This movie/miniseries is firing on all cylinders... all except one, FX. Some of the CG is OK, some looks about like Veggie Tales quality. On the other hand, the cast, the sets (which I believe they mostly got from New Voyages), and the subject matter/script are all wonderful classic trek. So yes it's a homemade project, so the CG is bad, but it's full of heart. I kind of wish they'd do a special edition and re-render those fx with more detail, maybe get people who liked this project and can do FX. I also wish it had been filmed in HD. That aside let's talk about what they got right... everything else. It's an engaging story, filled with many actual trek stars of yesteryear giving up there time and energy just because of there love of trek. Just for a little present to the fans. In fact everyone cast to crew did that, nobody made any money and for putting this together, giving these actors a final chance to play there roles (and in some cases alternate roles), giving us a final go with a cast spanning several of the shows, an interesting story and a chance for the captain of the Enterprise Alan Ruck a chance to be an actual captain and not a jackass (like they made him out to be in Generations). I'm a huge trek fan for decades of all the series, in fact the only trek I don't like is The Next Gen movies and a few scattered episodes (like the Tuvix episode). I find it strange that both this movie and the 2009 star trek blew up Vulcan... man everyone wants to blow up Vulcan, hahaha (and yes I think the JJ trek movies are excellent, after the next gen movies there a welcome change). Great job guys, please consider a special edition/directors cut in anamorphic widescreen with better fx. However, since that probably won't happen, it's still a masterpiece, great job everyone, thanks for giving so much of your time and effort for trek fans. I'd choose this fan made trek movie over Generations any day (Kirk dies punching an old man and falling off a bridge, gimme a break).

What we have here is an extended, unbearable New Voyages episode, complete with James Cawley (AKA Elvis Kirk), who evidently bartered use of his sets for a cameo appearance as Captain Kirk's nephew and a comfy seat at the conn for pal Jeffery Quinn. Too bad he didn't farm out his CG team either, because the outer space visuals in this production would make the "Space Rangers" (1993) effects crew snicker. Fidelity to Trek vessels aside, these shots are the computer age equivalent of a third grader with A.D.D. nearly puncturing the margins of notebook paper with ballpoint blue lasers and whirly explosions to depict spaceship wars.Here's what happens when the typical fanboy script with hackneyed dialogue is actually produced, but somehow attracts an array of Star Trek luminaries: Nichelle Nichols and Walter Koenig must have realized this could be their last stab at committing their iconic characters to the screen. Tuvok directs and brings on Voyager chums Ethan Phillips and Garrett Wang. Alan Ruck is the one I felt the worst for; he's the canon likeness of the USS Enterprise-B captain with one on-screen appearance to his credit, but a clear grasp of Paramount's non-existent desire to produce new Captain Harriman material. As such it's easy to figure why he would volunteer his time to a fan production; an opportunity to insert himself once more, however unofficial, into Trek lore. Unfortunately instead of a straight Enterprise-B adventure (which this should have been with his participation, period), he's mired in a barely watchable stageplay with no character development whatsoever. By the end of the movie, we have no clearer impression of who Captain Harriman is than we did at the end of his scenes in STAR TREK: GENERATIONS. What a waste. I really thought it was going to be something special to rival the official Star Trek movies as "the one just for the fans" that Paramount never quite pulled off. Not the case. In fact now I understand why this sorta "came and went" with barely a whisper. All the ship drama occurs on the New Voyages Constitution-class Enterprise. One scene even drags out in the transporter room for what seemed like twenty full minutes! The wooden direction casts professional actors like Walter Koenig and Alan Ruck in an amateurish flare, akin to deer in headlights. To its credit, there are some nice location shoots like Vazquez Rocks and a couple of gardens that serve as the planet Vulcan. Initially I was impressed when Charlie X showed up and I thought they'd gotten the original actor, but he isn't. The DVD case is interesting. One quote describes this as the "... most intelligent and thought provoking Star Trek movie ever created." I don't know about intelligent, but it definitely provoked my thoughts, as evidenced by this review. I suppose if the only Star Trek one has ever seen is the TNG eps where Ro and Guinan turn into kids and quell a Ferengi takeover of the ship, and the one where Dr. Crusher's dead grandmother's Scottish boyfriend's ghost shows up, OGaM could seem like the most intelligent Trek ever, but sadly this is one disc that will sit on my shelf for years until I feel the urge to punish myself for being a fan, or whenever I want to make my friends stare at my TV in horror... before getting their MST3K on.

Star Trek has been a part of so many peoples lives and has inspired so many people to go into many different occupations, from doctors to engineers, astronauts and many more. Some of the top minds in the world are Star Trek fans. I am proud of the people that took the time to do this project, thank you! The story on the filming conditions was terribly funny, well not to the cast and crew, the Enterprise bridge used for this film is located by a busy train track so every time a train would roll on by they would have to stop filming, plus I heard the humidity was horrendous. To all my fellow Star Trek fans this is a must see. Live Long & Prosper as they say on Vulcan! Kevin out.........^v^

Nichols (no relation) carried the lead well. She reminded me how much I wished that they had done more with her character back in the day, but the politics of the time wouldn't allow.Possible Spoilage FollowsA tad heavy on the "geek stuff", but as they said, it was dedicated to the fans. (I wonder if the whole idea started with two geeks arguing about who would win in a fight between Gary Mitchell and Charlie X.) Still, when it comes to geeky nit-picking I should be the last to throw stones.I thought Uhura and Mitchell never met, but I guess you could fudge it (as with Chekhov and Khan,) and say that they were aboard the Enterprise but had yet to be promoted to bridge crew. Still, I shouldn't have to work that hard. And that thing about the Guardian failing to insulate our heroes from the time line change, had they been able to follow Charlie through the gateway they still would have been powerless to stop him and we would have no story. Did the Guardian know this and let them be transposed, but protect their memories?The FX were amateurish, decent models but they didn't move right and the rendering was poor, Still the climactic battle was a guilty pleasure for anybody who played "Star Fleet Battles" way back when.Koenig was great as always, but the rest were uneven, the two exceptions being the deliciously unreformed Klingon XO and the Green Chick. At least we got some eye candy, both Harriman and Mitchell both had great taste in helmsmen too(maybe thats where the FX budget went.) With all it's flaws It still mops the floor with many "official" episodes and almost all the odd numbered movies. It will have to hold me over 'till the new movie comes out. I am a little disappointed that Abrams isn't geeky enough to have a before-the-transformation "good guy" Gary Mitchell riding along with Kirk, but hopefully Uhura will finally get her due. She was the reason I knew that I was straight at the age of 5.Peace and long life