STC Ep. 6: "Come Not Between The Dragons" grading and discussion....(possible spoilers)

[Harvey]

Probably. Outside of The Fugitive definite endings for series weren't common and certainly not for some years later.

The Life and Times of Wyatt Earp (1955-1961) ended with a series wrap-up dramatizing the gunfight at the OK Corral in 1961.

I haven't seen the series (yet), but Wikipedia suggest that Route 66 (1961-64) had an episode that wrapped up the series in 1964.

The Prisoner had a rather definite (if...unique) series wrap-up in 1967. This was a British series, of course, but it was broadcast in the United States.

I'm sure there are a few others (would make an interesting thread topic elsewhere!), but the fact that I'm scratching my head after three examples tells me they were pretty uncommon in the '60s.

 

[Bixby]

Vic has some kind of arc for the remaining episodes and it will start in Ep. 7 (or so a liitle bird told me)...

Please reconsider

 

[wamdue]

so I saw the episode a few days ago, and my thoughts. I see little point in saying which actor I like best compared to their TOS roles, some are good, some are bad, over all I am always excited to see a new episode of Continues and Vic is always strong as Kirk, which is very important to any Star Trek.

Talking of Kirk, yes he is sidelined a bit in this episode, but other than trying to force him having something important at the end, it kinda worked for me, honestly that last 10 minutes seemed a bit odd, Kirk wraps things up talking to Spock, then its like oh another 5 minutes of episode left, and then we get a much better ending, obviously this episodes guest star got given the ending, and the episode belonged to the supporting cast which is nice, but I cant decide it its good or not, that its the Continues supporting cast and not Chekov who at the start of the episode wants to prove himself (I assume before he becomes a 1st officer in Star Trek 2) gets some screen time, sure the new characters work out, but like Star Trek before it Sulu and Chekov seem underused, but maybe this is a sign that this Star Trek after all.

The creature, ok so a few times it looked like a rubber suit, but you have to like that Continues has the ambition has to go there, to create something new like this. At times I couldnt help but feel Spock should check a Pokedex just incase, he was a pokemon, looked like one at times.

If there is a serious problem I had with the episode, is was the inability or ability to beam the creature around, to suit the plot, one minute its "I cant get a lock on the creature" the next its "lets beam him to engineering" in the middle there was that "sometimes we can scan him, sometimes we cant" line, but when he was beamed it felt a little easy. Also at the end Spocks lines were mostly just saying stuff that was happening.

I also hated the preview of this episode, which came across as more of a cos-play Sex and the City, than an episode of Star Trek, but that didnt impact on the episode over all.

 

[JE Smith]

People might be complaining because the producers and producers' girlfriends are being given chunks of the dialogue that should actually be parsed out to the regular characters?

This argument would hold water with me if Michele Specht was a terrible actress, but she's not. She's quite good, actually. And frankly, as far as I'm concerned, in a fan film, where all the characters are played by people other than the original actors, the playing field is leveled. Mr. Spock, as played by Leonard Nimoy, may be my favorite character in Star Trek, but if he's played in any particular fan film by a bad actor with no presence, then I'd probably rather see less of that particular Spock rather than more. (This is not a dig at Todd Haberkorn, just a general idea I'm trying to get across; overall, I like Todd.)

Giving dialogue to "the regular characters" is all well and good if those characters are well-written, well-defined, and well-acted. If not, what's the difference? Part of what I like about McKennah is that she has no TOS baggage to drag along every time she appears -- I don't have to think, "Oh, she's good, but not as good as so-and-so-actress from 1967." Nobody in STC playing the regular ship's crew is particularly bad, but some are better than others, and I frankly find expanding the crew roster a bit (with McKennah) to be a refreshing change of pace. I've never heard anybody argue that Peter Kirk's lines in New Voyages/Phase II should be given to the regular characters, or that he should be canned because he's stealing the spotlight from Scotty, Uhura, Sulu, or Chekov. (Although I never spent much time on the ST:NV chatboards, so it may have happened.)

Honestly, I don't care if McKennah is in the show purely because Michele is Vic's girlfriend/fiance. I like the character, Michele does a good job, and it's a nice addition to the Trek roster IMHO. It's Vic's playground, and we're just visiting.

However, you guys are of course 1000% entitled to keep hating McKennah. It's your Trek-given right.

 

[Warped9]

I also like McKennah and Michelle Specht is auite a good actress. Candidly only one of the cast I feel leaves something to be desired and that could improve with a small adjustment of performance.

I certainly enjoyed seeing Uhura get something more to do. It's been a long time coming.

 

[STEPhon IT]

Please reconsider

Going FULL ON Rick Berman territory. Sigh.

 

[Warped9]

Vic has some kind of arc for the remaining episodes and it will start in Ep. 7 (or so a liitle bird told me).

This isn't really news. Vic has already said publicly that he planned something for the characters to gel with where we next see them in TMP.

To me that might sound like a somewhat definite end to the 5-year mission. Or he might just drop in some references that point in that direction without showing a definite return home.

We might see something of Spock's dissatisfaction where he is contemplating retiring ftom Starfleet. We might hear of a possibility of promotion for Kirk. Those sort of loose or vague arrows to the future.

That could possibly be the better way to go as it would feel more TOS like.

 

[urbandefault]

People might be complaining because the producers and producers' girlfriends are being given chunks of the dialogue that should actually be parsed out to the regular characters?

No, in a leading man show like Star Trek was, they wouldn't have

It's a fan film, not a Hollywood production. But hey, it's not like that's never happened in Hollywood, right?

 

[STEPhon IT]

Same little bird mentioned that seeing any Klingons during the remaining episodes doesn't seem likely.

I'm happy to learn this, because the Klingons is Phase II's schtick, and I don't think it would be good to muddy the waters.

 

[STEPhon IT]

.


LOL, hate.
I guess my eyes played tricks on me this episode and the last few, when I saw the actors playing Scotty, Sulu, Chekov and Uhura being given extremely minor speaking parts to protect them (less so this time for Uhura), and some lines given to the producers playing Drake and Palmer (sometimes for not much of a reason). I never disagreed that Specht and Brown could act, but it's obvious that in the early production meetings for each episode that there is a conscious decision to shift more of the active parts of the given episode by the producers to the girlfriends of two of them (even if they do it well).

She gets more screen time than the Bones' character, would it be wrong if she gets top billing on the credits with Vic and Todd? This is Vic's Star Trek; I think he could make changes if he feels someone he favors need more screen time. I don't think the replacement actor who plays McCoy would mind.

UPDATE:
Here's another thought, Bones does end up finishing his tour of duty on the Enterprise. Maybe the Counselor could fill the McCoy role after?

 

[Treadwell]

.
a conscious decision to shift more of the active parts of the given episode by the producers to the girlfriends of two of them

While I am loath to speak of anyone's personal lives, I should point out that Kipleigh is not anyone on STC's girlfriend.

 

[Warped9]

I'm happy to learn this, because the Klingons is Phase II's schtick, and I don't think it would be good to muddy the waters.

This makes no sense. NV/P2 doesn't own the Klingons, so if STC had a story that featured (TOS style) Klingons there wouldn't be a problem. It goes without saying the two webseries are distinct, unrelated and not of the same continuity given they both claim to be picking up where TOS left off.

I understood seeing Klingons in STC was unlikely, but thats not the same as definitely.

 

[STEPhon IT]

This makes no sense. NV/P2 doesn't own the Klingons, so if STC had a story that featured (TOS style) Klingons there wouldn't be a problem. It goes without saying the two webseries are distinct, unrelated and not of the same continuity given they both claim to be picking up where TOS left off.

I understood seeing Klingons in STC was unlikely, but thats not the same as definitely.

It makes no sense to you because this is what you want. Also, P2 has made it a staple point in their narrative. STC has made an effort to be distinguished in their kind of storytelling, and simply put, I don't want to see the Klingons in STC.

 

[STEPhon IT]

We might see something of Spock's dissatisfaction where he is contemplating retiring ftom Starfleet. We might hear of a possibility of promotion for Kirk. Those sort of loose or vague arrows to the future.

That could possibly be the better way to go as it would feel more TOS like.

Only for fans of this series would think this. I'm not sure it would be in Spock's character to be dissatisfied with Star Fleet but may have had an opportunity to cleanse his emotions on Vulcan. I'm not in favor of Vic trying too hard to make his clunky fan show connect with TMP, I'd prefer him to make stories which are "Just another day" on the Enterprise than making stuff that will never fit.

Questions which never needed to be asked nor ever answered, tell your tale and leave.

 

[Warped9]

Only for fans of this series would think this. I'm not sure it would be in Spock's character to be dissatisfied with Star Fleet but may have had an opportunity to cleanse his emotions on Vulcan. I'm not in favor of Vic trying too hard to make his clunky fan show connect with TMP, I'd prefer him to make stories which are "Just another day" on the Enterprise than making stuff that will never fit.

Questions which never needed to be asked nor ever answered, tell your tale and leave.

I agree. I'm just speculating on what might be done. Putting in "arrows" to TMP is no different than any other references to productions made decades after TOS.

 

[mos6507]

The one thing I've picked up in STC is a consistent and sincere tone in the writing. Vic's reading of TOS is the moralizing and humanism. Malign it by calling it "Afterschool Special" if you will, but that's his vision. It's been there since Pilgrim of Eternity. That's why McKenna is there (beyond being his girlfriend) and why Kirk is more introspective and less hedonistic and why there's less Pew Pew. It may not fit exactly what any of our individual expectations may be, but it's Vic's interpretation of TOS. The more episodes that come out, the more his vision of the show comes into view. I'd rather he finish it on his own terms than to pander to everyone's dos and don'ts. Given how much time and effort he's invested, I'd say he's earned the privilege.

 

[Warped9]

I certainly appreciate the less pew-pew.

 

[Tuskin38]

I thought the Alien looked more Power Rangers then 60s/TOS

Overall though, I enjoyed it.

 

[STEPhon IT]

Something Cosplay convention goers would be thrilled to see, since Vic has such a connection with them. I'm guessing as soon as they saw that Power Ranger monster on the Enterprise, they went bananas.

 

[Forbin]

Finally got to see it. EXCELLENT!!
Drex's CGI evoked TOS ship shots perfectly.
The monster looked like something Janos Prohaska would have come up with in '69.
And I'm deeply ashamed that I didn't recognize Gigi Edgly until the very end, even though I JUST watched Peacekeeper Wars Saturday!! In my defense, she wasn't gray, wasn't standing on a table, and was speaking with her real accent.