Of Gods and Men

***** (5 stars out of 5)

Nichelle Nichols gets a meatier role as Nyota Uhura than any classic episode or film! Walter Koenig's Chekov likewise. And I still adore Captain Harriman. ("Ferris Beuller... yer my heero.")

This trio of Captains (Head of Starfleet Linguistics, Starfleet Intelligence veteran, and commander of the Enterprise-B) meet up for a 40th anniversary of Captain Kirk's first 5 year mission aboard Enterprise: a Constitution-class Museum ship under the dead hero's nephew, Commander Kirk (James Cawley, nicely nicely).

It's 2305- Charlie Evans' Forty-Year Thasian Time-Out has ended, and he's looking for Way-Back Pay-Back against Captain Kirk. From planet M-622, Charlie uses the Guardian of Forever to kill Kirk's mother before he is born. The face of the galaxy takes a powerful 70-Year-Long punch...

In the new timeline, under the oppressive Galactic Order, humanity still has some alien friends, but they are the likes of the Klingons and the Orions, who seem to have been a bad influence. Amoral Harriman is a stooge of the system. He destroys planet Vulcan as an object lesson to the rebellion. (Poor Vulcan! That place is running out of parallel versions fast!)

The rebellion, under Chekov and his shapeshifting pal Ragnar, use desperate measures that devoutly pacifist Uhura finds just as deplorable as the butchers of the Galactic Order. As a universe without Kirk, everyone's under the thumb of super-powered madman Gary Mitchell. Your Only Choice: Vote Gary Mitchell for Curate Prime: 4 More Decades of Absolute Dominance!

Acting on vague impressions of a better version of reality from a mind meld with young Mr. Tuvok, and with Uhura's conscience as their guide, the rebels must restore what was.

Who can stand in a war with a demigod like Mitchell? Can old, old Charlie have a change of heart? Be "our new darling" once again?

Director Tim Russ joins Chase Masterson, Garrett Wang, Cirroc Lofton, Grace Lee Whitney, J. G. Hertzler, Gary Graham, Ethan Phillips and all the other heroes and villains lending juicy performances to an anniversary tale of peace, love, and friendship with lots of lovely space battles.

"Of Gods and Men" is dedicated to the Great Bird, 40 years of cast, crews, and writers, and also to the fans. Which, as a fan, I'm very O.K. with.

Blood and Fire

**** (4 stars out of 5)

Episodes 4 & 5 of Star Trek Phase II were written and directed by David "The Tribbles Guy" Gerrold, and dedicated to Trek First Lady Majel.

Pitched battle is joined with the Klingons, and I imagine even the dead must appreciate how good the special effects are! "Fontana, go heal somethin'," snarls overworked McCoy.

Ensign Peter Kirk and Lt. Alex Freeman are engaged to be married. Overprotective Captain Kirk is taken off guard to hear it, but agrees to perform the ceremony... and to let his green nephew serve on a dangerous rescue mission in the same day.

"Relax, Jim," McCoy "soothes". "We don't put bulls-eyes on the red shirts anymore."

Starship Copernicus is in distress, intentionally on course for destruction in a plasma streamer between the stars Lear and Iago. The crew has been gruesomely killed by swarms of Regulan bloodworms. Starfleet Command orders the infected vessel destroyed... with the landing party still aboard.

Regulan bloodworm swarms are the anti-tribble. Unstoppable, immune to phasers, and burning through walls like tiny horrible Hortas. Their rapid skeletonization of Hodell from the feet up forces Peter to disintegrate the man to stop his suffering. The unsettling doctors Jenna N. Yar (Denise Crosby as Natasha's grandma) and Blodgett hope to harness the creatures for nefarious purposes. Like Burke in Aliens, you have to wonder what they'd do once they HAD them. Millions of tiny "Bloodworms Rock" T-Shirts?

Who will live and who will die? What is the secret of the worm?

If "canonical" Star Trek ever gets around to depicting "gay" as "normal" they will have to look back (at least) with an acknowledgement to "Blood and Fire"; a script from the '80s, modified for the noughties, that turns out COULD be made well without anyone's heads literally exploding. This is the Kirk I can really respect- a man who respects love in all forms.

World Enough and Time

**** (4 stars out of 5)

I've run out of canonical Star Trek, kids! Three days early, too.

So here's your bonus from the reams and reams of available Unofficial Trek: the tip of the asteroid, if you will.

James Cawley, producer, actor, and Elvis impersonator, was born during The Original Series in Ticonderoga, New York. With Jack Marshall and the Cawley Entertainment Company, Cawley created (and performed as Captain Kirk) in Star Trek: Phase II AKA Star Trek: New Voyages AKA Those Magnificent Bastards with too much time and money who have a moon shuttle full of creativity and spirit... and maybe just a thimble full of copyright infringement.

Who, it must be said, have put out stories which surpass some of the canon itself! To date, seven episodes have been produced. I saw them on YouTube, and if you're interested enough in Star Trek to have read this far, I recommend you see them, too. They're free! That's why CBS is sort of O.K. with it.

Writers Marc Scott Zicree and Michael Reaves deliver a powerful tale of love, sacrifice and time travel, showcasing (Ohhh Myyy!) George Takei as parallel universe Hikaru Sulu- if he'd been a desperate castaway and single dad like that chap Prospero. Mr. Sulu is rescued at the same moment he was lost, but for him, it's been 30 years. His daughter Allahna Sulu is brought aboard as well... only she must remain suspended in an improvised non-physical form because she's awfully darn paradoxical. If Sulu will not consent to undo this savage but fruitful life and return to the youth he was, the Romulans will surely get the better of Enterprise... but who could ask a father to sacrifice his child?
With Grace Lee Whitney as Rand and Majel Barrett Roddenberry as the computer voice, you could squint and forget it's a fan film at all. But the regular cast is pretty good by this point, too. At the very least, it's worlds better than Nemesis!

"World Enough and Time", (the third story of this particular parallel universe) was nominated for a Hugo Award in 2008, and only lost out because 'Dr. Who: Blink' existed simultaneously.