Star Trek: New Voyages

Damn! With the faithful and impressive recreations of the sets and costumes, this effort was truly promising. At first, I just assumed it was supposed to be a new crew, complete with a Vulcan and Black female Communications officer, which was fine with me because the show is so visually pleasing. Then - wait - they're supposed to actually be the classic characters? In that case - with the amount of time and money that must've went into this, the creative forces behind it should have thrown the casting net wider - a lot wider. I almost feel bad saying it, but the lame performances and outright bad acting make this a wasted effort (with the exception of Chekov - he's a keeper). Also, the audio is too dry (or are the actors just that flat?) throw in a little reverb on that opening! Also the live action video is too crisp, isn't there an effect used to make digital look like film? Regardless I applaud the awesome resurrection of the Enterprise Bridge, the colorful uniforms - everything that isn't acting! Way to boldly go!

As an old ( and purist) fan of the Original Series, I must say that "The New Voyages" takes us back for what mattters. Pure and good Star Trek. Surely we don't have here Shatner, Nimoy playing Kirk and Spock, but the sets, the stories are so good that the only thing that we can feel is a great sense of satisfaction. In this "New Voyages", these talented people ( fans including) does not only invented a new way to tells stories, but to make them come true. And I really had tears in my eyes when I saw again William Window as Commodore Decker. This enterprise shows us that some fans can make better things than the producers of Paramount. Fans that really understands what Star Trek is.

It took me about 10 minutes to get past not having Shatner and gang in their roles, then I really started to enjoy myself. The snub to NBC gave me a chuckle right off. The objections I've read seem to fall into 1. It's not the original cast. Well it couldn't be now could it? These are characters. For instance how many James Bonds' have their been? Also, I feel its totally unfair to call it a 'rip off' since one of their conditions is to not make a profit. If it would make it easier for you, consider this a parallel universe. 2. The effects are cheap. What they have done is to re-create the essence of TOS by duplicating the plywood sets of the original but replacing models (expensive and time consuming) with CGI (which was adopted by TNG and the successive shows) where feasible. I'm impressed and appreciative that these young people have taken the bull by the horns so to speak and basically said "If they won't make it, we will!" Shades of The little red hen there. Congrats on the effort gang.

The folks at Cow Creek deserve all the praise they're getting. They're really putting together some very fun stories to watch.

I'm also glad for New Voyages because it has much more heart than anything Paramount has been asking fans to accept for the past three years. New Voyages reminded me of the reason I loved Star Trek to begin with, and kudos to E-Rod, Fontana & Koenig for going along for the ride. I hope other TOS actors take notice of this rich, new series as well...what a great stage to Bring Back Kirk this would be!

Are you listening, Mr. Shatner?

So many of us out here hope so before another 11 years go by!

For those interested in Star Trek, especially the original series, this effort by Cow Creek Productions is a must see. In the first episode you are treated to a mix of some old stuff from the original series mixed in with a line or two from The Motion Picture and The Wrath of Kahn. But, don't be discouraged these people pull it off! At times the dialogue my be campy and Captain Kirks portrayal is somewhat over the top, it appears that these idiosyncrasies are what makes "The New Voyages" so much fun to watch.

Provided free to download at their website, you are treated to two episodes. The second outing "In Harms Way" is extremely well done. The special effects are superior for an independent, "Non-Profit" production and the storyline is gripping. In that episode you are treated to Captain Christopher Pike in command of the USS Enterprise as you see it in "The Cage". The Doomsday machine or planet killer is being attacked by Pike, Spock and the crew of the Enterprise. The opening scene shows the Enterprise utterly destroyed in the opening credits. Years pass and Captain Kirk in command of another Constellation Class Starship is called upon to correct the incorrect time-line. This production has great special effects, good writing, and some surprises that will please the true Trekker.

I highly recommend these fan productions.