Star Trek Continues: A Labor Of Love

[Judge]

Seems not many people know about this. Small wonder, as to legally recreate a primetime television show, there remain numerous legal hurdles and restrictions in doing so, all to create what amounts as a non-profit charity.

Between 2012 and 2017, a group of perhaps the ultimate Star Trek fans created eleven complete episodes of what could have been considered season four of Star Trek (TOS) in 1970 to 1971. With such continuity that about the only thing missing was the obvious- the original cast of the original television series. (Which admittedly was the heart and soul of Star Trek). But even in their absence, this crew manages to do what I believe was a magnificent job in recreating a very old television series so accurately.

Presently you can go onto YouTube or go directly to the Star Trek Continues website to see these eleven episodes. Having binge-watched all the episodes, I was blown away in how close they came to recreating such a beloved classic. Preserving the continuity of the original program- not merely a "remake".

Funny to think that when I first came across this, I took it as a parody and little else. After about five minutes of no punch line I actually began to believe what I was seeing. -The real thing. I was stunned.

Star Trek Continues

Home page of the Star Trek Continues webseries.

www.startrekcontinues.com

 

[Misery]

It sounds a million times better than the recent reboot stuff or that Picard show and whatnot.

I've seen bits of both, and it's like the writers never watched any of the old series (either TOS, or any of the others). The movies and such are all spectacle and screaming, even Spock has a total freakout at one point (like, seriously? Have they EVER watched the show?), and what I saw of Picard wasnt much better. If I recall correctly, that one killed off Q. He dies of old age. I just... I cant even... aaaaaaaaaagh

I've been a fan of Star Trek for freaking ages now, and the modern stuff is like a barrage of schoolyard insults to fans, or at least that's how it feels to me. Has a very "corporate said to do it that way" sort of look to it.

So it's nice to see that someone, somewhere, is trying to make something that doesnt suck.

 

[Judge]

It sounds a million times better than the recent reboot stuff or that Picard show and whatnot.

I've seen bits of both, and it's like the writers never watched any of the old series (either TOS, or any of the others). The movies and such are all spectacle and screaming, even Spock has a total freakout at one point (like, seriously? Have they EVER watched the show?), and what I saw of Picard wasnt much better. If I recall correctly, that one killed off Q. He dies of old age. I just... I cant even... aaaaaaaaaagh

I've been a fan of Star Trek for freaking ages now, and the modern stuff is like a barrage of schoolyard insults to fans, or at least that's how it feels to me. Has a very "corporate said to do it that way" sort of look to it.

So it's nice to see that someone, somewhere, is trying to make something that doesnt suck.

That's what got my attention. Is how closely this series strived to give it continuity to the original. No remaking, no reimagining, no creative BS. Just something as close to the original as they could get.

I found it all oddly refreshing among so many crappy or bizarre reinterpretations.

 

[Misery]

That what got my attention. Is how closely this series strived to give it continuity to the original. No remaking, no reimagining, no creative BS. Just something as close to the original as they could get.

I found it all oddly refreshing among so many crappy or bizarre reinterpretations.

Honestly the sad part is that there's zero "creativity" in any of the new "official" stuff. None at all.

Cookie-cutter "blockbuster" Hollywood design. AKA, braindead, soulless. Even the word "reinterpretation" sounds too good for it...

And yes, I'm salty about it.

I've never been able to understand how that sort of thing is popular or how anyone could sit through it without falling asleep. I dont mean just with Trek. I mean, well, pretty much any freaking movie and many TV shows made these days. As the majority seem to be like that. There's a reason why I dumped both in favor of Youtube years ago. Doesnt surprise me for a second that Youtube is where to find something that's actually at all faithful to the originals. Also doesnt surprise me that it's fan-made. After all, if you want it done right... do it yourself, is what they always say.

 

[Judge]

Honestly the sad part is that there's zero "creativity" in any of the new "official" stuff. None at all.

Cookie-cutter "blockbuster" Hollywood design. AKA, braindead, soulless. Even the word "reinterpretation" sounds too good for it...

And yes, I'm salty about it.

I've never been able to understand how that sort of thing is popular or how anyone could sit through it without falling asleep. I dont mean just with Trek. I mean, well, pretty much any freaking movie and many TV shows made these days. As the majority seem to be like that. There's a reason why I dumped both in favor of Youtube years ago. Doesnt surprise me for a second that Youtube is where to find something that's actually at all faithful to the originals. Also doesnt surprise me that it's fan-made. After all, if you want it done right... do it yourself, is what they always say.

It does put the studios in an incredibly bad light when gifted and dedicated fans can produce something the fans really want but having to do it exclusively on a non-profit basis just to avoid intellectual property violations and an army of corporate litigators.

Tragic that creativity is so easily sacrificed in the face of corporate suits and their profit formulas to ensure the mediocrity of their product.

I'm just so stoked that some gifted unknowns were able to pull it off without getting crushed by the powers-that-be.