Loved this fan-made knock-off of Star Trek TOS and after a recent discovery of all of the episodes on YouTube have been watching them all in sequence. Here the production crew get original writer DC Fontana to write the script and original actor Walter Koenig to do a Chekov tour-de-force, and the result is quite satisfying. The Enterprise is doing its regular gig of transporting delegates to Babel (reference: original episode Journey to Babel), and are being harried by an unknown ship. An accident in the engine room delivers a blast of radiation to Chekov, reigniting the aging sickness that picked up on Gamma Hydra IV (reference: original episode The Deadly Years). Chekov has to come to terms with his untimely death as the Enterpise is in danger of being vanquished by its shadowy foe.
The cool thing about this series is that there is no attempt, as in other spin-offs, to alter Star Trek. It is the most faithful possible reproduction that this crew can do of the original series, complete with characters, sets and music, and its purpose is solely to provide more episodes of the original five-year mission. The fanboys who produce the show display prodigious knowledge of and obvious care for the original.
Further, this episode is much more coherent and professional than the first two episodes of the series, due undoubtedly to Fontana's excellent script and Koenig's boffo performance. You are sitting there watching Chekov die, and the effect is pretty emotional. A heads up--make sure you watch all the way to the end, even after the credits, or you may miss something. Without revealing anything I will say that I thought the twist was brilliant.
The general effect is that, even if imperfect, it is astounding and wonderful that someone is actually trying to make new episodes of the Original Series. They are close enough to the real thing to leave you really satisfied.
The cool thing about this series is that there is no attempt, as in other spin-offs, to alter Star Trek. It is the most faithful possible reproduction that this crew can do of the original series, complete with characters, sets and music, and its purpose is solely to provide more episodes of the original five-year mission. The fanboys who produce the show display prodigious knowledge of and obvious care for the original.
Further, this episode is much more coherent and professional than the first two episodes of the series, due undoubtedly to Fontana's excellent script and Koenig's boffo performance. You are sitting there watching Chekov die, and the effect is pretty emotional. A heads up--make sure you watch all the way to the end, even after the credits, or you may miss something. Without revealing anything I will say that I thought the twist was brilliant.
The general effect is that, even if imperfect, it is astounding and wonderful that someone is actually trying to make new episodes of the Original Series. They are close enough to the real thing to leave you really satisfied.