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Stardate 6010.1: After a distress call from a research outpost the Enterprise arrives at the scene, only to find everything in perfect order thanks to "The Onabi". The Enterprise finds "The Onabi", who is beamed aboard and turns out to be an attractive woman with enormous powers. Onabi has been traveling through space and time for a long time. Under her influence the crew is soon subjected to hallucinations and visions of the future. When the Enterprise runs into an enormous enemy vessel, Onabi interferes yet again. She vanishes together with that vessel and is not heard of again.
I have seen a few Trek fan films over the years, but owing to their various shortcomings I have never been too fond of any of them. New Voyages is a series that has changed my view a bit.
The plot of the pilot episode "Come What May", produced in 2004, is a rather simple one in essence. But more importantly it is one that would perfectly fit into The Original Series. While television dramas have "learned" to tell more complex stories in the past 40 years, I think it was becoming for the TOS revival to start with a straightforward story: build up a little mystery around "The Onabi", get the crew in some decent and not too serious trouble, resolve it with a nice twist. Well, in the hallucination sequences the episode foreshadows many events that would happen later in the movies, not to forget the appearance of the (then unnamed) Borg. But aside from this "continuity porn" (the producers and writers are fans just like me and I would have done the same in their place), "Come What May" shows the essence of TOS. And it wouldn't rank among the worse TOS episodes in a direct comparison. Perhaps most obviously "The Onabi" is a capricious female character who would have been perfect as a guest in a TOS episode. I could very well imagine she has traveled straight from the 60s (1960s or 2260s, either way) to our time.
James Cawley, who plays Captain Kirk, is the driving force behind the whole series, which alone deserves the highest praise. We can notice in his role that Cawley is not a full professional, but he largely succeeds in copying Kirk's mannerisms without turning it into a parody. I only couldn't help staring at his forelock all the time, which looked silly and permanently cast distracting shadows on his face. Jeffery Quinn as Spock gives a decent performance, especially considering that Spock impersonations usually make me cringe. It is so hard to remain serious in this role without being unintentionally funny. Quinn is one of the better Spocks. John Kelley is Dr. McCoy, as already the name says. He is not related to DeForest Kelley though. Overall, Kelley could be less obtrusive. We all know Bones' southern charm, but he doesn't let it out all the time. The other crew members have rather few lines, although it is perhaps more than in an average TOS episode. Chekov's accent is a bit overdone. Uhura is occasionally in "dishtress". But these are rather minor nuisances. Overall, the cast may not be totally convincing but their performances are respectable. And I don't think they have hit the wall yet.
Regarding the production design, it is needless to say that the faithfully reconstructed sets and props are fantastic. I wonder how much this alone has cost, but it was clearly worth the effort. There is no other fan series that recaptures the atmosphere of TOS so well. Only the professional production of DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations" shows how it can be done still better, albeit with a many times higher budget. The CGI of the Enterprise looks wonderful. Some of the other ships are a bit coarse. But the standard of New Voyages is close to a professional production. The only thing that should be improved is the effects in open space. Some nebulae and light effects in the episode are way too colorful.
I also like that the episode re-uses the background scores of TOS, although at times they contrast with the current mood. In particular, some very cheerful themes are used for situations where nothing is really funny.
Remarkable dialogue: "I do not understand the words. 'Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.'" -
"'I once was lost, but now I'm found. Was blind but now I see.' Spock, it's about us. It's about what we're supposedly doing out here. Extending compassion to those in need. Saving the lost. Helping those people who can't help themselves and asking nothing in return." -
"But the song would seem to indicate a deity. Were it not the religious conflicts of your world that led your species to the brink of destruction?" -
"Yes. But it's the ideal that survives." - "Then the hymn is still relevant. I shall endeavor to study it further." (Spock and Kirk)
Remarkable guest appearance: Larry Nemecek appears as the director of a research colony.
Remarkable starbase: The Starfleet Headquarters as designed by Franz Joseph appears prominently in this episode. We can see in a very nice sequence right at the beginning how the Enterprise leaves the drydock in one of the ball-shaped extensions. In addition, the cargo containers from Franz Joseph's
STTM and one of his emblems are shown (the latter on the
research colony).
Rating: 3
Stardate not given: A time-traveling planet killer, also known as a Doomsday Machine, has changed history. The Enterprise under Captain Pike was destroyed as soon as in 2254. Captain Kirk, with many of his Enterprise crew, commands the U.S.S. Farragut in 2268. His science officer is Kargh, a Klingon. Much of the Federation, including Vulcan, has been destroyed in a devastating war against the Doomsday Machines. Spock, working on the Planet Gateway, where the Guardian of Forever is located, is unaffected. After informing the surprised Captain Kirk they use the Guardian to go back to the late 20th century, where they have picked up strong antiproton readings. On Earth, in the year 2006, they find a message from Commodore Decker, who was believed dead but had actually traveled to that time, dying only a few years ago. Back on Planet Gateway, the Farragut uses a larger version of the Guardian to travel to the time when history began to diverge. They ally themselves with an initially reluctant Captain Pike against the Doomsday Machine. They witness how the enemy vaporizes a Klingon ship, commanded by Korogh, Kargh's father. Soon the Farragut makes another time leap in pursuit of the weapon, and the surprised crew is contacted by Captain Pike, now on an old Daedalus-class ship. Just when the two ships are on a suicide course towards the Doomsday Machine, another Starfleet vessel emerges from a temporal vortex. It is the refitted Enterprise under Admiral Kirk. With joined forces the three ships destroy the machine. But Captain Pike meets his fate when he suffers severe delta radiation burns.
Wow. This episode was so much more exciting than the pilot. There wasn't a single boring second. The visual effects were outstanding, and they
could have been hardly any more advanced in an "official" Trek episode. While I was not surprised to see better visual effects and overall better craftsmanship, the performances of the cast have improved just as well. Perhaps it may have to do with the fact that in a thriller it is easier to get the excitement across than the subtle emotions in the rather light-hearted "Come What May". But speaking of emotions, "In Harm's Way" is so full of them in spite of all the action that I don't know where to start. Matt Decker's message, Kargh's encounter with his father, Spock's fruitless attempt to save Pike, Pike in the wheelchair. But probably most of all the episode draws on a very intelligent screenplay with just the right degree of complexity and on the directing.
It may seem a bit too much of everything, considering how this episode ties together three major plots of TOS: "The Doomsday Machine", "The Guardian of Forever" and "Menagerie" (plus the usual small tie-ins from other TOS episodes and movies). This is done with care though, and so the episode does not wind up trying to provide a grand unifying theory of all events in Star Trek. Well, "In Harm's Way" may have gone a bit over the top though, in particular with the commitment of bringing together the Farragut, the Enterprise, a Daedalus-class vessel and finally even the refitted Enterprise in some fashion. I liked it in spite of its contrivance. It is a fanboy's dream to see different vessels, and vessels of different time frames on a common mission.
There are three things pertaining to the time travel that don't quite make sense. Firstly, it does not become clear how exactly the new timeline was set off. Something must have happened in the year 2268 that leaves "our" Spock on Planet Gateway. Was it Commodore Decker's sacrifice? This is the second problem. While we may buy the idea that everything on the Farragut is much like on "our" Enterprise, why does the incident with Decker appear in this timeline as well, a timeline in which the Federation is fighting these machines for already more than a decade? Thirdly, it seems that the Guardian takes care that the Farragut follows the Doomsday Machine through time. But why in the world is Pike, and only Pike, suddenly on that Daedalus-class vessel?
Something remarkable in this episode is how incredibly agile the Starfleet starships and even the Doomsday Machine are. This is in strong contrast to the one-dimensional motions that we know from TOS and that essentially (and consistently) remained the same in DS9 and Voyager, despite the advent of CGI that would have allowed to move and swivel ships in any direction and at any speed. While the depiction of ships in "In Harm's Way" that move like mosquitoes rather than dragonflies may be more realistic, I think it contrasts very much with everything shown in canon Trek.
As much as I disliked parts of the score in "Come What May", as perfectly it is composed in "In Harm's Way". It adds greatly to the overall excitement.
Remarkable dialogue: "How do we know your correct history is the right one, the best one?" -
"Because Jim, here, in your timeline, billions of people are dead." (Kirk and Spock)
Remarkable scene: Kirk, Spock and McCoy open Decker's garage in which they find his shuttlecraft. It is named "Jefferies".
Remarkable guest appearances: We see Barbara Luna, who played Marlena Moreau in "Mirror, Mirror", William Windom in his old role as Matt Decker and Malachi Throne, known as Commodore Mendez in "The Menagerie", as Korogh. Curiously, Mendez appears later in the episode as the events of "Menagerie" repeat, but now played by an accordingly younger actor.
Rating: 6
Stardate 6021.2: After the failure of a conference to avert the economical collapse of the Federation, Pavel Chekov transfers Ambassador Rayna Morgan back to the Enterprise. Suddenly their shuttle comes under attack by a Klingon Bird-of-Prey commanded by Kargh. He only stops his "targeting practice" when the shuttle arrives at the Enterprise. Later on the ship, when a power conduit is about to rupture, Chekov pushes Scotty aside and is hit by the plasma surge himself. This causes a rapid aging of his body, of the kind that initially didn't affect him at Gamma Hydra. Meanwhile, the Enterprise is attacked and takes casualties by what looks like another Klingon warship. But soon Kargh arrives, telling Kirk on his honor that the attacker can't be a Klingon. When the enemy strikes again, the aged Chekov takes his seat at the tactical console one last time and manages to cripple that vessel. It turns out that it is actually a Federation ship, run by the Asterians, whose ailing military industry would be in demand if they could trigger a war with the Klingons. McCoy can't find a cure for Chekov, and the ensign dies of his old age.
I admit I never found Ensign Chekov very interesting in TOS, which may have to do with the fact that only on rare occasions he contributed more than a few casual lines, and a bit too much comic relief when he did (most memorably in "The Trouble with Tribbles"). I think, aside from his more elaborate roles in "Spectre of the Gun" and (as silly as the episode was on the whole) in "The Way to Eden" it was as late as in the movies when a matured Walter Koenig gave the character some depth. Now Koenig reappears one more time, 40 years after the first time he played Chekov. In a screenplay that focuses on Chekov he is given the chance to be brilliant, and he takes that chance.
"To Serve All My Days" is built upon the TOS episode "The Deadly Years", where Chekov was the only one among the landing party not affected by the rapid aging. In its original version the episode has no built-in reset button and no recognizable loophole that could bring back Chekov. This both befits and handicaps the episode and the further development of the series. It is a new twist that for once McCoy doesn't find a miraculous cure in the nick of time. It adds realism and enables a touching death scene. I think that the sorrowful dialogues of Chekov, especially those with his younger self, were a bit overdone though. They set the tone for the whole episode, which feels rather funereal even before it becomes clear that there is no hope for Chekov. Regarding future episodes, we know that Chekov will be alive, and since New Voyages is not meant to grossly violate canon, he must return in some fashion, in some universe or another. Kudos to Cawley and his creative staff for the bold decision, but right now (that I have not yet seen the next episode) they leave me with a bad feeling in my stomach.
Other than the Chekov story, the most interesting aspect of the episode is that it critically comments on the weakness of the Federation's economy. I wonder if a future episode will hark back at the economical crisis.
The visual effects were again a tad better than in the last episode. Especially the surface of the planet with its mile-high buildings and the Klingon BoP (an intermediate design based on the ENT BoP as it seems) looked great. The too blunt damage on the Enterprise and the lacking details of the ice chunks in the opening scene, on the other hand, show that there is still room for improvement.
But the perhaps highest praise must go to the make-up. Curiously Walter Koenig was digitally made younger when he appeared for the first time (which is not very flattering!). In the following, we underwent a couple more stages of aging, done more professionally than in many commercial TV series.
Inconsistency: In the debate about the possible non-Klingon origin of what is labeled "Marauder Class" (actually a D7), no one can imagine that anyone else, including the Romulans, could possess such ships. However, in TOS: "The Enterprise Incident" even three of exactly these ships (TOS-R: only two) are in Romulan hands.
Remarkable quote: "I was never that young." (Ambassador Morgan)
Remarkable dialogues: "And Mr. Scott?" - "He begs to inform you. He generally only performs miracles on Tuesdays and Thursdays... Today is Monday." (Kirk and Spock, just after the first attack on the ship),
"How much time do I have, honestly?" - "Dammit, Pavel, I'm a doctor, not a watchmaker!"
(Chekov and McCoy)
Remarkable guest appearance: Mary Linda Rapelye (Ambassador Morgan) previously played Irina in TOS: "The Way to Eden", where she had a crush on Pavel likewise.
Remarkable fact: There is a yeoman named Miss Okuda.
Remarkable shuttle: The shuttlepod "Archer" in which Chekov and Morgan narrowly escape the Klingon attack is a nice hybrid of the standard TOS shuttle and a TNG-era shuttlepod.
Note: This episode was re-edited in 2008, and the visual effects were enhanced.
I only watched the original version, but I was told that in the very end it
comes up with a (lame) explanation for Chekov to reappear in the following
episode.
Rating: 6
Stardate not given: The Enterprise enters the Neutral Zone to aid a freighter in distress, only to witness how three Romulan Birds-of-Prey vaporize the freighter with a new weapon. The Enterprise fires back and destroys two of the enemy vessels, while a third one is heavily damaged and adrift. The explosion of the Romulan vessels has trapped the Enterprise in a hyperdimensional field, with gravity waves endangering the structural integrity of the ship. Sulu and Dr. Lisa Chandris take a shuttle to retrieve data on the Romulan weapon from the remaining ship, which is necessary to dissolve the field. When that ship breaks apart, Scotty does not succeed in beaming them out. Instead of that, he beams back a savage old man, who promptly attacks the crew with blade weapons. This man is Sulu, who was stranded with Dr. Chandris on a lonely planet. While she died 15 years ago, Sulu spent 30 years on that planet. The two have a daughter, Alana, but Scotty can't completely materialize her. She has to stay in a containment field. The attempts to extract the data about the Romulan weapon from Sulu's mind with a Vulcan mind meld and with drugs fail, and the only way to retrieve them would be reverting him to the young man he was, using the transporter. The efforts to save Alana are in vain. While Alana may have a chance to return to her planet alone if the field persisted, this would mean that everyone on the Enterprise, including Sulu, would die. With deep regret Sulu allows himself to be rejuvenated and manages to break the Enterprise free. He does not remember Alana anymore, but agrees to another mind meld with Spock to renew this memory. Years later, when Demora presents Sulu his grandchild, he finally tells his daughter that she once had a sister.
Well, to start with, Chekov is back
as if nothing had happened and there is no explanation, other than the one in
the remastered version of "To Serve All My Days".
Something else that I didn't like at all about this episode was the setting in the beginning, which was an awkward blend of "The Enterprise Incident", the Kobayashi Maru scenario (that Sulu mentions to Chekov) and "The Tholian Web". In particular, I found it very unlikely that, once again, exactly three enemy vessels would arrive at the scene only seconds after the Enterprise. There was simply zero originality in the whole scenario. But then old Sulu was beamed back, and this changed everything for the better. From now the episode thrives on George Takei's performance and on the charm of Christina Moses as his daughter Alana, but also on wonderful writing that builds multiple new character relationships and gives almost everyone, not just Sulu, a couple of memorable scenes.
Actually, I enjoyed this Sulu story a lot more than the Chekov special "To Serve All My Days". "World Enough and Time" was just as emotional but much more dramatic and more exciting. It kept up the suspense all the time, while the other one had some rather long-winded chapters. I'm sorry to say that, but except for his one memorable maneuver to get the ship out of trouble (that Sulu kind of repeated here), Chekov had nothing more to do than to age and eventually die, while Sulu was left with many choices he had to make. He played a much more active part and came across as a lot more vital.
The episode was once again full of digital eye candy. I liked the ships a lot, the effects of the gravity waves were nicely done and the scene with the shuttle among the Romulan wreckage was a definite highlight.
Remarkable guest appearance: Grace Lee Whitney reprises her role as Janice Rand.
Remarkable ships: We see a Y-Class freighter, a new type of Romulan Birds-of-Prey (Imperator
class) and, of course, the Excelsior. The shuttle that Sulu and Chandris take to the Romulan ship is the Bellerophon NCC-1701/5.
Remarkable dialogue: "Isn't the Kobayashi Maru supposed to be a no-win scenario?" -
"Let's hope not." (Chekov and Sulu)
Remarkable quote: "He always manages to snatch life from the jaws of death." (Sulu, about Kirk)
Remarkable fact: Sulu named the planet Caliban, after a character in Shakespeare's
The Tempest.
Rating: 7
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