Somewhere in the wilds of the northeastern United States, an intrepid band of guerilla film
makers is redefining the fan film genre. And Hollywood is starting to sit up and take notice.
(Although, with over thirty million downloads of the first two episodes of Trek's New Voyages
already logged, there are those who might say that the West Coast is a bit late to the game.
But that's okay, though. Some early Hollywood types said that moving pictures with sound would
never fly, either.)
Star Trek: New Voyages is the brainchild of entertainer James Cawley. Cawley was a fan of
the original Trek, and his desire to breathe new life in to that classic era has led to
something truly amazing-the rebirth of Star Trek. Cawley has devoted a great deal of his time,
as well as his own personal assets, to the realization of this dream. And he has also managed
to assemble a dedicated group of hard working fans to help make his vision a reality. During
the last week of the summer '06 that dream shifted into high gear-that's when Hollywood came to
town.
Of course, some people in the business had already become involved in New Voyages prior to
Hollywood's arrival. William Windom and Barbara Luna both appear in the NV episode, "In Harm's
Way", and Walter Koenig stars in "To Serve All My Days."
All of the early cg work for ST:NV was done by professionals on the West coast, free of
charge. Even Paramount and CBS got into the act. They actually gave Cawley and co permission to
use all of the original Star Trek logos, settings, characters, music, and the sound effects in
their internet films. (But there's a catch, of course. ST:NV isn't allowed to sell their
finished product.)
Despite the fact that they aren't (currently) making any money off this project, there is
no lack of zeal or dedication on the part of the cast and crew of New Voyages. These fans
willingly give up their vacation and family time in pursuit of their dream, and it shows in
everything they do. From the faithful recreations of the original sets, to the very carefully
researched uniforms and sci-fi widgets, each episode of New Voyages is a labor of love.
The latest effort from ST:NV is "World Enough and Time." The episode is co-written and
directed by Marc Scott Zicree, and stars George Takei and Christina Moses. The idea for the
script is based on an original submission written by Michael Reaves for Star Trek: Phase Two.
(ST: P2 was supposed to have been the second live action Star Trek series. It would have
incorporated original cast members, settings, and storylines from the classic Trek TV series,
but in more updated roles. The P2 project actually got as far as soliciting scripts, and it was
during this period that a very young Michael Reaves first pitched this story to them. However,
after seeing the unprecedented box office success of Star Wars, the producers quickly shelved
the P2 project, and a decision was made to go the movie route instead).
The manner in which a script submission for the original Star Trek came to be realized
through a net age fan film is an epic unto itself. Suffice it to say; this outcome was due in
no small part to the (often Herculean) efforts of producer/director Marc Scott Zicree and his
West Coast Round Table group.
And that is why Hollywood invaded a small town in upstate New York during the last week of
the summer of '06.
Marc Zicree and Michael Reaves were at the head of that contingent. Supporting them were
assorted members of Marc's legendary Round Table. (Membership is now over five hundred strong
and still growing.) Even yours truly managed to tag along.
As to what happened during those ten days of filming, perhaps a comment made by one of the
most talented artists on the West Coast sums it up best.
"Hollywood would spend a hundred million dollars to do this, and still not pull it off on
time and on budget. Look at what these guys can do with next to nothing."
Watch for more on this topic when "World Enough and Time" is released. (Currently scheduled
for Spring '07.)
Be sure and check out the first two episodes of Star Trek: New Voyages while you're at it.
Just follow the link to the site. The download is free.
