"The Captaincy"
Starship Farragut
reviewed by Diane Doyle

Starship Farragut is a fan-made production set in the era of the original Star Trek series which portrays the adventures of Captain Jack Carter and his crew. "The Captaincy" is the very first episode. It depicts the ship’s very first mission, which took place before the ship had finished its shakedown cruise and before all assigned crew had reported to duty. This is a situation very familiar to viewers of the Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and Star Trek: Generations movies where the U.S.S. Enterprise was called to duty before its latest refitting was complete.

The Farragut is ordered to investigate the disappearance of another Federation ship and a survey team headed by Commodore Broughton. In the process, they run into a party of Klingons, led by Commander Kruge, who are guarding a secret weapon which is capable of threatening any world on a planetary scale. The object for the crew is to disable the weapon, search for Commodore Broughton and the survey party, and rescue any survivors.

The episode has a good plot. There is very good interplay between the three principal characters in the series: Captain Jack Carter, Commander Robert Tackett, and Chief Engineer Michelle 'Mike' Smithfield. They give the viewer the feeling of a group that works well together. There is several conversational if not confrontational interchanges between the "by the books" Security Chief Henry Prescott and the more maverick Captain Carter. The development of that relationship should prove interesting as the series unfolds. The more muted lighting in the cloaked area surrounding the Klingon weapon contrasted with the "normal" lighting for the planetary surface. There is a special treat during the episode: an appearance of Captain Kirk, Spock, and McCoy from the Enterprise as portrayed by the Star Trek: New Voyages team.

Criticisms of the episode include the fact that some of the costumes of the Farragut crew were ill-fitting. This problem was corrected in the follow-up episode "For Want of a Nail." Also, the Klingon villains seemed cartoonish, and the actors portraying the Klingons did not appear to be in the shape expected for a race of warriors. Overall, the acting, while not professional, reflected that fact that many of them act in community theater productions.

Overall, this is a very good "first" episode for a fan produced series and worth the time to watch. The episodes will likely get better as the cast and crew become more experienced.

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.