This is an episode of a fan-made series whose storyline may be invalidated by later official studio productions.
Stardate not given: In the wake of Janice Lester’s attempt to take over his body and take command of the Enterprise, Captain Kirk waxes philosophical before ordering the ship underway once more.
based on scenes from Turnabout Intruder by Arthur H. Singer
extended script by Vic Mignogna
directed by Jack Marshall
music by Fred Steiner
additional music by Vic MignognaCast: Vic Mignogna (Captain Kirk), Todd Haberkorn (Mr. Spock), Chuck Huber (Dr. McCoy), Chris Doohan (Mr. Scott), Grant Imahara (Sulu), Kim Stinger (Lt. Uhura), Wyatt Lenhart (Chekov), Alena Van Arendonk (Dr. Lester), Darrel Guilbeau (Dr. Coleman)
Notes: This short vignette reprises scenes from the end of Turnabout Intruder, attempting to match the lighting, staging and direction of what ended up being the final moments of classic Star Trek on TV. Kim Stinger previously played Uhura in the fan-made series Star Trek: Phase II, episodes of which were directed by Vic Mignogna. Star Trek Continues is a joint venture between Mignogna and the makers of the fan series Starship Farragut. Chris Doohan, the son of the late James Doohan, steps into his father’s role here (as he did for the Starship Farragut animated episode The Needs Of The Many).
LogBook entry & review by Earl Green
Review: Spending a lot of its running time on re-enacting the final couple of minutes of classic Trek that would ever grace our television sets in 1969, the first Star Trek Continues vignette effectively forms an extended coda for Turnabout Intruder, making the “Continues” part of its title very literal – it continues from that final scene.
Writer, showrunner and star Vic Mignogna makes an effective Captain Kirk here, but the brief glimpses of the rest of the main cast are barely enough to tell how well they’re stepping into their very large shoes. Todd Haberkorn seems far too soft-spoken as Spock here; part of what made Leonard Nimoy an unlikely ’60s sex symbol was the fact that he was physically imposing and had real presence: it was hard to keep your eyes off of Nimoy as Spock. Similarly, Chuck Huber’s McCoy is a bit too jokey, but isn’t really given a chance to show any dramatic chops in this piece. Chris Doohan brings Scotty eerily back to life, and Mythbuster Grant Imahara comes across as a very good Sulu with the one or two lines he has. Alena Van Arendonk is over-the-top as Janice Lester, but then again, so was the last actress who played that role on TV.
I’m unsure of the merits of tagging extra scenes onto the end of Turnabout Intruder. It does live up to the title of Star Trek Continues, certainly, but I’m uncomfortable passing judgement until this fan series gives us a new adventure for Kirk & company, rather than making their own extended dance remix of an existing episode, down to copying the camera angles and performances from 1969.
