Star Trek Continues is a new series using the set of Star Trek, but this time we are dealing with a fan production without the original actors. It was produced with the intention of filling the missing years from the original five years mission of the Enterprise. The new series continue the original one from where it was cancelled, at the end of the third season. So it is nice to see the series are back in the game. Let’s find out a couple of facts to understand its context. You will definitely enjoy it after reading our 7 facts list.

1. Initial episodes were funded through a Kickstarter campaign

Well, fans may be enthusiastic, but most of the time they lack funding. So what better way to do that than through a Kickstarter Campaign? Called “Kirkstarter”, the crowd-funding for the series raised 126,000 dollars, thus the Star Trek Continues series began in 2013.

2.  It perfectly recreates the initial 1966-1969 props and costumes

If you are nostalgic, you will love that. The decor, the haircuts, the fashion. If not, it will be cringe-worthy, but still worthy. It wasn’t easy to recreate those artifacts, mostly because the technology is rare now so it becomes increasingly difficult to imitate stuff you don’t have tools for anymore. So they’d struggled a little bit.

3.  It keeps the original theme song

This again, sounds nice. The guys producing the new series were allowed to use this, but only if the series would not be used to make profit.

4.  Vic Mignona, the creator of Star Trek Continues, was overly obsessed with the initial series

Let us explain you how that works: when he saw the initial 1966 series, he was 10 years old. He then put a lot of pressure on his mom. He wanted to make costumes, shooting episodes, building sets, recording episodes, taking him to Star Trek conventions.

5.  The actors are volunteers

They have been a port of the project because there are huge fans. In some cases, minor stipends were provided, but overall it was not for material gain.

6. The series is not produced by the original Star Trek crew

It is quite interesting, mostly because this is more like a nerd movement than a remake or a continuation. It is genuinely moving to see this kind of effort and it shows you how some cinematic productions are more than movies or series, they are popular culture anchors who collectively bind people around them.

7.  There is an online comparison between the initial and the new series quality

The “Turnabout Intruder” segment is re-shot in order to make the continuation more natural. You can find it online to see for yourself how similar or different the same part is played. It is quite revealing. We prefer the initial series, when it comes to authenticity of the colors, the naturally drama acting, but we really appreciate the effort of the new guys, especially considering they were not paid and they only did it for the fun and passion of it.

You will probably love the Star Trek Continues episodes if you are able to watch it through the 60’s ideas of fashion, hairstyle and other little choreographic details (sci-fi furniture, technology), so be sure you level your expectations. It really is a nice experience to see the efforts put into details – how lights are used, the filming angles, the make-up, the voices, the music, and the little specific postures of each actor. And, who knows? Maybe we haven’t noticed other details since we were swept away by the plot itself. It really shows how these new guys took the proper steps while documenting before actually recreating the atmosphere in the new series.