"For Want of a Nail"
Starship Farragut
reviewed by Diane Doyle

"For Want of a Nail" is the second episode of the Starship Farragut fan-made production. Overall, the episode is better than their first effort, "The Captaincy." The characters seem to be more comfortable working together in this effort.

This is the first diplomatic mission during the command of Captain Jack Carter of the Farragut. The ship has gone to the planet Solon, the home of an advanced race of scholars, the Solonai. The plan was for Captain Carter, Dr. Holley, Security Chief Prescott, and two security guards to beam down to the planet Solon. However, due to an apparent transporter accident, the landing party never reached their destination. In reality, the interaction between the transporter and a device the Solonai used to study historical events caused the landing party to be transported back to the Revolutionary War era, specifically while the Continental Army was camped out at Valley Forge. During their time there, Security Officer Hays gets shot, and they encounter General Washington himself.

Meanwhile, back in the 23rd century, Commander Tacket and Chief Engineer Smithfied are desperately trying to find and retrieve the landing party. One of the Solonai, Batarus, goes back to the Revolutionary War era so that the Farragut could to locate him and transport the landing party members and him back to the present. Unfortunately, Batarus is discovered by the Continental Army, and the device he brought with him is damaged. As he materialized in a red energy field, the Continental Army patrol decided the Solonai was the "New Jersey Devil" and feared him. The question to Carter and his officers is how these events might affect the Revolutionary timeline and subsequent history. During the rescue the head of the Solon Council of Elders informs them that their timeline would not be affected, but rather that an "alternate" timeline would be. The ending of the episode gives a hint as to what this alternate timeline might be.

The episode gave Chief Medical Officer Holley a more substantial role this time than in "The Captaincy." It shows Captain Carter utilizing Security Chief Prescott’s propensity for knowing and quoting regulations. It also shows the interplay between First Officer Tackett and Chief Engineer Smithfield as they try to learn what happened to the landing party and the process of bringing them back. With the captain gone, Tackett ends up being the "face" of the Farragut to the Solonai.

Costume-wise, the use of jackets for the landing party was a great idea, especially given that the Solonai home world was cold. It turned out to be fortuitous for them, being as they ended up in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania in December. The soldiers of the Continental Army were portrayed by Revolutionary War reenactors, which added a touch of realism to the episode. Mark Hildebrand, who previously played the Klingon Kruge, did a terrific job of portraying General Washington.

The title of the episode comes from a poem popular during that time frame that starts out "For the Want of a Nail, the Shoe was Lost…."

Overall, this is a very good episode.

Free counters provided by Andale.

Click here to return to the Star Trek Fan Films page.
Click here to return to the Orion Press website.