1. Internet Media Thread - Who Mourns for Adonais?
Which is exactly what the cast of Star Trek Continues have done (http://www.startrekcontinues.com). Computer technology today is simply amazing good enough that high quality video productions can now be done using sophisticated computer animation that near matches Hollywood levels. The first episode this cast has put together is titled "Pilgrim of Eternity". Remember the TOS episode "Who Mourns for Adonais"? Kirk and the Enterprise encounter a being of energy who claimed he was one of the original deities of the Greek pantheon and demanded their worship. Star Trek Continues picks up on that thread. In the original episode, the hapless deity realizes that humanity has grown up and doesn't need his help and lets them go. In "The Pilgrim of Eternity", Michael Forest reprises his role as Apollo from over forty years ago in an extremely well done production that is true to the original spirit of the original series. I won't give the story away, but I have to say that I was really impressed with the level of care and dedication this group demonstrated in the episode's production. It's definitely worth a look. The story was entertaining and the production company (Farragut Films another Trek reference, if you can catch it) is a non-profit agency, so the objective is about re-creating something great from the leftover story material of the original series. The cast are all Star Trek fans with impressive and interesting backgrounds in themselves. For example, the role of Montgomery Scott is played by none other than James Doohan's son Chris Doohan, and Vic Mignogna (who directs and plays James T, Kirk) has had voice-over roles in well-known anime films. Star Trek Continues is pretty much what this article is all about. The story of Star Trek must continue. Not just in other modernized forms or new series, but the original had so much material that it could have and should have continued far beyond its miniscule three-season lifespan. The key to that continuation was the vast amount of open-ended material and size of the universe Roddenberry imagined. Don't get me wrong I loved ST:TNG and all the other incarnations that followed, but they are pale shadows compared to all the possibilities that were laid out, imagined but never realized. In this day of trying to re-invent the wheel through re-boots and prequels, we lose sight of the original values in the stories that came first. Maybe instead of trying to improve on the original, we should just try not to forget what made these stories great? Classics never go out of style.
John Kirk is a Teacher-Librarian and currently a History/English Teacher with the Toronto District School Board.
But mostly, John teaches Geek.
Comics, Sci-Fi (Notably Star Trek), Fantasy and Role-Playing and table-top games all make up part of John’s repertoire, There is a whole generation of nerds-in-embryo who rely on him to make sense of it all, to teach that with great power comes great responsibility, that the force will be with us always and that a towel IS the most useful thing to have in one’s possession.
When John isn’t in the classroom, he can be found in his basement writing comic reviews for www.popmythology.com and features for Roddenberry Entertainment's www.1701news.com.
I won't give the story away, but I have to say that I was really impressed with the level of care and dedication this group demonstrated in the episode's production. It's definitely worth a look. The story was entertaining and the production company (Farragut Films another Trek reference, if you can catch it) is a non-profit agency, so the objective is about re-creating something great from the leftover story material of the original series. The cast are all Star Trek fans with impressive and interesting backgrounds in themselves. For example, the role of Montgomery Scott is played by none other than James Doohan's son Chris Doohan, and Vic Mignogna (who directs and plays James T, Kirk) has had voice-over roles in well-known anime films. Star Trek Continues is pretty much what this article is all about. The story of Star Trek must continue. Not just in other modernized forms or new series, but the original had so much material that it could have and should have continued far beyond its miniscule three-season lifespan. The key to that continuation was the vast amount of open-ended material and size of the universe Roddenberry imagined. Don't get me wrong I loved ST:TNG and all the other incarnations that followed, but they are pale shadows compared to all the possibilities that were laid out, imagined but never realized. In this day of trying to re-invent the wheel through re-boots and prequels, we lose sight of the original values in the stories that came first. Maybe instead of trying to improve on the original, we should just try not to forget what made these stories great? Classics never go out of style.