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

Last week (seems like last year, doesn’t it?), Star Trek New Voyages: Phase II, International released the first in a new series of eBooks continuing the celebrated fan series in literary format.  Their first offering, “Friends and Foes” (written by Glenn E. Smith) was made available for free for download in multiple formats.  The story takes place between the Star Trek: New Voyages/Phase II episodes  “Blood and Fire” and before “Enemy: Starfleet.”

The second eBook, titled “True To His Oath,” takes place between “Enemy: Starfleet” and the following episode that was released, “The Child.”  This eBook is a novelette (about a third the length of the first eBook), also written by Glenn E. Smith but adapted from a story concept by Charles Root.

Star Trek New Voyages: Phase II, International is a non-profit team based on Germany that is dedicated to preserving the legacy episodes of the venerable fan series and running its fan-club…and now they are expanding into publishing original literature based on the fan series based on the original Star Trek TV series..  Another three eBooks are already completed, with plans to issue the next one (another novelette) on January 31.

The group is now inviting fans to submit their own stories in eBook form that fit into the New Voyages universe.  (Please note that any story chosen for publication may be rewritten by their team as needed, much like submitted TV scripts are rewritten by a show’s writing staff all the time.  The original writer would, of course, be credited.)  They will publish the best stories as free eBooks.  You can e-mail your story ideas to Peter Walker <[email protected]>.

To download the latest eBook (or the previous one), click here to visit their website’s eBook page.

 

 

STARFLEET STUDIOS releases VOYAGER CONTINUES “DERELICT” trailer!

Is it really Janeway?  When I first watched the new trailer for the upcoming episode “Derelict” of VOYAGER CONTINUES from Starfleet Studios (the one in Iowa that just released the fan film Raven), I wasn’t sure.  Then I got my answer at the end of the 45-second video.

It turns out that the voice is just a really good impersonation of Kate Mulgrew done by an actor named Liam Howarth-Mulgrew.  And no, that name isn’t just a coincidence.  I found out from show-runner David Whitney that Liam is just a huge fan and legally changed his name.

Unfortunately, Liam doesn’t actually look like Kate Mulgrew, so we probably won’t be seeing Captain Janeway on “Derelict” (although I suppose there’s always lip syncing).  Liam had previously voiced Janeway on the audio drama series Star Trek: Voyager – The Lost Episodes in a two-part episode called “Ghosts.”  You can listen to “Ghosts” Part 1 and Part 2 and hear Liam’s amazing rendition of Kate Mulgrew’s unmistakable voice.

And of course, you can also hear Liam on this short trailer for the upcoming Voyager Continues fan film “Derelict,” due out sometime next year:

 

STAR TREK: NEW VOYAGES / PHASE II returns…in eBook format!

STAR TREK: NEW VOYAGES/PHASE II ceased production on any new episodes this past July and left three filmed episodes in the uncertain limbo of stalled post-production.  Instead, Retro Studios in Ticonderoga, New York got a license from CBS to become an official Star Trek TOS set tour.  And as cool as that sounds, if you’re like me, you’re really missing Star Trek: New Voyages.  Well, hopefully, this’ll lessen the blow just a little.

The New Voyages Fan Club has just released the first in a series of novelizations of new, never-before-filmed episodes of Star Trek: New Voyages (also known as Star Trek: Phase II).  For obvious reasons, these novelizations cannot be sold, which is why they’re being released as eBooks directly on the New Voyages Fan Club website in the following formats:

  • Mobi (Kindle),
  • ePub (Nook, Kobo, Sony reader and tablets)
  • PDF (Adobe Portable Document Format)
  • LRF (Older Sony Readers)
  • PDP (Older Palm Devices)

The books will not be available on Amazon.com as they require a minimum price of $0.99 for eBooks. The New Voyages Fan Club is therefore providing the eBook in Kindle format on their website with instructions as to how to transfer it to a Kindle device free of charge.)

Continue reading “STAR TREK: NEW VOYAGES / PHASE II returns…in eBook format!”

A closer look at the MOTIONS TO LIMIT EVIDENCE in the AXANAR LAWSUIT (Part 4)

In Part 1, I explained what a motion in limine is (so if you don’t know, go click on that link).  In Part 2, I took a look at the ten in limine motions that the plaintiffs filed asking the judge in the AXANAR lawsuit to exclude specific evidence from trial and prevent certain key witnesses from testifying in front of the jury.  And in Part 3, I began looking at the first four of the nine motions from the defense of what evidence and testimony they did not want the jury to see.

Here is a PDF document compiling all nine of the defense’s in limine motions:

Defense Motions to Exclude

And now, as God is my witness, I am going to finally finish up my analysis of all 19 of these motions (there’s only five left)!  Let’s get to it…

Continue reading “A closer look at the MOTIONS TO LIMIT EVIDENCE in the AXANAR LAWSUIT (Part 4)”

A closer look at the MOTIONS TO LIMIT EVIDENCE in the AXANAR LAWSUIT (Part 3)

In Part 1, I explained what a motion in limine is, so at least I don’t have to go through that again!  And in Part 2, I took a look at the ten motions that the plaintiffs filed asking the judge in the AXANAR lawsuit to exclude specific evidence from trial and prevent certain key witnesses from testifying in front of the jury.

Today, it’s the defense attorneys’ turn under the FAN FILM FACTOR microscope.  And if you think I’m just going to back up Team Axanar on everything and let ’em glide through this analysis unscathed, then you’re gonna be very surprised.  I call ’em like I see ’em, and I freely admit that some of what the defense is asking the judge to exclude is pretty ballsy…in one case almost to the point of comedy relief (trying to exclude the words “Star Trek“–yep).  On the other hand, they also make a number of very solid points and might actually have a chance of winning a few.

And in the end, that’s what challenging evidence and witness testimony is all about.  Swing for the bleachers.  The worst that happens (assuming you don’t piss off the judge too much) is that he says no and you just have to work a little harder during trial.  But the rewards can be great if you do manage to take a key piece off the chess board.

Continue reading “A closer look at the MOTIONS TO LIMIT EVIDENCE in the AXANAR LAWSUIT (Part 3)”

A closer look at the MOTIONS TO LIMIT EVIDENCE in the AXANAR LAWSUIT (Part 2)

In Part 1, I explained what a motion in limine is, so I don’t need to explain it again, right?  Instead I can just jump into the ten motions the plaintiffs made in the AXANAR lawsuit to try to get certain key witnesses (including me!) and pieces of evidence excluded so that the jury will never see or hear them.

Here are all ten motions collected into one document:

Plaintiff Motions to Exclude

To save you from having to read all 63 pages (!!!), I’ll be providing a nice ‘n tidy summary for you of each motion.  In a few cases, I might comment on the strength or weakness of a particular argument.  But for the most part, I’m going to stick to giving an overview of why the plaintiffs believe each item should be excluded, and also how that item could potentially hurt the plaintiffs if it gets in front of the jury.  (After I finish going through all of the plaintiffs’ motions, I’ll do the same for the defense team.)

My apologies in advance for another long blog, but this time, there are TEN motions to cover!  Read it in chunks if your eyes start to glaze.

So here’s what the plaintiffs want to exclude…

Continue reading “A closer look at the MOTIONS TO LIMIT EVIDENCE in the AXANAR LAWSUIT (Part 2)”

A closer look at the MOTIONS TO LIMIT EVIDENCE in the AXANAR LAWSUIT (Part 1)

Now that I’ve indulged my little emotional rant last Saturday, it’s time to sit down and take a somewhat less passionate look at the 19 motions in limine that both sides filed last week to exclude evidence and witnesses in the AXANAR lawsuit.

The plaintiffs are challenging TEN different items of evidence and potential witnesses (including yours truly!) while the defense team is challenging NINE.  I’ve consolidated all those separate motions into two huge PDF documents:

Defense Motions to Exclude

Plaintiff Motions to Exclude

In Part 1 of this blog series, I’d like to explore what a a motion in limine is and how and why it is used. In this way, I’m hoping to give you all a better idea of what is going on right now and why it’s so important (and also give myself more time to research and write up parts 2 and 3!).

Continue reading “A closer look at the MOTIONS TO LIMIT EVIDENCE in the AXANAR LAWSUIT (Part 1)”