I found out about Star Trek New Voyages a few years ago while looking up Star Trek fan films. I was impressed by their first episode and very much enjoyed their second. The third one is now in the works with none other than Walter Koenig guest-starring. I contacted Jack Marshall, then Executive Producer, and sent him a list of questions shortly after the second episode was released. Jack has moved on from the project now and STNV is in the hands of James Cawley (Kirk) and Max Rem (Special Effects).
Jack was kind enough to respond with the following answers and I apologize to him and the rest of STNV for taking so long in posting this.
To see more of what they’re up to, vist the 5yearmission.com site.
Guy Serle: How old were you and when was the first time you saw an episode of Star Trek and which series was it?
Jack Marshall: I was born 33 days before Star Trek premiered in 1966. So, I discovered Trek in the 70’s during the first syndicated run as a child growing up in Cincinnati, Ohio. This was during the time there was little to no published information on Trek. Occasionally we’d get a book ‘“ or those GREAT blueprints by Franz Joseph. But it was a lean time ‘“ it was truly the fans keeping the show alive with their clubs, their fanzines and the like.
GS: When did you decide you wanted to create your own Star Trek episodes and what form did your first try take? (This is assuming you each may have tried other medium before ‘Come What May’)
JM: Well, I’d been playing Star Trek since I was a kid ‘“ I’m sure I’ve imagined thousands of episodes since then. When I finally realized as a kid that the ship wasn’t real, I began my quest to discover just how then this ‘thing’ came to life. This led me into a career in Film and TV. Beginning as a child actor, and then moving over to the production side, no matter what I was doing, it was Star Trek that brought me there. A few years ago, my wife and I decided to form Cow Creek Films which allowed me to take my first steps into independent film making. Prior to this, I was working for an educational TV station where I won a local Emmy Award. I would eventually meet James Cawley in April of 2003, and begin to develop ‘Star Trek New Voyages’ with him.
GS: What did you hope to accomplish with ‘Come What May’? Did you feel you were successful? Knowing what you know now, would you have done anything different?
JM: We just wanted to make an episode. We didn’t have any lofty ambitions during the first one. It was more of a shakedown cruise than anything else. It proved what we could and couldn’t do, and we incorporated that knowledge into making episode two.
GS: What is your arrangement with Paramount and did you have any trouble with their legal department over copyright issues?
JM: Paramount says we can do the show as long as we don’t make money from the show. As long as we follow this simple rule, we’re all good!
GS: Has Paramount shown any interest in New Voyages beyond their legal issues?
JM: Yes!
GS: Do you know if anyone at Paramount currently involved with making Star Trek has seen ‘Come What May’? Has there been any official comment?
JM: Officially they thought it was a great tribute to Trek by fans. Beyond that, I’ve received a lot of emails from folks who’ve seen both episodes and are VERY impressed with what we’ve accomplished with hardly any resources.
GS: How did the two of you meet? Was it in a professional capacity or was it to make New Voyages?
JM: We met through our love of Trek and then decided to do the show. James had already built the Bridge, I said let’s use it!
GS: Which of the original sets have you recreated? How complete is each?
JM: Our standing sets are the Bridge and Transporter Room. We also have a Brig, a long corridor, crew quarters and other swing sets we can set up as needed.
GS: Who does your special effects and what hardware/software does he use?
JM: Max Rem does out Visual effects. He’s using Lightwave 7.5 and a WinXP PC
GS: Other than James Cawley as Kirk, who are the other actors in New Voyages and what are the original crew parts that they play?
JM: I’d write it down, but all this is available on the web site.
GS: How did you find the other actors that are in New Voyages?
JM: Most of the actors we actually working with me on an independent film project. When the Trek gig came up, I took everyone who had worked on the film and moved them over to Trek – I had no idea when I was working on the film that I was also working with most of the Trek cast as well! Talk about planning well!!
GS: How long was the first episode and how long will ‘In Harms Way’ be?
JM: The first episode ran about 43 minutes, the new one runs 51.
GS: How many downloads in your estimate for ‘Come What May’?
JM: We’ve had over 6 million for CWM, 10 million for IHW!
GS: Why was the episode only released in AVI? Why not QuickTime as well? (NOTE: MyMac.com is primarily a Mac Computer site. I gotta ask SOMETHING related to Macs).
JM: Well, though most feel Microsoft is the devil, and although I might agree, I also realize we would reach a more global audience if we could keep the file-sizes and quality at a manageable level. While QuickTime is great, each Act of our show would be over 100 megs in order to get a decent quality and sound version. Windows Media just offered the best compromise and knowing there was a MAC and PC version of the software, felt this was the way to go.
GS: The first DVD you released with the ‘Come What May’ was very well done. I especially like the inclusion of a B/W version of the episode as it would have been seen by many in 1969. Are you going to do something similar for the DVD release for ‘In Harms Way’?
JM: It depends on time. At this point all my creative juices are going into planning our next steps so it’s hard to find the time to do a special edition disc, bloopers and the like. I thought the black and white version was pretty cool too. I remember coming up with the thought and figured it would make a neat inclusion.
GS: What can you tell me about ‘In Harms Way’ without spoiling the surprise?
JM: It’s epic, amazing, and what Star Trek fans have been waiting for. It is so far beyond ‘Come What May’ that the difference just overwhelms.
GS: The just released trailer says that the Enterprise is lost with all hands. Judging from the trailer, someone (My guess is Spock) uses the Gateway to try and change history.
JM: That’s an interesting guess.
GS: The DVD for CWM also included a blooper segment. Will you do the same for IHW?
JM: We will ‘“ but as an interesting side note, we have very professional people, actors from England and Los Angeles and our regulars. They took this very seriously and there were really none of the bloopers that you’d normally see. Most of the bloopers are them acting silly between takes.
GS: Other than working on New Voyages, what else do you do to hold body and soul together (Other jobs, careers, etc)?
JM: Actually, Star Trek New Voyages has been my full time job for the past year and a half. Bless my wife for allowing me to do this and supporting us through this time. She’s a music teacher in a school here in the Washington D.C. area.
GS: Between Next Generation, Deep Space 9, and Voyager, did you feel that the 24th century was a little played out?
JM: I can think of 3 or 4 more premises that would work in the 24th century. It’s a big place, much bigger than the 23rd century universe.
GS: What was your impression of the three 24th century series? Did either of you have a favorite and why?
JM: By far, Deep Space Nine is my favorite of the 24th century shows.
GS: What has been your impression of ‘Enterprise’? Do you watch it?
JM: I think Enterprise is a quality TV show. Is it what I’d do if I was running the franchise? No. Do I watch it? Yes. And season 4 so far has me hooked again!
GS: Do you feel that Star Trek on TV and in the movies have suffered in quality since the original cast and creative teams are no longer involved? If yes, can you give examples and what you think can be done to turn the franchise around?
JM: Again, I’d have to say that though I might not agree with a persons vision of what Trek should be, I wouldn’t as one who presents his own vision of Trek want to disparage someone else’s. As to what I’d do if the franchise was in my hands ‘“ see ‘In Harm’s Way’
GS: How long did it take from start to finish to complete ‘Come What May?’
JM: Planning for Episode 1 began in April of 2003. It was released in January of 2004. We had one 3 week stretch of filming in August, then 2 weekends of re-shoots, one in October and one in November.
GS: Jack, you played Scotty in the first episode. Why didn’t you do so for the second?
JM: Episode 2 was an extremely complicated shoot. So was Episode 1 for that matter, but still, this was different. Our cast was twice the size, we added several new technical experts, and I just felt that all my attention should be focused entirely on the filming, rather than splitting my time between acting and Directing. I enjoyed being Scotty, but I didn’t want to see the character get shortchanged. Scotty is a beloved character, and if I were to play him, his screen time would have been greatly reduced. As it is, it’s not that much in this episode due to the fact the script was written with me in mind to be Scotty. After I passed the role on to Charles Root, we went back and added more Scotty bits. It also allowed us to keep him on the Bridge instead of having him leave and disappear to Engineering for the majority of the show.
GS: Have you seen any other of the Star Trek fan-films that have been made? What is your impression of them? Namely, the Exeter group that plays in the same sandbox (23rd century and Constitution class starships) as you. Has there been any contact other than the fans of each posting on the online forums?
JM: What Exeter does is different philosophically than what we do. While Exeter is trying to capture the look and feel of a 60’s show, we’re going down a different path. New Voyages is not the Trek of the 60’s. It is the Trek of the future; a Trek that looks as modern and flows as fast as any action adventure show on TV today. We’re offering something else – a Trek that could survive in the modern age and attract new viewers, new fans, so that the Roddenberry vision can be carried throughout the 21st century and beyond.
GS: Eugene Roddenberry (Creator Gene’s son) is listed as an Executive Producer for IHW. What has his role been?
JM: Actually, he’s Consulting Producer. For episode 2 he advised us on the script helping to add more ‘Roddenberry moments’. During filming he was on set and assisted in every aspect of production from carrying flats to getting food. He was great fun to hang out with ‘“ we took over an entire hotel for the shoot so everyone was together for the most part. In the evenings we’d all hang out in the lobby watching movies, talking, drinking and unwinding!
GS: What’s next for New Voyages?
JM: We’re currently working on the script for Episode Three – a character piece with an interesting twist.
GS: Are you planning on making more episodes and will you be able to keep the same cast?
JM: Episodes are expensive to make, about $15,000 a shot. It’s hard to find a sponsor for each one. We were lucky twice, but now we’re looking for a third one, and who knows? If we don’t find one, episode 3 would remain unproduced – for now.
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