STC Ep. 6: "Come Not Between The Dragons" grading and discussion....(possible spoilers)
- Thread starter Warped9
- Start date
I stand corrected. Gracias!
I'm glad Vic & Greg made that video, it enriched the meaning behind the episode, and made me love and appreciate it even more.
Last edited:
Fantastic!
Thanks for posting that video, Philip.
Probably stupid question, but is Greg Dykstra related to visual effects pioneer John Dykstra?
Probably stupid question, but is Greg Dykstra related to visual effects pioneer John Dykstra?
My varied watered down review....I liked it overall....nothing I can say thats new, Production and look of the show was top notch, Story and acting were average, not bad, just no real emotional heft I felt. Anyway, I mainly just wanted to thank the cast and crew for the work and for sharing!
Last edited:
It has to be said regardless of what one thinks of the end results.
Folks making these fan productions are unbelievably dedicated. They are doing all this on a volunteer basis and going to incredible lengths just to play in a sandbox that fascinated and inspired them. And they're willing to share it with us.
I don't want the producers of STC and other fan productions to think that just because I offer some criticism that I don't greatly appreciate their efforts. Many of us fans can be passive and just watch and buy stuff and talk about it. But these folks are actually doing it in their free time beyond their everyday lives. And they don't make a dime from it. It's a genuine labour of love.
They deserve a lot of respect.
Folks making these fan productions are unbelievably dedicated. They are doing all this on a volunteer basis and going to incredible lengths just to play in a sandbox that fascinated and inspired them. And they're willing to share it with us.
I don't want the producers of STC and other fan productions to think that just because I offer some criticism that I don't greatly appreciate their efforts. Many of us fans can be passive and just watch and buy stuff and talk about it. But these folks are actually doing it in their free time beyond their everyday lives. And they don't make a dime from it. It's a genuine labour of love.
They deserve a lot of respect.
Absolutely! I think perhaps the reason why the folks at STC get so much criticism from the serious fans is because what they produce IS so close to the original; we're doing them the compliment of taking them seriously.
With a fan production, I ask myself the question, "Is this episode better than the worst TOS episode" (which -- to me, at least -- is "And the Children Shall Lead")? So far, the answer for the STC episodes -- again, for ME -- has always been yes.
There are things I found hard to believe in "The City on the Edge of Forever." I had questions about aspects of Shatner's performance in "Amok Time." There was a jarring note in "Journey to Babel." And those are all wonderful episodes! Real TOS was not exempt from criticism, even for the most beloved episodes, and yet I adored all of them; I wouldn't want to be without even the ridiculous and badly done "And the Children Shall Lead."
The people at STC work so very hard, all for love, that they deserve to make Star Trek the way they want to make it. They do such an excellent job that they deserve the accolades and commendations that come their way. I'm thrilled that they're making new episodes, and I've given them donations when they've campaigned.
But they're doing some things I wish they weren't doing, and I feel that it's doing them the honor of taking them seriously to talk about the bad along with the good.
The sets, costumes, lighting, and effects are all stunning. The acting is mostly good, especially now that they've replaced their early McCoy. I think their only real weakness is in their writing, and I wish so much time and care and love and attention were being lavished on slightly better scripts.
I read a lot of TOS fan fiction, and while much of it is total dreck, some of it is rather good. I wonder if the STC people solicited scripts from the fan base, if they might find something to bump their work up to the next level.
TL, DNR -- Yes, the STC people do a great job! But even real TOS is subject to criticism, and I think our criticism of STC shows that we're taking them seriously. We Trek fans sometimes show our passion in strange ways.
Last edited:
I agree - and for me if I thought then end result was 'unwatchable' per se - or really disliked it, I wouldn't bother to post and make a comment. The work ST:C and the other fan films have done is amazing; period.
While might debate whether STC has yet reached the level of TOS' best I certainly don't think what they've done so far reaches TOS' at it's most disappointing.
In my opinion whatever disappointed me with STC still rates no worse than fair. Nothing they've done is poor or outright bad.
I'm juiced to get to see what feels so much like TOS without actually being TOS. A litmus test for me is whether I can see the original cast saying and doing the things the STC cast is doing.
In most cases the answer is "yes."
In my opinion whatever disappointed me with STC still rates no worse than fair. Nothing they've done is poor or outright bad.
I'm juiced to get to see what feels so much like TOS without actually being TOS. A litmus test for me is whether I can see the original cast saying and doing the things the STC cast is doing.
In most cases the answer is "yes."
At the very least, you have to appreciate that all their episodes are about something. That's the biggest reason I prefer STC over any other project. At its best, NV also hits the mark ("World Enough and Time" is the best fan film ever made). However, there's also entries like "Enemy: Starfleet" and "Kitumba," which I found a bit vapid.
I enjoyed "Come Not Between the Dragons," but I wouldn't rank it with STC's best work. That's a credit to how consistent they've been.
I enjoyed "Come Not Between the Dragons," but I wouldn't rank it with STC's best work. That's a credit to how consistent they've been.
Todd was great! To me he is Spock now. I thought it would take much longer for me to think that way.
With a stated run of 13 episodes they probably have the stories they are going to do already.
Given current events, when Dykstra says at the 6:37 mark, "I'm glad we don't make any money with all of this because money would just cheapen the experience," that can't help sounding like a subtle dig at a certain other fan production as well as a reminder to anyone watching that they're nothing like them.
Yeah, it could go either way, but I think it's probably a jab at people doing a job just to collect a paycheck, rather than having everyone behind a project wholeheartedly in the spirit of volunteerism.
This really was my favorite STC episode so far. I particularly liked the fact that it was a completely original story, not a continuation of a TOS episode, or the development of a throwaway line.
My husband astonished me by saying that he liked this better than all except his top 5 TOS episodes... I wouldn't go quite that far, but it's certainly much, much better than my least favorite episodes (Turnabout Intruder, Spock's Brain, Space Seed (Khan is so detestable he ruins an otherwise interesting episode for me, even though I realize I'm in a minority).
My husband astonished me by saying that he liked this better than all except his top 5 TOS episodes... I wouldn't go quite that far, but it's certainly much, much better than my least favorite episodes (Turnabout Intruder, Spock's Brain, Space Seed (Khan is so detestable he ruins an otherwise interesting episode for me, even though I realize I'm in a minority).
I watched it yesterday along with the previous episode that I missed - "Divided We Stand" and enjoyed them both. I guess I finally learned to ignore Vic's impression of "Shatner-as-Kirk" but I do laugh sometimes when he's walking around as if he's constipated.
I think the reason I liked CNBTD is the women characters stole the show in my opinion. Not so much counselor McKennah but Lt. Smith and newcomer "Eliza" had strong roles and I thought the acting was really good for a fan film. Of course the Enterprise was gorgeous and sets were great. This is the first time I actually watched an episode on my TV as opposed to laptop or iPad so maybe that added to the enjoyment.
I think the reason I liked CNBTD is the women characters stole the show in my opinion. Not so much counselor McKennah but Lt. Smith and newcomer "Eliza" had strong roles and I thought the acting was really good for a fan film. Of course the Enterprise was gorgeous and sets were great. This is the first time I actually watched an episode on my TV as opposed to laptop or iPad so maybe that added to the enjoyment.
That's a thing I've noticed. I don't know if it's an acting choice, but he seems somewhat uncomfortable in the uniform, almost like he feels physically restricted by it.
The other cast seem much more at ease in the costumes.
Similar threads
