New Voyages. For those of you who do NOT now , and you are indeed very outnumbered, I am a Star Trek Fan. Not a trekky with suits and pointy ears, not one of those guys who dresses up as a Klingon with fake plastic ridges and certainly not one of those that loves Laforge over Scott as main engineer of the USS Enterprise. No . I'm a NORMAL fan. A fan who loves the show and all it stands for , who loves the drama and the philosophy behind the whole Star Trek Universe and perhaps I'm even that kind of fan that hums the theme of the classic Star Trek series when he is having a very good day. So don't put me in a little box of prejudice. Because if you do , you might just make the same mistake I did when I saw the first post about the " STAR TREK : New Voyages " episodes. What is it ? Well it"s Classic Star Trek BY the fans FOR the fans. Now I have seen some applauding Fan-made Star Trek productions in my fair days as a fan. From horrible Fan-Fiction, to love-making between Kirk and Spock , to transgendered theater plays of old episodes. So when I saw this website I thought .. oh my god .. Do we really need another dirty stain on the not so immaculate conception of all things trek ? Do I one again need to bow my head in shame next time a non-star trek fan makes fun of me and regards me as the one responsible for poor and ill sighted fan Idea's ? (because since i'm a fan , i am automatically responsible for the misbehavior of all other fans.) BUT ! first of all let me explain what these people want to do :
"Our ultimate goal is to produce a full year's worth (22 or more) web episodes per year maintaining Gene Roddenberry's philosophy and vision for the original 1960’s television show. We believe in challenging people’s thoughts and enticing them to action. We feel that Star Trek is a great vehicle for exploring the human condition. We plan to devote the series to commenting on the current condition of life on Earth in the 21st century." (for all other questions take a look at their site)
Now , i'm a fan of classic trek, when money was scars and ideas had to be creative . Back in the days when the whole set wobbled whenever the captain was making out with alien lover #356 five decks below the bridge. When trek was trek indeed ! Gene Roddenbery's ideas where naive at times but still, It was way better then what they have turned it into now. TNG ? was okay , DS9 ? lovelovelove Voyager .. okay at times whenever Janeways penis envy was not bigger then the delta quadrant… But ENTERPRISE (their latest show) Horrible ! Not only does the Captain in this series LOOK like George Bush , he is equally blunt when it comes to foreign relations. HORRIBLE .. I was ashamed to be a fan when I saw the episodes and was dismayed to see it canceled .. ending the Star Trek saga in a low key ..
But i'm veering of .. THESE guys from new voyages must have thought the same ? Because the resurrected classic trek. Not only is it produced by Gene Roddenberry's son .. it also features Kirk , McCoy , Scotty and all the others. This time they are played by other (amateur) actors but once you get used to their faces , the sounds of their voices and their sometimes naive but well intended acting-mishaps .. the show grows on you. The sets are great , the 3d work is top notch and the storyline is faster then a roller-coaster on steroids. But all in all ? I was pleasantly surprised to see that the episode kept me entertained for more then an hour. And that I can't wait to see the second episode. What these guys did with a limited budget and resources (much like the old days) BUT also coping with limited band with issues and no major production company behind them is fantastic. It sure as hell that the result of these people teaming up with paramount would result in a better Star trek TOS sequel then we have seen so far. 'New Voyages" might be considered a little fan project for the fans , but i believe it is much more then that. I see it as a torch that keeps a live the dream of Star Trek as it was and was meant to be.
Curious yet ? check out their site and download the first two episodes. Take a look at the nice artwork, the storylines and the legs on Captain Pikes Communication officer (They go on for lightyears !). STAR TREK NEW VOYAGES