“I love Star Trek. It has always been in my life one way or another. Unfortunately, like anything in life you phase-out of certain books, movies, or music.”
In my case, I lost touch with Star Trek. Then in 2009, J.J. Abrams‘ big-screen reboot of Star Trek rekindled my interest for the franchise. I started to go back to the original movies featuring Kirk, Spock, Bones, and the rest of the beloved crew. Once I went back to the original series, I absolutely fell in love again with these characters. The writing holds up, the themes were and in some cases still are poignant and despite its limited budget and clunky sets, it had its heart in the right place.
Having finished the third season of the original series, I felt a bit lost. I wanted more adventures with this crew. Then it was as if the Talosians themselves had captured me and given me the illusion of what I wanted. While looking up for anything TOS related on YouTube, I stumbled upon this fan-created series called Star Trek: Continues.
As its title suggests it is indeed a continuation of the original series. An “unofficial season 4” if you will. Helmed by Vic Mignogna, he and his crew successfully ran a crowdfunding campaign for their first episode. So far, they produced seven episodes.
It looks like Star Trek, sounds like Star Trek but does it have the heart? Let’s ahead one-quarter impulse power and take a look at the third episode, “Fairest Of Them All”.
This third episode is a direct sequel to “Mirror, Mirror” and takes place entirely in this parallel universe where The Federation is now the Terran Empire. It leans more towards fascism and the subjugation of other worlds instead of missions of peaceful exploration and aid.
After Kirk (Vic Mignogna) destroys the Halkan Council and its planet, Spock (Todd Haberkorn) now realises that the fall of the Empire is an inevitability. The fact that the Andorians started to openly rebel against the Terran Empire strengthens Spock’s sentiments for change and peace.
Together with Lt. Moreau (Asia De Marcos) and a small group of insurgents, Spock must overthrow the murderous and psychotic Kirk and take control of the I.S.S. Enterprise. A deadly cat and mouse game ensues and Spock must be that one man with vision in the revolution to come.
I have been very impressed with the writing of this show. In some of the other episodes, they actually show the repercussions of what happened in the previous seasons. The losses and many extreme experiences Kirk and crew had to mean something now.
There is no reset button anymore. They masterfully continued the story that started with “Mirror, Mirror.” You see the doubt in Spock as Kirk becomes more erratic and psychotic. They also show you that the “evil” counterparts are not as villainous as you may think. They are very many victims of their circumstances and most of them begin to reject the ways of the Terran Empire.
Only the ones set in their old ways are doomed to go down with this fascistic system. It’s not done in an overly blunt way but the message hits home through excellent acting and dialogue. The point this episode tries to make it simple, poignant, but timeless. “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
Star Trek: Continues does a tremendous job of capturing the feel and look of the original series. At times, it can be a little too slavish to the somewhat clunky visual effects of the sixties. This, however, is just a minor gripe. The performances are top-notch. Mignogna channels just enough Shatner without it turning into a parody. Haberkorn’s Spock is excellent. He exudes a calm and cool without losing that same twinkle in the eye and charm that Leonard Nimoy had.
So, yes, it looks like Star Trek and it sounds like Star Trek and it definitely has its heart in the right place. It pays homage to that wondrous show of the ’60s but brings that same charm and wander into the 21st century without tongue in cheek or parody. This is a labour of love and I felt every minute of it. Go watch the show now and you will too.
In case you have missed their previous episodes here they are, sit back and enjoy…
Written By Timothy Ebicilio
