Series: Star Trek: New Voyages (previously known as
Phase II)
Total seasons (to date if current): 1 (10 episodes)
Span: 2004 - 2016)
Writer(s): James Cawley, Jack Marshall
Director: Unknown but probably the two lads above
Things I liked: CGI, the overall feel, the professional look, the faithfulness to the original
Things I didn’t like: The completely out-of-character personality of the guy playing Kirk (and his stupid quiff), the less than friendly feel to it
Timeline: TOS
Vessel: USS Enterprise
Class: Constitution
Location: Alpha Quadrant
Dramatis Personae: All the usual TOS staff and crew
Starring: Brian Gross, Brandon Stacy, Jeff Bond
Well the graphics, CGI and sets are first-rate, as are the costumes, and this has the look of being a fan-made series which had much input from the official sources. I read that people like Walter Koenig and George Takei appeared in it, and that one of the episodes was written by D.C. Fontana, so it’s obviously a cut above the rest.
And yet…
It kind of leaves me a little cold. I don’t like the portrayal of Captain Kirk. James Cawley plays him with an arrogant attitude, almost a perpetual sneer, which to me says “Look at me! I’m doing something you always wanted to do all your life!” A bit up himself to be honest. None of the smile or the easy charm of the man we know as the captain of the Enterprise. And what’s with the stupid quiff? Spock is okay, the girl playing Uhura almost has her voice down pat - close your eyes and it could be Nichelle Nichols. The guy playing Dr. McCoy is good, so is the actor playing Chekov. They’re all good, but there’s something a little… sterile? About it to me. I kind of don’t like it. They’re also rehashing a basic plot from the original series, or most of it, bringing in a woman who can become an Orion Slave Girl, a being of energy who kind of reminds me of a non-physical form or Nomad or maybe Sargon, and a ship that looks suspiciously like a Borg cube, twenty years before the Borg were ever known.
I’m not sure that having official sanction through cast members and obviously a large budget makes this any better than the one I just watched. That had charm, and the real feel of fans who were dedicated to their show, whereas this just looks like people who want to show how great they are. I’m probably in the minority here, but so far I really don’t care for this. The montage of Kirk’s future through the movies was good and was well done, but the story in the episode, to me, didn’t make much sense, and personally, I find this very much a case of style over substance.
Script: 410
Acting: 8/10
CGI: 10/10
Mood: 9/10
Faithfulness: 10/10
Soundtrack/effects: 8/10
Costumes: 10/10
Probability of watching more: 0/10
Balance between animation and live-action: 8/10
Gender balance: 5/10