Star Trek Continues E04 — “The White Iris”
Plot: After suffering an injury, Captain Kirk is beset with ghostly images from his past. A crisis on an alien planet demands his attention, but can the Captain recover?
Thoughts: This is the fan series I prefer. Pacing, script style, lighting, music, and photography are all patterned off the Original Series. The acting is at a high level, with participation from notables such as Chris Doohan, Grant Imhara, and Marina Sirtis as the voice of the ship’s computer. At 48 minutes, the episode restricts itself to the original series format. And the special guest star is Colin Baker, the sixth Doctor Who, who adds liveliness to what could have otherwise been a dull role as the planetary governor.
Unfortunately, the script for this episode does not rise far about the fan fiction level, exploring the weighty issue of whether Kirk truly loved each of several exceptional women he met in his travels, with actors recreating the parts of Edith Keeler, Miramanee, Rayna from “Requiem for Methuselah,” and an invented crewmate from the U.S.S. Farragut, referring back to “Obsession.” This could be more interesting, and the action sometimes drags as a consequence.
A highlight continues to be Michele Sprecht as the new character of Dr. McKennah, the first Enterprise ship’s counselor. One wonders, however, whether having to service the character of a ship’s counselor is having the same drag on the creative process for this series as it did for the writers of TNG. Some Internet snooping reveals that Sprecht married Vic Mignogna, who plays Captain Kirk superbly and is Star Trek Continues‘s executive producer, in 2013.
A nice effort overall. I look forward to the series’ fifth episode, which is set to debut at the end of September.
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