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Post by Jon Van Pelt on Mar 3, 2019 10:20:41 GMT -6
Welcome back to the 24th century! We at TREKISODES are proud to announce that Alex M.P. Matthew’s fanfic series STAR TREK: COURAGEOUS will join our lineup. About Star Trek: Courageous:
The Dominion War is finally over. Starfleet and the Federation Alliance were victorious. But their victory came at a high price. With all resources devoted to the war effort, many Federation worlds and colonies were left alone to defend themselves against dark forces -like the Orion Syndicate- trying to profit from Starfleet’s absence. Now that the peace has been won, it is up to the brave crew of the starship COURAGEOUS to win back the hearts and minds of those who believe the Federation has abandoned them. Episode 1: Attention To Orders
“The crew of the USS Courageous, an Excelsior-class starship assigned as one of several vessels to Sector 23, a long-forgotten corner of the Federation that is now the subject of renewed interest with the end of the Dominion War, must contend with the arrival of a new commanding officer. A standard milk run, escorting a supply convoy heading into the area, allows the crew a chance to become familiar with each other. But when a distress call diverts their attention, it’s only the beginning of a crisis that will test this crew and ship to the best of their abilities.” To download the episode, visit our site. |
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Post by Jon Van Pelt on Mar 15, 2018 5:24:09 GMT -6
Just read the first episode of "Blue Star", really enjoyed it. There are a lot of similarities with "Knight's Haven", a scripted series I read years ago from somewhere or other, the MZP, maybe? But even in this quick 20-page opener, I can see that it's already very different. I look forward to seeing where it goes... Thanks for reading & posting feedback Alex! Glad you enjoyed the first episode.
I was part of the creative team behind Star Trek – Knight’s Haven which aired its first episode in December 2006 on VirtualStarTrek.com and unfortunately lasted only one season. It feels good to know that there are still people out there who remember the show after almost 12 years!
I think that Knight’s Haven was the first virtual Star Trek series that dealt with life onboard a cargo ship. On the surface there are indeed similarities between Knight’s Haven and Blue Star (first of all because it takes place on a cargo ship and it involves a Starfleet officer), but like you said the show is very different from KH.
Next Sunday (March 18th) I’ll be posting the second episode called Ghosts Can’t Be Captain.
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Post by Jon Van Pelt on Aug 12, 2017 8:00:14 GMT -6
Let’s talk Audition! One of my favorite VS  . Like I mentioned in one my earlier posts, the more characters you introduce, the more complex the story gets and it’s fantastic. I specifically enjoyed Alex’s journey into darkness (the scene where he’s talking to an imaginary actor really threw me off guard). I guess being an actor is one of the toughest jobs there is out there. Constantly having to go to auditions, giving it everything you got and then being rejected for the part. At some point you’ll start questioning yourself; am I good enough? So does Alex so it’s really nice to see that side of an “actor’s life” as well. Alisha: It’s through her relationship with Kelsey that she managed to find the courage to come out and explore her sexuality. Now that Kelsey is in a relationship with another girl, it feels like Alisha is struggling again to accept who she is. Kelsey was her “first contact” in to this strange new world. Now that she’s lost her (as a lover, but not as a friend) I guess she has to find a way to accept who she is and get her own life back on track. Plenty more fish in the sea. Michael/Paula: it seemed that their story somewhat took a back seat to Alex/Alisha. Nevertheless it’s nice to see Paula becoming a more well-rounded character through the Michael/Paula relationship. So that’s in short my review/thoughts. Looking forward to the next batch of episodes. |
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Post by Jon Van Pelt on Jun 14, 2017 22:50:23 GMT -6
Congratulations! Looking forward to the series.
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Post by Jon Van Pelt on Jan 22, 2017 5:44:43 GMT -6
Cool pitch!
I’ve just finished reading the pilot episode. Though it doesn’t have this ‘big bang’ that makes you sit on the edge of your seat, it does introduce the main characters very well. Definitely a show I’d want to read so hoping this series gets picked up.
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Post by Jon Van Pelt on Oct 4, 2016 4:00:50 GMT -6
I’ve finally been able to catch up with the latest sequence of this show. Yay  ! It’s fun to see the main and supporting actors evolve in some kind of ‘ensemble cast’. I enjoyed Alisha’s arc, exploring her bi-sexuality. Although in all honesty that storyline really took me off guard at first. Didn’t see that twist coming. Paula is still… Paula. Michael finally gets his own storyline (screenwriting) instead of being just “the dad”. Reading AUDITION is like seeing a teen drama on MTV (and I mean this in a positive way of course ). Looking forward to the rest of the sequence! |
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Post by Jon Van Pelt on Aug 3, 2016 10:32:16 GMT -6
So has anyone of you seen the new Star Trek movie Beyond? Thought it was the best one yet. It had a lot of Easter eggs for the longtime fans without hindering the experience for the uninitiated. This one I think is the closest yet to the original series. Anyway, if you haven’t seen it: do! The movie isn’t setting any records at the box office right now, so each ticket could get us one step closer to Trek 4  . |
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Post by Jon Van Pelt on Jun 19, 2016 9:12:00 GMT -6
“Attention to orders” – review (note: I downloaded the original version)
This is not VirtualStarTrek.com but theVPN. When I downloaded the episode I suddenly realized how difficult it is to write a good ‘Star Trek’ pilot for everyone to like. It has to cater to the fans as well being able to bring in the uninitiated. Star Trek has so much history, I know it must be daunting for non-fans to start on a new show – afraid that they won’t get everything. So first: kudos to you Alex for trying! I think the first rule for the creator of any new Star Trek show should be: make it your own. Pretend you’re the one who came up with the concept of the Federation, Starfleet, the Klingons, the Vulcans, … . Build the Trek universe from ground up again. If viewers or readers need to know Trek history to understand a certain plot point, dialogue, alien race… Just drop it or make it part of the story in a way that lifts the experience. So, like Captain T’Sara, I must be half-fan/half non-fan in my review of the pilot episode : Let me just start with stating that as a fan growing up in Star Trek’s golden age, Courage feels like a natural continuation of the shows produced in that era. Everything is just perfect in this pilot. The dialogue, your descriptions, the techno lingo,… You really know your Trek inside out. Truly amazing! You own it all and it shows in your writing. Since you’re working in an established universe, you’ve got the luxury to just jump into a story. But that can also be a serious disadvantage. When you mention “oberth-class” or “Nausican” any Trek fan can instantly visualize the scene. But that doesn’t work for a reader who has never seen Trek before. So I think that part of the script needs some more work. Explaining the universe in the action sequences without overdoing it. This pilot episode had to introduce quite a lot of characters and you only needed two acts to do so. After that the adventure starts and we’re left at the edge of our seats when the end credits roll. I really liked the mystery surrounding the Redoubtable. Great work. The character that stood out to me was definitely Commander Erickson. His interactions with the crew and Captain T’Sara. He’s a dedicated officer, but at the moment his judgement is a bit troubled. Really interesting what his personal journey will be. The one thing that for some reason didn’t really worked for me was the relationship between Captain T’Sara and Commander Da Costa. Don’t ask me why, but somehow their loving banter didn’t come across as being truly meant. Somehow I feel there’s something more going on between Da Costa and Lanjar. But that’s probably just my imagination running wild . So my end verdict:
As a fan, I really enjoyed the pilot though it may need some more work to make it accessible for people who’ve never seen an episode of Trek. From a commercial standpoint: picking up an established show like Star Trek brings in new readers who otherwise wouldn’t visit theVPN. It could draw some more attention to our original programming .
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Post by Jon Van Pelt on Jun 15, 2016 4:35:27 GMT -6
Finally a pitch for a new Star Trek series! How cool is that!!!
Being a ‘Trekkie’, every now and then I feel the urge to write some good old fashioned fanfiction myself. Last time that happened was last year. Surprisingly there’re some similarities between your pitch and mine:
- the setting was between the end of the Dominion War and Nemesis
- dealt with different factions trying to take advantage of the power vacuum after the war
- featured Orions in the pilot episode
Just to name a few examples.
Of course that’s just all coincidence but had I known you were working one a Star Trek pitch, it would have been fun working on it together.
But on to your pitch:
You’ve definitely worked everything out into great detail. I think you found the right balance between action/character/adventure here. It’s Star Trek but not too trekkie. You’ve got a very diverse crew with different backgrounds to explore. Also nice to see characters from the ‘old’ races featured in the crew (Andorians, Tellarites and Deltans).
I’m really wondering how you’re going to handle the split personality of Captain T’Sara. When it comes to hybrids (like Spock or B’Elanna Torres), it often felt they searched the extremes (Spock trying to be even more logical than a full Vulcan or B’Elanna fighting her Klingon half).
Hope this gets picked up!
Great graphics btw!
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Post by Jon Van Pelt on Jun 12, 2016 10:19:46 GMT -6
Don't know if I can top that! She looks perfect. Hat and all . |
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Post by Jon Van Pelt on May 16, 2016 3:34:19 GMT -6
Unfortunately things haven been rather hectic the past 3 weeks. Not much writing done  . Managed to finish the second episode of ENUMA ELISH yesterday -a lazy sunday, ideal to do some work. This month I'll be focusing on outlining the rest of the first season and prepare some promo work for the end of june. |
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Post by Jon Van Pelt on May 16, 2016 3:24:39 GMT -6
Looking forward to the next Star Trek series! Unfortunately not much promo so far. Guess they're waiting for the next movie, BEYOND.
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Post by Jon Van Pelt on May 16, 2016 3:22:05 GMT -6
Finished Season 1 two week ago. It’s action-packed, but there’s a story as well. Loved most of the characters (Job’s my favorite). Over the top sometimes? Definitely! But loved it ! |
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Post by Jon Van Pelt on Apr 13, 2016 11:35:31 GMT -6
I see an older version of Ash Ketchum: Robert Downey jr. Don't know who'd play Pickachu . |
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Post by Jon Van Pelt on Apr 10, 2016 1:44:55 GMT -6
I've never been a big fan of the comic book genre. I saw the first spiderman trilogy in theatre, bought Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy (which I loved!). But other than that, not much love for the genre. Especially now with all the Marvel and DC universes they're trying to create, both on the big and small screen, I just wouldn't know where to start (me being a viewer without much knowledge of these universes). Anyway, about this pitch and about Superman: I think Superman is probably the most outdated superhero in the 21st century. Every incarnation of the character seems to follow the same path. Alien/reporter/Lois Lane/hero in spandex. I think you should try to come up with an original take on the character. Start from a blank page. That's what I would do . |
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Post by Jon Van Pelt on Apr 7, 2016 6:15:51 GMT -6
I'd go for Michael Kelly (Doug Stamper in House of Cards).
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Post by Jon Van Pelt on Mar 25, 2016 9:52:30 GMT -6
Just re-read the pilot episode. The opening scene between Cody/Dane makes more sense now . |
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Post by Jon Van Pelt on Mar 24, 2016 13:12:30 GMT -6
Darrin, first of all: thank you for reading the pilot episode and giving me feedback . It will definitely help me to improve the script (and my writing in general). I’m very happy to see that you liked the pilot. I’ve invested a lot of time in developing the world of “Enuma Elish” and the characters, so that seems to have paid off. I love the world building part when I’m writing/creating, but it’s the characters and their stories which ultimately drive the story. It’s not always easy but -like you mentioned- I think I’ve found the right balance here which I hope to carry over into the following episodes of season 1. The opening scenes went through various re-writes. Especially in a pilot, those scenes can either make or break you (and therefor your series as a whole). The opening of “Return to the Free Lands” is definitely meant to grab the reader (or viewer?) and pull them in for the rest of the journey. I think this series has great potential. The characters have a rich background story, an endless source for drama . I feel like this is a universe people would want to explore. So hopefully this show will picked up by VPN. Let’s keep those fingers crossed . |
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