Star Trek New Voyages: Blood and Fire

Rico · December 22, 2008, 10:58:01 AM

Quote from: feek61 on December 21, 2008, 08:57:09 PM
SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!

Pretty much thought the story was bad so far. Here is why:
1. - No explanation why the teaser battle happened.
2. - The love scene was WHY too long and it seems added for shock value. I don't have a problem with homosexual relationships but this is a distraction and brings the story to a crawl. ~~Not sure why they feel the need to make sure we see all of the intimate details (I really don't want to see two guys humping each other).~~
3. - "Plan 9" is not a great plot device because the other ship is already going to be destroyed.

Basically the script is weak. Don't get me wrong I love New Voyages but this one is a dog. I could go on (bad lighting, horrible acting, etc.) but I won't. The key to ANY show is a great story and this one is not. Sorry, it seems that they made the right choice when this was rejected for TNG. I did think the tribute to Majel was nice and the sets were great but the story sucks (no pun intended).

Will

I'm fine with everyone having their own opinion about this - but I also insist that the language used in your comments is appropriate - and actually accurate. They do not show what you describe feek61. Therefore, I have edited your post.

feek61 · December 22, 2008, 04:14:35 PM

Well let me say I in no way intended to offend anyone or misrepresent was what shown. It's not too often you see two individuals on top of each other in Trek no matter what the gender. Please forgive me. If it wasn't so painful (I mean as far as the poor acting and script) I'd go back and watch it again, lol

I do think if you are going to change my post that simply showing it in your post with a line crossing out the offending part defeats the purpose. Why not just delete that section?

Will

Geekyfanboy · December 22, 2008, 04:19:13 PM

Well I normally don't watch these fan made shows but with Feek's comments I had to check it out.

I have to agree with M-5 so far it's awesome.

I thought the sfx were great, the sets were great, and most of the acting was pretty good. As for the story I'm really liking it so far.

And as for the Kirk's nephew and his soon to be "husband" relationship. I think it's a great addition to the story. I like to think that in the future bigotry and intolerance would be a thing of the past. I'm happy with how they portrayed the two men and how the crew and Kirk reacted to it. I would love to be able to tell people I have a husband and not get strange looks, snickers or looks of disgust.

There have been complaints about the scene in their room going on too long. I for one think the scene was very well done and not done for "shock" value as one forum member said. I think their kiss and embrace was tastefully done and didn't drag on as some have said.

I'm very excited to see how this ends and I was so impressed that I will now go back and watch more of there episodes.

feek61 · December 23, 2008, 08:52:53 AM

Well I'm glad my comment at least had SOME positive effect, lol. Glad you enjoyed the episode. In all honesty I do think that if the editing were better that the story would flow better and again let me stress I have no complaint about the subject matter at all. To me it was untrek like in the way it was portrayed. Glad we can disagree but remain civil :)

Will

Kirk-Fu · December 24, 2008, 06:55:29 AM

I've stopped watching most of the fan films. I do respect what they accomplish, lets face it, most of us would love to be involved in something like it. But, I struggle with the acting performances, and that keeps me from enjoying them. I dont like Jim Cawleys Kirk at all. The effects of the PhaseII and Hidden Frontiers shows are admittedly very good, however.
But the acting is still bad, in my opinion. In fact, I thought the Tim Russ film wasnt very enjoyable either. With all of the seasoned pros we had involved, I thought it was slow and plodding.
I love Star Trek, but wont just watch anything, or for that matter read anything, just because it's Trek. It still has to be good Trek.
As for the Gay element, it doesnt bother me. Im a Republican supporter of Gay rights. I voted against Floridas proposed amendment to ban Gay marriage, so keep the stereotypes away from me.
That being said, as for the comment above by StarTrekFanatic5 "I like to think that in the future bigotry and intolerance would be a thing of the past.", I agree.
But, I do think it is an issue that people will still be dealing with, long after issues of Race are long dead.
I didnt grow up in a religious household at all, but it still took me years to change my views on homosexuality to a more positive view. I can't tell you why they were ever negative, since we werent a religious household, and the issue was never discussed.

celestialteapot · February 25, 2009, 09:38:04 PM

1) I didn't think the kissing scene was too long or gratuitous, I've seen far worse in heterosexual situations... and I hate to say it, since when were most heterosexual scenes in Star Trek done with a reason? Most of them are just an excuse for a scantily clad woman to wiggle around a bit and for one of the regulars to get their shirt off. Plus with characters like Seven of Nine and T'Pol dressed in costumes designed to highlight certain assets in an attempt to get viewers watching... I think in comparison the tender moments we saw between Kirk and his husband to be were very sweet. I also don't think it was done with no reason, we saw Freeman earlier in sickbay being all concerned and distracted because of Peter Kirk being there.

2) The acting is no worse than what I see on stage every night, which is probably more of a reflection on the production I work on than Phase 2. I thought it was just fine. I quite liked Jim Cawley, but I deliberately put William Shatner out of my head before watching it... same with the other actors. Really, the only people I wasn't too keen on where the guy playing Dr McCoy and the guy playing Scotty... thought Spock and Chekov were particularly good.

3) The script was fine, a few bits of force dialogue but most of sounded fairly natural. The storyline was a bit hokey but no worse than some of the later episodes of the original series. I'm certainly planning on downloading the next episode and might go back and check out some of their previous work.

Dangelus · February 26, 2009, 12:06:52 AM

I quite enjoy this series and the stories are pretty good.

Because of budget constraints (and to make use of the wonderful sets) most of the stories are set on the ship which does feel a little odd to watch. The SFX and production values are excellent which does take your mind off most of the limitations they have.

The acting I find to be quite reasonable and I agree with celestialteapot that some of the castings are questionable. 'Scotty' is probably the worse culprit closely followed by 'McCoy'. James Crawley who plays 'Kirk' is actually a quite good in the role but because his is a professional Elvis impersonator by trade and has to keep the 'look' for work, he just doesn't look right in the role to me.

I like what they are doing with the continuity and we will see the ship undergo it's first refit soon. At the end of the day more TOS that fills in the gaps is always interesting.

Rico · November 22, 2009, 06:23:22 AM

Part two is finally up for this fan film. Here are some links:

Trekmovie.com's review and link info:
http://trekmovie.com/2009/11/21/fanmade-review-of-star-trek-phase-ii-blood-and-fire-part-2/

Streaming links:
http://videos.startrekphase2media.com/BaF2/
[noembed]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XLciOAu7Dk&feature=PlayList&p=0EDDDB98D8ABA2D1&index=0&playnext=1[/noembed]

Download links:
http://phase2trek.com/home.html (this one seems best)
http://www.startrekphase2.de/en/4x05_blood_and_fire_part_2.html
http://www.trekwebmaster.com/

Ktrek · November 22, 2009, 09:13:08 AM

It seems that the final version is not quite ready. The soundtrack was not finished in time. So, I think I will wait until the production is actually finished. I think they should have just held it up if they needed to instead of releasing it with a temporary soundtrack.

Kevin

ChadH · November 23, 2009, 10:17:28 AM

I plan to watch the first part of this today over my lunch hour. I've been viewing the Starship Farrugut fan films over the past couple of weeks and have really enjoyed them. These not for profit, fan made films are really fun to watch. It's amazing to think about all the detail and work these people go to simply because they love Trek and want to share that with the rest of us. I don't really mind if everything isn't perfect. What they manage to accomplish with a low budget and volunteer help is truly impressive IMO.

ChadH · November 23, 2009, 02:44:48 PM

I almost finished the entire "Blood and Fire" storyline over my lunch hour. This was my first example of work from Star Trek Phase II that I've viewed and I have to say that I was not dissapointed.
It's a good story with some well done effects. The acting isn't Oscar worthy, but I can get past that. I wish I'd had the opportunity to finish it... hopefully soon.

Just a side note: I was watching these episodes on a computer located in a recently vacated office where I work. My boss happened to pass by while I was watching and, being the curious type, stepped in to see what I was doing. Guess which part was playing at the time. ;)

Rico · November 23, 2009, 02:53:28 PM

Chad - watch "World Enough and Time" (think that's the title). It's another New Voyages/Phase II film with guest star George Takei. It's one of the best Trek fan films I have seen. Really a good one.

Feathers · November 23, 2009, 02:58:23 PM

I've watched all of these except this latest (all since the fan film podcast) and they got progressively better as they went along. I was waiting until this was complete before diving in - looks like it might be time to find a spare evening.

ChadH · November 23, 2009, 02:59:05 PM

Quote from: Rico on November 23, 2009, 02:53:28 PM
Chad - watch "World Enough and Time" (think that's the title). It's another New Voyages/Phase II film with guest star George Takei. It's one of the best Trek fan films I have seen. Really a good one.

Thanks for the tip Rico. I'll check it out next.

Ktrek · November 23, 2009, 04:42:36 PM

Quote from: Rico on November 23, 2009, 02:53:28 PM
Chad - watch "World Enough and Time" (think that's the title). It's another New Voyages/Phase II film with guest star George Takei. It's one of the best Trek fan films I have seen. Really a good one.

I agree with Rico on this one. I think this is not only a fine fan film but as good a Star Trek story as there has ever been. Touching and enjoyable.

Kevin