Star Trek: Phase II

  • Edit source
  • View history

This article has a real-world perspective! Click here for more information.

Star Trek: Phase II (formerly known as Star Trek: New Voyages ) is a live-action fan film series created by Jack Marshall and James Cawley in April 2003, and funded by James' career as an Elvis tribute artist (voted #1 in the country by Elvis' personal associates in 1996) as well as original producer Jerry Yuen of Jack Marshall's "Cow Creek Films" production company. In addition to Cawley Entertainment Company, a volunteer troupe of fans formed Retro Film Studios, LLC to help continue the project. The series picks up where The Animated Series left off, filming season 5, and putting new actors into the original series roles.

This production has the blessing of Eugene Roddenberry, Jr (Gene Roddenberry's son) and operates under Paramount's radar, as long as they make no money from the production. Several actors who once appeared on the original Star Trek series have appeared in this production including Eddie Paskey and John Winston , who both guested in " Come What May ". In addition, former Star Trek: Communicator editor and current Star Trek Magazine contributor Larry Nemecek has had roles in "Come What May", " To Serve All My Days " and the recently-released "Vignette" episode " No-Win Scenario ".

  • 1.1 Enterprise crew
  • 2.1 Vignettes
  • 3 Rebranding to Phase II
  • 5 External links

Central characters [ ]

The series currently features the central characters of the USS Enterprise as well as several recurring characters. When other stories are added the cast will grow.

Enterprise crew [ ]

STNV MainCast low res

The three main characters at the beginning of production (from left): Spock (Jeff Quinn), Kirk (James Cawley) and McCoy (John Kelley).

STP2 2014 Big 3

2014 Promotional photo of the three current mains (from left): Brandon Stacy (Spock), Brian Gross (Kirk) and John Kelley (McCoy).

  • Captain James T. Kirk
  • Commander Spock
  • Doctor Leonard "Bones" McCoy
  • Lieutenant Nyota Uhura
  • Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott
  • Lieutenant Commander Hikaru Sulu
  • Lieutenant Pavel Chekov
  • Lieutenant Vincent DeSalle
  • Nurse Christine Chapel
  • Lieutenant/Yeoman Janice Rand
  • Ensign Peter Kirk
  • Lt. Sentell
  • Lt. Commander Prescott
  • Lt. Joesph Kyle

Episode listing [ ]

03 World Enough And Time Anomaly

The Enterprise passes through a spatial anomaly. ( World Enough and Time )

Vignettes [ ]

  • " Center Seat "
  • " No-Win Scenario "
  • " 1701 Pennsylvania Avenue "
  • " Going Boldly "

These vignettes were to be released in a staggered schedule but the remainder have been scrapped. This is, according to producer/"Kirk" actor James Cawley, due to the poor quality of the footage compared to the high definition episodes now being released. It was only due to the efforts of Phase 2 actor/stunt coordinator John Carrigan (with assistance from Graham O'Hare , and Pony R. Horton ) that "No-Win Scenario" was completed and released in 2011, some six years after it was filmed.

1 These episodes are on indefinite hold as a result of the CBS/Paramount Fan-Film Guidelines as of June 2016.

Rebranding to Phase II [ ]

During an appearance at the Farpoint Science Fiction Media Convention in Baltimore, Maryland on 16 February 2008, James Cawley announced a rebranding of New Voyages to become Star Trek: Phase II. The renamed series will continue to follow the remaining two years of James T. Kirk's original five-year mission while bridging the gap between the three seasons of the original Star Trek television series and Star Trek: The Motion Picture .

  • On 3 May 2004, TrekToday announced that Eugene Roddenberry Jr. had endorsed New Voyages , accepting a position on the production staff as "Consulting Producer". [1] He later provided the voice of the Timepiece Guard in "In Harm's Way". Other guest stars in this episode included Barbara Luna , William Windom and Malachi Throne .
  • In March 2005, Walter Koenig was signed to reprise his TOS character Pavel Chekov in "To Serve All My Days", written by TOS/TNG writer D.C. Fontana [2] . Koenig introduced the premiere showing of the episode at the Planet Xpo Star Trek: 40th Anniversary Gala Celebration and Conference on 8 September 2006 [3] , and has since previewed it at several other convention appearances. The episode was officially released Thanksgiving Day 2006. This episode also featured Mary-Linda Rapelye as Ambassador Rayna Morgan.
  • George Takei appeared as his character Hikaru Sulu , captain of the USS Excelsior in the third "production episode" (fourth release), "World Enough and Time", written by Marc Scott Zicree (who also directed the episode) and Michael Reaves [4] . This episode also featured Grace Lee Whitney as communications officer of the Excelsior Janice Rand .
  • "Blood and Fire" was written by David Gerrold , with the teleplay by Gerrold and Carlos Pedraza (a producer for Star Trek: Hidden Frontier ) [5] .
  • Former Star Trek stuntwoman Leslie Hoffman served as stunt coordinator on the series up to and including the "Blood and Fire" episodes. John Carrigan (who also plays recurring Klingon character Kargh ) took over as stunt coordinator with "The Child".

External links [ ]

  • Star Trek: New Voyages series website
  • James Cawley talks to TrekMovie.com
  • Star Trek: New Voyages en español
  • Star Trek: New Voyages Becomes Star Trek: Phase II
  • Star Trek New Voyages/Phase II webpage at Star Trek Reviewed
  • Fan Film Friday about NV/P2's "Mind-Sifter"
  • 1 Dominion War
  • 2 USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-H) (Endurance class)
  • 3 Wesley Crusher
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews

Star Trek Phase II

George Takei, James Cawley, and John M. Kelley in Star Trek Phase II (2004)

These are the new voyages of the starship Enterprise. Picking up from where the original 5-year mission left-off, a new cast continues the adventures of this legendary crew: to boldly go whe... Read all These are the new voyages of the starship Enterprise. Picking up from where the original 5-year mission left-off, a new cast continues the adventures of this legendary crew: to boldly go where no human has ever gone before & to search for new life forms. These are the new voyages of the starship Enterprise. Picking up from where the original 5-year mission left-off, a new cast continues the adventures of this legendary crew: to boldly go where no human has ever gone before & to search for new life forms.

  • Gene Roddenberry
  • Charles Root
  • John M. Kelley
  • James Cawley
  • 67 User reviews
  • 1 win & 5 nominations

Episodes 19

Jacy King and Brandon Stacy in Star Trek Phase II (2004)

  • Dr. McCoy …

Ron Boyd

  • Mr. Spock …

Jay Storey

  • See all cast & crew
  • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

Star Trek Continues

Did you know

  • Trivia Although this is a "non-official" Star Trek incarnation, "Paramount Pictures" which owns the name and the rights to Star Trek, agreed to allow the producers of "New Voyages" to make these episodes on the condition that no profit was to be garnered from the show.
  • Connections Featured in Backyard Blockbusters (2012)

User reviews 67

  • fantasmic1971
  • Jun 21, 2005
  • How many seasons does Star Trek Phase II have? Powered by Alexa
  • Why Kirk, Spock and McCoy? Why not new characters set in the same timeline?
  • How is the production financed?
  • What is the premise of the new show?
  • January 16, 2004 (United States)
  • United States
  • Official Facebook
  • Official site
  • Star Trek New Voyages
  • Los Angeles, California, USA
  • Cawley Entertainment Company
  • Cow Creek Productions
  • Retro Studios
  • See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

  • Runtime 45 minutes

Related news

Contribute to this page.

George Takei, James Cawley, and John M. Kelley in Star Trek Phase II (2004)

  • See more gaps
  • Learn more about contributing

More to explore

Production art

Recently viewed

We will keep fighting for all libraries - stand with us!

Internet Archive Audio

star trek phase 2 fan series

  • This Just In
  • Grateful Dead
  • Old Time Radio
  • 78 RPMs and Cylinder Recordings
  • Audio Books & Poetry
  • Computers, Technology and Science
  • Music, Arts & Culture
  • News & Public Affairs
  • Spirituality & Religion
  • Radio News Archive

star trek phase 2 fan series

  • Flickr Commons
  • Occupy Wall Street Flickr
  • NASA Images
  • Solar System Collection
  • Ames Research Center

star trek phase 2 fan series

  • All Software
  • Old School Emulation
  • MS-DOS Games
  • Historical Software
  • Classic PC Games
  • Software Library
  • Kodi Archive and Support File
  • Vintage Software
  • CD-ROM Software
  • CD-ROM Software Library
  • Software Sites
  • Tucows Software Library
  • Shareware CD-ROMs
  • Software Capsules Compilation
  • CD-ROM Images
  • ZX Spectrum
  • DOOM Level CD

star trek phase 2 fan series

  • Smithsonian Libraries
  • FEDLINK (US)
  • Lincoln Collection
  • American Libraries
  • Canadian Libraries
  • Universal Library
  • Project Gutenberg
  • Children's Library
  • Biodiversity Heritage Library
  • Books by Language
  • Additional Collections

star trek phase 2 fan series

  • Prelinger Archives
  • Democracy Now!
  • Occupy Wall Street
  • TV NSA Clip Library
  • Animation & Cartoons
  • Arts & Music
  • Computers & Technology
  • Cultural & Academic Films
  • Ephemeral Films
  • Sports Videos
  • Videogame Videos
  • Youth Media

Search the history of over 866 billion web pages on the Internet.

Mobile Apps

  • Wayback Machine (iOS)
  • Wayback Machine (Android)

Browser Extensions

Archive-it subscription.

  • Explore the Collections
  • Build Collections

Save Page Now

Capture a web page as it appears now for use as a trusted citation in the future.

Please enter a valid web address

  • Donate Donate icon An illustration of a heart shape

Star Trek New Voyages: Phase II

Video item preview, share or embed this item, flag this item for.

  • Graphic Violence
  • Explicit Sexual Content
  • Hate Speech
  • Misinformation/Disinformation
  • Marketing/Phishing/Advertising
  • Misleading/Inaccurate/Missing Metadata

plus-circle Add Review comment Reviews

10,232 Views

20 Favorites

DOWNLOAD OPTIONS

In collections.

Uploaded by notriddle on September 22, 2021

SIMILAR ITEMS (based on metadata)

  • Show Spoilers
  • Night Vision
  • Sticky Header
  • Highlight Links

star trek phase 2 fan series

Follow TV Tropes

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/WebVideo/StarTrekNewVoyages

Web Video / Star Trek: New Voyages

Edit locked.

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/weat_poster_6350.jpg

James Cawley plays the role of Captain James Kirk in what's supposed to be the fourth year of the Enterprise 's original five-year mission. Starting with "Mind-Sifter", Brian Gross has taken over the role of Kirk.

To date, eleven episodes have been released - "Come What May" (the pilot episode) "In Harm's Way", "To Serve All My Days", "World Enough and Time", "Blood and Fire" (a two-part episode written by original series scribe David Gerrold), "Enemy: Starfleet!", "The Child" and "Kitumba" (both adapted from scripts written for the original Star Trek: Phase II series, the former of which became Star Trek: The Motion Picture .), "Mind-Sifter", and "The Holiest Thing". As the series has been discontinued mid-production, the episodes "Bread and Savagery" and "The Protracted Man" are in limbo.

Four short vignettes - "Center Seat", "No Win Scenario", "1701 Pennsylvania Ave" and "Going Boldly" (which introduces a new actor for Kirk) - have also been released.

Tropes associated with this work include:

  • All Just a Dream ... Or Was It a Dream? : The episode "To Serve All My Days", in which Chekhov is afflicted with Rapid Aging to the point where he may have died, has a final scene at the end of the closing credits that may suggest that most of the whole episode was just a dream he had .
  • Book Ends : The beginning and ending parts of "World Enough And Time".

star trek phase 2 fan series

  • The Bus Came Back : LIEUTENANT Rand is on the bridge of the Enterprise , prompting Kirk to record "The more things change, the more they remain the same."
  • Cut Short : Much like the show on which it was based , New Voyages never got a proper conclusion due to Cawley's decision to cease production after CBS instituted their new fanfilm guidelines.
  • Downer Ending : "To Serve All My Days", which turns out to be just a dream .
  • Expy : Ensign Isel for Ilia , due to being set before the original Phase II would have been (She's Deltan but appears to have a full head of hair — until you see the various wigs in her quarters. Apparently she just likes to wear them.)
  • Subverted in "Blood and Fire" when Kirk asks Bones to solve a deadly disease that's baffled doctors for a century. Before McCoy even opens his mouth, Kirk says "I know, I know, you're a doctor, not a miracle worker."
  • Played straight in "The Holiest Thing" when Kirk realizes Spock basically accused one of Carol Marcus' recently killed teammates of causing the explosion that blew up their base.
  • Leaning on the Fourth Wall : In "Kitumba", the bridge crew is speculating as to the state of the Klingon Empire in 100 years' time. Bones comments that he's glad he won't be around to see it; prompting the camera to linger on the four Enterprise crewmembers who will indeed make appearances in about 100 years' time during the TNG -era: Bones (" Encounter at Farpoint "), Spock (" Unification "), Scotty (" Relics "), and Kirk ( Star Trek: Generations ).
  • Literary Allusion Title : "World Enough And Time" is from the first line of "To His Coy Mistress", a poem by Andrew Marvell : "Had we but world enough, and time, this coyness, lady, were no crime."
  • Lower-Deck Episode : The vignette "Center Seat" features Lt. Sulu and Lt. DeSalle. (In the original series, DeSalle appeared in three episodes - "Catspaw", "The Squire of Gothos" and "This Side of Paradise". )
  • Not Even Bothering with the Accent : The actor playing McCoy makes no effort to mimic DeForest Kelley's signature drawl. The guy playing Scotty at least tries .
  • Rapid Aging : Chekhov in "To Serve All My Days", with the older version played by the character's original actor Walter Koenig.
  • Ripple-Effect-Proof Memory : The fan episode "In Harm's Way" treads similar ground to the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "The City on the Edge of Forever"; history is altered such that the Federation is fighting a losing war against a fleet of Doomsday Machines, and Kirk and his crew are stationed aboard the USS Farragut , with a Klingon first officer. Only Spock, who was engaged in studying the Guardian of Forever when the change took place, remembers the way things are "supposed" to be.
  • Set Right What Once Went Wrong : "In Harm's Way"
  • Special Guest : Walter Koenig as an older Chekhov in "To Serve All My Days", George Takei as an older Hikaru Sulu in "World Enough And Time", Grace Lee Whitney as Janice Rand, Denise Crosby as Dr. Jenna Yar.
  • The Stinger : The last scene at the end of the credits for the episode "To Serve All My Days".
  • Timey-Wimey Ball : "In Harm's Way" shows an alternate time-line where the Doomsday Weapon (from the original series episode "The Doomsday Weapon") was sent back through time, where it destroyed the Enterprise under command of Christopher Pike and proceeded to multiply and wreak havoc throughout the galaxy. Years later, Kirk is in command of the USS Farragut (with a Klingon first officer), and is summoned by Spock to the planet Gateway (home of the Guardian of Forever) in order to lead a mission into the past to destroy the Doomsday Machine before it could destroy Pike's Enterprise and threaten all life throughout the galaxy. Added to the mix later on are Admiral Kirk and Mr. Spock from 10 years later, attempting to avert the accident that left Pike a vegetable.
  • Trapped in the Past : In "In Harm's Way", Kirk, Spock and McCoy learn that Commodore Decker survived his suicide run against the Doomsday Weapon, only to be sent back to the 1990s. He spent the last years of his life at the beginning of the 21st century, and left a farewell video tape for Kirk. William Windom, the actor who played Decker originally, reprised his role for this episode.
  • Year Outside, Hour Inside : "World Enough And Time" has Sulu and a Red Shirt specialist transported to another dimension while the Enterprise was trying to beam them out of the Romulan ship inside a multidimensional spatial anomaly that they are trapped in. Sulu and the specialist apparently spent years inside that dimension during which he had fathered a daughter through her, which explains why he appears on the Enterprise as an older man (played by the character's original actor George Takei).
  • Star Trek Continues
  • Science Fiction Web Originals

Important Links

  • Action Adventure
  • Commercials
  • Crime & Punishment
  • Professional Wrestling
  • Speculative Fiction
  • Sports Story
  • Animation (Western)
  • Music And Sound Effects
  • Print Media
  • Sequential Art
  • Tabletop Games
  • Applied Phlebotinum
  • Characterization
  • Characters As Device
  • Narrative Devices
  • British Telly
  • The Contributors
  • Creator Speak
  • Derivative Works
  • Laws And Formulas
  • Show Business
  • Split Personality
  • Truth And Lies
  • Truth In Television
  • Fate And Prophecy
  • Edit Reasons
  • Isolated Pages
  • Images List
  • Recent Videos
  • Crowner Activity
  • Un-typed Pages
  • Recent Page Type Changes
  • Trope Entry
  • Character Sheet
  • Playing With
  • Creating New Redirects
  • Cross Wicking
  • Tips for Editing
  • Text Formatting Rules
  • Handling Spoilers
  • Administrivia
  • Trope Repair Shop
  • Image Pickin'

Advertisement:

star trek phase 2 fan series

TrekMovie.com

  • March 31, 2024 | ‘BioTrekkie With The Admiral’ YouTube Series Returns For ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Season 5
  • March 31, 2024 | Star Trek Merch: TOS Art Poster, EXO Ensign Ro, “Subspace Rhapsody” On Vinyl, And More
  • March 30, 2024 | NATO Explains Why The Theme For ‘Star Trek: First Contact’ Was Played At Sweden’s Induction Ceremony
  • March 30, 2024 | ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Season 5 Interview: David Ajala And Doug Jones On Saying Goodbye To Book And Saru
  • March 29, 2024 | ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Picks Up Two Hugo Award Nominations

Breaking: Star Trek Phase II Fan Series Recasts Their Kirk – Exclusive First Look & Details

| June 20, 2012 | By: Anthony Pascale 226 comments so far

star trek phase 2 fan series

New Kirk for Star Trek: Phase II – Cawley To Focus On Producing Series

James Cawley has sat in the captains chair of the popular fan series Star Trek: Phase II since it originally launched (under the name Star Trek: New Voyages ) in 2004. Cawley has worn two hats, as both executive producer and star of the show, which has so far released seven "new" episodes emulating the original Star Trek . But this week that all changed with a brand new actor stepping into the role of Captain James T. Kirk.

Cawley tells TrekMovie that he has made the decision that he wants the cast to all be trained and experienced actors, including the role of Kirk which he has played for the last eight year. While Cawley has a successful performance career as an Elvis impersonator, he is not a professional actor. So he decided to focus on being the executive producer and earlier this year he began a search to find a new Kirk. The actor he chose was Brian Gross who is not only a big fan of Star Trek, but also has many screen credits to his name.

star trek phase 2 fan series

Gross has been in a number of feature films, including a supporting role in George Lucas’ 2012 film Red Tails . The 33 year-old actor also has a long list of guest spots and recurring roles on network TV shows including NCIS: Los Angeles , CSI: New York , Psych , Saving Grace , and Cold Case . Cawley tells TrekMovie "not only does he have the right look, resembling Shatner, but he has the balls to back it up."

And the recasting of Kirk is only part of what Cawley is calling a "relaunch" of the fan series. He is also planning some additional changes, to be announced later.

The Phase II crew is currently shooting "Bread and Savagery," which will be Gross’ first appearance as Kirk. It is a sequel to the original Star Trek episode "Bread and Circuses." Cawley tells TrekMovie that he usually doesn’t like to do sequels but he felt that the story (written by sci-fi novelist Rick Chambers) was so strong, they had to do it. The production (helmed by horror movie director Mark Burchett) is already on its fourth day and should wrap by the end of the month.

star trek phase 2 fan series

Star Trek: Phase 2’s “Bread and Savagery” should be released online in 2013.

More details on Gross, the new episode, and the schedule for the remaining unreleased episodes starring Cawley that are still in post-production are forthcoming. Look for other updates on Phase II here at TrekMovie soon.

UPDATE: Brian Gross Showreel

Here is a 2008 show reel, featuring some of Brian Gross’ TV work up to that date.

This is unbelievable. I took so much flack from people here earlier this year when I humbly suggested that Cawley, who is the Gene Rodenberry of fan productions (I love the guy!), would be best served leading the production and recasting Kirk.

Kudos to Cawley on this move. There’s a lot of ego-perks to being the “star”. Most people wouldn’t have the self-awareness, or selflessness, to even consider that someone else might be a better fit in their very personal project..

Obviously I have no idea whether Gross really WILL be a better fit, but if Cawley believes so enough to step aside himself, then I am confident it’s the right move.

He looks great let’s hope he does well portraying Captain Kirk

OMG….I am sad to see him go…but happy they have someone in his place, that actually resembles Kirk….now they need to recast McCoy…not doing it for me…

Good move. I never liked Cawley’s Kirk. He’s a great guy who has made a great show, but I felt like his performance was a bit too amateurish. (of course I never brought it up before for fear of being ripped apart by the fans…)

Very interesting. Maybe this move will result in more episodes. They are so few and far between, and I really look forward to seeing them. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate James Cawley for everything has done for Star Trek. I actually enjoyed his take on Kirk, but I am curious to see the new guy perform the role. Phase II is really great, and a real gift to fans of the original series.

I find the timing of the decison and the reveal to be a little telling lol, you know just following the recent press coverage and excitement and building buzz surrounding the Star Trek Continues series.

Ive given watching phase II plenty of chances, but never really could get into it. However the Continues series from the get go looks like its going to be top notch on the performance side as well as visually.

With this and this “relaunch/reboot” talk I’m getting the feeling these two TOS “continuation” fanseries are in a hot war with each other. This should be interesting.

I think I can safely speak for the cast and crew and say that we here at Phase II are heartbroken. James will always be Captain Kirk to us. But we know, sadly, this is for the best. With James back to work pretty much full time as Elvis it could be years before we’d be able to film a new episode with him in the Captain’s chair.

Thank God he showed the true leadership he has always had and went after and found a very good, experienced and well known actor to fill the role. Brian is an AMAZING young man….down to Earth, fun, and without a drop of that Kirk ego that is coming across in his frighteningly good performances.

It’s been hot as hell up here on our sets, but it’s been sheer heaven working with both James and Brian. Truly, the best of times!!!

The KIrk hair could use a bit of tweaking. Too much of a part on the side of the head. And it needs more of a wave in the front! After watching Shatner’s hair for all these years, I can’t help commenting…

He looks like a lot like the new Kirk in the Star Trek Continues fan-based series also just getting underway…

I’ve commented that the amatuer actors needed to step up their game. They needed acting lessons. That’s not an insult. If I were going to sing in public, I would certainly train for it. It’s great that James Cawley really cares about his product.

Right now with his production and the other fan Star Trek production, these are the only quasi-TV Star Trek shows in the game. I hope these shows are so successful that CBS may take notice. Best Wishes.

I always appreciated the fact that this is James Cawley’s baby and that he could do as he pleased with it. I kept my mind open and went along for the ride. The production values always amazed me, the writing was usually very good, and I was happy just to get some Trekkin’ on a semi-regular basis. That James was willing to step aside for the improvement of the production is a class move- but I would continue to a fan of his under any circumstance. Thank you Mr. Cawley for all that you do for fandom!

Good luck to them all. I look forward to seeing the new episode!

Recast is never an easy task and recastin the lead role even less…!! It’s a bold move from Cawley and a very smart one, as to say. I know he has some other projects running in parallel so probably he can be much more sucessful just taking the role of producer and let the dream to continue…! ;) Once I had a dream to do what he acomplished… So, I admire him and his sucess. He is now a man who is a fan and told the fans than some other dreams can come true…! And this is such a wonderful thing…! I wish good luck to the guys on the “Phase II” project…! May all dreams can come true…! And keep on trekking…!! ;)

Recast is never an easy task and recasting the lead role even less…!! It’s a bold move from Cawley and a very smart one, as to say. I know he has some other projects running in parallel so probably he can be much more successful just taking the role of producer and let the dream to continue…! ;) Once I had a dream to do what he accomplished… So, I admire him and his success. He is now a man who is a fan and told the fans than some other dreams can come true…! And this is such a wonderful thing…! I wish good luck to the guys on the “Phase II” project and to the “new Kirk”…! May all dreams can keep coming true…! And keep on trekking…!! ;)

Cawley was terrible as Kirk and his holding of the role was clearly nothing more than to self serve his own childhood fantasy. Credit to him for now deciding to put the piece before his own personal interest,

I actually enjoyed Cawley as Kirk. You got a sense of the passion he has for the character.

My feelings on this?

Sad, yet excited. If the new guy can act as good as he looks, Kirk-wise that is. It should be good.

#4 That McCoy is pretty good.

Here’s Brian’s showreel

Oops – showreel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5iEmj0moWw

@9 Strange that there is no mention of James’ decision to step down on either the Phase 2 web-site or forum…

Captain’s Log – supplemental… I saw the show-reel for the “new Kirk”… It seems he got the looks… But his voice (and maybe the interpretation) is not “all that”… Just a sensation… OUT.

I believe this was a great move if it works out – and made for the best of the franchise you are developing – that took guts and a moment of self sacrifice… I think the productions are great.. it is like constantly looking at the site when the next available shows are online… see you are looking for funds to help out—would this speed up production at all? if so what about kickstarter and share there? that would get the word out…

love you guys and the sacrifices and all the work you are putting into this!

Elvis has left the bridge.

Still love you guys! Mark my words, controlled-budget online productions are on the rise, bigtime!!!

I always liked Crawley, but a cast of professional actors is a great idea. I mean this with no disrespect, but they also really need to recast scotty. the accent is beyond laughable (my parents are Scottish). dohans wasn’t perfect, but he was a great character and well acted.

be interesting to see if this or Continues turns out best…

Lookin’ good so far, but I will be reserving final judgment. I’m a big fan of Cawley and how he’s handled the character so far.

@25 I could not agree more. While I respect what this group has been doing, the Phase II version of Scotty is an insult.

Is it just me or does this new actor Gross looks a little like Gene Roddenberry Jr. to anybody else?

A little competition between the fan series could be very interested.

@21 Nearly everyone involved with Phase II is likely up at the shoot where internet is hard to come by easily and updates to the website are difficult while filming and/or exhausted from filming. :-) Cut them slack–they’re working hard to bring you Star Trek. (There’s no internet at the studio. It’s hard to come by internet in that whole town!)

@25 His name is Cawley, not Crawley. ;-)

@25 and @27 I quite like Charles Root’s Scotty.

> 30. Dave Galanter

I like Charles Root, but his performance and accent as Scotty are pretty shaky.

@31 I disagree about Root’s performance. I’ve come to quite like his Scott from his early days, and remember they’ve filmed a lot you’ve not seen yet. :)

To be honest, I pretty much consider this non-news. These fan films are pretty weak in terms of writing, and basically come down to adults who can’t act playing dress-up. Plus, when you factor in the behind-the-scenes shenanigans (one group stealing sets from another, a writer claiming to own a script when she’s merely adapting someone else’s work and thus not actually writing anything new, etc.), my desire to watch these productions diminishes even more. The sets and costumes are impressive, sure, but that’s about it. Star Trek, in my opinion, is the movies, any future TV shows, and the licensed spinoff comics, novels and so forth. For me, this isn’t Star Trek–it’s amateurish cosplaying.

I enjoy the Phase II shows. They have gotten much better, production value wise. They look more proffesional. And as far as writing and acting goes, there is none better in the fan film world. Wihat I want to know is what ever happened to Mr. Cawleys “Buck Rogers” project?

Ya know, old lies never die, they just keep being rehashed because folks believe everything they read on the internet.

FACT: No one stole sets from anybody. Ask those that are actually in the productions instead of someone with an axe to grind because they don’t like somebody.

James and the other Executive Producers have done some amazing work with Phase II. It is indeed a bold move to recast Kirk. I applaud him for the move.

This is not a contest to see who is better. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. We do this for ourselves. We share it because it is in our nature. Like it or leave it. I don’t care. Comments like Dandru’s are nothing more than self-serving to bring some attention to himself. Lame!

I’ve always liked James Cawley as Kirk, and to echo Patty… I’m heartbroken he has chosen to step down from the role.

But, I trust James and if he has decided to pass the baton to Brian, then I’ll look forward to seeing what Brian is going to bring to the role.

I think Doc John IS McCoy. I can’t imagine anyone better for the role.

Charles Root does a good job as Scotty. He’s not doing a Jimmy Doohan imitation. He is doing his own interpretation of the character that I like.

I’m looking forward to seeing what Chris Doohan does with Scotty on Star Trek Continues. He would be the only other person that I would like to see in the role.

I think people are way to harsh about the acting. A lot of the TOS actors were pretty cheesy too…

I think this can put to rest all the false accusations that James is an ego maniac. He stepped aside for the good of the production. James is about entertaining, not about James. He is a very kind, down to earth person.

I’m looking forward to meeting the new Uhura, and to see what the other surprises the relaunch has in store for us.

@Michael Bednar – I really wish people would stop pitting the various productions against each other.

I know that stuff has happened. We can’t go back and change them.

As someone else observed, this is not a “zero sum game.” STC does not take away from P2. It just means there will be more Trek.

I’ve always liked the Starship Farragut production, and was very happy that you got your new studio and built your own sets. And especially happy that you’re sharing them with STC.

This makes sense to me. And is good for the fan film genre.

I wish Farragut and STC the best of luck. Admittedly, I’m unhappy about certain things, but I’m going to follow your lead, and James Cawley’s lead and not be one of those attacking STC or Farragut.

That would be like biting ones nose off to spite ones face.

@7 – You’re right, the timing of the relaunch is not a coincidence as far as I can tell. Instead of badmouthing other productions, the Phase II team has decided to up their game in response.

I’m sure this will start a healthy competition between the two productions, the result of which will be the best Trek ever produced.

I applaud the high road that Phase II is taking. I’m 100% on board.

I’ve known James Cawley for some years now. If the man has one great flaw it’s that he doesn’t like to let people down. As flaws go, it’s probably the best one someone could have.

WOW! A real life, authentic, TOS KIRK!!!

Does he come bubble wrapped?

Best casting move I have seen in Trek since Picard.

The series has always excelled as a fan production, but it had it’s limits…some, of which, made it hard to watch at time. This has the possibility to take this series to a whole new level. And I’m sure, for Cawley, it also is a chance to stir things up a bit and keep it interesting. Even playing Jim Kirk has to get old at some point. I haven’t tuned into an episode in a long while, but I’ll be their for the new launch. Very interesting that we also have the launch of that other series with a new Kirk and crew just around the corner. May the best Kirk win!

@33. Looks like you are todays designated whipping boy. Keep a stiff upper lip now….

It takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears to put together a production like this for a network, let alone a fan-based production where all the money comes out of the pockets of one or two people. I have always held James Cawley in high esteem for not only the decision to do this production in the first place, but to keep improving and stretching the boundaries.

His decision to recast Kirk is another step in the maturation process as a producer. It’s always hard to let go of something like this – I know, I’m a video producer and a videographer, but I find myself having to do less and less videography, and it’s tough not to have that hands-on control. But sometimes in order to hold on you have to let go, and perhaps James felt the production would be better served by having someone else in the captain’s chair. This way he’ll be able to redirect his energies to, hopefully, putting out product more often and improving the quality of the acting.

But the main thing to remember is that this is James’ thing. It’s his labor of love. I can’t see how being as critical of his project as we are of, say, J. J. Abrams is productive in any way. Cawley could say tomorrow, you know what, screw you guys, I’m done. But this is obviously something he wants to do, and puts a lot of effort into. He’s not a network executive or a Hollywood producer – he’s a guy with some money and a dream.

I wish him the best in his endeavors, and hope Phase II continues on.

Having said that, though, I think they ought to part Gross’ hair on the other side. :-)

Never mind – just saw a promo still of the Shat as Kirk, and the hair is right.

This guy’s got the look, no question.

Cawley has done a lot in the furtherance of Star Trek. I didn’t embrace his performance as Kirk (not because he couldn’t act but because his whole presence didn’t match the character) but I do have the deepest respect for him and his crew. Best of luck.

Smart move.

Some of the acting and writing has been not quite there and tightening those little things could give them a much better product.

Took a look at Gross’s show reel – wow. The guy’s got skills and substantial professional onscreen experience. Good and good.

I think it’s great. But let’s not forget how much effort Cawley has put in.

My biggest complaint about Phase II is how long it takes for an episode to come out. It may be several years before we see this guy.

Of course, I get why. It’s not a TV show with a TV budget. These guys don’t make money off it, and do it on their own dime. So despite not liking the wait, I appreciate the effort tremendously.

My interaction with Brian was nothing but positive, what an incredibly nice guy, and talented actor. Especially give his introduction to the sets was at 100 degrees with 98% humidity, enough to make anyone want to turn and run to the nearest A/C unit!

As for Phase 2, we don’t compete with anyone. All Trek Fan Films have their positives and negatives. We wish nothing but the best for the folks at Star Trek Continues, or for that matter any group of people that want to take on the difficult task of recreating the adventures of the USS Enterprise. It’s a huge sandbox, Phase 2 doesn’t own it, there’s no real gain from producing these episodes other than the fun from doing them, therefor there’s no competition.

@25 & @27 I’m sorry you don’t like my Scotty, it is certainly not my intention to “Insult” you. I’m not trying to mimic James Doohan, nor do a perfect Scottish accent, as I’ll be the first to admit I can’t. If you look through the catalog of film, there are a lot of actors that do a lot of bad accents, it’s a tough thing to not only learn all your lines, and how to deliver them, but now put an accent on it. It’s a whole new layer that most actors don’t have to deal with. I take solace in knowing that James Doohan himself said he wasn’t going for a 100% authentic Scottish accent when he was playing Scotty.

@34 As one of the producers of “Buck Rogers Begins” there’s no secret behind why the production stopped, we ran out of money, and exceeded the production time of our license to the franchise. Hopefully someday we can get that all back on track, because there is some marvelous footage from it already shot and edited.

Star Trek: Phase II (fan series)

Star Trek: Phase II (previously Star Trek: New Voyages ) is a fan series based on the popular science fiction television series Star Trek: The Original Series .

  • 1.1 (From Episode 4.00: Pilot Episode of the 4th Season: "Come What May")
  • 1.2 (From Episode 4.01: "In Harms Way")
  • 1.3 (From the vignette, "Center Seat" -chronologically between episodes 4.01 and 4.02)
  • 1.4 (From Episode 4.02: "To Serve All My Days")
  • 3 External links

Dialogue [ edit ]

(from episode 4.00: pilot episode of the 4th season: "come what may") [ edit ], (from episode 4.01: "in harms way") [ edit ], (from the vignette, "center seat" -chronologically between episodes 4.01 and 4.02) [ edit ], (from episode 4.02: "to serve all my days") [ edit ], cast [ edit ], external links [ edit ].

  • Star Trek: New Voyages official website
  • Star Trek: New Voyages official mirror
  • Star Trek: New Voyages quotes at the Internet Movie Database
  • Star Trek: New Voyages for download via BitTorrent ; episodes and DVD images available.
  • Trek Stars Join Fan Series (10/5/04) on SciFi Wire (scifi.com).
  • Interview with Walter Koenig on Slice of Scifi
  • Suellentrop, Chris (December 2005). Where No Fan Has Gone Before . Wired , pp. 248–255.
  • Interview with Jack Marshall on Slice of SciFi
  • Star Trek: New Voyages at StarTrek.com (6/20/2006)

star trek phase 2 fan series

Navigation menu

Den of Geek

Star Trek: Phase II: the First Professional Fan Film?

Fan produced Star Trek series Phase II may not be as fannish as it first seemed. A new statement suggests a level of professional involvement in the "franchise" that was previously unsuspected...

star trek phase 2 fan series

  • Share on Facebook (opens in a new tab)
  • Share on Twitter (opens in a new tab)
  • Share on Linkedin (opens in a new tab)
  • Share on email (opens in a new tab)

Star Trek fans can’t get enough of their favourite show. There are ten movies already with a high profile, $160 million new project on the way, 600 TV episodes, a gazillion novels and a bunch of comics. And yet, fans still want more – so they make their own Star Trek .

Filmed with high resolution digital cameras on authentic looking replica sets, Star Trek: Phase II (previously known as New Voyages ) takes over where the original Star Trek ended – co-opting the name that Gene Roddenbury chose for his failed attempt to revive the original series on the small screen. Playing out the archetypal fan fantasy, a plucky bunch of Trek -nerds recast themselves as their Sci-Fi heroes, facing the same jeopardy, saying the same lines, wearing the same velour jerseys and ill-fitting trousers as the original Kirk, Spock and McCoy.

Phase II isn’t the only Trek fan film on the block. Star Trek: Exeter and Star Trek: Hidden Frontier are also contenders as fan favourites. Still, the “series” which has so far released four episodes, is eminently notable for the talent it attracts. Former Chekov actor Walter Koenig appeared in the Dorothy Fontana penned episode To Serve All My Days . That’s the same DC Fontana who acted as script editor on the original series and Star Trek: The Next Generation .

Though the first two episodes of New Voyages were decidedly shaky, with amateur acting, fan fiction narratives and poor CGI, the series came on several leaps and bounds with the Fontana-penned episode. There were outstanding performances from Koenig and young actor Andy Bray, both playing Ensign Pavel Chekov. Production values rose to match the quality of the script and talent on screen.

Ad – content continues below

The latest entry, World Enough and Time stars George Takei reprising his role as helmsman Sulu and was written by former DS9 scribes Marc Zicree and Michael Reeves. The episode was so well received that it won a TV Guide award for best web based media – up against Lost and Battlestar Galactica . The screenplay has been nominated for the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writer’s of America’s highest trinket – the Nebula, in the same category as the Doctor Who episode Blink and dark fantasy Pan’s Labyrinth .

And there the controversy begins.

There’s a dispute bubbling among SFWA members as to the professional legitimacy of Star Trek: Phase II . From an outside perspective the argument seems a bit churlish – opponents say that World Enough … isn’t a professional production so it shouldn’t be eligible at all. One of the loudest voices is Keith R.A. DeCandido, a science fiction writer who specialises in tie-in novels – a category that the Nebulas have traditionally shown antipathy towards. In a post on his LiveJournal blog, Candido says:

“Look, this isn’t a knock on the fan films as such. But that’s what they are — they’re fan films. They are not professionally produced. What’s more, they’re unauthorized and, by the letter of the law, illegal. In fact, one of the reasons why they’re not prosecuted, is because they don’t turn a profit, which is one of the legion of ways that they’re not professionally produced…”

Now World Enough and Time director Marc Zicree has weighed in with his point of view in a statement prepared for the SFWA. The argument he constructs is interesting in itself… but what’s more interesting is how incredibly candid he is about how connected Phase II actually is. The show’s fannish producers, lead by Kirk actor James Cawley, have traditionally been tight lipped about the privileged position that Phase II/New Voyages enjoys with the studio. Not Marc Zicree.

He tells us that World Enough and Time was produced with the full co-operation and knowledge of Paramount and CBS (from “Business Affairs on down”), that he was given directorial advice by no less than J.J. Abrams while shooting the show and that several key personnel were paid for their involvement – including George Takei, and Zicree himself. The show had many professional crew members on board, hired by Zicree’s own production company, including a professional editor, Chris Cronin, who worked at industry rates. He lists a couple dozen more cast and crew members, each with extensive working credentials, some with Emmy and other awards to their names. He also mentions that a day of shooting actually took place on the Universal lot.

This ultimately begs the question we began with; is Star Trek: Phase II/New Voyages the first professional fan film? When your free, web released movie uses copyrighted characters, but is endorsed by CBS and Paramount; when it features fans in acting roles alongside Trek alumni; when amateur producers rub shoulders with directors who worked on Deep Space Nine and The Next Generation – where do you draw the line?

Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!

Here at Den of Geek we think Star Trek: Phase II could actually be the beginning of a new kind of media.  The Internet brought these fans together, enabled them to build a profile and pool their resources. Now that technology is moving on and TV studios are taking notice, this fan film series has become a different animal altogether. Like Star Wars tie-in novels and Big Finish audio, Phase II is creeping towards legitimacy as a licensed product.

Our prediction? Watch out for CBS endorsed fan flicks coming to iTunes or a similar outlet soon…

Further Viewing:

Keith R.A. DeCandido argues against the inclusion of Star Trek: New Voyages in the Nebula nominations at LiveJournal .

Marc Zicree’s rebuttal and statement for the SFWA is available in full on Lee Whitehouse’s SFTV blog .

Three episodes of Star Trek: New Voyages are available for download. Future episodes will adopt the Phase II monicker. The first outing “Come What May” is no longer being distributed and we recommend giving “In Harm’s Way a wide berth, but “To Serve all my Days” and “World Enough and Time” are as close to classic Trek as makes no difference on a wet Sunday afternoon. Find them here .

Star Trek: Exeter works on a much slower schedule than New Voyages , but their current episode “The Tressaurian Intersection” captures the spirit of Star Trek ’s original series better than any other. Link here .

Another fan film full of former Trek actors is Star Trek: Of Gods and Men . Directed by Tim “Tuvok” Russ and starring Nichelle Nichols, Walter Koenig and Alan Ruck, it should be more “professional” than New Voyages . It’s lovely to see so many Trek alumni on screen, but awful to hear them spout such truly terrible dialogue. And the plot? We’ve already seen Yesterday’s Enterprise, Mirror Mirror, Charlie X and City on the Edge of Forever. Great episodes on their own, but unpalatable when put in a blender and whizzed up into a fan-wank smoothie. Still, worth a look for curiosity value. Link here .

Karl Hodge

  • Playback Supervisor Todd Marks on Star Trek: Picard

Warp Factor Trek

The star trek fan website, star trek: phase ii – the story of the lost series.

Star Trek: Phase II – The Story of the Lost Series

With live-action Star Trek having been canceled in 1969 but the popularity of Star Trek soaring in the 1970s ( The Animated Series running between 1973 and 1974), Paramount were thinking, by 1977, of setting up their own TV channel . Having faced problems with making a Star Trek movie (recent abortive attempts were called The God Thing and Planet of the Titans ), they decided to instead do Star Trek as a TV series again, to air on the channel. Paramount intended to launch the new show in 1978, with a two-hour special and then twelve other episodes, with hopefully more to follow. A sequel to NBC’s original 1960s Star Trek show, it was hastily and provisionally called “ Star Trek: Phase II “.

Gene Roddenberry – having created Star Trek and fruitlessly tried to create, for different TV studios, other sci-fi shows (such as Genesis II , Planet Earth , and The Questor Tapes ) – was given the green light to proceed with Star Trek: Phase II . He ploughed on, getting writers for all the episodes, keeping an eye on their efforts and getting sets designed; as always, Gene micro-managed everything himself.

star trek phase 2 fan series

Although Ralph McQuarrie had been hired to help redesign the Enterprise for the earlier Planet of the Titans movie, Gene wanted the original Enterprise simply updated, not redesigned. The McQuarrie design was therefore abandoned (four decades later, it inspired the design of the USS Discovery from Star Trek: Discovery ) and Gene temporarily brought in Matt Jefferies , designer of the TOS Enterprise , to redesign the vessel for Phase II . After Jefferies’ departure, Mike Minor and Joe Jennings continued to refine the refit look. Unlike with the Planet of the Titans redesign of the Enterprise , one actually real model was created for filming the Phase II version, measuring six feet long. Sets for the redesigned vessel – including the bridge, sickbay, captain’s quarters, transporter room, engineering, and recreation deck –  were designed by Mike Minor.

star trek phase 2 fan series

Star Trek: Phase II was intended to reunite the old crew, but Leonard Nimoy (asked back for two of every eleven episodes) was adamant he wouldn’t return, so Spock was replaced by a new science officer called Xon and several new crew members were introduced. Commander Decker would be Kirk’s second-in-command, and there would be a new navigation officer – Ilia , a bald-headed female alien, of the newly invented “Deltan” species.

The Opening Plot

The story for the two-hour pilot, “In Thy Image”, was loosely inspired by an unproduced story outline (called “Robot’s Return” ) which Roddenberry had devised for Genesis II . More directly, it was also based on his story for the scrapped Star Trek film The God Thing .

In the case of “In Thy Image”, the script featured a huge alien craft heading for Earth, extremely destructive to anything that gets in its way. The USS Enterprise , which has been on a refit, is hastily prepped to stop the craft, as Kirk tries to reassemble his old crew. Eventually, the crew intercepts the vast alien ship; what they find at the heart of the vessel is one of Earth’s old space probes (briefly considered to be Pioneer 10 , scripted to be Voyager IV in one draft, Voyager 18 in another ). After losing contact with Earth, the probe has been heavily modified by a race of sentient machine aliens…

Like, does that ring any bells? Well, it is very similar to The Original Series story “The Changeling” , in which an Earth probe  had gained seemingly malevolent sentience due to an alien probe . Hey, if an idea works, use it again and again; Terry Nation used to do it with Dalek plots on Doctor Who all the time!

Transition to Filmmaking

star trek phase 2 fan series

At Paramount Studios, the idea of launching their own TV channel was floundering. And if they didn’t need a TV channel, did they really need an expensive TV sci-fi series? Fate intervened at this time… In 1977, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and the first Star Wars movie were released, both becoming huge hits. Paramount decided this sci-fi craze was worth hanging onto, and with the sets already planned or half built, actors cast and scripts in development, they would only need to tweak the planned TV premier to get their own hit sci-fi feature movie.

So, Star Trek: Phase II the series was cancelled and Star Trek: The Motion Picture was announced, news made official at a Paramount press conference on 28 March 1978, with Robert Wise now contracted (arranged earlier that month) to direct the film. The script for “In Thy Image” was revised almost incessantly, the Earth space probe eventually becoming Voyager 6 . Oh, and the Starfleet uniforms were made much less colorful!

Strongly encouraged by his daughter and son-in-law to get Spock back at all costs, Robert Wise sent Jeffery Katzenberg to meet with Leonard Nimoy in New York. Katzenberg readily agreed to pay him money that Leonard reckoned he’d been promised earlier, for Star Trek royalties, and agreed he’d have a say on the final script and on Spock’s role.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture became a hit. The movie cost $44 million but took $139 million, its box office success ensuring that Star Trek carried on.

So, what of Star Trek: Phase II , what was its legacy? Well, it set a precedent.

Whereas the show’s opening double episode became the movie, two of the twelve other episodes were rewritten as episodes of The Next Generation . One of these was “Devil’s Due” , where Kirk takes on a devilish energy creature to save a planet; in The Next Generation , it was Picard taking on a humanoid con-woman pretending to be a devil-like entity. The other was “The Child” , in which Deanna Troi (originally Ilia) gives birth to a child who, in a few days, grows into a teenager; it’s actually an alien lifeform of pure energy that wanted to experience being human.

Not only do Will Decker and Ilia, formerly lovers, appear in Star Trek: The Motion Picture but they also became forerunners of Will Riker and Deanna Troi in The Next Generation . Whereas both Decker and Riker were second-in-command, disastrous incidents have ensued when Troi has assumed Ilia’s role as navigation officer; she’s often cited as crashing the ship (most notably in Star Trek Generations but also in Star Trek Nemesis ).

In the script for “In Thy Image”, a probe that takes the form of Ilia is named “Tasha”, preempting the character name “ Tasha Yar ” in The Next Generation . In the script, this initially mechanical probe has a large “eye” component which looks much like a pearl or brooch, and Chekov likens it to one his Aunt Tasha used to wear.

star trek phase 2 fan series

The Phase II sets for engineering aboard the Enterprise became the basis for the future look for engineering sets in all the subsequent movies and in The Next Generation through to Voyager . They even used the same soundstages as had been used for Phase II test footage.

The name “ Star Trek: Phase II ” was briefly used for the fan film series Star Trek: New Voyages , which produced two episodes based on the 1970s scripts ( “Kitumba” and “The Child” ).

Final Thoughts

If you want to learn more about this unmade show, then read Star Trek Phase II: The Lost Series , by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens , an interesting book which has parts of scripts, facts, and plenty of pics. You can still find copies of it on the Internet.

Without this unproduced but nonetheless pivotal series, there would have been no Next Generation , no DS9, no Voyager , no Enterprise , no Discovery , no Picard , no movies, and no Strange New Worlds … So, thank you, Star Trek: Phase II .

5 thoughts on “ Star Trek: Phase II – The Story of the Lost Series ”

Rely enjoyed this, excellent research

Would love to see Phase II as a reboot or something! Shame they were just going to copy/paste a different vulcan in as a stand in for spock rather than at least doing a different position on the crew.

Love the engineering design as well! Always loved the engineering sets on voyager and TNG

🤣 Wow! Didn’t realise so much of Star Trek was a rip off of Star Trek!

Funny how it kind of got saved by Star Wars 😏

I never knew about this series. Really interesting! And atleast it sparked the ongoing pieces, even if we never got to see it in its original form.

It’s so interesting to see how star trek has developed to live long and prosper

Leave comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked with *.

 Yes, add me to your mailing list.

Recent Posts

  • John and Maria Jose Tenuto on Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan – The Making of the Classic Film
  • Sons of Star Trek, Issue #1 in Review
  • Drew Nichols on Star Trek: Legacy
  • A Deleted Scene Solves Worf Mystery

Recent Comments

  • T. Darklighter on Life is a Dream – The Final Frontier 33 Years On
  • Laurie Jodice on Star Trek: Picard – Firewall in Review
  • Duncan Lauder on Faith of the Heart: What Enterprise ‘s “Observer Effect” Taught Me About Compassion
  • Robert Daly on Interview with Strange New Worlds Costume Designer Bernadette Croft
  • Rick Denton on How to Pitch Stories for Star Trek
  • February 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021

Email Updates

Sign up to receive star trek-related news in your inbox..

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

  • Accounts by cast & crew
  • Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
  • Star Trek: Discovery
  • Star Trek: Enterprise
  • Star Trek: Lower Decks
  • Star Trek: Picard
  • Star Trek: Prodigy
  • Star Trek: Short Treks
  • Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
  • Star Trek: The Animated Series
  • Star Trek: The Next Generation
  • Star Trek: The Original Series
  • Star Trek: very Short Treks
  • Star Trek: Voyager
  • Supplemental
  • Unproduced projects
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy

Read More or Customize

Privacy Overview

Forgotten Trek

The Making of Star Trek: Phase II

After several attempts to bring Star Trek to the silver screen, Paramount decided in 1977 to produce a second television series, called Phase II .

Barry Diller, Paramount’s president, had been concerned about the direction in which Chris Bryant and Allan Scott were taking the franchise with their script for the proposed movie Planet of the Titans . He turned to Gene Roddenberry and suggested it was time to take Star Trek back to its original context: television.

Star Trek The Motion Picture poster

When Phase II was officially announced on June 10, 1977, fans learned it would become the flagship of a Paramount television network.

The advantage of setting up a network was obvious: the studio was cutting out the middleman.

As a content provider to the networks, Paramount would produce a series, license it to a network, often at a loss, and then watch as the network sold the series to advertisers at a profit. Only when, and if, the series went to syndication would the studio have a chance to earn extra money.

But, in the case of licensing a Paramount-produced series to a Paramount-owned network, one division of the company would be selling to another and all the money would stay in the family.

That offered the possibility that a series could at least break even, without the long wait until syndication. And syndication could be a never-ending stream of income, as Paramount’s “79 jewels” proved year after year.

Those 79 were, of course, the original Star Trek episodes.

Another advantage was that Star Trek attracted television’s most vaunted demographic: men aged 18 to 34.

The plan was for an all-new Star Trek television series to anchor the new Paramount network. Star Trek: Phase II was officially a go. A two-hour made-for-TV movie would lead the way in February 1978, to be followed each week by a brand new, one-hour episode, airing between 8 and 9 at night.

Gathering a team

Harold Livingston and William Shatner

Gene Roddenberry was ecstatic. After five year of false starts, all the pieces were at last falling into place. It was time to be Star Trek ’s lightning rod again and gather a team.

Roddenberry hired two producers. Robert Goodwin, who was an assistant to Paramount’s head of television production, would be responsible for the technical side of things. For the writing side, Roddenberry hired noted novelist and screenwriter Harold Livingston.

Neither had worked with Roddenberry before. Goodwin was meant to produce made-for-TV movies for Paramount and later said he was “strong-armed” into doing Star Trek . Livingston described himself as “totally unwashed” when it came to Star Trek , but he and Roddenberry hit it off.

We had similar backgrounds. We had both been in the Air Force during the war and we both worked for civilian airlines after the war.

Livingston persuaded Roddenberry to promote his assistant, Jon Povill, to story editor.

“Harold had not been very familiar with the old series at all,” Povill recalled years later, “and kind of relied on me to monitor whether something fit with Star Trek or not.”

A final team member Roddenberry enlisted was an old friend: Matt Jefferies, Star Trek ’s first art director. He was working on Michael Landon’s hit series Little House on the Prairie at the time and was reluctant to give it up for the sake of thirteen new Star Trek episodes. But Roddenberry was adamant. Only Jefferies, he said, could update the Enterprise . With Landon’s blessing, Jefferies joined the Phase II crew as a “technical advisor”.

Enterprise refit concept art

Landon made clear that Jefferies’ work for Star Trek could not get in the way of his responsibilities on Little House . That’s how Jefferies came to recommend his friend Joe Jennings as the new Star Trek art director.

Other Star Trek veterans who joined the crew included Mike Minor in the Art Department and William Ware Theiss as costume designer. Lee Cole joined the graphics team. She would go on to have a big influence on the sets of the first two Star Trek motion pictures.

The bigger challenge was getting the cast back together. William Shatner demanded more money. Leonard Nimoy was unwilling to return at all.

In order to fill the void created by Spock’s absence, three new characters were added — and hopes were that Nimoy might be persuaded to occasionally reprise his role in guest appearances.

Replacing Spock on the bridge would be Lieutenant Xon, a young and bright Vulcan science officer. Unlike Spock, Xon would have virtually no knowledge of the human equation. He would try to imitate humans in order to get closer to the crew. “We’ll get some humor out of Xon trying to simulate laughter, anger, fear and other human feelings,” Roddenberry wrote. (Sound like any androids we know?)

The second new character was Commander Will Decker, son of the Commodore Matt Decker who was killed in “The Doomsday Machine”. Contrary to his antagonist relationship with Kirk in The Motion Picture , the Phase II Decker would greatly admire the captain. The character was created with the possibility that Shatner might eventually become too expensive for the show in mind.

The final addition was Lieutenant Ilia, a bald Deltan, whose race was marked by its heightened sexuality. She would have empathetic abilities and a history with Decker, foreshadowing the character of Counselor Troi.

David Gautreaux

Povill argued that the new characters helped tremendously in finding new stories to tell:

I think the biggest challenge was coming up with things that weren’t repeats of ideas which had already been explored.

He particularly liked Xon.

I thought there was something very fresh in having a nice young Vulcan to deal with, somebody who was trying to live up to a previous image. That, to me, was a very nice gimmick for a TV show that was missing Spock.

Going boldly

Enterprise refit art

Television had changed a lot since The Original Series aired more than a decade ago. Roddenberry told Starlog magazine in March 1978 that the second series could be bolder than the first:

The audience is certainly more sophisticated and able to reach their minds out further. The audience is ready for statements on sex, religion, politics and so on, which we never would have dared to make before.

In his guide to Star Trek writers, Roddenberry advised:

We will use science fiction to make comments on today, but today is now a dozen years later than the first Star Trek . Humanity faces many new questions and puzzles which were not obvious back in the 1960s, all of them suggesting new stories and themes.

But some things would not change. Star Trek was still a show about people. Science and gadgetry could not distract from the plot. Captain Kirk and his crew were heroes and should always react as such. Their home base was the Enterprise .

A movie after all

Jefferies was upgrading the Enterprise . Sophisticated new aluminum phasers, following the same design as the original wood-and-plastic ones, were being built, some with working strobe lights and detachable battery packs. Sets were going up on Paramount’s Stage 9. Goodwin reported:

All frames and platforms have been built for the bridge… By tomorrow we will have a layout on the stage floor for the corridor and by the beginning of next week we will start framing and constructing the corridor walls.

Livingston had recruited a slew of science-fiction writers: Margaret Armen, Alan Dean Foster, Arthur Heinemann, John Meredyth Lucas, James Menzies, Theodore Sturgeon, Worley Thorne, Shimon Wincelberg. Only Sturgeon ultimately didn’t turn in his story.

Enterprise bridge set

In addition, he was receiving unsolicited pitches and scripts from many more authors. “They keep coming in and the response from writers is totally overwhelming,” Livingston reported in a memo. Most were turned down and Star Trek quickly developed a reputation as the “hardest sell in town”.

Heinemann pitched, and Foster wrote, the show’s pilot, “In Thy Image”. It incorporated Goodwin’s suggestion that, for the first time on Star Trek , Earth would be directly threatened. If that was the case, then the Enterprise needed to be close to Earth — make that, still in Earth orbit — because… it was just finishing its refit!

A meeting was called for August 3, to be attended by Goodwin, Livingston and Roddenberry, as well as studio executives Michael Eisner, Arthur Fellows and Jeffrey Katzenberg. At the meeting, Goodwin pitched “In Thy Image”, hoping it would receive Eisner’s blessing as the Phase II pilot.

The meeting didn’t go as expected. Eisner was so excited by the story, he said, “We’ve been looking for the feature for five years and this is it.”

Goodwin recalled years later that Eisner slammed his hand on the table — “and that was when it happened.” Less than a month after Phase II had been announced, it was canceled. Star Trek was going to be a movie after all.

The catch was, nobody in the meeting could talk about it. New deals would have to be negotiated with the cast, with producers, with Gene Roddenberry himself. New budgets would have to be calculated. If, for whatever reason, a movie could not be made, Paramount would face the embarrassment of needing to publicly reverse its decision yet again. Phase II was dead. But it would be five months until the body stopped twitching.

Until then, a group of dedicated, talented men and women toiled on to create a series they and millions of fans could be proud of, never knowing that the studio had little intention of making it.

Spacesuit design

14 comments

This is of course my opinion, but – I’ve read the storylines submitted for Phase II , and none of them were very good. One, “Tomorrow and The Stars”, was “City on the Edge of Forever” redux. I doubt that the Phase II series would have lasted beyond the first thirteen episodes, and Star Trek would then have been dead for good. Only three Phase II stories were ever filmed – “In Thy Image” became The Motion Picture , “The Child” and “Devil’s Due” were filmed for The Next Generation . The rest are collecting dust on a shelf somewhere; I think that says a lot.
Movie poster included in this post is a fake. Wrong font for Star Trek . Real poster has the correct logo, and also includes a picture of Persis Khambatta. Also, this poster incorrectly identifies Decker as a lieutenant.
Why would anyone produce a fake? I think the more likely explanation is that there were different versions of the poster.
If I may assist? It’s most certainly NOT a fake. That image was in the first wave of advertisement for the film. This is how it appeared in Starlog . Note the Enterprise : it’s not as it appears in The Motion Picture , for example, the main sensor dish still had the original spike antenna as seen on The Original Series . Hope that helps.
Thanks for clarifying!
The poster was not at fake. I got several copies at a science-fiction convention prior to the film’s release, supplied by a PR firm hired by Paramount. Also, Nick, I think that the costume and phaser drawings you have are associated with The Motion Picture , not Phase II . Note that they are attributed to Brick Price. The phasers were to have been ‘revamps’ of The Original Series props made by Brad Nelson. As for the quality of the material purchased/turned in for the new series, I have to agree. I’ve read the treatments and scripts and – with the single exception of “Kitumba”, all were flawed to a degree in which even radical rewrites couldn’t have rendered them shootable.
You may be right about those drawings. The dates on them say they’re from December 1978, and the decision to make The Motion Picture instead of Phase II had definitively been made by then.
I agree about that poster. I saw a small version of it on the back of a magazine (or was it a comic book?) sometime in mid- to late-1979, before the film was released. Needless to say, I was thrilled to see it. It meant we would soon have more Star Trek to watch and enjoy.
Definitely not a fake! And yes, it was published on the back cover of comics back then.
People assume that this show wouldn’t have been good or that this show would have killed the series as a whole off. And that may be right, but It’d be interesting to see the filmed episodes. The Next Generation was good, and Voyager , but neither stopped the series from dying eventually.
I doubt Phase II would have failed, at least not in Season 1. A halfway reasonable set of five scripts and getting replacements written en route to filming – which happens not infrequently. The whole issue would have fallen to “how acceptable were Decker, Ilea, and Xon” and whether the actors could pull them off. And, let’s not forget, even Buck got a second season…
I agree! I think it probably would have followed a path similat to The Next Generation . The first season or so might have been so-so, but would have gotten better as it went along.
All this makes me more impressed by the fact that The Motion Picture was something Hollywood hadn’t truly attempted to date: a feature film inspired by a television series. Gutsy move by all concerned, for that would either work big-time or fail big-time.
I wonder how, if Phase II had gone ahead, Kirk would have been portrayed, whether William Shatner would have tried to retain the youthful charismatic arrogance or if his portrayal would have matched The Motion Picture with the self-doubts and resentment of Decker.

Submit comments by email .

Memory Alpha

Star Trek Phase II: The Lost Series

  • View history
  • 3.1 Cover gallery

Summary [ ]

Contents [ ].

color insert ("pp. 2-3")

Background information [ ]

  • Executed as a softcover edition, the book features black & white concept art and photographs throughout, with an additional, unnumbered 32-page full color insert included.
  • This book covers similar ground to the unofficial Trek: The Lost Years , released at the beginning of the decade, but in much greater detail.

Cover gallery [ ]

Solicitation cover

  • 2 Star Trek: The Next Generation
  • 3 USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-G)

Star Trek Channel

A continuing journey..

Star Trek Channel

Star Trek Series

The works of George Kayaian

Bastards of Kirk

Dark Frontier

Keeping up with the Cardassians

Project: Potemkin

The Red Shirt Diaries

Red Shirts The Series

Star Trek Continues

Star Trek: Dark Armada (working on it)

Star Trek: Eagle

Star Trek: Encarta

Star Trek: Euderion

Star Trek: Expedition

Star Trek: Genesis

Star Trek: Hidden Frontier

Star Trek: Intrepid

Star Trek: Nature’s Hunger

Star Trek: New Homelands

Star Trek: Osiris

Star Trek: Phase II – New Voyages

Star Trek: Phoenix

Star Trek: Reliant

Star Trek: Requirius

Star Trek: Secret Voyage

Star Trek: The Romulan Wars

Star Trek: Unity

Starship Exeter

Starship Farragut

Starship Mojave

Starship Valiant

Tales of the Seventh Fleet

What the Scrapped 'Star Trek: TOS' Sequel Series Would've Looked Like

The continuing mission of 'Star Trek: The Original Series' was almost another TV show, not The Motion Picture — and minus Spock.

In 1977, fans of the original Star Trek series received the best "incoming transmission" they could hope for. Even though NBC had canceled creator Gene Roddenberry 's ambitious venture after three seasons of disappointingly low ratings, the show had gained a large and active cult following in the interim thanks to syndicated re-runs; Paramount executives knew an opportunity when they saw one.

After several failed attempts at reviving Roddenberry's concept into feature films (in an evil mirror universe, Star Trek: Planet of the Titans was the first movie), Paramount instead announced a brand new series titled Star Trek: Phase II . The project would also serve as the flagship show of Paramount's new Paramount Television Service Network, heralding a new era of science fiction television.

'Star Trek: Phase II' Had A New Five-Year Mission

In most attributes, Phase II intended to organically resume where The Original Series left off, and in minor ways, not as much. Although TOS chronicled three years of the Enterprise crew's five-year mission, Paramount president Barry Diller set a new five-year exploration as Phase II's underlying plot. Roddenberry would executive produce and almost all the original cast officially signed on to reprise the characters they left behind eleven years ago.

Almost all, save one conspicuously absent name. Leonard Nimoy declined to play Spock again due to the character's extremely reduced role. In retrospect, a continuation of TOS without the most enduring, integral, and representative character of the franchise is reason enough for fans to rejoice that Phase II never hit the airwaves. Audiences may never have known differently, but trying to imagine Star Trek without the esteemed gravitas, charm, and integrity of Nimoy feels fundamentally wrong.

RELATED: Kirk Thatcher Talks ‘Star Trek IV,’ Working With Leonard Nimoy, and Getting to Write Scotty’s Computer Joke

The screenwriting team, led by Roddenberry, added new Starfleet officers to the main cast. Xon, a twenty-two-year-old Vulcan, was designed as Spock's youthful replacement, with actor David Gautreaux in the role. Xon's defining point of difference was being the child of two Vulcan parents and seeking to understand human emotions, not ignore them. As the writers' bible put it, Xon's quest was to "find the emotions that his society [had] repressed for thousands of years so that he will have some basis for fully understanding his Human associates."

Another newcomer was first officer Will Decker ( Stephen Collins ). The extremely loyal but wise-cracking right-hand man would act as Kirk's direct protégé with the dynamics of a surrogate father and son. Decker survived Phase II's cancelation but in a much smaller role in The Motion Picture. Rounding out the new generation was Illia ( Persis Khambatta ), an intelligent, empathetic, and sensual lieutenant from the Delta V planet and likewise featured in The Motion Picture. (And if the characteristics of both characters sound familiar, more on that later.)

Ships, Sets, and Props, Oh My

Designer Matt Jeffries took extreme care in creating new, bigger, higher-budget sets for the Enterprise interior and intricate models for the exterior shots. Many of Jeffries' sleeker changes were incorporated into the Enterprise seen (many times) in The Motion Picture. The production team also upgraded most props (a phaser with batteries included!). Roddenberry and the creative group wrote a two-hour pilot called "In Thy Image," and Paramount set a premiere date for early 1978.

Pre-production for Phase II continued in earnest for months, but as history demonstrates, neither the series nor Paramount's new network happened as originally conceived. Executives doubted a new Star Trek would interest advertisers enough to earn a significant profit. The follow-up to a canceled series was risky, and despite the amount of time, effort, and (most importantly) money invested in Phase II , plans for a full series shifted into a made-for-TV movie version of "In Thy Image" less than two months after the studio had announced Phase II.

Not long after, a little independent movie forever changed the media landscape. Star Wars: A New Hope was such a runaway success that Paramount adjusted Phase II yet again, this time approving the feature film Roddenberry had initially wanted. He revised Phase II 's pilot script for a third time, into the spectacle fans know as The Motion Picture.

'Phase II' Influenced Future 'Star Trek' Many Times Over

Over a decade later, Phase II 's unrealized legacy still echoed across the canon. The characters of Decker and Illia served as blueprints for Star Trek: The Next Generation crew members Will Riker ( Jonathan Frakes ) and Deanna Troi ( Marina Sirtis ). Even the concept of an original Paramount network evolved into UPN, whose flagship series in 1995 was none other than Star Trek: Voyager .

Although reception to The Motion Picture was, and still is, polarizing, five more films with the original cast followed in its wake. The Next Generation elevated Roddenberry's concept to new narrative heights, introduced Trek to modern culture on a wider scale, and spawned four films of its own and three additional spin-offs. Phase II never gracing television screens was fated for the better, it seems. Those kernels of ideas from 1977 secured the future of Star Trek as a beloved property and multi-billion dollar franchise — something better than every fan from 1966 onward could dream of.

Star Trek: Phase II

Un-aired television program / from wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, dear wikiwand ai, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:.

Can you list the top facts and stats about Star Trek: Phase II?

Summarize this article for a 10 year old

Star Trek: Phase II was the initial working title for what officially became titled Star Trek II , an unproduced American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as a sequel to (and continuation of) the original Star Trek , which had run from 1966 to 1969. The plans for the series were first developed after several failed attempts to create a feature film based on the property, coupled with plans for a Paramount Television Service (PTS) as a fourth broadcast television network in the United States.

Both PTS and the Star Trek revival were announced in early June 1977, with PTS to debut as one evening of programming each Saturday night and to gradually expand to other nights; a strategy successfully employed by the Fox Broadcasting Company a decade later. Star Trek: Phase II was to be the flagship show, and be broadcast at 8pm EST , followed by a movie of the week starting at 9pm. The initial order was for a two-hour pilot, followed by 13 hour-long episodes.

With the exception of Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock , who had ongoing disputes with Roddenberry and Paramount, the entire regular and recurring cast of The Original Series were contracted to return, notably William Shatner as Captain Kirk . Three new and younger regular characters were created, science officer Lt. Xon, navigator Lt. Ilia, and ship's executive officer Willard Decker. Xon, Decker and Ilia were later influential in the development of characters on Star Trek: The Next Generation , and two of the scripts written for Phase II would be re-developed for use in that series.

Behind the cameras, Roddenberry recruited Trek-novices Harold Livingston and Robert Goodwin as producers . Veterans of The Original Series were few, and included costume designer William Ware Theiss and illustrator Mike Minor. Art director Matt Jefferies was otherwise employed and brought in as a "technical advisor" and to update the design of the starship USS Enterprise . Special effects (on set) were to be by Jim Rugg. Science fiction novelist Alan Dean Foster received the assignment to write the story outline for the two-hour pilot, but, with a looming production deadline and unable to find a suitable writer to develop this story into a teleplay, Harold Livingston took on the writing job himself. Of the remaining 12 script assignments handed out, about half were to veterans of The Original Series .

Pre-production began in earnest, with the emphasis on what would be the standing sets of the Enterprise, which differed radically in layout, design and detailing from those for The Original Series . Many costumes and props, too, were designed. Ultimately, Paramount's plans for its network and Star Trek 's TV return faltered, as the low anticipated advertising revenues for the Paramount Television Service indicated that it was not viable, and the Paramount Pictures parent company Gulf and Western 's chairman, Charles Bluhdorn , refused to back the plan, resulting in the eventual exit of Paramount chief executive officer Barry Diller . In August 1977 Paramount president Michael Eisner announced—internally—that the two-hour pilot script was to be the long sought-after feature film story. However, In order to prevent negative publicity, the "cancellation" of the series and network was not immediately disclosed and development of the series and its scripts continued for a further five months, during which time tests were filmed on the incomplete Enterprise sets in widescreen format - a clear indication that whatever Star Trek would be, it would not be a TV movie .

On March 28, 1978, any illusions that Star Trek would be returning to television were ended when Paramount announced that instead of a series it would be producing what became the big budget film titled Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), which was itself a massive reworking of the "In Thy Image" two-hour pilot script.

Preproduction work on the series did not entirely go to waste. The standing Enterprise sets would be extensively reworked for the film (and its eventual sequels), and an unfinished admiral's office set's walls became part of the Enterprise cargo deck. However, the visual effects people hired for the feature film decided that the miniatures under construction were not up to the standards of a post- Star Wars feature, and all were scrapped. Director Robert Collins, who had been hired to direct the pilot, and promised he was to direct the feature, was replaced by Robert Wise .

The concept of a "Paramount Network" led by a flagship Star Trek series finally came to fruition in January 1995 when Paramount launched the United Paramount Network (UPN) and the Star Trek: Voyager series.

  • The A.V. Club
  • The Takeout
  • The Inventory

Star Trek: Prodigy 's Strange Journey Has Taken Yet Another Turn

The animated series' much-anticipated second season made its unannounced premiere last week on... a french streaming service.

Star Trek: Prodigy

As confirmed by a splashy Variety story this week digging into the future of Star Trek , fans have a lot to look forward too, including more series ( Discovery ’s final season starts next week ), Michelle Yeoh’s Section 31 streaming movie, and a big-screen return. But one pocket of the franchise that’s already endured a bumpy road made another “wait, what?” headline this week.

That would be kid-focused animated series Star Trek: Prodigy ; as   Trek Core reports , last week, “the complete second season suddenly appeared on France’s Okoo FranceTV streaming platform without a warning to the rest of the world.” This stealth premiere, the site notes, “was a shock to the creators of the series itself, along with CBS Studios.” After some understandable confusion, creators Dan and Kevin Hageman, who’d called the drop a “leak” in a since-deleted X post, shared an update on X yesterday, amending the incident’s status to an unfortunate “miscommunication.”

While fans stateside await for that Netflix date announcement, it’s wild to think this is just the latest twist for the series. Despite every other Star Trek series having a streaming home on Paramount+ in the U.S., Prodigy— which also aired on Nickelodeon — was removed from the service in June 2023, leaving the fate of its second season, which was nearly completed at the time, hanging in the balance—not to mention the future of the series . After a brief period of uncertainty, season one got a digital and physical release ; then, in October, Netflix swooped in to become Prodigy ’s new streaming home.

Given its abrupt arrival on foreign shores, fans can only hope Netflix will reveal a U.S. debut date for season two ASAP—but in the meantime, for the love of Janeway: no spoilers, French Prodigy watchers!

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel , Star Wars , and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV , and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who .

star trek phase 2 fan series

Dune Part Two: Similar Sci-Fi Franchises

  • Complex political intrigue of Dune is mirrored in The Expanse , creating a tense atmosphere fans will enjoy despite scale differences.
  • Star Wars' themes of destiny and power echo Dune's , with both featuring protagonists facing temptation and world-changing potential.
  • The Faded Sun Trilogy offers a unique take on desert-dwelling warriors akin to Dune's Fremen, adding an alien perspective to similar themes.

Although Frank Herbert's Dune (1965) was once considered to be unfilmable, the recent success of Denis Villeneuve's take on the material has shown that this is far from true. Thanks to breathtaking visuals and strong performances by actors like Zendaya and Timothee Chalamet, the epic tale of Paul Atreides' revenge against the scheming Harkonnens has impressed fans and critics alike.

6 Things Dune Part Two Does Better Than Part One

The Dune movies may be long (clocking in at a combined 320 minutes), but they've left many fans hungry for more. Luckily, many much-loved elements of Hebert's narrative can be found in a number of acclaimed movies, books, and television shows. From classic franchises like Star Wars to lesser-known novels, there are plenty of options for fans looking to spice up their wait for Villeneuve's next movie.

Movies (1979–2019) | Created by George Lucas

  • First Movie: Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope (1977)
  • Latest Movie: Star Wars Eipsode 9: The Rise of Skywalker
  • Other Media: Books, Video Games, TV Series, Animation, Comics

A young man with a close association to a desert planet is destined to play a vital role in overthrowing the galactic government, but may discover that power has a tendency to corrupt. If this premise sounds familiar, it's because it broadly sums up the character arcs of both Dune 's Paul Atreides and Star Wars ' Anakin Skywalker. In another universe, it might also have described Luke Skywalker—George Lucas even toyed with the idea of having Luke take his father's place as the franchise big-bad following Vader's defeat.

Outside the prequel movies, Star Wars lacks the political maneuvering central to Dune 's narrative, preferring to focus on a simpler good versus evil narrative. However, there are similarities to Herbert's space opera, with Jedi mind tricks coming across as a twist on the Bene Gesserit's Voice.

The Expanse

Television series (2015–2022) | created by mark fergus and hawk ostby.

  • Premiere Date: December 14, 2015
  • Total Seasons: 6
  • Cast: Steven Strait, Thomas Jane, Dominique Tipper, Wes Chatham
  • Based On: The Expanse novels by James S. A. Corey

While The Expanse (based on a series of novels by James S.A. Corey) lacks the desert imagery of Dune , it more than makes up for this by replicating Herbert's fiendishly complex web of political machinations. Devious political operators like Chrisjen Avasarala could even give the Harkonnens a run for their money, while the mysterious protomolecule has all the universe-changing potential of Arrakis' spice.

Dune: The Politics Of The Imperium, Explained

Admittedly, early seasons of The Expanse primarily focus on the political situation within the Solar System rather than reaching for Dune 's epic scale, but this does nothing to detract from the show's tense atmosphere. The Expanse may be different to Dune in terms of how it depicts the future, but its dense world-building and strong characters are sure to draw in fans of Herbert's work.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Television series (1993–1999) | created by rick berman and michael piller.

  • Premiere Date: January 3, 1993
  • Total Seasons: 7
  • Cast: Avery Brooks, Rene Auberjonois, Colm Meaney, Cirroc Lofton
  • Based On: Star Trek created by Gene Roddenberry

Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry famously disliked the idea of religion in his utopian future, but Deep Space Nine demonstrated that storylines which explored faith could make for gripping and thought-provoking television. Much like Paul Atreides, DS9 's Benjamin Sisko finds himself adopted as a religious figure, the Emissary of the Prophets, by a group of alien worshipers. Like Paul, Sisko is reluctant to accept this role, which will lead to him playing a dramatic role in galactic events.

Due to DS9 's ensemble cast and broad range of topics, Sisko's path towards godhood is far less central to the narrative than Paul's journey in Dune . However, the Star Trek series nonetheless manages to emulate the political backstabbing, epic warfare, and arc of an outsider being adopted into an alien culture that is central to Herbert's novels.

Novel (1968) | Written by Samuel R. Delaney

  • Publication Date: 1968
  • Publisher: Doubleday

Written when Delaney was just 25 years old, Nova imagines a future in which a resource vital for space travel, Illyrion, sparks a feud between rival human factions. The powerful Red family is desperate to maintain its hold over the flow of Ilyrion, while the upstart Lorq Von Ray aims to find a fresh supply of the power source at the center of an exploding star. The parallels to Dune 's conflicts over spice production are evident.

Dune: 6 Book Characters Missing From The New Movies

Nova also bears tonal similarities to Dune . Despite the book's futuristic setting, Delaney emphasizes elements of the historical and occult, such as the focus on great houses and the use of tarot cards in place of some technologies. Given Delaney's inventiveness, it's surprising that Nova has yet to be adapted for the screen, although a Neil Gaiman-led adaptation was announced in 2023.

Television Series (1993–1998) | Created by J. Michael Stracyznski

  • Premiere Date: January 26, 1994
  • Total Seasons: 5
  • Cast: Mira Furlan, Bruce Boxleitner, Richard Briggs, Michael O'Hare
  • Other Media: Novels, Comics, Short Stories, Animation

Denis Villeneuve's Dune movies have been rightly praised for their impressive visuals, so it might seem odd to compare them to Babylon 5 , a series which has not aged well in the looks department. However, despite some wonky early CGI and a tight budget, Babylon 5 remains one of the foundational texts of small-screen science fiction.

J. Michael Stracynzi's series features several Dune -adjacent elements, including an unforgettable portrayal of how power corrupts and some doom-laden prophecies. Babylon 5 is less tightly focused than Herbert's novels, as it covers a wide range of alien races in addition to conflicts between different human factions. The result is a living, breathing universe that rivals the journey of Paul Atreides in the script department, even if it can't compete in purely visual terms.

The Faded Sun Trilogy

Novels (1978–1979) | written by c.j. cherryh.

  • Publication Date: 1978
  • Publisher: DAW Books

The Faded Sun Trilogy comprises part of Cherryh's epic Alliance–Union Universe, a series spanning thousands of years and dozens of novels. Set following humanity's victory over the alien regul and their mri mercenaries, the trilogy focuses on the budding relationship between the human Sten Duncan and the mri Niun. The mri are a race of desert-dwelling warriors, much like the Fremen , and Duncan must learn their ways if he is to survive various challenges and betrayals.

While the first book in the trilogy, Kesrith , is particularly reminiscent of Dune due to its desert-planet setting, the later novels ( Shon'jir and Kutath ) also invite comparisons. The corpulent, scheming regul are not unlike Dune's Baron Harkonnen, although Cherryh's talent for creating truly alien cultures ensures that The Faded Sun novels never feel derivative. Indeed, Cherryh's foregrounding of mri characters offers an extraterrestrial perspective on human affairs that is absent from Herbert's saga.

Dune: Every Novel Written By Frank Herbert, Introduced

Dune Part Two: Similar Sci-Fi Franchises

IMAGES

  1. Breaking: Star Trek Phase II Fan Series Recasts Their Kirk

    star trek phase 2 fan series

  2. From the Star Trek Phase II 1977 lost series

    star trek phase 2 fan series

  3. Breaking: Star Trek Phase II Fan Series Recasts Their Kirk

    star trek phase 2 fan series

  4. Star Trek: Phase II

    star trek phase 2 fan series

  5. FanMade: New Phase II Enterprise + OGAM on DVD

    star trek phase 2 fan series

  6. STAR TREK: NEW VOYAGES / PHASE II releases its SECOND eBook!

    star trek phase 2 fan series

VIDEO

  1. Star Trek: Phase II

  2. Star Trek New Voyages, 4x00, Come What May, Making of

  3. Star Trek Phase 2 "The Lost Blooper 3"

  4. Sneak Peek At Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 & Comic Con Panel

  5. Star Trek

  6. Star Trek New Voyages The Lost Bloopers 1

COMMENTS

  1. Star Trek: New Voyages

    Star Trek: New Voyages, known from 2008 until 2015 as Star Trek: Phase II, is a fan-created science fiction webseries set in the fictional Star Trek universe. The series was designed as a continuation of the original Star Trek (aka ST:TOS or just TOS), beginning in the fifth and final year of the starship Enterprise's "five-year mission." The first episode was released in January 2004, with ...

  2. Star Trek: Phase II

    Star Trek: Phase II (formerly known as Star Trek: New Voyages) is a live-action fan film series created by Jack Marshall and James Cawley in April 2003, and funded by James' career as an Elvis tribute artist (voted #1 in the country by Elvis' personal associates in 1996) as well as original producer Jerry Yuen of Jack Marshall's "Cow Creek Films" production company. In addition to Cawley ...

  3. Star Trek Phase II (TV Series 2004-2016)

    Star Trek Phase II: Created by Gene Roddenberry. With Charles Root, John M. Kelley, James Cawley, Jeff Mailhotte. These are the new voyages of the starship Enterprise. Picking up from where the original 5-year mission left-off, a new cast continues the adventures of this legendary crew: to boldly go where no human has ever gone before & to search for new life forms.

  4. Star Trek New Voyages: Phase II

    English. The continuing voyages of Captain Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise, NCC-1701 as seen in the 1966-69 television series, Star. Trek. The series was cancelled after its third season. We are restarting. the series as if it were in its fourth year. Addeddate.

  5. Star Trek New Voyages: Phase II

    James Cawley is well known for making the Star Trek New Voyages: Phase II Fan-Film series (www.stnv.de), where he portrayed Captain Kirk in eight episodes and three vignettes.After CBS announced the Fan-Film Guidelines in June 2016, James closed down production of "New Voyages" and turned the studio into the CBS licensed "Star Trek Original Series Set Tour" (www.startrektour.com) in ...

  6. List of Star Trek: New Voyages episodes

    52:39. April 5, 2012. ( 2012-04-05) 9717.7. Originally a script for the unproduced TV series, Star Trek: Phase II, in 1977 and later reworked into the first episode of the second season of Star Trek: The Next Generation, albeit with a simplified plot. Now being developed as it was originally written. Guest starring:

  7. Star Trek: New Voyages / Phase II

    Star Trek Phase 2 - Special Featurette 04xV1 - Center Seat 04xV2 - No Win Scenario 04xV3 - 1701 Pennsylvania Av 04xV4 - Going Boldly 4×00 - Come What May 4×01 - In Harm's Way - Directors Cut 4×02 - … Continue reading →

  8. Star Trek: New Voyages: All Episodes

    Star Trek: New Voyages, known as Star Trek: Phase II until 2015, is a fan-created science fiction series set in the Star Trek universe. The series was created by James Cawley and Jack Marshall in April 2003. The series, released exclusively via the Internet, is designed as a continuation of the original Star Trek, beginning in the fifth and final year of the starship Enterprise's "five-year ...

  9. New Voyages/Phase II

    The fan series Star Trek Phase II is currently in production on the special prequel episode "Origins". Producer James Cawley is so excited about a scene just completed between the young James Kirk ...

  10. Star Trek: New Voyages (Web Video)

    Star Trek: New Voyages (later renamed Star Trek: Phase II) is a fan-created webcast series created by James Cawley that is supposed to serve as a bridge between Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Motion Picture.. James Cawley plays the role of Captain James Kirk in what's supposed to be the fourth year of the Enterprise's original five-year mission.

  11. Breaking: Star Trek Phase II Fan Series Recasts Their Kirk

    New Kirk for Star Trek: Phase II - Cawley To Focus On Producing Series James Cawley has sat in the captains chair of the popular fan series Star Trek: Phase II since it originally launched ...

  12. Star Trek: Phase II (fan series)

    Star Trek: Phase II (previously Star Trek: New Voyages) is a fan series based on the popular science fiction television series Star Trek: The Original Series . Directed by Erik Goodrich and Marc Scott Zicree. Written by various writers. The Five Year Mission Continues.

  13. Star Trek fan productions

    James Cawley as Kirk in Star Trek: Phase II. Star Trek: New Voyages (2004-2016) (formerly known as Star Trek: Phase II) Co-creators James Cawley and Jack Marshall aimed to complete the original series' five-year mission, with actors cast as Kirk, Spock and the rest of the Enterprise crew on an exact replica of the original bridge set.

  14. Star Trek: Phase II: the First Professional Fan Film?

    Phase II isn't the only Trek fan film on the block.Star Trek: Exeter and Star Trek: Hidden Frontier are also contenders as fan favourites. Still, the "series" which has so far released four ...

  15. Star Trek: Phase II

    Star Trek: Phase II collage (John Adams/PhoenixPhotography) 30 October 2021 WarpFactorTrek staff. With live-action Star Trek having been canceled in 1969 but the popularity of Star Trek soaring in the 1970s ( The Animated Series running between 1973 and 1974), Paramount were thinking, by 1977, of setting up their own TV channel.

  16. Star Trek: Phase II

    Star Trek: Phase II, also known by its official title Star Trek II (not to be confused with the earlier 1975-1976 revitalization attempts bearing the same title), was planned to be the first live-action spin-off television series of Star Trek: The Original Series. While ultimately not realized, it did serve, in more ways than one, as the starting point for its immediate successor Star Trek ...

  17. The Making of Star Trek: Phase II

    The Making of Star Trek: Phase II. After several attempts to bring Star Trek to the silver screen, Paramount decided in 1977 to produce a second television series, called Phase II. Barry Diller, Paramount's president, had been concerned about the direction in which Chris Bryant and Allan Scott were taking the franchise with their script for ...

  18. Star Trek Phase II: The Lost Series

    Star Trek Phase II: The Lost Series is a reference book which gives a detailed analysis of the development and early days of the abortive spin-off, Star Trek: Phase II, featuring concept art, set photos, and two complete scripts from the series, "In Thy Image" and "The Child". From the book jacket Dateline - Paramount Pictures announces the formation of its own television network, saying ...

  19. Series

    Star Trek Series. The works of George Kayaian. Star Trek: Antyllus; The Multiverse Crisis Trilogy: The Infinite Chain / Incident at Beta 9 / The Final Darkness; and more. Bastards of Kirk. Dark Frontier. Duet. Keeping up with the Cardassians. Project: Potemkin. The Red Shirt Diaries.

  20. Star Trek Phase II: The Lost Series

    Dateline -- Paramount Pictures announces the formation of its own television network, with a new Star Trek program as its cornerstone. The year is not 1994, but 1977 and the new series titled Star Trek Phase II would have reunited almost all of The Original Series cast members. A footnote in Star Trek history, few people realize how close Star Trek Phase II came to full-scale production.

  21. Star Trek: Phase II

    Star Trek: Phase II was the initial working title for what officially became titled Star Trek II, an unproduced American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as a sequel to (and continuation of) the original Star Trek, which had run from 1966 to 1969.The plans for the series were first developed after several failed attempts to create a feature film based on the ...

  22. What the Scrapped 'Star Trek: TOS' Sequel Series Would've ...

    'Star Trek: Phase II' Had A New Five-Year Mission Image via Paramount+ In most attributes, Phase II intended to organically resume where The Original Series left off, and in minor ways, not as much.

  23. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy: Series Timeline, Era Confirmed

    Star Trek fans now know when the Starfleet Academy series is set and which timeline the show is a part of. Variety published a big report about all the Star Trek projects coming to Paramount+ soon ...

  24. How Star Trek: The Next Generation Disserviced Dr. Beverly Crusher

    Story by Joshua M. Patton. • 12h • 7 min read. Dr. Beverly Crusher's return in Star Trek: Picard honored her character and showcased her as a capable and respected member of the crew. The ...

  25. Batman: The Animated Series Gotham City LEGO Set Returns On April 4th

    LEGO insiders got first crack at this set on April 1st, but the VIP allotment sold out quickly. It will be available to order again, this time to the general public, starting on April 3rd / 4th at ...

  26. Star Trek Actor Willing To Appear In New Series But Hasn't Been

    Star Trek: Discovery star Doug Jones wanted to appear in the new Star Trek series, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.Jones portrayed the character of Saru in Star Trek.He made his debut as a member of ...

  27. Star Trek: Phase II

    Star Trek: Phase II was the initial working title for what officially became titled Star Trek II, an unproduced American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as a sequel to the original Star Trek, which had run from 1966 to 1969. The plans for the series were first developed after several failed attempts to create a feature film based on the property, coupled with ...

  28. Star Trek: Prodigy's Strange Journey Has Taken Yet Another Turn

    A s confirmed by a splashy Variety story this week digging into the future of Star Trek, fans have a lot to look forward too, including more series (Discovery's final season starts next week ...

  29. Star Trek: Prodigy 's Strange Journey Has Taken Yet Another Turn

    While fans stateside await for that Netflix date announcement, it's wild to think this is just the latest twist for the series. Despite every other Star Trek series having a streaming home on ...

  30. Dune Part Two: Similar Sci-Fi Franchises

    Complex political intrigue of Dune is mirrored in The Expanse, creating a tense atmosphere fans will enjoy despite scale differences.; Star Wars' themes of destiny and power echo Dune's, with both ...