I have fond memories of sitting on the sofa next to my dad in the mid-1970s watching Star Trek on BBC 1 on a Saturday evening. I would have been about 6 or 7 at the time. It was unlike anything previously seen on British TV in our household. Bright coloured sets and clothes, science fiction writ large and interesting storylines, all added up to a thoroughly enjoyable hour of TV watching.
It’s well known that when the original series of Star Trek was broadcast, the response from those who watched it was less than enthusiastic, leading to the series to be cancelled after 3 years in 1969. In syndication, it quickly gained a cult following in the 1970s leading to the commissioning of an animated series in 1973/74, with a total of 22 episodes being created. All episodes were voiced by the original cast (a condition insisted on by Leonard Nimoy). There was hope that more TV episodes would be produced but this came to nought.
In 1977 Star Wars took the box office by storm and with it a renewed interest in re-launching Star Trek. Eventually Paramount pictures agreed to make a feature length film, released in 1979, Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Whilst it was good to see the original cast make a return, the film received mixed reviews and was short of studio expectations but enough for Paramount to propose a less expensive sequel, The Wrath of Khan, which was far better received. Four more films featuring the original Star Trek cast were produced, finishing in 1991 with Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.
Other spin off series of Star Trek were created in the 1990s and beyond. I have to say that none of them ever interested me. The look and feel of the original Star Trek series was part of what made it special, and for me this was missing from the subsequent series.
For some time there have been a number of fan-made recreations of Star Trek, attempting to recreate the magic of the original Star Trek series. I’ve watched a few on Youtube and whilst I admire the time and effort taken by those involved, I consider them to be well wide of the mark. The acting was wooden, sets a poor effort and the quality of filming amateurish. That was until I came across the Star Trek Continues web series on YouTube.
Star Trek Continues is the brainchild of Vic Mignogona, an American voice actor and musician known for his work in the English dubs of Japanese anime shows, such as Edward Elric from the Fullmetal Alchemist series, which earned him the American Anime Award for Best Actor in 2007. He has voiced characters in over 100 anime and video game titles, including Dragon Ball Z, Bleach, Code Geass, Shin-chan, and Hell Girl. I have seen none of these.
Star Trek Continues is an American fan-made web series set in the Star Trek universe. Produced by a nonprofit organisation, consisting of eleven episodes released between 2013 and 2017. The series is an unofficial direct continuation of the original Star Trek series and emulates its visual and storytelling features to achieve the same look and feel. The creators of Star Trek Continues intended to finish the original five-year mission of the show, which they do in the final two episodes. The series was fan-created and all episodes were released on YouTube. As with all such Star Trek fan productions, use of copyrighted and trademarked properties from the original series was allowed so long as the production was not commercial.
Part two of this article will review each of the eleven episodes, but without giving anything away, the creators of Star Trek Continues have captured the look and feel of the original series almost perfectly. Vic Mignogona personally invested a considerable amount of his own money into an exact replica of the Star Trek set, consisting of the bridge, transporter room, sick bay, corridors, engine room etc etc. The sound effect and music is all taken from the original series and clothes and props are all faithfully recreated in exquisite detail.
The cast is also well chosen in the main. Vic Mignogona plays Captain Kirk and does a great job of making the character his own, whilst staying faithful to the original. Spock and Dr McCoy are also well cast (the second actor to play Dr McCoy being the better of the two). Scotty is played by the original actor’s son, bearing a striking similarity to his father, even down to the terrible Scottish accent. Sulu is played by Grant Imahara, perhaps better known for his appearances in MythBusters. Sadly there is no nurse Chapel, although there is a new character, Dr McKennah, played by Michele Specht, who is as equally pleasing on the eye. Uhuru and Chekov are also well cast.
Aside from this, one of the main attractions of Star Trek Continues is the inclusion of several actors reprising their roles from the original series as well as the inclusion of two actors from the Dr Who franchise – Colin Baker (the 6th Doctor) and his assistant, Peri (Nichola Bryant), who appear separately in two episodes. The stories themselves are mostly excellent, especially those that link to stories from the original series.
If you’re a fan of Star Trek and haven’t watched Star Trek Continues I can assure you that you are in for a treat.
Part two to follow, where I will provide a short review of each of the eleven episodes.
© Reggie 2025
