Star Trek’s midlife crisis
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border-width:1px;” src=”http://aycu02.webshots.com/image/3601/2004256081430760726_rs.jpg” alt=”kirok” />As “Star Trek” turns 40, the franchise seems to be suffering from something of a midlife crisis. And, like quadragenerians everywhere, Trek is reacting by trying to reclaim its lost youth. Not only is the next Trek film slated to be the upcoming “Star Fleet Academy” flick, featuring young Kirk and Spock, but Paramount now plans to issue remastered versions of the original series, complete with CGI spaceships and digital crewmen. While I can live with “Star Fleet Academy”—the concept has been kicking around for decades—the remastered episodes are particularly irksome. Sure, you can do some great effects with CGI. But so what? Part of the fun of the original series is watching those clunky models go through their paces—and sometimes even experiencing real awe at what the model-builders were able to accomplish with stone knives and bearskins. What’s next? Digital Klingons with cranial ridges? As a Trek fan for well over 30 years (the first convention I attended was the unfortunately named “Star Trek Tennial” in 1976), I’d much rather commemorate the 40th by celebrating the old episodes as they were—not by trying, Lucas-style, to turn them into some kind of Disneyland simulacrum of the real thing (and let’s not forget that even Lucas has finally decided to reissue his originals). It’s no wonder that the Trek product generating the most buzz this anniversary year isn’t the remastered original series or the upcoming flick; instead, it’s the fan-produced “Star Trek New Voyages.” “New Voyages” is a loving tribute to the original series, with cheesy performances (James Cawley, pictured above, plays Kirk as something of a hybrid of Shatner, Jim Carrey and Elvis), inscruitable plots that weave story lines from a half-dozen episodes with winking nods at the fans (I still don’t know exactly what happened in “In Harms Way,” but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it), and sets and costumes that mimic the original series down to almost the last detail (no cranial ridges for these Klingons, yo). It’s no surprise, then, that episodes of the fan series include appearances by Walter Koenig and George Takei, and bear the imprimatur of Eugene “Rod” Roddenbery and D.C. Fontana. While Paramount is fixated on revising the past, “New Voyages” is an unabashed, unashamed celebration of Trek’s history, salt shakers and all. So, happy birthday, Trek. You’ll live long and prosper—with or without Paramount’s help.
