Star Trek Continues, Episode 4 - "The White Iris"

[Warped9]

The episode was bland, meandering for a sense of urgency. While I applaud the effort to reveal something about Kirk, it didn't reveal anything that we didn't know already about the captain — his the lonely commander. Worse, it didn't do it in the most interesting ways.

Everything in the episode is motivated by "because the plot needs it" and not out of character actions or decisions. Once again, we have a reactive story rather than an active one. Kirk doesn't make any tough decisions. If I have one major criticism of most fan films, it's that nothing hinges on a decision the captain has to make. Fan productions should really deconstruct and study "Where No Man Has Gone Before" — it's the quintessential "Star Trek" episode because it all hinges on Kirk making a decisive, difficult decision.

The shoehorning of both the counselor and the holodeck to resolve Kirk's inner conflict felt more like TNG than a TOS episode. In fact, the whole plodding plot and character drama all felt like it belonged in TNG's first season than in all 3 seasons of TOS. The holodeck is — and always has been — a dramatic non-start. We're exploring space, for god particle's sake! Why in the hell do we need to use the holodeck as a story telling device?

Kirk, Spock and McCoy all turn as functions of the plot. For example, the scene in Kirk's quarters — McCoy amps it up mid-scene. It's not built up to his outburst. He just bursts out because that's what the script says, not because the conversation has built to that. Nothing feels earned in that scene. Another example, Kirk's bridge outburst. None of the emotions feel earned throughout the script. It's all a bit too melodramatic.

The whole plot of the planet didn't make sense and I forgot about it for huge chunks of the episode. When we got another mention of it, I was like, "oh right, that's going on." But it had no urgency as a ticking clock. It didn't feel like it was that important to anyone or anything, including the script. And it left a lot of questions: why would the Federation need to have proof that this planet was worthy of a defense grid and not being obliterated out of existence by an unseen enemy? That part seemed a bit incredulous. The whole thing stank of "we need a ticking clock" rather than anything well thought out.

Also, they need to really tighten up their scripts. For example, the teaser is way too long and should've really ended when Kirk gets hit on the head. Continues needs to practice more restraint. Constraints help make for great drama. The "kitchen sink" approach does not.

That being said, there's some good camera work in this episode. Lots of interesting angles. And the original music blended well with the standard TOS tracks. And I appreciate that there wasn't a huge space battle in the episode.

For their next outing, I'd like to see them do more of a "Lolani" — original, something that explores a theme and tries to tackle some tough subject matter.

While I liked it a bit more upon second viewing I have to agree with a lot of this. I'm hardpressed to recall anything memorable from this episode.

 

[Amaris]

Magnificent! I loved it so much, I even clapped at the end when the credits started to roll (I'm a dork)!

SNIP!

The story for this episode, I think, was strongest during the intial 3/4, but the last act was a little weaker, though that may be more to the way the story chose to resolve itself. Still, I enjoyed it, and I totally totally didn't cry toward the end because of a particular scene involving an adorable little girl, who said anything about crying? I'm not!

SNIP!

Yeah, that scene with the little girl hit me as well. I am reminded of a similar scene which was in Justice League Animated, episode, "For The Man Who Has Everything" (based on an actual comic), in which Superman was trapped in a illusion, and had to let his perfect world go to save his IRL friends. One particular scene was when he had to tell his "fake" son that he had to let him go, even as his perfect world go. That episode reminded me of a TNG episode, called "Future Imperfect", where Riker, in spite of it all, still considered to protagonist his family, because he really did care for him. Same with an episode called "The Inner Light", which featured Picard in a similar situation.

It's those types of episodes that get to me on a personal level. Sigh...

I'll have to check that JL episode out. Yeah, I am a total sucker when it comes to heart string pulling, and that's the easiest way to pull them.

 

[KingstonTrekker]

I don't want to start a war on here, and I realize that constructive criticism is part of the review process, but I can't believe how nitpicky people can be and the ridiculous depths of their negative critiques which are not constructive. People make these FAN films out of love for TOS...some constructive criticism is appropriate...but I try to live by the motto "if I have nothing nice to say keep my mouth shut." Anyway I needed to break that motto to type the preceding comments because I just can't believe some of the people on here.

On a positive note...I absolutely loved the episode. It did move me emotionally. I loved the references to past TOS (why do so many people here see that as a flaw???). I am fine with the holodeck (as per TAS). The acting in this episode was simply the best I have ever seen in a fan film. It felt like watching an episode of TOS. I also love TOS-R effects...we are in year 49 of the franchise people. McKennah is a nice addition...and the actress did not overact here.

Thank you Star Trek Continues for keeping TOS alive and for providing us with the highest-quality fan films available. I commend your passion, your efforts, and your vision.

 

[northstar]

Some of the other shots were only "ok" CG shots/Greenscreen combinations (especially the Engineering room and the New York scenes). Since the people doing the fx are pros and have been working on the original shows, I somewhat expected something better. Don´t get me wrong, it looks ok and is perfectly fine for a fan film, just my expectations were maybe a bit too high.

The New York shots can be explained away by the fact that it's supposed to be a fake CG backdrop anyway. Engineering no, but they'll soon be past that problem.

That´s what I thought first, too - but then the other holodeck shots looked to real (because they were). It would need to be consistent to make sense...

 

[DCR]

I do hope future episodes can get away from the TNG vibe that's been all-too common in STC.

For one thing, that means minimizing the use of TNG staples like the holodeck and counselor. It's not that I think either is bad, per se, but that they were intrinsic to TNG and not present in TOS. Using both in the story resolution immediately reminds me of TNG.

That's one reason I'm always nervous when I hear people want the next STC episode to be more like Lolani. I like that it was something new, but at the same time it's my least favorite STC episode. It reminded me far too much of my least favorite kind of TNG episode, Prime Directive morality plays. Some of the moralizing almost made me turn off the episode. Worst of all, Kirk's final decision came so late that it was meaningless. The White Iris was much better than that.

Having said that, I believe they've already funded episodes 5 & 6 and I'm really looking forward to both.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

That's one reason I'm always nervous when I hear people want the next STC episode to be more like Lolani. I like that it was something new, but at the same time it's my least favorite STC episode. It reminded me far too much of my least favorite kind of TNG episode, Prime Directive morality plays. Some of the moralizing almost made me turn off the episode. Worst of all, Kirk's final decision came so late that it was meaningless. The White Iris was much better than that.

Oh, "Lolani" has a lot of flaws. And it suffered from the "Kirk doesn't make a decision" problem and when he does, it's a softball. He acts more like Picard in that episode than Kirk.

When I saw I want them to be more like it, I mean it in terms of trying to tackle tough subject matter. It didn't live up to what it was trying to do, but at least they were trying to tell an original story worth telling and not another fan fiction committed to film.

 

[Warped9]

Individuals might well define the TNG vibe differently. I thought "Lolani" was perfectly in keeping with the kind of story TOS would have done while "The White Iris" didn't feel at all like a TOS story.

McKennah and the holodeck are not absolute deal breakers in a TOS story, but rather how they're used.

I think the TNG vibe goes beyond the type of story used. It also has to do with how dialogue is written and approaches to how they characters react to circumstance. In terms of tech jargon (technobabble) there is a TOS style and a TNG style and we've been hearing TNG style creeping into the STC stories where I find it really stands out.

I think STC's Kirk sometimes behaves more like Picard rather than TOS era Kirk. If you want to see what TOS Kirk is like wrestling with emotional conflict then simply refer to "The Enemy Within" or "Where No Man Has Gone Before" or "Operation--Annihilate" or "Balance Of Terror" "The Deadly Years" or "Obsession." And there are other smaller examples sprinkled throught the original series. The Kirk in "The White Iris" seemed like he was barely holding on while the TOS Kirk in "The Enemy Within" and "Obsession" was wrestling with something yet didn't look like he was going to totally fall apart.

And McCoy isn't just cranky for its own sake. He has his own way of expressing himself and it's not just crankiness and cynicism. I think Larry Nemecek as McCoy had some good moments depicting the more tempered McCoy, but he didn't convey much more beyond that.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

I think the TNG vibe goes beyond the type of story used. It also has to do with how dialogue is written and approaches to how they characters react to circumstance. In terms of tech jargon (technobabble) there is a TOS style and a TNG style and we've been hearing TNG style creeping into the STC stories where I find it really stands out.

I think STC's Kirk sometimes behaves more like Picard rather than TOS era Kirk. If you want to see what TOS Kirk is like wrestling with emotional conflict then simply refer to "The Enemy Within" or "Where No Man Has Gone Before" or "Operation--Annihilate" or "Balance Of Terror" "The Deadly Years" or "Obsession." And there are other smaller examples sprinkled throught the original series. The Kirk in "The White Iris" seemed like he was barely holding on while the TOS Kirk in "The Enemy Within" and "Obsession" was wrestling with something yet didn't look like he was going to totally fall apart.

For me, the TNG vibe comes from how Kirk makes decisions in these episodes: holding endless conferences, seeking a consensus, calling admirals left and right. It also comes from the way these episodes beat out. They have a very TNG cadence, from the teaser to the tag.

 

[DCR]

Individuals might well define the TNG vibe differently. I thought "Lolani" was perfectly in keeping with the kind of story TOS would have done while "The White Iris" didn't feel at all like a TOS story.

McKennah and the holodeck are not absolute deal breakers in a TOS story, but rather how they're used.

I think the TNG vibe goes beyond the type of story used. It also has to do with how dialogue is written and approaches to how they characters react to circumstance. In terms of tech jargon (technobabble) there is a TOS style and a TNG style and we've been hearing TNG style creeping into the STC stories where I find it really stands out.

I think STC's Kirk sometimes behaves more like Picard rather than TOS era Kirk. If you want to see what TOS Kirk is like wrestling with emotional conflict then simply refer to "The Enemy Within" or "Where No Man Has Gone Before" or "Operation--Annihilate" or "Balance Of Terror" "The Deadly Years" or "Obsession." And there are other smaller examples sprinkled throught the original series. The Kirk in "The White Iris" seemed like he was barely holding on while the TOS Kirk in "The Enemy Within" and "Obsession" was wrestling with something yet didn't look like he was going to totally fall apart.

And McCoy isn't just cranky for its own sake. He has his own way of expressing himself and it's not just crankiness and cynicism. I think Larry Nemecek as McCoy had some good moments depicting the more tempered McCoy, but he didn't convey much more beyond that.

Yeah, I don't find either McKennah or the holodeck to be deal-breakers, either. Having said that, I do find that relying on them for the resolution does build more of a TNG vibe than might otherwise be present, and that's something the story has to account for.

As for Lolani, while the original story question is definitely one that TOS could have raised, the treatment is too TNG for me. Kirk waffling so that his final decision comes too late really is my deal-breaker.

 

[DCR]

For me, the TNG vibe comes from how Kirk makes decisions in these episodes: holding endless conferences, seeking a consensus, calling admirals left and right. It also comes from the way these episodes beat out. They have a very TNG cadence, from the teaser to the tag.

Exactly, STC Kirk has too much of Picard's command style for me. It's been there since the first episode and shows no sign of going away.

 

[MarsWeeps]

Ok...I'm three minutes into the episode...

Spoiler: 3 minutes in

So, Kirk is on a planet who wants to join the Federation, he's bonked on the head, has potentially fatal brain damage, an experimental drug is suggested, the hypo is already standing by, he's injected with the drug, within seconds he's back to normal, gets out of sickbay and proceeds to the bridge....

All within 3 minutes? McCoy letting him up and about so easily without even an argument? Wow, I hope the rest of the episode isn't as rushed as the opening.

The rest of the episode:

Spoiler: The rest of the episode

One nit: Kirk refers to the Farragut encounter on Tychos 4 as happening "7 years ago" but in TOS episode "Obsession", it happened "eleven years ago." Since ST Continues is supposed to take place after TOS 3 year run, it should have been more than "eleven years ago." Not sure how they could miss something like that, I noticed it immediately.

Holodeck: BOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Ship's counseler: BOOOOOOOO!!!!! Yes, I know she was introduced earlier but I think they created the role just to give Vic's wife something to do.

I have a hard time believing that they did not figure out the password. All they had to do is try all the words in the English dictionary, something people do today. With the computing power of Kirk's time, it should have taken seconds.

I did like seeing Kirk's women of the past. They did a good job matching the actresses with the characters, especially Miramanee.

It wasn't a bad episode, I could see it fitting in season 4 of TOS. I give it a 3 out of 5 stars.

 

[urbandefault]

I think some people set their personal bar way too high for these things.

STC has accomplished what most fan productions aspire to do, and where almost all fall short. That is, moving into the next season of the original show, with an almost seamless connection.

Continues has added, and keeps adding, new layers to the TOS framework. Regardless of whether they choose to revisit old stories, they're giving us new adventures.

Criticize the writing, acting, and execution if you will. But this group of people is doing the best new TOS Trek out there.

If someone had said to Vic, "If you can do better, go for it," I think the STC team accepted the challenge and passed the test. That, and they keep raising the bar for what I call "independent productions."

So, to all the detractors I say this: If you can do better, go for it.

 

[Zaminhon]

I do hope future episodes can get away from the TNG vibe that's been all-too common in STC.

For one thing, that means minimizing the use of TNG staples like the holodeck and counselor. It's not that I think either is bad, per se, but that they were intrinsic to TNG and not present in TOS. Using both in the story resolution immediately reminds me of TNG.

That's one reason I'm always nervous when I hear people want the next STC episode to be more like Lolani. I like that it was something new, but at the same time it's my least favorite STC episode. It reminded me far too much of my least favorite kind of TNG episode, Prime Directive morality plays. Some of the moralizing almost made me turn off the episode. Worst of all, Kirk's final decision came so late that it was meaningless. The White Iris was much better than that.

Having said that, I believe they've already funded episodes 5 & 6 and I'm really looking forward to both.

When I hear Lolani and TNG in the same sentence, I'm reminded of "The Perfect Mate" which includes the most awkward and cringe-worthy relationship ever devised between Kamala and Picard. Unlike Kirk, I doubt that Picard would even react during an Orion dance or know what it entailed.

I can easily see the Prime Directive evolving in the fourth season, however I do agree about the Holodeck, it has no place in TOS. There are too many new planets and civilizations to explore.

I hope they will get enough funds in the future to build their own Shuttle Craft (interior/exterior) so they don't have to green screen it in Houston.. It would be nice to roll it on to their new planet set when needed.

 

[Maurice]

So, to all the detractors I say this: If you can do better, go for it.

Which is the stock lazy defensive comeback to critique.

 

[Zaminhon]

Hiring a full orchestra to perform an original score is a few steps beyond fan film territory. I'm continually amazed of what goes into this production.

Here's the ensemble performing music from ET ..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMhWzaXtUvs

If I'm not mistaken, this episode is funded by the first Kickstarter which brought in about 125k and split between 3 episodes - How can they even afford to do something like this?

I'm supposing Farber and the orchestra donated their services.

I must have missed it but there's a writeup on the musical score in the STC blog..

http://stcsubspacechatter.blogspot.com/2015/05/score-trek.html

I thought it was a professional orchestra, but it's actually composed of students from a conservatory in Rochester, NY. It's very likely that Andy Farber and the orchestra donated their time. They absolutely sound professional. My only question now is can they get them again for future episodes?

 

[Mark 2000]

Speaking as someone with a degree in fine art and who makes his living from art I have to say "it's just fan made" and "if you can do better prove it" is nonsense. It doesn't take an artist to criticize something. If that was the case film, TV, music, and all other forms of professional criticism would not exist. That is not a prerequisite for the job nor should it be.

You make art so that people can react, for the good or the bad. And, a lot of times, the bad helps. You can learn from it, or you can keep making work that people will eventually just stop looking at.

And as for the idea that these are just fan works, well, they're getting more funding than a lot of original indie films and will continue to get more. If investing in a product doesn't give you the right to comment on it, I don't know what does.

 

[urbandefault]

So, to all the detractors I say this: If you can do better, go for it.

Which is the stock lazy defensive comeback to critique.

Which is the stock passive-aggressive attack.

I have zero skin in this game. I just call it as I see it, and I like what I see.

So, do better or shut the hell up.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

So, to all the detractors I say this: If you can do better, go for it.

Which is the stock lazy defensive comeback to critique.

Which is the stock passive-aggressive attack.

I have zero skin in this game. I just call it as I see it, and I like what I see.

So, do better or shut the hell up.

Maurice can defend himself. But I will say that he has, many times over. It was called STARSHIP EXETER: "The Tressaurian Intersection." He shares a writing credit and got Act 4 finally out the door.

[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkuJG1_2MnU[/yt]

Not to mention a dozen music videos and short films.

 

[GSchnitzer]

So, to all the detractors I say this: If you can do better, go for it.

Challenge accepted!

 

[urbandefault]

Which is the stock lazy defensive comeback to critique.

Which is the stock passive-aggressive attack.

I have zero skin in this game. I just call it as I see it, and I like what I see.

So, do better or shut the hell up.

Maurice can defend himself. But I will say that he has, many time over. It was called STARSHIP EXETER: "The Tressaurian Intersection." He shares a writing credit and got Act 4 finally out the door.

[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkuJG1_2MnU[/yt]

Not to mention a dozen music videos and short films.

Seen it. The challenge stands.