From the Captain’s Chair

Our “Kirkstarter 2.0” crowd funding effort is barely a week old, and we’ve reached our $100,000 goal for funding to produce new episodes.  More than 1,200 people have backed STAR TREK CONTINUES on Kickstarter this month, and now we’re hoping our fans can help us reach a “stretch goal” to build out an Engine Room for Mr. Scott! 

You can contribute here:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/trekcontinues/star-trek-continues-2015-kirkstarter-20?ref=card

We just finished studio shooting of the next STAR TREK CONTINUES episode, and the next few months will be filled with editing, music cues, color correction, and sound mixing to make certain that our fourth full-length episode meets everyone’s expectations.  We want STAR TREK CONTINUES to feel like our favorite show never got a cancellation notice. 

Spock Speaks

Reflecting on the importance of a successful Kickstarter campaign to keep the goodness of STAR TREK CONTINUES going, actor and parent Todd Haberkorn offers these thoughts about portraying the iconic Vulcan:

“It's such an honor to be a part of the grand sci-fi tapestry through STAR TREK.  I don't think there's a more influential property out there with its countless movies, TV series, books, comics, shirts, and even cooking aprons!   STAR TREK is part of a universal language of entertainment that nearly every corner of the world knows in some form or another.  And with that power, the stories that have come from the TREK world have tried to illustrate ideals that help to keep our real world intact.

Makeup Team Works to Recreate “The Look” of 1969 TV

Tim Vittetoe and Lisa Hansell are self-taught experts in special effects makeup who have paired years of trial and error with study of “everything ever published” by late makeup artist Dick Smith, who is probably best known for his work on The Godfather, The Exorcist, and Taxi Driver and for receiving a Governors Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

“We also learned beauty makeup through private instruction with five-time Emmy winning makeup artist Gil Mosko, who worked on STAR TREK: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine,” says Los Angeles-based Lisa Hansell.  So how did the husband and wife team of Tim and Lisa get connected with STAR TREK CONTINUES?  

Lighting The Future

Matt Bucy is a “Renaissance man” of many talents:  real estate developer, pilot, architect, and electronics wizard.  Vermont resident Bucy is on his town’s select board.  He runs a flying club.  And he is the director of photography for STAR TREK CONTINUES.

One of the most consistent comments (and compliments) about Matt’s work behind the camera comes from fans who say that STAR TREK CONTINUES has “nailed” the look and feel of what came out of Studios 9 and 10 on the Desilu lot.

And, in fact, the man behind the lens spent a great deal of time studying episodes of the original STAR TREK series to make note of how lighting was used to create depth, shadows, color, and texture.  As Director of Photography and Co-Producer of STAR TREK CONTINUES, Matt works to keep the finished product faithful to what the fans of The Original Series expect.

Galileo Flies Again

One of the biggest stars of “Fairest of Them All” didn’t need to be flown to the studio in Georgia to be seen in STAR TREK CONTINUES.  In fact, the production came to her!  Shuttlecraft Galileo attracted a whole film crew and actors to Space Center Houston for an intense late night shoot last spring.

Shuttlecraft Galileo is familiar to most fans in of the Original Series, but her story begins when the first episodes were being written.  Writers and producers of STAR TREK longed for a shuttlecraft to add dramatic tension to stories, and Enterprise designer Matt Jefferies had even made a provision on the rear of the ship for hangar bay.  But the production didn’t have the budget to create a space vehicle, so they reached out to interested parties who might build a shuttle.

Director’s Cut

Writer and Director James Kerwin shares the same passion for original series STAR TREK as everyone who has a hand in turning out new episodes that look like they could have been featured in a 1969 issue of TV Guide.

James directed “Fairest of Them All,” the episode that picked up where TOS’ “Mirror, Mirror” left off.

His comparison of footage shot at the studio in Georgia with the same clip after color correction, and the addition of sound effects and music reveals the startling transformation that occurs between shooting the raw files and creating a favorite STAR TREK CONTINUES episode.

Urgent Incoming Transmission! "Kirkstarter 2.0"

There’s less than 72 hours left to get your “piece of the action” with the STAR TREK CONTINUES Kirkstarter 2.0.  Thanks to the generosity of our fans, we’ve raised the funds to produce two additional episodes AND to build an engine room for Scotty! We’d like to do even more – including building a “planet” set and producing more episodes.   Our Kirkstarter wraps up on Monday, so please consider supporting our trek around the galaxy. Without you, we couldn’t produce award-winning episodes.   Have you heard? Episode 4 of STAR TREK CONTINUES will premiere at Phoenix Comicon 2015 in May, and we hope to see you there! Vic Mignogna has a special message for supporters, from the bridge of the Enterprise… CLICK HERE TO BACK THIS PROJECT