TICONDEROGA (New York), Oct 12 — Captain James T Kirk writhes in pain, having been tortured at the hands of his Klingon captors, as his shocked and saddened crew members speed away toward unknown parts of the universe, presuming Kirk is dead after his mysterious disappearance.
The action might have once unfolded at Desilu Studios in Hollywood, where the original “Star Trek” series was filmed, but it happened in a former dollar store on the main street of this upstate town, best known for its 18th century stone fort where a part of the Revolutionary War was contested over 200 years ago.
It was a sequence for “Star Trek: New Voyages,” a project born out of the childhood passion that James Cawley, the show’s executive producer, had for the 1960s science-fiction television series. Episodes, which are only available online, feature a handful of professional actors in lead roles (including Brian Gross as Kirk and Brandon Stacy as Spock) and volunteers who do whatever is needed to keep the spirit of “Star Trek” alive. George Takei, the actor who played Sulu in the original series, made a cameo appearance in an episode titled “World Enough and Time.”
“People come from all over the world to take part in this — Germany, the United Kingdom, Australia and every state in the union,” said Cawley, a Ticonderoga native, who also happens to have a national following as an Elvis Presley tribute artist. “That’s the magic of ‘Star Trek.’ It’s spawned this whole generation of fans who went on to professional careers — doctors, lawyers, engineers — who are now participating in that shared love here.”
Cawley founded a nonprofit 12 years ago to create the series. It was produced in two smaller spaces before moving last year into a studio inside the old Family Dollar store, where an inaugural episode was shot in early summer. “It’s basically a big ‘Star Trek’ fan club,” he said. “It gives people a chance to work on the show and be on the show. Episodes are basically crowdfunded, crowdsourced for the fans, by the fans.”
Cawley’s sets are careful replicas of those used for the original series, including the transporter room (“Scotty, beam us up”), captain’s bridge — where Kirk guided the Enterprise to bold new worlds — and the sick bay, where D. Leonard McCoy treated ill crew members.
“This is James’ sandbox,” said Mike Powers, a mechanic at a local Chevrolet dealership who volunteers at the studio. “He just kind of lets us play in it.”
“Star Trek” was first broadcast on NBC, but the rights to the show are now owned by CBS. The Ticonderoga studio steers away from copyright issues by not charging people to view the episodes, Cawley said.
But this is no amateur show.
One of the contributing writers and producers is David Gerrold, who wrote “The Trouble With Tribbles,” one of the most popular episodes of the original series. Gerrold said Ticonderoga’s quiet atmosphere minimises distractions, while providing a pleasant destination for actors and studio workers.
“Having the sets in a small town keeps them away from casual curiosity-seekers and gives the production crew the privacy necessary to film an episode,” he said. “I am most impressed by the enthusiasm, the commitment, and the spirit of everyone who volunteers just for the fun of working their butt off. That’s what makes it special.”
An episode filmed this summer, called “Tormented Destiny,” is in postproduction and is scheduled for release after Christmas. Plans call for filming the next show, which will take about 10 days, this month.
In addition to studio productions, Cawley organised a first-ever “Trekonderoga” convention over Labor Day weekend, where fans rubbed shoulders with actors who made guest appearances or had roles on early “Star Trek” episodes, including Sally Kellerman, Sean Kenney, BarBara Luna, Don Marshall and Louise Sorel.
Kenney, the actor who portrayed Captain Christopher Pike in four episodes in the original series, said the show’s story lines were a significant departure from other intergalactic shows like “Lost in Space” and “Buck Rogers.”
“Before ‘Star Trek,’ nobody had ever touched subjects like greed and war in a space-related show,” he said. “It was historically a really giant leap.”
That’s why Ticonderoga, symbolically, is the right setting for “New Voyages,” Kenney said.
In May 1775, a band of American rebels captured Fort Ticonderoga from the British, and in 1776 cannons from the fort were used to force the British to evacuate Boston. The fort was captured by the British in 1759 during the French and Indian War.
“People know the name Ticonderoga,” Kenney said. “It’s part of the foundation of America’s freedom. It represents a turning point in history. ‘Star Trek’ was the freeing of an old idea, too. It showed that space is attainable, that it isn’t this scary dangerous place with monsters lurking everywhere. ‘Star Trek’ depicts a turning point in how we can get along in space, and the present day.”
The “Trekonderoga” convention, in addition to set tours and autograph sessions, had numerous workshops and demonstrations, including “Makeup for Films and Media,” “Sets and Lighting” and “Creating Creatures on a Budget.”
Bill Garrison of Ithaca, New York, dressed as a Klingon, the fierce warrior tribe from the original series, for the event. “I’ve been following their productions on YouTube,” he said. “When I heard they were having a convention I said, ‘I’ve got to go.’ The sets are amazing, so realistic. You don’t get to sit in the captain’s chair anywhere else.”
Cawley, 49, was not quite old enough to watch “Star Trek” during its run on NBC. He became a fan after it was syndicated and watched reruns as a young child on WPIX in New York. “It was on two or three times a day,” he said. “I knew the lines forward and backward.”
“I always wanted to be Captain Kirk, the cool guy in charge,” Cawley said, smiling. “He got the girl, the whole nine yards.”
Cawley will turn 50 next year, as will the original “Star Trek” series. The show’s anniversary will likely generate plenty of nostalgia, but Cawley said he is focused on the show’s future. “It’s a tomorrow we can all buy into,” he said. “We’re going to go where no man has gone before. There are a lot of stories still to tell, always something that needs to be talked about. The universe is a pretty big place.” — The New York Times
