Star Trek Continues, Episode 4 - "The White Iris"
- Thread starter BoredShipCapt'n
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I liked it. I'm not a super emotional guy, but the story actually succeeded in causing me to tear up a few times.
I don't watch a lot of fan films. Several of the ones that I have tried to watch have been pretty cringeworthy. Having said that, I've been greatly enjoying Star Trek Continues since the beginning; it's the one fan series I've seen that truly feels the most like a natural continuation of the original series... just with different actors.
One thing that has bothered me about certain fan productions is they seem to come from this mentality of thinking it would be cool to cram in as many references and callbacks as possible, and it just ends up coming across as forced and distracting. While this definitely had the most references out of any episode of Star Trek Continues to date (I think Chekov even briefly mentioned the Xindi), it all felt pretty organic to the plot.
When I saw Rayna, at first I assumed we were getting a sequel to Requiem for Methuselah (which would make sense, since I seem to recall Vic stating that it was his favorite episode), so I was relieved to find that the episode was much more than that. It sets itself apart from TOS by relying much more greatly on continuity than TOS ever did, or most 60s TV, for that matter- it's not the sort of thing I'd invite a newbie to watch- and examines Kirk's character in a way that we didn't quite get on TOS. But all that stuff comes together to make up a fairly unique plot that still strikes me as something that they could have done on the original series if it had gone on long enough (and if they'd been able to get the original actresses back).
It would be nice to live in a world where ethnicity is not an issue at all, but I guess I'll be the one to say that I thought it was kind of neat that a black actress played the role of one of Kirk's old flames, since that's another thing they would have probably been less likely to do in the 60s.
Not to invoke any controversy, but being aware that Vic Mignogna is a person of faith, I couldn't help wondering if there was supposed to be an additional layer of meaning in Kirk's conversation with the little girl. Either way, though there were moments where it definitely felt like Vic's more religious side was influencing the script, none of it was so "bonk bonk on the head" that it detracted from my overall enjoyment of the episode.
It was a fun surprise to see Sarai appear as the daughter Kirk never had; she was perfectly cast in the role. If you're not familiar with her, she does really cute recaps of Trek episodes on YouTube.
Oh, the new opening credits sequence is cool; I like the greater variety of planets on display; it helps to brighten up the intro.
I don't watch a lot of fan films. Several of the ones that I have tried to watch have been pretty cringeworthy. Having said that, I've been greatly enjoying Star Trek Continues since the beginning; it's the one fan series I've seen that truly feels the most like a natural continuation of the original series... just with different actors.
One thing that has bothered me about certain fan productions is they seem to come from this mentality of thinking it would be cool to cram in as many references and callbacks as possible, and it just ends up coming across as forced and distracting. While this definitely had the most references out of any episode of Star Trek Continues to date (I think Chekov even briefly mentioned the Xindi), it all felt pretty organic to the plot.
When I saw Rayna, at first I assumed we were getting a sequel to Requiem for Methuselah (which would make sense, since I seem to recall Vic stating that it was his favorite episode), so I was relieved to find that the episode was much more than that. It sets itself apart from TOS by relying much more greatly on continuity than TOS ever did, or most 60s TV, for that matter- it's not the sort of thing I'd invite a newbie to watch- and examines Kirk's character in a way that we didn't quite get on TOS. But all that stuff comes together to make up a fairly unique plot that still strikes me as something that they could have done on the original series if it had gone on long enough (and if they'd been able to get the original actresses back).
It would be nice to live in a world where ethnicity is not an issue at all, but I guess I'll be the one to say that I thought it was kind of neat that a black actress played the role of one of Kirk's old flames, since that's another thing they would have probably been less likely to do in the 60s.
Not to invoke any controversy, but being aware that Vic Mignogna is a person of faith, I couldn't help wondering if there was supposed to be an additional layer of meaning in Kirk's conversation with the little girl. Either way, though there were moments where it definitely felt like Vic's more religious side was influencing the script, none of it was so "bonk bonk on the head" that it detracted from my overall enjoyment of the episode.
It was a fun surprise to see Sarai appear as the daughter Kirk never had; she was perfectly cast in the role. If you're not familiar with her, she does really cute recaps of Trek episodes on YouTube.
Oh, the new opening credits sequence is cool; I like the greater variety of planets on display; it helps to brighten up the intro.
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I must be in the minority, because it was my favorite STC episode so far. It's not without flaws, but on the whole I found it very enjoyable.
Unfortunately, they still haven't managed to solve what I find to be STC's biggest flaw, namely that it too often feels like TNG in TOS clothing. It's not pure TNG, but I have found every episode so far has relied on one or more TNG or later ideas to greater or lesser degree.
Part of it is that I think Vic Mignogna has managed to nail Kirk's mannerisms with more of Picard's command style. You see it in the conferences in Pilgrim of Eternity, and most egregiously (in my opinion) in Lolani. Then again, I found Lolani to be the least enjoyable of all the episodes to date.
I'm glad they made it, and I want to thank everyone involved for their time and effort. They really are helping keep the passion for Trek alive.
Unfortunately, they still haven't managed to solve what I find to be STC's biggest flaw, namely that it too often feels like TNG in TOS clothing. It's not pure TNG, but I have found every episode so far has relied on one or more TNG or later ideas to greater or lesser degree.
Part of it is that I think Vic Mignogna has managed to nail Kirk's mannerisms with more of Picard's command style. You see it in the conferences in Pilgrim of Eternity, and most egregiously (in my opinion) in Lolani. Then again, I found Lolani to be the least enjoyable of all the episodes to date.
Consider the conclusion of The White Iris; Using the holodeck as a tool for psychological therapy is a classic TNG move. I didn't dislike it, and I thought it worked in the context of the story as a whole, especially since they'd already set up the holodeck in PoE, but the whole thing felt far more TNG/Picard than TOS/Kirk. Everything came from Kirk's experiences, but it felt more like something that would have happened to Picard.
It's not bad, and they can certainly justify it in TOS-era through the Animated series, but at the same time that doesn't negate the pre-existing associations.
It's not bad, and they can certainly justify it in TOS-era through the Animated series, but at the same time that doesn't negate the pre-existing associations.
I'm glad they made it, and I want to thank everyone involved for their time and effort. They really are helping keep the passion for Trek alive.
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I had similar thoughts, though I think of it more as Vic excellently portraying Kirk in transition between the young and seemingly impervious captain of TOS to the more seasoned and often sentimental - or even sorrowful - captain of the TMP era.
I also enjoyed the fact that they used the holodeck. We already knew they had one installed, so it was nice to see it get some appropriate use.
I would have called foul if they'd used the computer to effortlessly generate convincing AI, since even in TNG they needed the Bynars' help to do that, but since in this case they were figments of Kirk's mind (or spirits; your mileage may vary), it seemed like a good use of the holodeck to me.
I would have called foul if they'd used the computer to effortlessly generate convincing AI, since even in TNG they needed the Bynars' help to do that, but since in this case they were figments of Kirk's mind (or spirits; your mileage may vary), it seemed like a good use of the holodeck to me.
When Miramanee died she was pregnant with Kirk's child. So the little girl was a spectre of the child never born. That one was definitely all of Kirk's imagination since the child never existed.
Indeed the whole thing is about Kirk hallucinating because of pent up guilt brought on by a blow to the head and a dosage of experimental drugs.
Uh...yeah.
Between that and the effects of cordrazine, Bones better keep the fancy medicines locked up tight.
I wouldn't necessarily say the minority. I think it's often the case that people are more prone to speak up when they've got criticisms than when they have nothing to complain about. I've been guilty of this myself; it's usually easier for me to write a negative review than a positive one.
I just watched the gag reel. Very entertaining stuff.
A couple additional thoughts I neglected to add earlier:
I liked the way the proto-holodeck was incorporated into this story. It made it seem like there was a purpose to introducing it the first episode beyond it just being a nod to things to come.
I enjoyed the inclusion of Yeoman... sorry... Lieutenant Smith in Fairest of Them All, so I was glad to see her back for The White Iris.
Gandalf the White vs Gandalf the Grey difference. Their facial features are close enough for a family resemblance in my book. A few people have asked if the black and white scenes in the beginning were taken from the original when they flash by. If there was no resemblance beyond the wardrobe, they wouldn't make that statement.
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While the various parts of the story worked okay, it seemed disjointed when trying to mesh them all together. Kirk didn't see Rayna as a result of the drugs; he started remembering her and seeing her before he ordered McCoy to inject him.
First impressions... this is the first time I've ever seen Colin Baker in something that wasn't Doctor Who, so that was nice.
Gotta say, I'm not wild about the holodeck. That's a TNG staple, not TOS.
The Counselor didn't already have her own office? So she did all her paperwork and patients' appointments in her quarters... o-kay.
Regarding "closure"... sure, it's not a word anyone used in the '60s (I was alive then
). But it was a nice bit of closure for any fans who wondered about Miramanee's child. That was a really nice scene, and made me cry.
This story certainly didn't move me let alone enough to tear up. It just didn't reach me that way. It was just too contrived in order to talk about Kirk's supposed angst.
According to Robert Sawyer (who cameoed as the Assistant Science Officer) the STC crew has gotten enough feedback from fans (prior to Eps. 4's release) that they've decided to stop (or at least seriously dial back) the continuty callbacks. Sawyer believes their intent is now firmly to go forward rather than make a point of integrating callbacks.
According to Robert Sawyer (who cameoed as the Assistant Science Officer) the STC crew has gotten enough feedback from fans (prior to Eps. 4's release) that they've decided to stop (or at least seriously dial back) the continuty callbacks. Sawyer believes their intent is now firmly to go forward rather than make a point of integrating callbacks.
I thought it was a fun episode. Maybe not their best but, TOS had it's moments where an episode wasn't the best...but was still fun (I Mudd, for example).
No need for him to give up his roving eye. It was only the ones who died that caused him regret.
And I trust they have more sense than to spoil good sexual tension by having Kirk hook up with McKennah. And Michele Specht has already opined that the Enterprise should be his only steady girl.
Given that people seem to be doing their damnedest to invent the holodeck in this century, it increasingly looks ridiculous that the TOS Enterprise wouldn't have one.
Well, Kirk doesn't have a ready room either. All his off-bridge work seems to be done at either the Briefing Room or his quarters.
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