A lot of "Star Trek" fans, casual and crazed, can at least agree on one thing. Modern "Star Trek" sucks. From rapping Klingons to supposed 23rd century space explorers sounding like Southern California teenagers, the iconic franchise has most definitely become lost in space. But there is hope. No, not from Hollywood. They're a lost cause. It's from the people who actually care about these IP's in their heart, not their wallet. I'm talking, of course, about the fans.
If you love classic '60s "Star Trek" rejoice! "Star Trek Continues" is a faithful recreation of the look, tone and spirit of the original series. The care, the craftsmanship and the execution here are first rate. Just *chef's kiss*. You could splice a scene from this episode into one from classic "Trek" and I dare say the average viewer would be none the wiser. But this is no mere cosplay. This is actual storytelling.
Picking up right where the classic Original Series episode "Mirror, Mirror", left off, "Fairest of them all" shows the repercussions from the events of the latter as we follow the alternate Enterprise crew. The script is crisp, smart and perfectly captures the kind of dialog used in vintage "Star Trek.
Bringing it to life is a (mostly) very capable cast. Particularly good are Vic Mignogna as Captain Kirk, Todd Haberkorn as Mr. Spock and Grant Imahara and Christopher Doohan (Son of James) as Sulu and Scotty respectively. Mignogna has the most difficult job of the bunch, as it's nearly impossible to "do" Shatner without it lapsing into parody, but he never does.
"Fairest of them all" represents a guidepost for modern "Star Trek". If only they'll follow it.