Obsession Chronicles Star Trek Fan’s Efforts To Finish Out The Five Year Mission
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Science fiction fans are well known for being a little on the obsessive side, and even among these passionate minions, Star Trek fans are usually considered to be some of, if not the most fanatically devoted to their favorite genre property. Who else would attempt the herculean task of finishing out the five-year voyage of the Starship Enterprise and her crew, boldly going where no man has gone before? That’s the kind of devotion chronicled on the new web series Obsessed.
The five part video project from Wired follows the exploits of Star Trek Continues, a group of likeminded enthusiasts who seek to give their beloved characters the chance they never had. Cancelled in 1969 after only three seasons, they Captain James Tiberius Kirk (William Shatner), and his steadfast crew, never got the opportunity to complete their mission. Thanks to fans like Vic Mignogna, who executive produces Star Trek Continues and plays the iconic captain role, and his own loyal, enthusiastic crew, that is becoming a reality.
The first two episodes of Obsessed are now available online, and chronicle Mignogna and company’s efforts, hoping to provide its own entertainment. The videos don’t just show you the nuts and bolts of the productions, but they introduce you to the people behind the project, exploring their motives. For Mignogna, pouring everything he has into these recreations is a culmination of a lifelong dream, as he gets to play a character that he has loved since he was nine years old. A similar lifelong love of all things Trek is a common refrain among cast and crewmembers, who are all likewise infatuated and fixated on the show.
While the first episode of Obsessed plays like more of an introduction, episode number two focuses more on a single installment. In this case they are in the process of making an extension of the 1967 episode “Mirror, Mirror,” an episode they call “Mirror, Mirror Resolution,” and it imagines the crew from the alternate universe returns for more shenanigans. The original episode is notable for many reasons, but perhaps chief among them is introducing the world to the much-used trope of alternate, evil selves who you can always readily identify because they have a goatee.
This chapter of the Obsessed saga shows you exactly how detailed and painstaking these recreations are. For instance, Spock’s goatee isn’t just any faux facial hair. To get it exactly, precisely right, they used a $700 hand-woven application. You also get to see them attempt to get to capture the unique lighting “Mirror, Mirror” employed.
