I don’t know if any of you have heard, but apparently, J.J. Abrams remade the original Star Trek in his own image and created a monstrous hit that is currently running in theaters even as I type this. Trekkers and Trekkies all across the country are praising the movie as the newest resurrection of the franchise (well, except our resident fan). The success of the movie has been so strong that there is already talk of a sequel.
Granted, this is not the first time that the original version of the series, or its subsequent sequels, have been re-imagined. In fact, ever since the Internet was the Internet, people have been re-inventing the show. Over the last few years, with the lower costs and faster bandwidths, these people have taken camera in hand and produced some decent, fan-based Star Trek series.
The one that stands out amongst them all is Star Trek: Phase II.
The concept for Star Trek:Phase II (originally known as Star Trek:New Voyages) is simple: create a 22 episode season that continues the five-year mission of the original series. Unlike other fan-based productions on the Internet, this particular one seems to have the blessings of not only CBS and Paramount, but many of the cast and crew of the original series. So much so that they have contributed heavily to the first four episodes.
Actors like George Takei, Walter Koenig, and Grace Lee Whitney have appeared as their Star Trek counterparts along with the new actors portraying their younger selves. Writers like David Gerrold and Dorothy (D.C.) Fonanta have written and directed various episodes. Actor James Cawley, who began the project in 2003 and currently plays Captain Kirk, was able to obtain blueprints of the original series sets. The result of all these resources and talent is a well-produced, well-written, Internet-only remake.
Oh, Star Trek:Phase II isn’t perfect. Some of the actors are stiff, some of the scenes are a bit talky, and there are times when Phase II definitely feels like a fan-based production. However, those faults can be overlooked in many cases thanks to the imagination of the writers, the computer-generated special effects (which elicit thoughts of space scenes from the Battlestar Galactica remake), and the nostalgia. With the most recent episodes, the creators of Phase II have gone to great lengths to emulate the feel of the first run of the series, down to using some of the original soundtrack.
The current episodes of Star Trek:Phase II (several more are in post-production) are available via download from various mirror sites. However, there are a number of trailers and clips floating around the Interweb video sites. The one below is from the beginning of the most recent episode “Blood and Fire.” The first episode since the premiere that doesn’t feature a prominent guest star from the original cast, it shows how far the series has come in only a few years.
Clacked by Richard Keller 
on May 28, 2009 @ 12:00 EST5EDT
