ST Phase 2: MIND-SIFTER

[YJAGG]

I am guessing everyone has seen it by now...


I liked it, normally I don't like call backs - TNG and many fan films really killed them for me, but in this case the GOF and Kor worked perfectly, yes some tech issues, but still better than just about anything else out there.

Great Job

 

[Zeppster]

I really liked it.

The new McCoy has the look, but a bit too much emphasis on the southern accent IMO. Other than that he was solid. But that could be something that the actor can't really fix. Just kinda annoyed me a bit. Stacy did a wonderful job as Spock having the carry half of the episode. This is mostly our introduction to Brian Gross as Kirk. And while he was mostly under the effects of the mind sifter. He did a good job conveying himself as a competent Kirk. I can't wait to see more of him.

It was a wonderful and powerful episode overall. The scenes where Kirk gets beat up by the orderlies are brutal. And as I posted earlier Gross does a good job of playing Kirk as there at times but then slipping away at others. Really like how that worked.

The story while great steals a lot from The Tholian Web IMO. And you can tell that with some of the scenes on the ship. Particularly between Spock and McCoy. But this one differentiated enough to probably even tell that story better. Solid 9 out of 10.

 

[lennier1]

My only criticism would be one scene where I'm not sure if that was intentional.
Don't know why, but during the transporter room scene Spock's lines are chopped and feel almost computer-like, as if he's channeling his inner Shatner.

 

[Maurice]

It also condensed the necessary time travel scenes and they didn't have to address the problem of a whole ship full of Klingons orbiting a helpless 20th century Earth.

While that could have been interesting in itself, I agree wholeheartedly.

Easy enough... the Klingon ship doesn't have Spock to do the calculations for the slingshot, doesn't do it quite right and cripples itself in the process. The Klingons are busy trying to repair their ship and stuck in the 20th century and helpless when the Enterprise appears.

 

[Bhodi Li]

This episode was put together pretty well. As a preditor, I may have shot the '50's stuff in a different filter, or maybe desaturated the timeline in the edit suite. Structurally, the only thing I didn't care for was the Guardian--I could go the rest of my life without seeing that stone mason's excuse for Dunkin' Donuts ever again, but that's just me.

 

[DaveGalanter]

Am I the only one who felt

Spoiler: Spoilers

the female doctor "proclaiming her love" was her just saying that to try and go with them? It felt to me like she was trying to use whatever means she could to convince them.

 

[GSchnitzer]

As has been said before, I think less pew! pew! pew! with an alien vessel would serve our production well.

Spending more time than about ten seconds getting into the past ("Mr. Scott--prepare the ship for time travel!") is putting a focus on something that probably doesn't need it and simply distracts from the real drama of Shirley's story.

It also condensed the necessary time travel scenes and they didn't have to address the problem of a whole ship full of Klingons orbiting a helpless 20th century Earth.

While that could have been interesting in itself, I agree wholeheartedly.

Easy enough... the Klingon ship doesn't have Spock to do the calculations for the slingshot, doesn't do it quite right and cripples itself in the process. The Klingons are busy trying to repair their ship and stuck in the 20th century and helpless when the Enterprise appears.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

Planning to do a review soon. But here's a quickie: great job getting this out! A spectacular effort and a leap ahead in quality! Visually, from a cinematography-perspective, this was the most stunning NV/P2 episode. The camera work was dynamic, energetic. The lightening captured the feel of season 1. I have other things that I'd like to say but I'll wait until I write a full review.

As for Dr. Hamlin ...

Am I the only one who felt

Spoiler: Spoilers

the female doctor "proclaiming her love" was her just saying that to try and go with them? It felt to me like she was trying to use whatever means she could to convince them.

...

Spoiler: Spoilers

From the way Raven Wood portrayed Hamlin, it is clear that the character is indeed in love with Kirk. Or at least, strongly attracted to him despite the dialogue denying that any attraction exists. The performance and context in the scenes shows us Hamlin's attraction to Kirk. At times, her character comes across as the trope of the female caregiver falling for her male patient — Catherine Barkley to Kirk's Frederic Henry. So, no, I don't think she was being desperate in proclaiming her love. Moreover, I thought the line the way it was written and its placement in the scene was clumsy and awkward. However, Raven Wood gave a great performance.

 

[TRP]

It has been awhile since I retired from the project, and I am pleased to see that things just keep getting tweaked to be better and better. I watched the episode twice yesterday--once of each SFX version--and I really enjoyed it both times. It was a more intimate episode where we really got to see "the big three" show their chops, and see their interaction in a way we haven't seen in P2 yet (imho). This episode fired on all cylinders for me and was stunning.

So, for my mileage, I don't care if it was a slingshot or a donut--it just doesn't matter gang. Shirley is long past caring how the episode is treated, and the viewer is the one being treated here. This story is righteously compelling no matter which mechanical plot device gets them to the location of the action.

Special kudos to the actors portraying Bones and Sulu--really well played.
Also, STRONG performances by Mr. Gross and Raven Wood . . .

Well done to all! Congratulations on another success!

Cheers!

--R

 

[CaptainSerek]

I have both versions downloaded and ready for viewing. Review later.

 

[jamesmc]

Let me say with regards to Shirley, that I had the great fortune of having several discussions with her over her story and her words to me were NEVER that she hated what was done to her story, in fact she understood why it was done. She NEVER liked the fact, that she was never consulted about the changes or asked to make any. When I asked for her blessings to make this many years ago, she gave them to me along with a copy of her original manuscript and said, feel free to do whatever I wanted to do. She was thrilled that I sought her out and actually asked her first. That earned me my stripes with her. She was a class act all the way and I do believe she is happy with what we were able to do, which is a small miracle in itself! I still feel I made the right choice with regard to the story. The book has been around for many years and is beloved, It is where I chose the name for my series when I first started, It was one of the first stories I ever read and for me this film brings me full circle to that little kid who bought and read and loved that book so many years ago...

 

[E-DUB]

Touching post, James. Thank you for sharing that bit of background with us.

On to the episode. I loved it. Like some others I felt that Spock's speech above the planet seemed a little out of place, that Gross doesn't yet project the authority that we've come to expect from the character of Kirk, and a few other minor quibbles, but that's what they are, minor quibbles.

The emotional content of the original source material came through just fine. It was a daring decision to commit to film a story that already had so much of a life of its own but it worked great.

Still not sure how I feel about the new McCoy, I liked Kelly's portrayal so much I may not be giving the new guy a fair shot. 9.5/10.

 

[GSchnitzer]

Boss,

I think it's telling that Shirley handed off a copy of her original manuscript, instead if just giving you a copy of the better-known New Voyages story as edited by Marshak and Culbreath. I think her desires by that action were pretty clear.

For what it's worth, here's some comments of hers regarding the edited version of "Mind-Sifter:"

"I agree whole-heartedly... re the sniping, called 'critiquing,' at Trek writers! Some of those doing it are dear, dear friends, but, doggone it folks! Gee! We do this for fun, after all, at least in zines... Somebody likes them or they wouldn't be printed! Many, many fans enjoy all ST stories? Why make them feel dumb by telling them they have no taste or smarts? It's an awful putdown to read that something you have enjoyed a great deal is 'poorly written; no character development; a -- horrors -- Mary Sue!' So what? Frankly, people have asked why I don't write more after the success of Mind Sifter. It's a long story, but there are two main reasons: First, the damage done to my story by editors (without my knowledge or permission), second, the thought that anything else I might write would be torn apart by the 'experts.' Best reasons in the world for a terminal case of Writer's Block."

In short: we filmed what Shirley called a "damaged" version of her story--because it's the version we think people know and love. And that's okay. But I'm confident that as proud as Shirley would have been regarding our realization of the story, she probably would have liked even better if we had hewed more closely to the original manuscript she handed over to us, rather than the heavily edited and changed (and "damaged") version.

But you zigged where I would have zagged. No big deal.

Let me say with regards to Shirley, that I had the great fortune of having several discussions with her over her story and her words to me were NEVER that she hated what was done to her story, in fact she understood why it was done. She NEVER liked the fact, that she was never consulted about the changes or asked to make any. When I asked for her blessings to make this many years ago, she gave them to me along with a copy of her original manuscript and said, feel free to do whatever I wanted to do. She was thrilled that I sought her out and actually asked her first. That earned me my stripes with her. She was a class act all the way and I do believe she is happy with what we were able to do, which is a small miracle in itself! I still feel I made the right choice with regard to the story. The book has been around for many years and is beloved, It is where I chose the name for my series when I first started, It was one of the first stories I ever read and for me this film brings me full circle to that little kid who bought and read and loved that book so many years ago...

 

[jamesmc]

No Greg, I will elaborate a bit more, During the conversation I expressed to her that I had not read her un altered story and she gave me the copy. She clearly knew very well form her discussions with me that her original would never had been filmed that way, as she knew Chekov was not a series lead, although she had much affection for that character as well as all the others. She also realized the strength of fan fic was that it could do those kinds of stories where the series could not. TOS was always about the big three, as well it should be! The rest were aways just dressing.

 

[lennier1]

Sounds like she was professional about it and wanted you to be able to make up your own mind about the differences.

 

[GSchnitzer]

No Greg, I will elaborate a bit more, During the conversation I expressed to her that I had not read her un altered story and she gave me the copy. She clearly knew very well form her discussions with me that her original would never had been filmed that way, as she knew Chekov was not a series lead, although she had much affection for that character as well as all the others. She also realized the strength of fan fic was that it could do those kinds of stories where the series could not. TOS was always about the big three, as well it should be! The rest were aways just dressing.

Understood. And yet our earlier script as approved by you for filming back in 2011 hewed very closely to Shirley's original story--and we didn't bat an eye at all during preproduction and production at how unpopular and unloved the script was going to be.

Like I say: you zigged and I would have zagged. We complement each other and it's no big deal. Our production team benefits from our diversity/IDIC of thought.

 

[PattyW]

This discussion is getting just plain....goofy. All of Shirley's friends and family know how much she hated the published version - and almost everyone she ever met after the publication as she would rage against it any time she was given the opportunity. She had several "buttons" like that - and the published Mind-Sifter was one of them. To claim otherwise comes off as just silly to anyone who knew her.

To that end...another of her comments: "...a word of caution—know what you're getting into, if you decide to go the professional route! Find out how to do it correctly and never sign anything until you know what it says! Take if from someone who found out the hard way. Anyone wanting to know the sad story about my "Mind Sifter," in Star Trek: The New Voyages, can write me."

But that has nothing to do with - anything. As Senior Exec it's James' decision entirely to film whatever version he chooses - and his right to choose for whatever reason(s) he has.

Greg, my only comment on which version Shirley gave James would be that, perhaps, it was because she knew she didn't have the rights to the published version in NV to grant permission to film it. It was, in fact, the very first thing her family worried about when I contacted them at James' request in early 2009. "The editors have all the rights to the story now" was what their concern was.

She clearly knew very well form her discussions with me that her original would never had been filmed that way

Yes, perhaps she did know it would never have been filmed that way by the TPTB...and understood that one of the strengths of fan films was that they could tell a story the way fanfic would have - given that fanfilms are fanfic in visual form. But it seems you are claiming that you never intended to film Shirley's story in her original version - and that goes beyond goofy and into the ridiculous.

Yet none of the above changes the main point... the boss is free to choose what version he wants to film, and to choose who writes it, rewrites it, who else rewrites it, etc ad infinim.

People should also be free to express "I understand his decision, my opinion is I wish he made a different decision"...without it turning into a long list of people defending themselves to each other. No one should have to defend their right to differing opinions or actions...whether it be fans or a couple producers.

Of course, that's just my opinion.

 

[jamesmc]

No Greg, I will elaborate a bit more, During the conversation I expressed to her that I had not read her un altered story and she gave me the copy. She clearly knew very well form her discussions with me that her original would never had been filmed that way, as she knew Chekov was not a series lead, although she had much affection for that character as well as all the others. She also realized the strength of fan fic was that it could do those kinds of stories where the series could not. TOS was always about the big three, as well it should be! The rest were aways just dressing.

Understood. And yet our earlier script as approved by you for filming back in 2011 hewed very closely to Shirley's original story--and we didn't bat an eye at all during preproduction and production at how unpopular and unloved the script was going to be.

Like I say: you zigged and I would have zagged. We complement each other and it's no big deal. Our production team benefits from our diversity/IDIC of thought.

True, and a public forum is not the place to discuss the events which led to all the changes. Suffice it to say I made the right decision, and I am very pleased with the results.

 

[USS Excelsior]

I guess Harry Kim was playing an alien on the bridge since he didn't got human sayings wrong.

 

[wamdue]

whilst I agree it was odd we did not see the method of time travel, I felt it was via the Guardian, not sure Spock could calculate the time as exactly as seen in the episode.