Treks is part of CBS Studios’ celebration of the 50th anniversary of Star Trek: The Animated Series CBS Studios. The series of non-canonical promotional spots is animated in the TAS style and was developed by Casper Kelly (Too Many Cooks).
The remaining three cartoons will be released on startrek.com and the Star Trek YouTube channel weekly on Wednesdays through Oct. 4 at 10:00 A.M., PT/1:00 P.M., ET.
Sept. 20 – “Worst Contact”
Sept. 27 – “Holograms, All the Way Down”
Oct. 4 – “Walk, Don’t Run”
ICYMI: Episode 1
Episode 1 released on Star Trek Day also features Ethan Peck as Spock. Set on the original USS Enterprise with characters from Star Trek: The Animated Series, “Skin a Cat” features comedian Pete Holmes as the captain.
Keep up with news for the Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com.
It is funny because he usually has legs.
Wow, another stinker!
Yup.
Data pushing Crusher off the deck of the Enterprise in Star Trek: Generations was funnier than either of these two episodes, and that was famously NOT FUNNY.
I found that scene weird. Making the plank disappear causing Word to plunge in the water wasn’t funny at all. It was actually more cruel than anything else. The context made it so. But when Data pushed Crusher in the water after being told by her to be more spontaneous and to do something unexpected That was indeed pretty funny. The context made it so. It was pretty obvious Data was grasping the concept of humor there yet the scene was treated as if he wasn’t. So yeah. Weird.
Also… Is anyone else getting a “Nonce is invalid” message? It’s severely limiting posting.
Yes, I am. I had to click Post Comment several times for mine to show up.
Yes I’ve been trying to get a few comments posted all day.
“The clown can stay, but the Ferengi in the gorilla suit has got to go” was funnier than this, and that was just the punchline…
It was funny, because Geordi hadn‘t Even Seen a ferengi When he made that joke.
Heh, indeed. At that point, Ferengi were known to be cannibals, so was it a Gorilla suit, or was it a Gorilla’s skin?
Welp…..I guess I shouldn’t get my hopes up about the Trip Tucker episode.
Beautiful. Up there with Inner Light. More please.
I don’t see how this is celebratory. TAS was a sci fi animated show written by sci fi writers. What does this have to do with celebrating any of that?
Much like SNW, it actually insults the source material by making fun of it… and it’s not good at the comedy it’s trying to do. However, calling this an homage to TAS is the worst insult.
Forced to disagree. This isn’t making fun of Trek. It’s poking fun at it. Quite a different thing. And it works. The gags in both very shorts worked quite well. This is what Lower Decks SHOULD have been doing.
Been a fan since ‘72, and while I would never compare SNW to the best of TOS, never once have I felt “insulted” the way I did, say, after watching “And the Children Shall Lead” or STAR TREK 2009.
I think for me it is valid to say I am insulted by the way they are mishandling canon. If they declared reboot, it would be much easier to just evaluate it for what it is — 9021701 is my current catchphrase for it — than what it seems to struggle with being. That’s not a show-specific complaint like the two beautiful examples you offer, though.
Aside from Sam Peebles, which “sci fi” writers do you mean? D.C. Fontana? Nope, she was a TV writer (albeit an excellent one). Margaret Armen? Walter Koenig? Who?
Larry Niven for one. David Gerrold. Pretty sure Howard Weinstein became one after selling his TAS script.
Not quite as good as the SKIN THE CAT one but still had some really good laughs in it. And again, still way more laughs in these few minutes than in all of LDX episodes combined. This Casper Kelly character seems to have potential. Wondering if I should look for this TOO MANY COOKS thing. If the other very short Treks are as amusing this is the guy who should have helmed LDX!
To each their own I personally thought they were both utter garbage.
Edit : both animated short Treks.
Agree. What a load of crap. A waste of the talented voice cast.
Thankfully LDS makes up for that. That show is something special.
He likes to troll this site with contrarian snark.
So anything that goes against what you like is “contrarian snark”. How very IDIC of you.
And then he likes to get outraged when people call him out on it.
You have an odd definition of “outrage”. Seems to you “outrage” is acknowledging the way you view things.
And then he likes to project his behavior on to others.
I’m not the one with the bizarre definition of “outrage” or the one who thinks anyone who disagrees with me is a “contrarian snark.” That’s a “you” problem.
Too Many Cooks is definitely similar in humor to this one. Not really my thing, but imaginative at least.
I just watched it. Yes, it’s very funny. The gag works but at at just over 11 minutes it runs a tad too long. Still, clever and amusing. Although I may take back my comment about Kelly ought to have helmed LDX. These shorts are good but I now have my doubts if he could run a whole show this way.
Who else wishes they actually made NEW episodes of FILMATION’S take on STAR TREK set in different eras with the (surviving) voice cast rather than this? Everyone has been crying for CAPTAIN SULU since 1991 – we could have gotten a half-hour CAPTIAN SULU episode! People have been begging for more ENTERPRISE – we could have had an episode set during the Romulan War! Where the heck is Shatner?
Even if it was sound a likes or new actors I wouldn’t mind Kirk’s second five year mission after the motion picture.
“Everyone has been crying for CAPTAIN SULU since 1991 – we could have gotten a half-hour CAPTIAN SULU episode!”
Um……hi, George, how are you doing?
Hemmer!
Yeah definitely happy to see Hemmer again! He was great.
This one…eh.
I see why these are divisive so far. I thought the first one was OK but I really didn’t like this one at all. And Spock is not this inept over comedy and would know Starfleet officers being murdered or ripped apart in a transporter wouldn’t be ‘funny’, c’mon? He’s Vulcan, not a computer. And why is Saru in a 1,000 year old uniform from the future? Again, I see why these are non-canon, they just feel so nonsensical.
Hoping the next one is better.
My guess. It’s attempt to have a funny callback to the reuse of animation frames that was common to cheap animation in the 70s, regardless if it fit the scene. We’ll probably see the frame pop up in other episodes.
It is to mean spirited. When the Intrepid got destroyed Spock felt pain when they died. All Vulcans but still. And Vulcans are vegetarian because they don’t want to inflict pain on animals. Just my opinion and it is just a short cartoon it’s disheartening is all.
That one was actually funny
I thought this was hysterical – but if course, I have a dark sense of humor. Yes it’s out of character, but it’s not supposed to be in character – it’s self satire. No different from the various SNL skits in which the actors played satirical versions of their characters.
Yes, these two have been hysterical. I just keep thinking how good LDX could have been seeing these. Some people are taking this far too seriously. And the canon arguments are truly nuts. These are just little gags. Nothing more. I’m just absolutely stunned Secret Hideout has produced something that actually delivered on its stated goal! These are so good they HAVE to be a mistake.
Yeah, it’s an exaggerated version of these characters for fun.
Watching people here seriously struggle with and deconstruct a short cartoon with fart jokes is about as funny as the cartoon itself.
Okay, who was the genius that came up with these shorts??? The fact that Star Trek is even associated with these abominable animated shorts is embarrassing and quite honestly, baffling! I stopped watching both of the first two about halfway through each and I probably wont bother to watch any more. These horrific shorts make the infamous Star Wars holiday special look like an Emmy award winner.
Very sad to say this, but if these animated shorts are an example of some of the ridiculous quality being churned out by certain writers for live action programming, then no wonder the studios dont want to pay proper compensation. I would suggest negotiators come up with a tiered system of compensation based on the quality of the show being produced. Shows like SNW would be A. Very Short Treks writers should be paid for writing a ZZZ rated show. Ridiculous!
These things are a new low.
My nonce is as valid as anyone else’s. Down with nonce shaming!
These shorts are really funny so far, and notably lacking in the ponderous reference for Trek that generally kills every “approved” attempt at making fun of it.
I found it to be much more watchable than last week’s, for what that’s worth.
Puerile crap. I suppose with the writers strike going on, they are asking 3rd graders to come up with these stories.
Thought this was quite funny, more British style of comedy, dark, self deprecating…can see why the Americans here don’t get it
I’m American and I get it. It is quite funny. This is why I think McMahon is scared to death to do anything edgy. And ultimately why LDX is such a laugh desert. I think he has a huge fear of being perceived as being “disrespectful” to Trek.
I can see his point though. Americans aren’t as likely to enjoy things that take the piss out of things they’re fond of.
Well it was better than the first one, but that’s not a high bar. Also, why was Saru wearing a future uniform in a clip clearly from the blue uniform era?
The first one was pretty good, but this one was actually meehhh ..
Well that makes 0 for 2.
Not feeling it. Neither of these is that funny and both feel very forced.
The first one inexplicably changes the animation style of Kirk to look nothing like William Shatner – – nor even Chris Pine or Paul Wesley. (Perhaps none of them agreed to lend their voice to the material?) This second one misses its own point – a blooper should be small, even somewhat plausible. And both seem to drag on despite being billed as “Very Short” Treks.
These aren’t “over the top” but rather examples of sinking to new depths. The return to 70’s style animation is the most endearing aspect of this project. And Gazelle Automations did so much better.
I’m not sure what I consider more painful – these stinkers or the Star Trek Day special with Jerry O’Connell. And some financial “genius” greenlit all of this yet booted Prodigy?