Star Trek Continues, Episode 4...

[GSchnitzer]

I can see a little bit of Chris Pine in Brian Gross's facial expression. I can't wait to see his debut.

I'm mindful about not wanting to derail this thread about STC's next production. But Brian Gross already had his "Kirk" debut in our vignette: "Boldly Going" from last year.

[yt]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xim_PuEgRRc[/yt]

 

[CaptainMurdock]

Ah yes. I remember that. Very good. Well I certainly can't wait to see episodes from both production teams. Power to both.

 

[Kelso]

- There are to be some impressive guest stars known from other science fiction productions.

- A new alien race will be introduced in episode 4.

- Episode 4 will be very poignant and address some sort of issue that hasn't been dealt with in fan productions thus far.

- Yeoman Smith will be in episode 4.

- They will finally leave the ship to visit an alien planet in episode 5.

This all sounds promising.

 

[Warped9]

James Kerwin and Kipleigh Brown appeared on the G&T podcast today and gave a bit of information about episodes 4 and 5 and the next "Kirkstarter."

After listening to this podcast I find myself agreeing with much of what Kerwin ays while also disagreeing about some of it.

The so-called de-canonizing of TAS didn't happen until years aftr the show and it was tied to issues with Filmation. When TAS was made it was considered the continuation of TOS. And long since it now is again.

That said I get Kerwin's point that there are things in TAS that didn't yet exist when TOS was in production, but they're walking a fine line here. I can understand not going near the fact that it would have been impossible for TOS to have featured an Edoan, a Caitin or most any of the exotic aliens seen on TAS, but there is nothing to preclude them from being referred to just as they have already referred to other things outside of TOS that also did not exist back in 1969.

Also, as I already mentioned upthred, an Andorian should be easier to do than an Orion when it comes to body paint. An Orion required painting lots of exposed skin whereas an Andorian requires painting only the hands and face. The trickest part of a TOS Andorian is getting the hair and antennae to look just right.

Once again I applaud hearing that STC would like to get away from sequel or tie-in stories and focus more on wholly original stories. Awesome!


As to the podcast itself I found the sound quality poor and somewhat tiresome to listen through in parts.

 

[Bixby]

Seeing other Vulcans or Andorians in Starfleet is perfectly reasonable since it's sopported by what we actually saw in TOS. Seeing Borg, Ferengi, Cardassians or whatever in the TOS continuity (since those things didn't yet exist) doesn't fit STC's stated intent.

In the case of Phase II, we know that large swaths of our fan base live and breathe, hoping to see such things as Kirk's first Federation contact with the planet Betazed.

Why is it in too many fans' eyes that only Kirk and the Enterprise should be the first to encounter/contact the most important races/events?

 

[Warped9]

I like that in Episode 4 we're supposed to get a new alien race.

 

[Kelso]

^ Me too. I'll be impressed if they actually create an alien that feels authentic to the era.

 

[Warped9]

I always thought the Anticans and Selay from early TNG looked like they could have been on TOS. Or something like them.

 

[Captain Jed R.]

Seeing other Vulcans or Andorians in Starfleet is perfectly reasonable since it's sopported by what we actually saw in TOS. Seeing Borg, Ferengi, Cardassians or whatever in the TOS continuity (since those things didn't yet exist) doesn't fit STC's stated intent.

In the case of Phase II, we know that large swaths of our fan base live and breathe, hoping to see such things as Kirk's first Federation contact with the planet Betazed.

Why is it in too many fans' eyes that only Kirk and the Enterprise should be the first to encounter/contact the most important races/events?

Because obviously, they're the only ship in the sector/quadrant/"in range"

On a more serious note: whether for better or worse, Trek seems in many fans minds synonymous with "Enterprise", "Kirk", "Spock" etc - that people should want these characters responsible for the "big" events is an inevitability.

 

[Bixby]

I like that in Episode 4 we're supposed to get a new alien race.

Don't get too excited. I think both you and I are hoping they would be somewhat like Andorians, Gorn, and Hortas, but we could end up with more TNG-style bumpy-forehead aliens...

 

[GSchnitzer]

In the case of Phase II, we know that large swaths of our fan base live and breathe, hoping to see such things as Kirk's first Federation contact with the planet Betazed.

Why is it in too many fans' eyes that only Kirk and the Enterprise should be the first to encounter/contact the most important races/events?

Because obviously, they're the only ship in the sector/quadrant/"in range"

On a more serious note: whether for better or worse, Trek seems in many fans minds synonymous with "Enterprise", "Kirk", "Spock" etc - that people should want these characters responsible for the "big" events is an inevitability.

I think it's simpler than that. They actually don't really care whether it's Kirk and Company that has the interesting First Contact with Betazed or with Bajor. They would probably be just as interested to see it happen with Captain Jenkins and the Starship U.S.S. Scimitar. They just realize, and rightly so, that they are unlikely to see Star Trek Phase II spend much time on the exciting adventures of Captain Jenkins and the Starship Scimitar. They can probably be confident that if there's an exciting (i.e., "connect-the-dots") First Contact story to be told, we are likely to have it all play out with our series regulars--out of dramatic necessity, not out of in-universe realism.

 

[Warped9]

I like that in Episode 4 we're supposed to get a new alien race.

Don't get too excited. I think both you and I are hoping they would be somewhat like Andorians, Gorn, and Hortas, but we could end up with more TNG-style bumpy-forehead aliens...

At least it means we won't be revisiting someone we've already seen.

 

[Captain Jed R.]

Why is it in too many fans' eyes that only Kirk and the Enterprise should be the first to encounter/contact the most important races/events?

Because obviously, they're the only ship in the sector/quadrant/"in range"

On a more serious note: whether for better or worse, Trek seems in many fans minds synonymous with "Enterprise", "Kirk", "Spock" etc - that people should want these characters responsible for the "big" events is an inevitability.

I think it's simpler than that. They actually don't really care whether it's Kirk and Company that has the interesting First Contact with Betazed or with Bajor. They would probably be just as interested to see it happen with Captain Jenkins and the Starship U.S.S. Scimitar. They just realize, and rightly so, that they are unlikely to see Star Trek Phase II spend much time on the exciting adventures of Captain Jenkins and the Starship Scimitar. They can probably be confident that if there's an exciting (i.e., "connect-the-dots") First Contact story to be told, we are likely to have it all play out with our series regulars--out of dramatic necessity, not out of in-universe realism.

Nope, true, I concede the point. I'm just happy there's so much actual decent and decently made Trek lying around for people to watch: fills my crusty "old" (metaphorically speaking) fanboy heart with joy.

 

[BoredShipCapt'n]

I'm just happy there's so much actual decent and decently made Trek lying around for people to watch: fills my crusty "old" (metaphorically speaking) fanboy heart with joy.

Absolutely. Who could ever have dreamed, 40, 30, even 20 years ago, that the day would come when this would not only be possible but would actually happen?

 

[James Kerwin]

Hey guys, thanks so much for listening to the podcast!

I apologize for the sound quality. I take responsibility for that; it was on my end. Kipleigh and I recorded it over Skype from my office; we weren't in a studio or on a proper phone line. So, my fault.

Lemme say this about TAS, because I may have been too harsh on it in the podcast. I actually really liked the writing on TAS. Very creative, great stories, great TOS themes. I have nothing "against" it. The problem, though, is that there's really no way to rectify it with STC. We're trying to finish up the five-year mission through 2269-2270. Chekov is on board (unlike in TAS), Chapel is NOT on board (unlike in TAS -- she likely wouldn't have been on the ship in 2269-70 if she went to med school and became a doctor by TMP in 2272), there is no Arex or M'Ress, etc. So reconciling the two is difficult if not impossible.

Again, I like TAS; all I'm saying is that, for OUR purposes, we mainly have to ignore it.

As for the shout-outs to other series... Again, I want to clarify that it isn't "off limits" entirely. There's nothing wrong with a passing wink to the Xindi or Cardassians, for example... but we probably wouldn't show a Xindi on-screen or have it be a major plot point.

Yes, the idea of a holographic rec room was in Roddenberry's plans for TOS from the beginning; thats why it's included in STC. The counselor, again, is admittedly stretching the rule a little; although we did see ship psychiatrists on board the Enterprise in TOS.

All in all we're just trying to tell good stories, like all the fan films are. There's a great diversity of material among them and that's why I love them all.

 

[Bixby]

No offense to Kipleigh Brown, but why bring her back as Smith at all? Smith was a nothing character in her one and only episode (Where no man has gone before) and the Smith/Jones schtick was unfunny even back in the 60s.

As much as I haven't warmed up to Michelle Specht as McKennah, I really liked her as the female Klingon in Kitumba, nicely played there. I know everybody wants to play the good guy starfleet officer to get fan approval, but I thought all actors dream of playing scenery-chewing villains. Why not get Kipleigh out of that primary-coloured uniform and play a vixen instead.

 

[Kelso]

^ I'm a for it!

My daughter gets to watch more strong female characters and I get to watch more Kipleigh Brown.

It's a win/win.

 

[James Kerwin]

Also, please remember that most "aliens" in TOS looked identical to humans. I didn't mean to suggest we're doing TNG-style makeup on the new race we've created. That wouldn't ring true for 1969.

 

[Warped9]

D

Also, please remember that most "aliens" in TOS looked identical to humans. I didn't mean to suggest we're doing TNG-style makeup on the new race we've created. That wouldn't ring true for 1969.

Bummer.

Be that as it may even something like a variation on a Troyian (such as Ambassador Petri in "Elaan Of Troyius") would be something.

And TOS did a lot of aliens that weren't strictly normal human looking

Talosian
First Federation
Romulans
Insanity Parasites (re: "Operation--Annihilate")
Gorn
Horta
Andorian
Tellarite
Troyian
Melkot
Excalbian
Cloud Creature (re: "Obsession")
Energy beings (re: "Errand Of Mercy," "Arena," "The Squire Of Gothos," "The Lights Of Zetar," "Day Of The Dove")
Korob abd Sylvia (in their true forms)
Giant Amoeba
Vians
Tholians
Mugato
Companion
Tribbles


Oh, well...

 

[GSchnitzer]

Also, please remember that most "aliens" in TOS looked identical to humans. I didn't mean to suggest we're doing TNG-style makeup on the new race we've created. That wouldn't ring true for 1969.

Bummer.

Be that as it may even something like a variation on a Troyian (such as Ambassador Petri in "Elaan Of Troyius") would be something.

And TOS did a lot of aliens that weren't strictly normal human looking

Talosian
First Federation
Romulans
Insanity Parasites (re: "Operation--Annihilate")
Gorn
Horta
Andorian
Tellarite
Troyian
Melkot
Excalbian
Cloud Creature (re: "Obsession")
Energy beings (re: "Errand Of Mercy," "Arena," "The Squire Of Gothos," "The Lights Of Zetar," "Day Of The Dove")
Korb abd Sylvia (in the true forms)
Giant Amoeba
Vians
Tholians
Mugato
Companion
Tribbles

The vignette served a number of purposes for us.

It was heavy on dialog for Brian Gross--to showcase our new Kirk actor.

It had originally been conceived of a sa epilogue follow-up vignette to "Blood and Fire"--with a memorial service for the late Lieutenant Alex Freeman. In the end, we decided to make reference not only to a number of Phase II characters who had perished in recent episodes, but it also allowed us to acknowlege, by name, a number of important New Voyages/Phase II production crew members who had recently passed away. (It was a way for us to recognize our own fallen family members, and was cathartic for us.)

It was also a way of relaunching not only our re-fit Enterprise, but of relaunching our series, too. It wasa shot-for-shot, note-for-note copy of the Enterprise launch scene from The Wrath of Khan--just for the un of it.

My script notes included a number of observations. Here are a couple of them:

The Longfellow's poem that is the centerpiece of the speech is misquoted.
It all seems a little flowery--more like something Picard would rattle off. My sense is Kirk didn't become such an eloquent orator until the movie era.
If I were attending a memorial service for a fallen comrade, I might be upset/disappointed that the service changed from commemorating the fallen to a "let's go get 'em and explore, boys and girls," "Saint Crispin's Day" speech. I'd want attention to stay on the fallen--who quickly get lost in the speech.
When Kirk gets a boring patrol ssignment, he seems to be arguing "But you can't do that! Didn't you hear that I just gave a big flowery speech?"

Writer Dave Galanter (author of a dozen or so professional Trek novels) gets the credit (or the blame) for the "Boldly Going" script.

Lastly, I note that the U.S.S. Drake was mentioned in the TNG episode "Arsenal of Freedom." Warranted or not, Drake seems to have been a name that endures even into the 24th century. (Maybe a diferent Drake--not Sir Francis?)
Oh, well...

No love for the Thasians?