Star Trek New Voyages

I came across a cool web site for an independent Star Trek fan film production group at Star Trek New Voyages. They have released two films so far that pick up where the original series from the 1960s left off. Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise had completed three years of their five year mission when the series was cancelled and the fan films pick up during the fourth year. All of the original Enterprise crewmembers are portrayed by new actors who give fresh interpretations of the original characters.

The first two episodes “Come What May” and “In Harms Way” were released in 2004. These short films are available free for download from the website in zipped WMA format either through direct download from mirror sites or through bit torrent. Each episode is presented as a teaser and five acts. There are two more films in development and are scheduled for release in 2006. The third film is being written by one of the writers from the original series and will guest star Walter Koenig - Mr. Chekov from the original series and the movies.

I was impressed with the quality of the films considering that they are privately sponsored and produced. There are quite a few computer generated special effects but the look and feel is approximate to the original series plus something a little more. The costumes, props, and sets are very well done. I noticed the improvement between the first episode and the second episode and anticipate again as much improvement in the upcoming episodes. Since Star Trek Enterprise was cancelled and there is no Trek in sight, at least not for a few years, the production of fan films such as New Voyages will do nicely to fill the void for Trekkers such as myself.

I know that there are other fan films in production, some spinning off from the later series such as "The Next Generation." But for me, it's exciting to see Captain Kirk and the Starship Enterprise back in action again - boldly going where no man has gone before.