STAR TREK PHASE II: "The Child" Full Episode Now Released on YouTube

[Maurice]

Re: STAR TREK PHASE II: "The Child" Full Episode Now Released on YouTu

I think that it's a pipe dream that many fan film producers have that someone at CBS Studios will look at their film and say, "Hey, here's some money. Develop a new Star Trek television series for us."

It's not going to happen, imo. The finest production values in the first tier fan films (those with hero-quality bridges) are on a par with some of the made-in-Serbia movies you'll find on the Sci-Fy channel, but don't come close to network television levels.

This.

And this is true of virtually every fanfilm I've seen done, even those helped by pros. This is not to demean these fan productions, but comparing them to professionally made Hollywood productions does a disservice to both.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Re: STAR TREK PHASE II: "The Child" Full Episode Now Released on YouTu

Agreed. I've seen a couple of fan films that were on the edge of being professional in terms of production - and they seemed to have a lot of industry professionals involved behind the camera. I'll chime in with a number of other posters and agree that "World Enough And Time" is about as good as these productions have gotten.

Not that professional involvement guarantees a thing - I don't think much of OGAM in any respect, and it's not like they didn't have some pros working on that one.

 

[MikeH92467]

Re: STAR TREK PHASE II: "The Child" Full Episode Now Released on YouTu

Agreed. I've seen a couple of fan films that were on the edge of being professional in terms of production - and they seemed to have a lot of industry professionals involved behind the camera. I'll chime in with a number of other posters and agree that "World Enough And Time" is about as good as these productions have gotten.

Not that professional involvement guarantees a thing - I don't think much of OGAM in any respect, and it's not like they didn't have some pros working on that one.

As I've said before the line between "fan productions" and "professional independent productions" can get pretty blurry. The LOTR "fan films" "Born of Hope" and "The Hunt for Gollum" were done by fans who also happened to be very talented professionals. "Born of Hope" is to me simply amazing. It's not suprising to find such a production has a professionally written, script, or professional actors or high professional standards, but when they all come together on a shoestring budget, the results can simply be amazing. FWIW I absolutely agree about OGAM. If there was ever an example of an end product being less than the sum of its parts, that it.

 

[Amaris]

Re: STAR TREK PHASE II: "The Child" Full Episode Now Released on YouTu

Just finished watching the episode. Loved it. The only minor complaint I would have is the bridge crew watching Isel give birth. It's just something Bones wouldn't have allowed. Other than that, top notch special effects, solid acting, and I actually liked the story. It felt "fuller" than the TNG episode, if you get my meaning.

A few thoughts below:

Characters

* John Kelley is a terrific McCoy. He's a natural grump.
* Charles Root is a great Scotty. Seeing Scotty passed out on the bed with a donut and a bottle of Scotch was priceless.
* Both Anna Schnaitter and Ayla Cordell were wonderful in their respective roles. I hope to see more of Anna in the future, and hopefully Ayla can appear in future roles.
* It was nice to see Bobby Quinn Rice again.

Video & Audio

Special effects, including all of the music stings, beeps, boops, blurps, zrzrzrzrzrs, and swooshes were as authentic as ever; visually, the Enterprise is as gorgeous as ever; loved the lighting on the bridge, the colors were popping, and that was terrific. I thoroughly enjoyed each visual and audio cue, and even as I noted them, it kept me in the moment.

Also, bittersweet ending is bittersweet. I was totally unaffected.

All in all, it's a terrific accomplishment, you should all be proud, and I can't wait for the next one!

 

[NewHorizon]

Re: STAR TREK PHASE II: "The Child" Full Episode Now Released on YouTu

* Charles Root is a great Scotty. Seeing Scotty passed out on the bed with a donut and a bottle of Scotch was priceless.

That was actually one thing that really bugged me. It was more caricature of who Scotty was than true character.

 

[Amaris]

Re: STAR TREK PHASE II: "The Child" Full Episode Now Released on YouTu

* Charles Root is a great Scotty. Seeing Scotty passed out on the bed with a donut and a bottle of Scotch was priceless.

That was actually one thing that really bugged me. It was more caricature of who Scotty was than true character.

Scotty has a history of being a caricature. I mean, for a TOS reference, look at "By Any Other Name" where he got drunk with the Kelvan. Look at his portrayal in TNG's "Relics", where he gets drunk and makes his way to the holodeck. In TOS, Scotty admits on several occasions that he likes nothing more than to relax with technical manuals, and that he keeps a bottle of Scotch around for "special occasions". He even refers to himself as an old "Aberdeen pub crawler", so to find Mr. Scott in that condition, in his own quarters, is quite reasonable.

He was no more of a caricature in Phase II than as presented in the Original Series and TNG.

 

[dru]

Re: STAR TREK PHASE II: "The Child" Full Episode Now Released on YouTu

Scotty has a history of being a caricature. I mean, for a TOS reference, look at "By Any Other Name" where he got drunk with the Kelvan. Look at his portrayal in TNG's "Relics", where he gets drunk and makes his way to the holodeck.

The Kelvans had commandeered the Enterprise. Scotty was doing his part to undermine the Kelvans by targeting the one interested in sampling human food and libations. That's not a caricature, that's strategy.

In Relics, Scotty was retired, he'd failed to save Ensign Franklin and he's 80 years in the future, feeling displaced and useless. That's a far cry from passed out drunk in his quarters at his prime which is what this episode displayed.

 

[doubleohfive]

Re: STAR TREK PHASE II: "The Child" Full Episode Now Released on YouTu

I didn't mind the bottle of scotch so much. What bothered me (and after thinking about it some, I realized that maybe I was being too sensitive) was more the donut, as if because Doohan put on more weight with each film, Scotty must have been a big eater of junk food.

But, as I said, it's a funny gag, it doesn't mean anything in the grand scheme of things and while it might be a lazy way of injecting "subtle" humor in the episode, it's mostly harmless.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Re: STAR TREK PHASE II: "The Child" Full Episode Now Released on YouTu

ing the one interested in sampling human food and libations. That's not a caricature, that's strategy.

And with the fate of the entire galaxy in the balance, he couldn't resist drinking himself blind stupid, then ovingly addressing his empty whiskey bottle aloud before doing a stagy swagger across his cabin and passing out short of the door.

"Caricature" is too kind a word for that scene, one of the most ridiculous in TOS.

Of course, this is also the guy who with the Enterprise in danger and Kirk trapped in "interphase" had one question uppermost in his mind when presented with the antidote for the epidemic of madness infecting the crew: "does it make a good mixer for scotch?"

Jeez.

 

[Pony Horton]

Re: STAR TREK PHASE II: "The Child" Full Episode Now Released on YouTu

ing the one interested in sampling human food and libations. That's not a caricature, that's strategy.

And with the fate of the entire galaxy in the balance, he couldn't resist drinking himself blind stupid, then ovingly addressing his empty whiskey bottle aloud before doing a stagy swagger across his cabin and passing out short of the door.

"Caricature" is too kind a word for that scene, one of the most ridiculous in TOS.

Of course, this is also the guy who with the Enterprise in danger and Kirk trapped in "interphase" had one question uppermost in his mind when presented with the antidote for the epidemic of madness infecting the crew: "does it make a good mixer for scotch?"

Jeez.

SO, LEGION, should we take that to mean that, if there's a situation where we need somebody to drink an advanced, yet socially naiive, superior alien invader under the table...

...we should NOT count on you?

 

[Maurice]

Re: STAR TREK PHASE II: "The Child" Full Episode Now Released on YouTu

^^^As if Scotty couldn't have poured himself smaller drinks or otherwise controlled the amount he ingested. That's what's ridiculous.

 

[DAYoung]

Re: STAR TREK PHASE II: "The Child" Full Episode Now Released on YouTu

As if Scotty couldn't have poured himself smaller drinks or otherwise controlled the amount he ingested. That's what's ridiculous.

Yes, it's partly poor writing. We can imagine characters turning to the bottle - particularly those in high stress environments.

But the writers never give us enough of Scotty's character for this to be realistic. It seems more like a cheap Scots caricature.

 

[captainkirk]

Re: STAR TREK PHASE II: "The Child" Full Episode Now Released on YouTu

In my opinion, this episode has some of the best acting in the series, as well as some of the best effects. But the story needed a lot of work. It's not just that there are problems with the writing, it's the basic story. For example, why is there a big cylinder? The aliens are energy beings so why do they need a spaceship? And then why did Irska appear Human? Shouldn't she have been Deltan? After all, she seemed to have the telepathic abilities of Deltans. I think that more than just a rewrite was necessary, I think that the whole story needed a rethink. However, the episode itself isn't too bad. The good production values and acting help me ignore quite a few of the problems, at least on the first viewing. Overall, I'd give it a 6 out of 10.

 

[PattyW]

Re: STAR TREK PHASE II: "The Child" Full Episode Now Released on YouTu

^^^As if Scotty couldn't have poured himself smaller drinks or otherwise controlled the amount he ingested. That's what's ridiculous.

I think this points out a major fact that most Trek fans don't seem to get - TOS and the people working on it didn't take themselves too seriously. It's just an old TV show meant to appeal to the masses.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

Re: STAR TREK PHASE II: "The Child" Full Episode Now Released on YouTu

^^^As if Scotty couldn't have poured himself smaller drinks or otherwise controlled the amount he ingested. That's what's ridiculous.

I think this points out a major fact that most Trek fans don't seem to get - TOS and the people working on it didn't take themselves too seriously. It's just an old TV show meant to appeal to the masses.

Quite frankly, I don't think many so-called "true blood" fans get it. They bash Abrams for making a movie that is choke full of caricatures, whining that it's not true to the characters we've come to know and love. Then a fan film, which often claims "holding true to Roddenberry's vision," puts in a ridiculous shot of Scotty in a drunken coma, cradling an empty whiskey bottle with half-eaten donut next to him. Yet that gets defended as being true to the character. "True blood" fans can't have it both ways.

 

[PattyW]

Re: STAR TREK PHASE II: "The Child" Full Episode Now Released on YouTu

I don't think you'll find anyone from the Phase II production team defending here, or anywhere else, that it's "true to character" and merits inclusion in the episode as a literary effort to help define the character of Scotty.

"Scotty" and a lot of the production team thought it was funny and induced giggles. It was one of many shots offered as "the light goes through various quarters searching for the right person". I assume the editor giggled at it too and that is why it was one of the ones included.

 

[Draculasaurus]

Re: STAR TREK PHASE II: "The Child" Full Episode Now Released on YouTu

I'm not sure why people are assuming Scotty got extremely intoxicated and passed out.
It's quite common for adults to enjoy alcohol in moderation.
If anything, the half eaten food seems to indicate that he sat down for a snack and a nightcap, and fell asleep before he could ingest very much of either one.
-just my opinion.

 

[Amaris]

Re: STAR TREK PHASE II: "The Child" Full Episode Now Released on YouTu

I'm not sure why people are assuming Scotty got extremely intoxicated and passed out.
It's quite common for adults to enjoy alcohol in moderation.
If anything, the half eaten food seems to indicate that he sat down for a snack and a nightcap, and fell asleep before he could ingest very much of either one.
-just my opinion.

That's the assumption I went with as well. I saw it and thought all he needed was a technical manual laying open to make it complete, but I liked it as it was. Seeing Scotty that way was an endearment, not a caricature in the strictest sense. We know Scotty loves to imbibe a bit on the alcohol, he enjoys good food, and his favorite relaxation pastime is to read technical manuals. The very short scene does more to lovably poke at our beloved Scotty rather than to mock him in any way.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Re: STAR TREK PHASE II: "The Child" Full Episode Now Released on YouTu

SO, LEGION, should we take that to mean that, if there's a situation where we need somebody to drink an advanced, yet socially naiive, superior alien invader under the table...

...we should NOT count on you?

Pony, you completely missed the point.

Scotty didn't "drink the Kelvan under the table." Despite the fact that Scott was an experienced - and rather heavy - life-long drinking man who could presumably hold his liquor and understood both the effects of alcohol in general and the properties of the brands he favored specifically, the best he could do in trying to handle this "socially naive" and novice drinker was to match him drink for drink and only manage to stave off passing out from intoxication by about one minute longer than the Kelvan...and thus completely fail in his own mission.

Now, if I were to take the portrayal of those two guys in that scene as representing in some literal sense the behavior of real people - and of course it's not, it's caricature for comic effect - I guarantee you that in contest with them I could be counted upon even now to drink both Scott and the Kelvan under the table, then recite the alphabet backward while walking a straight line to Captain Kirk to deliver that little people-cube-maker to him. That despite never being particularly noted even in my youth for my capacity.

 

[nightwind1]

Re: STAR TREK PHASE II: "The Child" Full Episode Now Released on YouTu

In my opinion, this episode has some of the best acting in the series, as well as some of the best effects. But the story needed a lot of work. It's not just that there are problems with the writing, it's the basic story. For example, why is there a big cylinder? The aliens are energy beings so why do they need a spaceship? And then why did Irska appear Human? Shouldn't she have been Deltan? After all, she seemed to have the telepathic abilities of Deltans. I think that more than just a rewrite was necessary, I think that the whole story needed a rethink. However, the episode itself isn't too bad. The good production values and acting help me ignore quite a few of the problems, at least on the first viewing. Overall, I'd give it a 6 out of 10.

Maybe not ALL Deltans are bald?