Boldly Going Where Others Have Gone Before

I watched an episode of Star Trek Phase II yesterday. Star Trek: Phase II (formerly known as Star Trek: New Voyages) is a fan-created "TV" series set in the Star Trek universe. The series was created by James Cawley and Jack Marshall in April 2003. The series, released exclusively via the Internet, is designed as a continuation of the original Star Trek, beginning in the fourth year of the starship Enterprise's "five year mission".

I'll start with what I didn't like, so I can finish on a positive note. First let me say that I fully realize that the actors are not doing impersonations ... nor should they. But the actors should remain true to the spirit of the character.

Firstly, I could barely stomach the performances of Kirk, Spock and McCoy. The actor playing Spock was sort of a weird-looking fellow, and he was perhaps the most tolerable of the three, mainly because he had so few lines. John Kelley bears some resemblance to McCoy, but the similarities end there. He lacks the zest and punch that Deforest Kelley brought to the role.

James Cawley, the show's producer as well as it's Kirk, is clearly in need of a director. Both he and Kelley seem to indicate that they have the capacity to act, but the emotions they are projecting need refinement. In Cawley's case, his character is so far off the mark that it is at times painful to watch. Shatner's Kirk was confident. Cawley's Kirk is arrogant. Shatner's Kirk was playful and had an affection for his ship and his crew. Cawley's Kirk is all business and at times seems disdainful of his underlings. It's as if Cawley is portraying the worst of Shatner as described in Takei's tell-alls rather than Kirk as seen by millions. And, I know this is minor, but I would have also preferred it, if he could have combed his bangs back as well.

That said, I think Cawley seems to possess the ability to act, but his performance is focused in the wrong direction. I really wish I, or someone, could focus his energies in the right direction. I think Kelley suffers from the same lack of focus, but seems to have potential.

Scotty's accent was a bit of an annoyance. It sounded a bit more like Michael Myers than a Scot, and was punctuated with perhaps one too many "laddies". Worst of all, it seemed to fade to the point of disappearing. When the accent disappeared the character was particularly off-key and was an abrupt reminder that this is a fan-created work.

Uhura, as played by Julienne Irons, was not Uhura as I perceive her. Uhura was a strong black woman. Phase II Uhura was a little safer. She came across as the black girl who works in the otherwise Caucasian office. Nichelle Nichols was tough as nails, even with only a few lines of dialog. I didn't see this in Uhura.

The high point of the episode, buy far, was Chekov. The role was played (I think the credits are a little tough to figure out) by Andy Bray and then later in the episode by Walter Koenig. Bray was spot-on perfect at all points. He captured Chekov's character right from the opening and were it not for his performance I probably would not have watched the entire episode.

Walter Koenig picked up the part in the later half of the episode, and gave a tremendous performance. I really came away with a new level of respect for Walter's talents after watching this episode. I hope somehow he sees this review, because he needs to know that was a brilliant piece of acting, even though he was surrounded by dinner theater actors.

Although the outcome showcased Keonig's talent ... I actually thought the story (written by DC Fontana) really stunk at the end. All in all, despite my criticisms, this is probably the best piece of fan created media I've ever seen.

My highest marks go toward the production quality. They do not exaggerate when the blurbs claim that the production meets or exceeds the standards set in the original series. The sets are perfect. The costumes are perfect. I truly love the use of the soundtrack and for the most part, this was spot-on. The effects aren't quite at the level of the remastered series, but they're pretty darn good.

If I was closer to the production site, I would probably try to find a way to elbow into this project. I think Cawley is doing great work and I commend him and thank him for his efforts. As fan-created media, what he has is awesome. As compared to fully professional work this is short by only a very small measure.