Very nice indeed. I have a couple of thoughts on the clip.
Good: I know us
Trek fans are supposed to be more thoughtful, but I continue to be really impressed with the FX. From the opening shots of the
Enterprise to the last few frames, they were terrific!
Not-So-Good: What is it with the Kirks and their hair? I understand why the captain has some long locks, but Peter looked like he had a beaver on his head. Was our hair really that long back in the 1960s? Sheesh!
As always, looking forward to more coming our way!
1. Peter Kirk's hair only seems out of place and "non-reg" in a 20th or 21st century military service outfit; we really don't know what hair styles will be acceptable in a 23rd century Starfleet. (Example: When I look at 18th and 19th century naval hairstyles, they are pretty long.)
2. If you give Peter shorter hair, the hairstyle begins to look military instead of pseudo-military. (The term Roddenberry used was actually "semimilitary.") So, we need to find ways to reinforce the "semi-" part and not the "military" part. Hair that would be inappropriate for the 20th or 21st centuries might therefore be the exact kind of thing you would want to rely on to convey that the organization merely a "futuristic" semi-military organization.
3. Janice Rand's crazy basketweave beehive is also out of place in a pseudo-military service outfit but most people don't complain about that (although a few do).
4. Walter Koenig had to wear a wig for his first few episodes while his "non-reg" longer Beatle-style hair grew in. So, the "new young character that kids can relate to" whether he's in 1967 or 2007, always needs to have an appropriate hairstyle so that, well, the kids can relate to him.
5. When we changed our moniker from "New Voyages" to "Phase II," we decided to adopt many of the art designs from the ill-fated 1970s Phase II series. This includes the costumes, some props, some sets (if and when we get to them) and, yes, even the 1970s hairstyles. We now allow a couple of our characters to have some facial hair (just as Scotty adopted a moustache in
TMP). DeSalle has a goatee. But we gave Peter Kirk a mullett and a few of the women have had Farah Fawcett-type feathered hair instead of the hairstyles Virginia Darcy, Jean Austin, and Pat Westmore created on
TOS. And, of course, the flip side of the coin is that we also have had bald crewmembers--something they never really would have done in
TOS.
Peter Kirk's hair faithfully recreates hairstyles seen on the men in screentest footage shot for the original
Phase II series. The hairstyles will be one of the ways we try to "recreate" the
Phase II series instead of just recreating TOS. So Bobby has
Phase II '70s hair instead of '60's TOS hair. It's a shorthand way of conveying that this isn't exactly your father's
TOS Star Trek. (We gave Scotty a "non-reg" moustache, too.).
6. Peter's heart isn't really in Starfleet in many ways and we need a quick way of showing that rather than saying that in dialog. He's ambivalent about being there and, as we've seen, he came on board the
Enterprise mostly to be with Lt. Alex Freeman. Giving Peter longish hair is an
intentional way of showing that he's not really toeing the Starfleet line.
7. After five episodes with Peter's long hair, I believe we'll find that it's no longer really working for Peter--and as he grows up and he finally takes his position and responsibilities in Starfleet more seriously, he'll be adopting a more "appropriate" hairstyle to convey that he's really, finally joined the team. So, shortening his hair is something we'll start seeing in "Kitumba."
8. As for James Cawley's hair, it's no secret that in "real life" James is one of the top box office draws in the country as an Elvis impersonator. Depending upon when our Phase II shoots happen in relation to James' Elvis gigs, James might need to keep a somewhat Elvis-ish hairstyle--sometimes even including muttonchops. If that's the biggest challenge our production faces with each shoot, we're in good shape.
...however, I see your point that it is a VERY expensive camera to use for something that is not revenue generating. It does give some fantastic images, however.
