"Star Trek: New Voyages" (2004) More at IMDb Pro »TV series

As I am a lifelong, ah, "Trekker" to use the proper etymology, I was "fascinated" to see, at IMDb.com, a new TREK show that I have seemed to have missed! Intriguing. By reading here, I discovered that this is a fan film, since I have a friends that worked on Star Wars: Revelations- I wanted to see if this treatment of TREK was alright. So I dusted off my trusty uTorrent and I actually found a DVD version to download (actually it appears to be WMV files converted to a DVD format: A BIG Mistake!)- Reading the main site for this show, it seems that official DVD's will be released for Torrent download soon.

First Off, when treating STAR TREK in itself, I have to dismiss what I call "The Trek Fan Mentality"- What I mean by this is, there is a certain way a real Trekker behaves. They tend to go above and beyond the normal level of Fandom. I know what it is to be a FAN. I especially know what it is to be a TREK fan. FIAWOL? FIJAGH!† If anyone understands what I just said, they will understand my take on this Trek Fan Film. I want to comment not just as a lover of films, but as a FAN of TREK.

1) I think it is a monumental undertaking for anyone to take on Paramount and MAKE any "Unauthorised" TREK- Trek being Paramount's De-Facto Meal-Ticket. The producer here actually was able to obtain permission to do this under certain conditions.

2) Regarding my VERY first impression from the Teaser of Episode I: I have never seen such a pool of Star Trek™ Clichés™ in my life, even in The Original Series. My initial reaction is to laugh my arse off!

3) Production: Poopy! There is some kind of Echo on the voice track: It sounds like a digitally added echo. It does not enhance the acting of the actors!

4) The Colour and overall Look: The colour is very poor, but I am VERY impressed with the SETS. Very good, I believe I am on the enterprise. Yes. The COSTUMES. Yes! But wasted on some of the "Actors."

5) The Acting, and I am going to forgive a LOT due to the fact that this is a FAN Film and Fans did their best to be Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty, etc. I liked some of the male cast, except for the girls being Rand and Chapel. Rand does NOT remind me even a bit of Grace Lee Whitney, not even in attitude. Uhura: we needed to keep with the Hair Style that was given to Nichelle Nicols. All the women in Star Fleet had those Beehive Hairdos, which were wigs. Well, the women in the cast were in dire need of Wigs. The overall Ensemble Acting, was more like a bad home moovie, the lines delivered badly, the clichés too obtuse and overblown. The Alien "Q" Woman, was not very good at all, and not even very attractive.

6) The Camera work, for the live action the cutting and the angles are OK but rough, and the moves are smooth, but the lighting is all wrong: the Bridge needed Shadows. All the sets are lit too brightly. The CGI is too varied, it does not look contiguous. I have seen MUCH better CGI in lesser projects. Sorry, but that's how it is: When people play around in the universe that I have dreamed about all my life, they better damn get it RIGHT. And the Effects house used here was VERY poor. All good directors need to be conscious of what something is going to LOOK like on the BIG screen, not on the little 13" Monitor. I do not think enough attention was given to this. I think the CGI could have been much better, I think the CGI department needs to be fired. One major thing about TREK is that the EFFECTS have always been BETTER than any other science fiction media of the time, of all the times there was a TREK series or Motion Picture. The COLOUR itself in this production FAILS miserably.

This is difficult, especially for me to judge because of the Fan aspect, and we all understand that this is a FanFilm™ - But there are things that we have been conditioned to be used to. Kirk. Spock. McCoy. Uhura. There are things about each character that endears them to us, and so those aspects must be captured. So, I say, for proper Homage, this film does not cut it. It is a very good fan film, but that is all that it is: And hence my disappointment: Because TREK needs to be told the best way that it can be told, which is why Enterprise failed.

There are obviously things that can be done to make this much better: As I stated, I do not know what "Edition" I got here, if this is the "official" DVD release or not, but it not only looks poor, it sounds poor, and my highest level of complaint is about that really horrid ECHO™ on the Voice Track. I will just say this: Take that echo OFF, or have the actors do some voice overs.

I will also say this directly to the producer: FIRE your CGI department and contact Master Zap in Sweden, as he is a huge Fan, he will make you a much better visual environment to tell this story with. You may also look for a Mike Burn in Germany to do your Audio.

†"Fandom is a Way of Life?" "Fandom is just a G**d*** Hobby!"