I have watched Episode 3, "Fairest Of Them All," about five times so far. That along with assessing other people's comments has allowed me to put my thoughts in order regarding this latest effort from Star Trek Continues.
First off I rate this rather highly on primarily two counts. Firstly is that STC is maintaining its commitment to recreating the TOS viewing experience. The attention to detail in terms of sets, costuming, lighting, cinematography and more put STC ahead of the pack in terms of continuing the vibe and sensibilities that were/are such a distinctive element of the original Star Trek. It isn't exactly perfect (realistically it can't be) because every so often more contemporary style elements are introduced, but they are mostly minor and often seamlessly incorporated so that while noticeable I don't find them detrimental or a distraction. Indeed usually these new elements are introduced to good effect. What strikes me is that STC looks like what TOS could look like if properly enhanced as opposed to what CBS did with TOS-R. It looks much closer to what TOS could have looked like with '60's era feature film resources rather than contemporary cgi sensibilities. Again, it isn't perfect, but it's pretty damned good.
Secondly is the writing and choice of stories. STC leans to smaller scale stories that focus more on character drama rather than spaceship battles. It isn't that we don't get to see some run-and-jump and action, but that it's contextual rather than feeling force-fit or the primary element to try to hang a story on. Again this is very much like classic Star Trek. Your mileage may vary on this point, but I find it wonderfully refreshing because it brings back that sense that intelligence is being balanced with enthusiasm for the subject matter.
Regarding Episode 3 more specifically. I admit to wariness early on regarding this story idea. I could imagine all sorts of ways this could have been made overly fannish, but like the two previous STC episodes that didn't happen. Yes, there were little tips-of-the-hat to outside elements and continuity, but they have been quite low-key and unobtrusive.
The overall performances of the cast have been steadily improving with each outing. Vic Mignogna's performance is generally solid and he seems to be growing even more comfortable in the role. He personifies that while this isn't Shatner's Kirk it remains a good evocation. He manages a resonance of Shatner's Kirk without crossing over into mimckry or parody, and I think the entire cast in general manages this albeit some better than others.
Todd Haberkorn's portrayal of Spock has never been closer to what Spock should be like, and I'm of two minds on that in this episode. In this episode Haberkorn seemed much more like Prime Spock rather than Mirror Spock. I would say he finally nailed Prime Spock, but maybe missed just a bit on Mirror Spock. But I can't really fault Haberkorn because I think this depiction of the Mirror Universe doesn't feel quite as scary and nasty as the TOS version seen in "Mirror, Mirror." TOS Mirror Spock had a nasty streak that one certainly didn't want to arouse. I really didn't get that sense with STC's Mirror Spock. I feel the same with STC's Mirror Sulu. The Sulu seen in "Mirror, Mirror" was one slimy bastard that oozed nastiness and relished it. That didn't come across here. TOS's Mirror Sulu wouldn't have given a thought to potential casualties in a firefight.
I didn't have issue with STC's portrayal of Mirror Scotty and Uhura because the Mirror Universe isn't an exact reflection, but rather a distorted one where not everyone is a savage nasty. Indeed, like Haberkorn's portrayal, I thought Chris Doohan's portrayal of Scotty was better than it's already been and seemed even more spot on of Prime Scotty.
I felt that some of the Mirror Enterprise crew turned a bit too easily and Chekov wasn't as nasty as he could have been. Yeah, maybe his time in the agony booth softened him up, but we can only assume so because we don't get to see any introspection on his part. And I expected to see some more backstabbing among the crew.
Which leads me back to Vic Mignogna's portrayal of Mirror Kirk. I think a bit more exposition could have been used to flesh things out better. There is one scene where Mirror Kirk s really rattled by Spock's behaviour and hastily leaves the Bridge. From there on he never really seems to regain his balance. We don't really get to see much of the inherent intelligence and cunning TOS Mirror Spock alluded to in TOS. Note that Prime Kirk didn't act like a tyrant or bully yet Mirror Spock only questioned him on his hesitation to execute the Halkans and allowing Chekov to live after his failed assassination attempt. He didn't question his behaviour in general. This leads me to think there were more similarities between Prime and Mirror Kirk than what was seen in the STC version.
This is where I think a bit more exposition could have been useful in fleshing out the characters and the Mirror Universe in general for the story as a whole to feel more consistent with the original "Mirror, Mirror." So rather than just assuming that jumping across universes really rattled Mirror Kirk (much more so than Prime Kirk) we could have a better understanding of what he had been like before the event. As is it's hard to imagine this Mirror Kirk having gotten as far as he has because he doesn't display anywhere near the resourcefulness and intelligence of Prime Kirk.
All things considered and weighing nitpicky reservations I rate this episode 4 out of 5. If I were judging this solely on execution I would rate it at least 4.5 out of 5, but when I factor in a bit of a miss in terms of world building and characterization I have to cut it down a smidgen.
So, yeah, could have been better, but not by much. That said in three outings Star Trek Continues has leaped way ahead of the pack in terms of recreating the original Star Trek experience. And that certainly includes "official" feature films as well as fan productions.
First off I rate this rather highly on primarily two counts. Firstly is that STC is maintaining its commitment to recreating the TOS viewing experience. The attention to detail in terms of sets, costuming, lighting, cinematography and more put STC ahead of the pack in terms of continuing the vibe and sensibilities that were/are such a distinctive element of the original Star Trek. It isn't exactly perfect (realistically it can't be) because every so often more contemporary style elements are introduced, but they are mostly minor and often seamlessly incorporated so that while noticeable I don't find them detrimental or a distraction. Indeed usually these new elements are introduced to good effect. What strikes me is that STC looks like what TOS could look like if properly enhanced as opposed to what CBS did with TOS-R. It looks much closer to what TOS could have looked like with '60's era feature film resources rather than contemporary cgi sensibilities. Again, it isn't perfect, but it's pretty damned good.
Secondly is the writing and choice of stories. STC leans to smaller scale stories that focus more on character drama rather than spaceship battles. It isn't that we don't get to see some run-and-jump and action, but that it's contextual rather than feeling force-fit or the primary element to try to hang a story on. Again this is very much like classic Star Trek. Your mileage may vary on this point, but I find it wonderfully refreshing because it brings back that sense that intelligence is being balanced with enthusiasm for the subject matter.
Regarding Episode 3 more specifically. I admit to wariness early on regarding this story idea. I could imagine all sorts of ways this could have been made overly fannish, but like the two previous STC episodes that didn't happen. Yes, there were little tips-of-the-hat to outside elements and continuity, but they have been quite low-key and unobtrusive.
The overall performances of the cast have been steadily improving with each outing. Vic Mignogna's performance is generally solid and he seems to be growing even more comfortable in the role. He personifies that while this isn't Shatner's Kirk it remains a good evocation. He manages a resonance of Shatner's Kirk without crossing over into mimckry or parody, and I think the entire cast in general manages this albeit some better than others.
Todd Haberkorn's portrayal of Spock has never been closer to what Spock should be like, and I'm of two minds on that in this episode. In this episode Haberkorn seemed much more like Prime Spock rather than Mirror Spock. I would say he finally nailed Prime Spock, but maybe missed just a bit on Mirror Spock. But I can't really fault Haberkorn because I think this depiction of the Mirror Universe doesn't feel quite as scary and nasty as the TOS version seen in "Mirror, Mirror." TOS Mirror Spock had a nasty streak that one certainly didn't want to arouse. I really didn't get that sense with STC's Mirror Spock. I feel the same with STC's Mirror Sulu. The Sulu seen in "Mirror, Mirror" was one slimy bastard that oozed nastiness and relished it. That didn't come across here. TOS's Mirror Sulu wouldn't have given a thought to potential casualties in a firefight.
I didn't have issue with STC's portrayal of Mirror Scotty and Uhura because the Mirror Universe isn't an exact reflection, but rather a distorted one where not everyone is a savage nasty. Indeed, like Haberkorn's portrayal, I thought Chris Doohan's portrayal of Scotty was better than it's already been and seemed even more spot on of Prime Scotty.
I felt that some of the Mirror Enterprise crew turned a bit too easily and Chekov wasn't as nasty as he could have been. Yeah, maybe his time in the agony booth softened him up, but we can only assume so because we don't get to see any introspection on his part. And I expected to see some more backstabbing among the crew.
Which leads me back to Vic Mignogna's portrayal of Mirror Kirk. I think a bit more exposition could have been used to flesh things out better. There is one scene where Mirror Kirk s really rattled by Spock's behaviour and hastily leaves the Bridge. From there on he never really seems to regain his balance. We don't really get to see much of the inherent intelligence and cunning TOS Mirror Spock alluded to in TOS. Note that Prime Kirk didn't act like a tyrant or bully yet Mirror Spock only questioned him on his hesitation to execute the Halkans and allowing Chekov to live after his failed assassination attempt. He didn't question his behaviour in general. This leads me to think there were more similarities between Prime and Mirror Kirk than what was seen in the STC version.
This is where I think a bit more exposition could have been useful in fleshing out the characters and the Mirror Universe in general for the story as a whole to feel more consistent with the original "Mirror, Mirror." So rather than just assuming that jumping across universes really rattled Mirror Kirk (much more so than Prime Kirk) we could have a better understanding of what he had been like before the event. As is it's hard to imagine this Mirror Kirk having gotten as far as he has because he doesn't display anywhere near the resourcefulness and intelligence of Prime Kirk.
All things considered and weighing nitpicky reservations I rate this episode 4 out of 5. If I were judging this solely on execution I would rate it at least 4.5 out of 5, but when I factor in a bit of a miss in terms of world building and characterization I have to cut it down a smidgen.
So, yeah, could have been better, but not by much. That said in three outings Star Trek Continues has leaped way ahead of the pack in terms of recreating the original Star Trek experience. And that certainly includes "official" feature films as well as fan productions.
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