STAR TREK CONTINUES! (Posted 2013-05-29 09:13:45 by Ray Lopez) I am a huge fan of the original _Star Trek_ series.  I refuse to refer to it as _Star Trek: The Original Series_, simply because to me, the series from the 1960s is the one, true Star Trek. A group of Star Trek fans and some folks with a LOT of money have come together to create a new web-based video series called _Star Trek Continues_.  The premise of the show is that the original mission of the USS Enterprise was supposed to last five years.  But the show was cancelled after only three seasons, so we still have two years of journeys to make up! This is where the wonderful folks at Dracogen Strategic Investments and Farragut Films decided to pick up.  _Star Trek Continues_ is simply the continuation of the original crew's mission. The show uses sets, costumes, props, and visual and sound effects that are extremely accurate recreations of those used in the original _Star Trek_, right down to the blinking computer displays and cheesy pictures up on the "monitors" of the Enterprise bridge.  All of the background music is the same, as are the 1960s miniskirts the female crew members wear.  Overall it is an absolutely lovely re-creation, one done with much love and respect for the one, true _Star Trek_. The actors are also quite good, though they will take some getting used to.  Captain Kirk is played by Vic Mignogna, who also happens to be a writer and director for this series.  His portrayal of Shatner's Kirk is really good, right down to the masculine posture and facial expressions.  Spock is played by Todd Haberkorn, who will take some getting used to.  He doesn't project the same "gravitas" that Leonard Nimoy did, and is noticeably shorter and thinner than Kirk.  Dr. McCoy is played by Larry Nemecek.  He will also take some getting used to.  His voice it higher pitched than DeForest Kelly's , and he doesn't have the gruff exterior that Kelly played so well.  Personality-wise, the three characters are pretty good re-creations of the original triumvirate from Star Trek, and I look forward to seeing them grow into the roles.  Scotty is played by James Doohan's son, Chris Doohan.  He's really good.  Not only does he resemble his dad, he also has the fake Scottish brogue down pretty well, too. Now that Majel Barret has passed away, the voice of the computer was taken over by none other than Marina Sirtis, which I think is pretty cool. Another inspired casting choice was to place Grant Imahara, of Mythbusters fame, in the role of Mr. Sulu. The connection to the series from the 1960s was made in a 5 minute vignette titled "Turnabout Intruder"  This is the name of the very last episode to be broadcast on NBC back in 1969.  The vignette picks up at the end of that episode, and shows the new actors in the final scene where crazy Dr. Janice Lester and Captain Kirk return to their own bodies, and she is led away by her lover, Dr. Coleman.  Kirk and the other principals go back up to the bridge and continue on at warp 6 to their next destination.  Again, this was done with much love and reverence for the original Star Trek.  It was well-done and I thought it was a pretty good way to segue into the new series. The first episode is called "Pilgrim of Eternity", and brings back a character from the 1960s episode "Who Mourns for Adonis", the Greek God Apollo.  It was awesome that they got the original actor who played Apollo, Michael Forest, to reprise his role.  Of course the dude is in his 80s right now, so the plot involved the crew encountering an old, dying Apollo, and helping him to eventually learn how to live among humans as a non-diety.  The dialog and action was perfect, classic _Star Trek_.  They are recording the series in the original 4:3 format, so watching it on any screen is just like watch an episode of the classic _Star Trek_. As a Star Trek fan for over 40 years, I give _Star Trek Continues_ very high marks.  The acting, writing, and production quality is surprisingly good, and it is obvious that it was all done as a labor of love.  I very much hope that they produce more episodes.  Check them out at http://www.startrekcontinues.com [ http://www.startrekcontinues.com ]. -------- There are no comments on this post. To submit a comment on this post, email rl@well.com or visit us on the web [ http://ratthing.com ]. .