First, I have to say, "Sorry, I'm a bit late to this party, but I just saw New Voyages (I refuse to call it Phase II, that's blasphemy) for the first time on the recommendation of a youtuber."
I saw the pilot. I will not be watching any more episodes.
First of all, I'm afraid I'm going to have to call out the entire fanbase of this series: Based on the positive reviews and forum posts I've read, it seems that everyone who purports to enjoy "New Voyages" is a hater of TNG and/or JJ Abrahms. Sorry, TOS fans, but TNG surpassed TOS in almost every way imaginable, and some people think DS9 is even better. If you don't like the TNG era-Trek, you're in the minority. As for the Abrahms reboot: I can forgive the lack of substance because it was trying to introduce a new reality. I liked the fact that Kirk and Spock's differences were two varying shades of gray, and I hope that the new Trek movie's will have that with between Kirk and the primary antagonist.
Secondly, I'll address your point about the acting. The fact is that while the acting in TOS might have been bad, it was "bad" in the sense that it was too over-the-top and goofy. That's the kind of "bad acting" that doesn't hurt watchability; sometimes it even helps it. No, the acting in NV was bad because it was wooden. I'm thinking primarily of Admiral Leslie, here. The lines he has in his first scene show him clearly being angry. The problem is that this professional actor, who had an uncredited bit-part in TOS, didn't act at all! It was like he was simply reading his lines. That's the problem in a nutshell. It's not that they can't act; it's that they aren't even trying to act.
But acting isn't the main issue. The issue for this series is simply that we've outgrown TOS beyond the camp value. If we watch TOS, sometimes we can't help but call BS at some of the out-dated scientific theories (or in some episodes like "Spock's Brain," pseudo-science). People today are a bit smarter than they were back in the '60s; you can't return to that era's storytelling successfully. Roddenberry tried in the first season of TNG, and with the exception of a handful of episodes, that first season was awful, almost as if they were written with 9-year-olds in mind.
TL;DR: If you really want a fourth season/Phase II of TOS, your best bet is still TAS. It's well-acted, well-written engaging, and intelligent for its time. It's a shame that it's been all but forgotten, and that it isn't even considered canon. But "New Voyages" is horrible. It gives me flashbacks to the episode of Futurama where an obsessed Trekkie kidnaps the heads of the Star Trek cast and makes them perform his fan fiction. I will avoid it from now on.
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bobj_1960
12 years ago
Austin: I understand your opinion on the acting in the pilot. Most everyone agrees that it is not very good but I saw the potential behind it. I urge you to watch some of the latest episodes, especially 'Blood and Fire' and 'Enemy Starfleet'.
I loved all of the ST series (yes, even "Enterprise') but the movie reboot was a grave disappointment to me. to me it was like cotton candy big, pretty, and tasty, but not a lot of substance. Just didn't have that old spark.
True, alot of the science is dated in TOS, but who could predict where technology would go and so fast? However, that doesn't mean that ST:NV has to use the same wrong science but can subtly use correct and current knowledge.
second star to the right, and straight on till morning
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