Exeter "The Tressaurian Intersection" Grading & Discussion Thread

[Maurice]

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 6.5 years since we last saw the crew of the Starship Exeter, but they apparently haven't aged a day. Behold, the ENTIRETY of...

"THE TRESSAURIAN INTERSECTION"​

^^^
Click to view on YouTube
​

I encourage everyone to watch the show from the beginning, since it's a different experience seeing it all connected than in pieces.

But for those who want to jump to specific sections (you might have to scrub a few seconds forwards to back depending on your browser):

SHOW START
TITLES
ACT ONE
ACT TWO
ACT THREE
ACT FOUR
END CREDITS​

 

[Bixby]

I'll have to watch the whole show again in its entirety, but just wanted to congratulate all involved. Great work!!

Also, I noticed in the end credits two still images that seemed to come from a never-filmed other episode (there's probably more than two, but I noticed these)
The shot of Garrovick beaming in or out with Cutty & B'Fuselek watching. And some alien head looking straight at the camera, reminescent of the other Star Trek's shot of the Tholians in THEIR credits...I liked it...

 

[DCR]

I just finished watching it, and yes, I gave it the highest rating. This was the single best ST fan film I have ever seen.

What stood out to me was that it lacked the heavy-handedness of some of the other films, and avoided the whole guest-star dominance problem. It actually held me as a story, and that's hard to do.

 

[Tribble puncher]

Count me as Impressed, Remember watching this years ago and assuming it would never be done, a well done conclusion, not let down at all, congrats to the makers (and actors, actresses in this), well done. Thank you for sharing this with us.

 

[RCAM]

I was definitely glad to see the conclusion to an episode I very much enjoyed. Much of Act IV was tense and engrossing, with some good performances in parts. Garrovick's stone-cold reaction shot upon hearing about the crew's heavy casualties was excellent.

I found many of the performances inconsistent. Sometimes Garrovick was a natural -- totally believable -- and sometimes I could almost picture a script in his hand as he read his lines off the page. Cutty was also inconsistent, though good in parts. Harris had a very reserved personality that didn't require much range, but the performance was solid.

The fight scenes were a little clumsy, but so were some of TOS'. It's very impressive what the visual effects team was able to achieve using 1960s techniques, though I think I'm so spoiled by today's wondrous CGI (I've even gotten used to modern effects in TOS now that it's been remastered) that it didn't "look right" to me. I found it distracting. But that's not Exeter's issue; it's mine. They succeeded completely in what they wanted to accomplish with said effects.

I didn't care for the voice-over at the end. I assume this was done for pacing and to reflect a "life still goes on in her absence" or "showing us the ship is still standing thanks to her sacrifice" sentiment. I would have preferred to stick with Garrovick for the duration of the recording, perhaps in a static shot. But that's just personal preference, I guess.

All in all, a very solid outing that rises above a lot of the fan films out there. I'd say it's in my top three.

Thanks to everyone involved for sticking with it through the years. I know it was labor of love, and I'm thrilled I got to see it.

 

[Mudd]

I'll have to watch the whole show again in its entirety, but just wanted to congratulate all involved. Great work!!

Also, I noticed in the end credits two still images that seemed to come from a never-filmed other episode (there's probably more than two, but I noticed these)
The shot of Garrovick beaming in or out with Cutty & B'Fuselek watching. And some alien head looking straight at the camera, reminescent of the other Star Trek's shot of the Tholians in THEIR credits...I liked it...

The shot of Garrovick beaming in was test footage shot (I think at a shopping mall or other building in the Minneapolis area) during preproduction for "The Tressaurian Intersection." The alien head is a lighthearted repurposing of the "Lithtor," AKA the "Space Barney," a purple Andorian dinosaur that appeared in the first Exeter episode - "The Savage Empire" - the limitations of which were a source of much humor. It is indeed intended to parallel the use of the Balock puppet as the final credit slide in many early Trek episodes.

 

[Amaris]

What a finish to a great episode! To be honest, I'm still a bit in shock that it's all done. The final piece is in place, and I got to watch it all.

Firstly, great job by everyone. You can see all of the hard work put into the episode, all of the care. It's there. Also, Cutty is awesome.

Secondly, I'm saddened that the adventure is over. Yeah, yeah, years and years between episodes, but now it's done, and I want more. You should all be proud of the effort you put into making the series.

 

[MikeH92467]

I have to say watching it from beginning to end was a real thrill. The final act put a nice bow on the package. I was also pleased that my hope that a couple of editing issues would be addressed was achieved. Just some very subtle changes that may not have entirely solved the issues, but definitely smoothed them over. It's also interesting that tighter editing had the effect for me of making the acting better. I'd be interested in the production team's thoughts on that.

In summary: well done all! Great stuff that shows what can be achieved with vision, talent and determination.

 

[starshipexeter]

I voted best ever, but that's just because I know some of the people who made it.

 

[Mudd]

 

[Maurice]

I voted best ever, but that's just because I know some of the people who made it.

Captain on the bridge!

 

[Maurice]

I have to say watching it from beginning to end was a real thrill. The final act put a nice bow on the package. I was also pleased that my hope that a couple of editing issues would be addressed was achieved. Just some very subtle changes that may not have entirely solved the issues, but definitely smoothed them over. It's also interesting that tighter editing had the effect for me of making the acting better. I'd be interested in the production team's thoughts on that.

In summary: well done all! Great stuff that shows what can be achieved with vision, talent and determination.

Glad you liked.

What do you mean about editing issues? Such as?

 

[USS Intrepid]

I voted best ever as well.

Exeter's always held a special significance for me as Savage Empire was the first fanfilm I saw that felt right to me. It's also the one that very much influenced my own efforts.

The people making Exeter have always been a class act, and I have nothing but respect for them.

As a whole, The Tressaurian Intersection is a gem. I'll likely post more measured thoughts once I have a little more time, but I just wanted to take the time to congratulate everyone involved in making such a lovely piece of work. This fan never doubted it would happen. Well done to you all.

 

[Duane]

Extremely well done. Thanks to all involved for their efforts. I loved it.

 

[captainkirk]

With the long time it took to complete, the high hopes of everyone who waited patiently (and impatiently in some cases), I doubted it would be possible for the complete episode to live up to expectations. I was very wrong. Act IV was the best part in the whole episode. It was full of twists and turns leaving me never sure what was going to happen next, but always in a good way.

Everyone involved performed above and beyond my expectations. The sad part is that it's all over. Barring any reboots/recasts this is the last time we'll see these characters, but as a way to go out, this was spectacular.

 

[beamMe]

A Black Hole at the conclusion of a very good and exciting story? Mhmm... "Great minds..." and all that.

This was really very good.
Now that it is over: I want more.

 

[Maurice]

That damned black hole was the trickiest thing to figure out how to do, given our self-imposed restriction to only do things you could have done with 1969 technology. Once I hit on the approach it was actually pretty easy to do (can you believe it's a trick used in Fantasia in 1940?). I'm especially proud that it looks sorta like an animated Don Dixon space painting and has a bit of the movie The Black Hole look about it.

 

[wtriker1701]

Best. Trek Fanfilm. Ever. - Got my vote, as well.
Exciting use of McGuffin, tight editing, wonderful SFX.
Beautiful balance of character drama and comedy injects.
The script was strong, the execution just WOW - from beginning to end.
Congratulations to all involved alone doesn't cut(ty) it. It can just be a "deeply grateful" for what we are allowed to watch. It is indeed the best fanfilm produced, so far. Until now I was with "WEAT" by Phase II - but this one puts WEAT to a 2nd place.
Hah, it took me 10 years to finally recognize the main title's music cue as a wonderful variant of "The Venus Drug" music in TOS. I'm slow, I know!

All of you involved - Thank you!

As I watched the whole episode at once, I now feel, that Act One is slighty quieter regarding the volume. Has anyone else noticed it or is it just me and my 47 years old ears...?

But that's critic on such a high niveau....

All of the people involved with TTI have excelled in with what they have done!
Once again: Thank you!

EDIT: It was really worth waiting!

 

[CorporalCaptain]

I'm very busy offline, so I can't post a detailed review, much as I'd like to.

I'm simply going with Best Ever, and I'd like to congratulate all involved!

 

[Professor Moriarty]

I also voted "best ever". The black hole sequence was just gorgeous, and the heroics of Ensign Richards were thrilling, and heartbreaking.

Thank you so much for not letting this production fade away without a fitting conclusion. To say that Act IV exceeded expectations is a gross understatement. It was well worth the wait.