Star Trek: Renegades

[Karzak]

Spoiler: Chekov's job

I can't recall off the top of my head -- I haven't watched Renegades since I saw a cut back in June -- but I think Chekov is supposed to be the head of Starfleet Security? Or at least Starfleet Intelligence maybe? It seems like Tuvok is running Section 31 though, if I remember correctly.

 

[The Transformed Man]

Maybe I wasn't paying attention - what was Chekov's job? OK he was an Admiral but of what?

(and why does his assistant goes to 'his quarters' in an office building?)

Director of Starfleet Security I thought?

 

[JoeZhang]

Spoiler: Chekov's job

I can't recall off the top of my head -- I haven't watched Renegades since I saw a cut back in June -- but I think Chekov is supposed to be the head of Starfleet Security? Or at least Starfleet Intelligence maybe? It seems like Tuvok is running Section 31 though, if I remember correctly.

It's all a bit vague because if Tuvok does why does he talk about "them?" (which implies a group he's not part of).

 

[Karzak]

I'm going to go out on a limb and theorize... "because it's poorly written and they (the writers) didn't think everything out."

 

[Iamnotspock]

Dramatic entrances are fine. And stepping out of the shadows is fine if the reveal is to surprise us or to impart information (think the Joker reveal in Batman). Heck, imagine if Tuvok had stepped out of the shadows scarred or with a signature pointed ear half missing... that be a shock and hint at some backstory or something.

And that at least was funny (in Whedon fashion, anyway) even though the majority of people watching the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. pilot knew months in advance that Coulson was still alive.

Here, as Maurice astutely points out, the reveal is rather pointless. All it did was make me think "Everyone tries, but nobody ever tops Spielberg how cool it was having Indy step out of the shadows."

If your movie makes me think of a better movie I'd rather be watching instead, you're not doing it right.

Oh, I agree entirely. I was making the same point; the serious use of a cinematic cliché that's been parodied so brilliantly in more recent times kicked me out of the film.

 

[wamdue]

I dont want to be too nit picky, but why is it a ship that is flying post Voyager, using parts of a TNG era Galaxy class star ship, for its bridge?

 

[JoeZhang]

I dont want to be too nit picky, but why is it a ship that is flying post Voyager, using parts of a TNG era Galaxy class star ship, for its bridge?

Captain is a fan of classics.

 

[SuperSpaceMan]

So Caught Renegades today, I agree with many of the sentiments here....

The story telling was EXTREMELY clunky. For example, the film starts with Lexa, right, but why do I care about her, why do I care about this Monologue? I really don't, it doesn't seem important yet. So you have this Entire shot, setting up this AntiHero, but it doesn't have the power that it could have, if she was properly introduced, AFTER the scene with Tuvok, and Chekov, where Tuvok says he knows a crew....

Continuing on with the story, there isn't enough exposition, like in the Scene where Lexa back on the Icarus, is going over the mission, she makes a casual reference to databpadds (Or something similar) and everyone just knows what this mission is about. That seems odd, she just took back her ship did she not? When did she have time to hand out the mission briefings to everyone, and when did they have time to review it?

It's that sort of thing that makes the story flow VERY broken....

The sets were horrid.... The Yellow? Really? When did Yellow become the color of Star Fleet Headquarters... Every Corridor set, every office, Yellow? Really? I Understand this was made on a budget, but if your going to use set pieces across alot of sets, make the color something more neutral, like a grey, or silver, and not Yellow...

The Federation Uniforms all seemed baggy, and the material didn't seem right. The Renegades costumes were okay....

The Makup, was good in some places, poor in another. Vic's Cardassian looked too green IMO, Cardassians are more pale....

So the Good... The icarus is a cool take on a rebel starfleet vessel... and I could imagine that being the Mirror Universe Defiant....

The Actres playing Lexa seemed to do okay, when she had good lines to deliver.... and she had a sass about her, that was cool...

 

[wamdue]

The sets were horrid.... The Yellow? Really? When did Yellow become the color of Star Fleet Headquarters... Every Corridor set, every office, Yellow? Really? I Understand this was made on a budget, but if your going to use set pieces across alot of sets, make the color something more neutral, like a grey, or silver, and not Yellow...

there is not one good set in this entire production.

 

[JoeZhang]

Going back to ships - I thought it would have been at least helpful to *hint* where the crew got such a powerful spaceship... and nobody rocked side to side in combat!

 

[SeerSGB]

Decided to rethink this and consider: If this was a pilot (their intent, as I understand), would I a) consider watching it further, b) consider it Star Trek.

a) Maybe. There's not anything there that screams out "must see".
b) Nope. It almost looks Trek, but the story and feel isn't Trek.

 

[The Transformed Man]

Going back to ships - I thought it would have been at least helpful to *hint* where the crew got such a powerful spaceship... and nobody rocked side to side in combat!

Yeah, the story almost assumes you donated to the Kickstarter, and knew every detail about the characters coming into this. There were times I was left scratching my head going, "Who is this guy, and why do I care?"

But the core concept is very interesting. Like I said, I think a lot of this could have been fixed in the editing room.

 

[SuperSpaceMan]

Going back to ships - I thought it would have been at least helpful to *hint* where the crew got such a powerful spaceship... and nobody rocked side to side in combat!

Yeah, the story almost assumes you donated to the Kickstarter, and knew every detail about the characters coming into this. There were times I was left scratching my head going, "Who is this guy, and why do I care?"

But the core concept is very interesting. Like I said, I think a lot of this could have been fixed in the editing room.

The Concept is cool... The Dirty Dozen/Suicide Squad of the Star Trek Universe....

I just found myself having a hard time following along with what was going on for the first half of the movie.....

 

[Phantom]

Just got to see it...my impression is mixed.

Good concept. Some intriguing character choices. Gotta ask though: where the frak did Khan's daughters come from?

The script was more than a little choppy though. Some of the dialogue was a bit stilted (or maybe it was just some of the 2ndary cast). Could have used a good polish from a script doctor IMO.

Costumes for most of the Starfleet personnel were HORRID in terms of fit. Looked cheap (ok ok...fanfilm budget, I get it, but a little better tailoring would have helped overcome the cheap fabric).

The music was too aggressive, both in the mix and in terms of using music in scenes that really didn't need it.

Kudos for the hint/callback to "Conspiracy" (if I understood the opening cards right). Also nice to see some new Preserver technology.

Final impression: Show needs some work, but I'd watch more.

 

[Phily B]

it reminded me of a bad sci-fi original. some of the effects were good and some of the aliens looked great, i liked the space scenes, the acting was mostly fine but the editing was really weird at times. but the editing/direction was the most jarring of it, scenes would go from static to shaky cam back again while being really badly lit or strangely lit.

I guess my main issue with it was that it didn't actually feel a lot like Star Trek but more of 1990s show like B5 - what with the neck-snappings, the dark sets and generally not successful attempts at being serious.

Yeah, I agree. Tonally it was all over the place now that you mention it, which was also pretty annoying. It felt like it was a mish mash of various shows from B5 to BSG, but they're all completely different shows that are shot differently. The opening was bizarre, I don't see why they needed all that fire.

Overall, I think it's pretty disappointing as what is there could've been very good and the elements were there.

 

[CRM-114]

All the scenes with Chekhov's great-granddaughter should have been left on the cutting room floor - added nothing of significance at all.

I agree. What makes those scenes worse (beyond how poorly written they are) is knowing both she and her friend are played by Tim Russ' daughter and Sky Conway's daughter. Hello, shoehorn!

It's funny, I read one review where the viewer was so moved by one of Chekov's granddaughter's scenes (i don't know the exact context), the reviewer proclaimed that anyone not similarly moved by it should be diagnosed as a sociopath. Seriously.

This was also one of the very few outstandingly positive reviews I've come across.

 

[Phily B]

Decided to rethink this and consider: If this was a pilot (their intent, as I understand), would I a) consider watching it further, b) consider it Star Trek.

a) Maybe. There's not anything there that screams out "must see".
b) Nope. It almost looks Trek, but the story and feel isn't Trek.

The first 20 minutes felt like I had been watching for an hour and it was the final act. I was totally confused as to how they had such a powerful vessel, I kind of assumed that it was something to do with S31 which is why they brought that chick on board? I don't know.

 

[SuperSpaceMan]

Decided to rethink this and consider: If this was a pilot (their intent, as I understand), would I a) consider watching it further, b) consider it Star Trek.

a) Maybe. There's not anything there that screams out "must see".
b) Nope. It almost looks Trek, but the story and feel isn't Trek.

The first 20 minutes felt like I had been watching for an hour and it was the final act. I was totally confused as to how they had such a powerful vessel, I kind of assumed that it was something to do with S31 which is why they brought that chick on board? I don't know.

Right... This story (most of it anyway) Shouldn't be the pilot, rather the season Finale.....

 

[batboy853]

Question for the production team. The starfleet sets, the ones with the yellow and grey paneling. How did you guys make them? How much did one panel cost?

 

[BigJake]

All the scenes with Chekhov's great-granddaughter should have been left on the cutting room floor - added nothing of significance at all.

I agree. What makes those scenes worse (beyond how poorly written they are) is knowing both she and her friend are played by Tim Russ' daughter and Sky Conway's daughter. Hello, shoehorn!

It's funny, I read one review where the viewer was so moved by one of Chekov's granddaughter's scenes (i don't know the exact context), the reviewer proclaimed that anyone not similarly moved by it should be diagnosed as a sociopath. Seriously.

Hopefully they did not in fact mean it seriously, that sounds like a fairly common form of reviewer hyperbole.

And they're probably referring to...

Spoiler: that scene where...

... Chekhov's great-grandaughter is used by the mysterious enemy as a vector of assassination by somehow planting explosive nanites on her hand, which has to be amputated on the spot. It was a nifty idea and the scene would have had some much more serious teeth, actually, if she'd had more reason to be part of the story and the establishment of the relationship and character were less stilted.