Starship Farragut finale "Homecoming" Grading & Discussion Thread

[Maurice]

The episode was posted over in the "Farragut Forward" is back on (and soon the "Starship Farragut" finale "Homecoming") thread, but as we've often had Grading & Discussion threads for episodes of major fanfilm releases, complete with a poll, I figured I'd do one here.

¡¡¡SPOILER ALERT!!!
You can't get much plainer than that.

IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS, SKIP THIS THREAD UNTIL YOU'VE SEEN THE SHOW!​

It's been 5 ½ years since we last saw the crew of the starship Farragut in "The Crossing" and over four years since the final episode was lensed, but, finally, here's the finale of Farragut...

...well, until the spinoff...

"HOMECOMING"

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I suggest the other thread be for updates on Farragut Forward.

 

[KennyB]

Wonderful seeing Stan in action again.

 

[Bixby]

I may as well be first...
You can tell the director lacks experience, very apparent in places such as the fight scene at the end (their movements are so awkward), the playful ''cat and mouse'' game between Weston and Dr. Bannon could have been subtler instead of overly slapsticky.

But his choice to open the episode with a line-up of seemingly ailing people outside of sick bay had me scratching my head. Sure, it was used to show that things were not going well aboard the Farragut, but it sent plenty of wrong messages, such as:
!) if there's a fainting guy and coughing crewmen who look like they might have toxic poisoning waiting in line outside of an overwhelmed sick bay, maybe the Captain's log should reflect about problems more serious than a computer virus? And shouldn't the Captain look more worried for his crew at this point, and especially just minutes later when his Chief of engineering seems more concerned with her ego than the crowd of seriously weak crewmen that look at death's door down below? you would think when they finally reach the Starbase, that the first people to beam over would be emergency medical support, rather than engineers for a non-urgent procedure...
I get it, they wanted to start with some tension right away. However, it would have been more effective and on message to just have Carter walk through the corridor with numerous wall panels removed and exposed wires, and all of those extras busily taking readings or moving frantically from one end of the set to the other, instead of that bizarre sick bay setup.
Or, they could have started the webisode on the bridge itself, with chaos and clutter everywhere, more removed panels (and maybe a third of the LED screens turned off) to better visually portray a Ship going through significant technical problems. Start with the Captain's log voiceover as the camera pans or keeps cutting to Bridge personnel and technicians working feverishly to repair the systems.

2) I blame TNG and DS9 for this, but you'd think fanfilmmakers would take up the challenge when introducing a new alien race, to go further than just placing dots on their faces! I would have suggested giving the Themins a wacky different hairstyle at least. A more alien name than Hope would have been good too.

Hope, AKA Kristina Victor, was very pretty, but you can tell she hasn't acted that much before: hint for her and other fanfilm directors: making eye contact with your scene partners is a good thing.

3) I've mentioned before how I'm tired of fanfilms who keep using Klingons, and Romulans, and Harry Mudd...? Well now I can add how fed up I am with the inclusion of Section 26...or 72, or 38 or who the fuck cares...

4) The episode was kinda fun, but the entire storyline with Hope and the Themin race seemed severely underdeveloped, while the romance bit between Carter and Hope developed way too fast.

Great job by Michael Struck for the FX shots. Beautiful work, especially planet Mars. The music was ok, however in many scenes it tended to drown out the actors' dialogue.

Holly Bednar as Smithfield is always fun to watch, and I really enjoyed her flustered faces in this episode. John Broughton I always enjoy as Carter, but this time he completely made me laugh with that single ''Really?!?'' line he used on his mother. Great work

And finally at the end with the bridge crew doing the requisite shuttlepod ride/reveal of the new ship (didn't original Trek do this in one of the movies too?). with the new USS Farragut being revealed as a Reliant class ship instead. Does this mean that Farragut Forward will completely skip over the TMP era one-piece jumpsuits and go straight to the Marroon uniforms?!?

 

[Rusty0918]

And finally at the end with the bridge crew doing the requisite shuttlepod ride/reveal of the new ship (didn't original Trek do this in one of the movies too?). with the new USS Farragut being revealed as a Reliant class ship instead. Does this mean that Farragut Forward will completely skip over the TMP era one-piece jumpsuits and go straight to the Marron uniforms?!?

"Farragut Forward" will jump roughly a decade to 2278, past the era of the TMP pale pajama-like uniforms. John Broughton mentioned this in an interview last July. By this time the Miranda-class USS Farragut will have some mileage on her.

 

[Bixby]

While I enjoy the supporting bridge crew actors, they really shouldn't still be manning the same stations 10 years later. At least half of them should be filling entirely different positions, and be replaced by younger actors at places like helm and navigation.

 

[Rusty0918]

From what I've heard, it's going to to be a mixture of old and new faces in "Farragut Forward," at least that's what Broughton said in the interview last July. But I do agree, a good deal SHOULD change.

 

[Bixby]

Right...oh, here's one more. You have to find it hard to believe that in the 23rd century, people actually leave their communicator in their bedrooms, when you have a huge proportion of the population who bring their cell phones with them to the shower and everywhere in THIS century.

 

[Maurice]

2) I blame TNG and DS9 for this, but you'd think fanfilmmakers would take up the challenge when introducing a new alien race, to go further than just placing dots on their faces! I would have suggested giving the Themins a wacky different hairstyle at least. A more alien name than Hope would have been good too.

Why even make them aliens? Why not just humans from a colony that's had along history of isolation?

Well now I can add how fed up I am with the inclusion of Section 26...or 72, or 38 or who the fuck cares...

The least welcome invention in ongoing Trek ever.

Great job by Michael Struck for the FX shots. Beautiful work, especially planet Mars

I'm unclear how much of the VFX were done by Struck. He's largely retired from doing VFX.

The greenscreen work in the house was really rough, and the backgrounds were poorly sized and placed. I suspect someone else did that stuff.

 

[Bixby]

RE: my comment about Section Shazbat:

The least welcome invention in ongoing Trek ever.

Number one: this addition so completely goes against Gene Roddenberry's vision for the future. And number two: that a future version of basically 1970s CIA exists in the 23rd century means that in 200 years we have learned nothing, and having a military arm that plots to assasinate extra-terrestrial leaders is pretty repugnant. Since the early 19th century we have learned to loathe slavery and to stop treating women as property, But from now until 2350 we will still feel that messing with other cultures and stabbing allies in the back are valuable tools of diplomacy?

 

[Maurice]

RE: my comment about Section Shazbat:


Number one: this addition so completely goes against Gene Roddenberry's vision for the future. And number two: that a future version of basically 1970s CIA exists in the 23rd century means that in 200 years we have learned nothing, and having a military arm that plots to assasinate extra-terrestrial leaders is pretty repugnant. Since the early 19th century we have learned to loathe slavery and to stop treating women as property, But from now until 2350 we will still feel that messing with other cultures and stabbing allies in the back are valuable tools of diplomacy?

I see you hate it as much as I.

 

[KennyB]

I may as well be first...
You can tell the director lacks experience, very apparent in places such as the fight scene at the end (their movements are so awkward), the playful ''cat and mouse'' game between Weston and Dr. Bannon could have been subtler instead of overly slapsticky.

But his choice to open the episode with a line-up of seemingly ailing people outside of sick bay had me scratching my head. Sure, it was used to show that things were not going well aboard the Farragut, but it sent plenty of wrong messages, such as:
1) if there's a fainting guy and coughing crewmen who look like they might have toxic poisoning waiting in line outside of an overwhelmed sick bay, maybe the Captain's log should reflect about problems more serious than a computer virus? And shouldn't the Captain look more worried for his crew at this point, and especially just minutes later when his Chief of engineering seems more concerned with her ego than the crowd of seriously weak crewmen that look at death's door down below? you would think when they finally reach the Starbase, that the first people to beam over would be emergency medical support, rather than engineers for a non-urgent procedure...
I get it, they wanted to start with some tension right away. However, it would have been more effective and on message to just have Carter walk through the corridor with numerous wall panels removed and exposed wires, and all of those extras busily taking readings or moving frantically from one end of the set to the other, instead of that bizarre sick bay setup.

I give fan films a wide berth....but the problems you cite I would put more on the writer. If it is on the page, it is the directors job to film it. When your writer is also the producer and the lead......a director has to make it happen. As for making the sets look in disrepair.....I can't remember which sets they used but they may not have been able to alter them or make them look shabby without pissing off the actual owners. ;-)

It's a solid fan film like a fan film should be. The Fan Film Wars full of professionals in front of and behind the cameras have spoiled us.....this is back to the soul of fan films. FAN made.

 

[Maurice]

They were the sets originally built for Farragut and then bought out and expanded by Continues.

 

[Rusty0918]

Well, you're not supposed to really like Section 31, that's the idea. And I sure as heck wouldn't go repeating this around the DS9 forum, they'll pounce on you for it.

 

[KennyB]

I do love a good "Gene's Vision" post.........

 

[STEPhon IT]

RE: my comment about Section Shazbat:


Number one: this addition so completely goes against Gene Roddenberry's vision for the future. And number two: that a future version of basically 1970s CIA exists in the 23rd century means that in 200 years we have learned nothing, and having a military arm that plots to assasinate extra-terrestrial leaders is pretty repugnant. Since the early 19th century we have learned to loathe slavery and to stop treating women as property, But from now until 2350 we will still feel that messing with other cultures and stabbing allies in the back are valuable tools of diplomacy?

It's something I'd complained about on other threads but I'm facing the facts that more trekfans loves the idea of Section 31 being the foundation of the Federation.

I do love a good "Gene's Vision" post.........

Yeah, as much as I laugh out loud reading the BS posts where Trek fans claim Gene Roddenberry wasn't integral to Star Trek, but instead was this Harvey Weinstein type guy roaming around the DesiLu Studios thirsting to victimize young women.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

more trekfans loves the idea of Section 31 being the foundation of the Federation.

They do? Seriously? More Star Trek fans like Section 31 as a part of Star Trek than those who don't? Says who?

 

[USS Intrepid]

I’ve long since given up posting feedback on fanfilms, or really much of anything these days. Is it perfect? No, but I enjoyed it, I’m glad they finished it and I’m looking forward to whatever stories they choose to tell next.

As far as Section 31, I can’t speak for anyone else but I’ve never particularly liked it, even though I’ve dipped into it (poorly) in my own stories. Still, it’s a piece of the lore that’s there to explore and some folks like it.

 

[STEPhon IT]

They do? Seriously? More Star Trek fans like Section 31 as a part of Star Trek than those who don't? Says who?

Surf the threads in the TrekBBS. I'm seeing more of it, and they're open to do so, but there's so much more to Star Trek than Section 31.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Surf the threads in the TrekBBS.

Uh-huh. Like I haven't been doing that.

Is it perfect? No, but I enjoyed it, I’m glad they finished it and I’m looking forward to whatever stories they choose to tell next.

Same.

My biggest frustration with the episode was that I felt like the story with the dissident was unresolved. I'm not talking about the fact that we may never know what happened to her. The way that it was wrapped up with words to the effect of "I'll be alright," or whatever they were, I felt like we were supposed to have some kind of follow up, but we didn't.

 

[Bixby]

...the problems you cite I would put more on the writer. If it is on the page, it is the directors job to film it. When your writer is also the producer and the lead......a director has to make it happen.

Directors have been known to strike entire script sections down, or to combine 2 different sections together. It's not anything new, and as long as the producer approves it can happen. Actor Paul Sieber was the writer for this episode, so not the producer, but he wrote at least 2 previous episodes.

As for making the sets look in disrepair.....I can't remember which sets they used but they may not have been able to alter them or make them look shabby without pissing off the actual owners. ;-)

Homecoming was filmed back in 2016 so that would be just a few months after they sold their share of the full STC sets to Vic Mignona. Since the bridge sets were originally theirs, I don't think he would have minded that much had they decided to mess up some of it- unless matching the paint colours to replace the walls afterwards would have been too much of a problem, I think. My second suggestion to begin the episode right on the bridge would probably have been quite feasible. But all of this is now just speculation.

It's a solid fan film like a fan film should be. The Fan Film Wars full of professionals in front of and behind the cameras have spoiled us.....this is back to the soul of fan films. FAN made.

As I said, it's a good fan film, and FARRAGUT is one of the Fan Film series I most enjoy. But sadly, this one is possibly my least favourite out of all of them (Price of Anything and the Nail at the top)