It's not dead yet, Jim. It may never be.
December 19, 2012 12:14 PM Subscribe
Youtube user CHDanhauser, who has a long-maintained website devoted to Star Trek: The Animated Series, has begun posting self-created fan episodes of the show, apparently providing all the v/o solo.
AND LET THE HEAVENS FALL
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
PTOLEMY WEPT
Part 1
Part 2
Mr. Danhauser also hosts a range of genuine vintage 1970s animated trailers and bumpers as well as some he has crafted himself on his youtube channel.
Bonus rerun: MEFi's oown ChurchHatesTucker's genius eponymous No Kill I video.
wha wha woah
posted by grubi at 12:35 PM on December 19, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by grubi at 12:35 PM on December 19, 2012 [1 favorite]
I like the way McCoy cuts Sulu off when they beam down to the planet in the second part of "And Let the Heavens Fall." That kind of jerk dominance move *is* classic Trek!
posted by GenjiandProust at 12:44 PM on December 19, 2012
posted by GenjiandProust at 12:44 PM on December 19, 2012
The funny thing is, these new homemade episodes are pretty much how a good 75% of the running-time of all Filmation shows was done the first time around. They'd just reuse the same shots over and over, animating just the mouths to match the voices, which all sounded alike because Executive Producer Lou Scheimer voiced most of them himself (Star Trek was unique in that it actually had a full cast).
That's how this kind of thing is so possible.
posted by Sys Rq at 1:10 PM on December 19, 2012 [2 favorites]
That's how this kind of thing is so possible.
posted by Sys Rq at 1:10 PM on December 19, 2012 [2 favorites]
The answer to question 32 in the FAQ is mysterious.
posted by hyperizer at 1:10 PM on December 19, 2012 [5 favorites]
posted by hyperizer at 1:10 PM on December 19, 2012 [5 favorites]
I love stuff like this.
Also, I just remembered that the animated series was my first introduction to Star Trek. Remember the early says of Nickelodeon, when they played this all the time?
posted by roll truck roll at 1:13 PM on December 19, 2012 [1 favorite]
Also, I just remembered that the animated series was my first introduction to Star Trek. Remember the early says of Nickelodeon, when they played this all the time?
posted by roll truck roll at 1:13 PM on December 19, 2012 [1 favorite]
Remember the early says of Nickelodeon, when they played this all the time?
Hell yes I do. Good times.
posted by adamdschneider at 1:24 PM on December 19, 2012 [1 favorite]
Hell yes I do. Good times.
posted by adamdschneider at 1:24 PM on December 19, 2012 [1 favorite]
How is it that nobody has repurposed the animated Star Trek footage some kind of a Space Ghost/Sea Lab-style parody series? Filmation's stiff, recycle-friendly animation style would lend itself perfectly to that sort of thing.
posted by Strange Interlude at 1:37 PM on December 19, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Strange Interlude at 1:37 PM on December 19, 2012 [1 favorite]
I'm just surprised that someone would bother to record new dialogue. I would think that with over a hundred episodes (counting the actual animated series), someone with a decent sound mixing program could mix and match single lines from the the existing episodes to create new storylines.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 1:47 PM on December 19, 2012
posted by ricochet biscuit at 1:47 PM on December 19, 2012
I'm just surprised that someone would bother to record new dialogue. I would think that with over a hundred episodes (counting the actual animated series), someone with a decent sound mixing program could mix and match single lines from the the existing episodes to create new storylines.
Well, that's were Filmation breaks down, remix-wise. Those cartoons had constant, non-stop background music, which makes lifting and recutting dialogue next to impossible.
posted by Sys Rq at 1:53 PM on December 19, 2012 [1 favorite]
Well, that's were Filmation breaks down, remix-wise. Those cartoons had constant, non-stop background music, which makes lifting and recutting dialogue next to impossible.
posted by Sys Rq at 1:53 PM on December 19, 2012 [1 favorite]
The cartoon is an interesting little footnote in the Trek franchise. A few years ago I saw a reference online someplace to a Next Generation cartoon series that never got off the ground. Supposedly they had character designs and everything. I did a little digging, but never managed to learn anything more about it.
As a kid, this cartoon used to creep me out a little bit because everybody had flesh-toned eyes.
Sys Rq: They'd just reuse the same shots over and over, animating just the mouths to match the voices, which all sounded alike because Executive Producer Lou Scheimer voiced most of them himself (Star Trek was unique in that it actually had a full cast).
They had nothing on the old Ralph Bakshi Spiderman show! They used to recycle the footage of entire episodes from Rocket Robin Hood, another Bakshi show. And there was one time when they took an older Spiderman episode and remade it literally shot for shot... But they dubbed in new dialogue (making it a whole different plot!) and drew a weird fin on the villain's head so he was a different bad guy. It was so incredibly cheap and shoddy and awful, but on the other hand it was so clever I had to admire it. I mean, imagine the challenge of scripting a whole new story around an episode that already aired, without changing a single shot! That's some genius cheap-ass animation, right there.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 3:11 PM on December 19, 2012 [1 favorite]
As a kid, this cartoon used to creep me out a little bit because everybody had flesh-toned eyes.
Sys Rq: They'd just reuse the same shots over and over, animating just the mouths to match the voices, which all sounded alike because Executive Producer Lou Scheimer voiced most of them himself (Star Trek was unique in that it actually had a full cast).
They had nothing on the old Ralph Bakshi Spiderman show! They used to recycle the footage of entire episodes from Rocket Robin Hood, another Bakshi show. And there was one time when they took an older Spiderman episode and remade it literally shot for shot... But they dubbed in new dialogue (making it a whole different plot!) and drew a weird fin on the villain's head so he was a different bad guy. It was so incredibly cheap and shoddy and awful, but on the other hand it was so clever I had to admire it. I mean, imagine the challenge of scripting a whole new story around an episode that already aired, without changing a single shot! That's some genius cheap-ass animation, right there.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 3:11 PM on December 19, 2012 [1 favorite]
It's a shame that the stories are so dry and the voice-overs lifeless, but I applaud the creator for what he's done, especially for the fact that he's drawn new background sets. Frankly, I just want to do what he's done, but even better. Despite being hopeless at most impressions, I do a wonderful George Takei.
posted by brainkim at 3:22 PM on December 19, 2012
posted by brainkim at 3:22 PM on December 19, 2012
The story of the color pink in The Slaver Weapon (which is an excellent story) is just great.
posted by Wolfdog at 4:47 PM on December 19, 2012
posted by Wolfdog at 4:47 PM on December 19, 2012
The answer to question 32 in the FAQ is mysterious.
The FAQ is amazing. And I thought I was a cartoon nerd.
I'm only up to question 18, though. Looking forward to 32.
posted by lkc at 9:02 PM on December 19, 2012
The FAQ is amazing. And I thought I was a cartoon nerd.
I'm only up to question 18, though. Looking forward to 32.
posted by lkc at 9:02 PM on December 19, 2012
That FAQ is really neat. Poor Walter Koenig, though. I wonder how bad it sucked to be the only one not hired.
posted by adamdschneider at 6:28 AM on December 20, 2012
posted by adamdschneider at 6:28 AM on December 20, 2012
Hee. Deceptively good. It took about 5 minutes for me to totally ignore the fact that it was all the same (rather amateur) voice actor. The series, the archetypes, and his devoted understanding of them all serve to carry it.
posted by Drexen at 1:28 PM on December 20, 2012
posted by Drexen at 1:28 PM on December 20, 2012
Poor Walter Koenig, though. I wonder how bad it sucked to be the only one not hired.
But then he was cast as Al Bester.
So, that's nice.
posted by Mezentian at 5:47 PM on December 20, 2012
But then he was cast as Al Bester.
So, that's nice.
posted by Mezentian at 5:47 PM on December 20, 2012
Rick Berman has also been quoted on the subject, saying that an animated Next Generation series would have "diluted the franchise."
Thank God the ship was in steady hands. Imagine if they just kept making Trek endlessly.
Imagine the horrors we could have faced.
posted by Mezentian at 5:48 PM on December 20, 2012
Thank God the ship was in steady hands. Imagine if they just kept making Trek endlessly.
Imagine the horrors we could have faced.
posted by Mezentian at 5:48 PM on December 20, 2012
Since we're all here, am I right in remembering at JJ's Star Trek featured designs and the like from the animated Trek in Yesteryear? Or did I dream that?
posted by Mezentian at 5:54 PM on December 20, 2012
posted by Mezentian at 5:54 PM on December 20, 2012
Berman gets way too much flack. He gave us a lot of good-to-great Trek, before he burned out. Remember, Roddenberry got sick not long into the run of Next Generation, and he basically handed the reins of the franchise over to Berman. So, everything from like 1990 on, that was Berman's job. The glory days of TNG, the Borg, All Good Things, Deep Space Nine, First Contact, et al... If you claim to be a Trekkie, you have watched and enjoyed a whole lot of the Berman era.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 8:15 PM on December 20, 2012
posted by Ursula Hitler at 8:15 PM on December 20, 2012
Someone needs to take the blame for Voyager, and the first two seasons of Enterprise.
And Generations, Insurrection and Nemesis.
Roddenberry, who was by no means perfect, and Berman does get a lot of flack.
I just wish the Voyager thing never happened. It was stale.
posted by Mezentian at 9:24 PM on December 20, 2012
And Generations, Insurrection and Nemesis.
Roddenberry, who was by no means perfect, and Berman does get a lot of flack.
I just wish the Voyager thing never happened. It was stale.
posted by Mezentian at 9:24 PM on December 20, 2012
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posted by mwhybark at 12:15 PM on December 19, 2012