From Voyage Trekkers Season 2 – Ep. 2: “Laser Swords At Dawn”
“Voyage Trekkers Season 2 – Episode 2: Laser Swords at Dawn” is here! This was the very first episode of Season 2 we shot, back in January of 2012. Now, obviously we were parodying the lightsabers from Star Wars, but we wanted to make something that was distinct and different looking for our show.
Star Wars concept art by Ralph Mcquarrie. Copyright Lucasfilm.
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Ironically, the first ideas came from original Star Wars concept art right above, where the sabers had less of a “pole” looking blade and actually had some sharpness to it at the end and some “energy bulge” (yes, I’m using quotations on that) to the base.
Voyage Trekkers concept art for the laser sword.
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We now had a direction to go with this little mock up I made above. We meaning Robert Baum, the animator who would be creating the effect and then painstakingly rotoscoping the blades over our live action versions, and Visual Effects Supervisor David Stipes.
Other visual references included the way that the game Halo did transparent colored energy, less with swords but more with their shields, and the energy weapons that the Transformers used in the very first episode of the cartoon. So we were moving kind of in the direction of the first Star Wars movie, where the swords were treated more like broadswords and less like katana.
Adam Rini holds the laser sword created by Todd Cook.
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On the shoot the actors held their laser sword handles with long orange poles in them so that Robert could see exactly where the blades where supposed to be and could animate the energy beams over them. It actually took a while to find a distinct look for the laser swords. Here are just a few examples in the video below (enlarge and watch on HD to really see the variations)
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We have some nifty behind the scenes videos below, the first being “Season 2 – Day 1″, which follows us on that first day of filming. There’s no laser sword action, we wanted to keep that a bit of a surprise for the episode, but it’s still fun. And second is a neat featurette on the making of some of the props by Todd Cook of Todd Cook Designs, including the laser swords.
We’re proud to announce that Season 2 has kicked off with the first episode, “Welcome Aboard.” Strap yourselves in a prepare for more adventures of the worst crew in the galaxy as they return to ruin new lives and civilizations!
As rewards to our fans we’re going to have a ton of bonus content for you during these crazy weeks as we roll out ten brand new episodes. This’ll include more podcasts and more Captain’s Blogs. And, as always, you can find a cornucopia of goodies on our Voyage Trekkers Facebook page!
We’re extremely excited to announce that Voyage Trekkers Season 2 is going to arrive on Wednesday May 1st! Ten new weekly episodes of the worst crew in the galaxy trying to make a name for themselves.
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We’re having a launch party the night before the big release, at Tom’s Tavern in Phoenix, and you’re invited! Join the cast and crew on April 30th, Tuesday, from 6PM to 9PM. Have a drink, watch the first episode before it airs, and get some free Voyage Trekkers swag in the process!
“Voyage Trekkers: Gambit of Chance.” A novella by Craig Michael Curtis
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The Voyage Trekkers novella “Gambit of Chance” is here! Currently it’s available on iTunes, the Kindle, Nook and as a PDF download.
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Voyage Trekkers: Gambit of Chance - Captain Jack T. Sunstrike is in command of the Galactic Union starship Remarkable, one of the oldest and most outdated ships still in service. He and his crew of misfits and castoffs are never given important assignments by their superiors, and this mission to the distant Poriasis Star System is no different. But once there, Capt. Sunstrike and his crew quickly find themselves embroiled in a highly-charged political conflict between two rival colonies. Along with his first officer, Commander Powell, and his science officer Dr. Rena, Sunstrike devises a desperate plan to save the people of Porias-Luna 26 from losing their homeworld forever … or perhaps even worse. The crew of the Remarkable race against the clock to beat the encroaching usurpers at their own game, and prove once and for all that the GSV Remarkable is still capable of heroics. Based on the the popular web series, “Voyage Trekkers”!
As some of you may have heard already, the Voyage Trekkers novella,‘Gambit of Chance’, comes out this Saturday December 22nd! We’re really excited to expand on the universe of Voyage Trekkers, giving the fans who want to dive deeper an opportunity. We sat down with the author, Craig Michael Curtis, who also writes for the web series, to ask him a few questions about ‘Gambit of Chance.’
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What is the story of ‘Gambit of Chance’?
‘Gambit of Chance’ follows the crew of the GSV Remarkable on a mission to evacuate a moon colony that is about to be conquered by rival usurpers. Naturally, Sunstike and his crew are ready to defy their orders and try to save the colonists instead, with a hair-brained scheme or two. All this, while the rest of the Galactic Union is battling some planet-devouring monster in some far corner of space, and Sunstrike is disappointed that he’s not involved in the ‘battle to save the galaxy’ going on elsewhere. Typical Voyage Trekkers!
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Where does this story take place in the Voyage Trekkers canon?
It should fit in between Seasons 1 and 2, so it’s pretty much coming out at the perfect time with the big Second Season coming out next year.
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How long did the novella take to write?
Nathan approached me with the idea of writing the novella over the past summer, and I started the early stages of writing a draft in July. A couple months later, the first draft was done, and after a few more weeks of editing it, it was ready to go. The only reason we couldn’t meet our nebulous October release time was because of the amount of time it took to clear the e-book through the online booksellers’ systems. But at least it’s out just in time for Christmas!
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With Season 2 of the web series coming up, is there anything new that’s introduced in the novella that we might see in the show?
Oh yes, lots of things. For one, we get to ‘see’ (through the power of the written word) our first glimpses of the GSV Remarkable. We also now know for sure that ‘The Remarkable’ is the name of their ship, since it was never mentioned during the first season! But more than that, we get to meet a number of new characters that’ll be in Season 2. There’s Admiral Grissom, Sunstrike’s cantankerous superior officer (who also appeared in our VT shorts earlier this year), as well as several new crew members of the ship. Along with our three heroes Sunstrike, Powell and Rena, as well as the fan favorite Lt. Jayda, there will by sassy young Ensign Adams at the navigations station, a somewhat befuddled Chief Engineer Beauregard and his pal, the ship’s designated robot INFO. It also introduces a few other characters like Nurse Vega and Marine Sergeant Chan who make cameo appearances in Season 2, but you’ll see them here first! Like Boba Fett in the Star Wars Christmas Special!
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What challenges did you have expanding on the world of a web series into a novella?
One issue I think we’ve always had from the outsider’s viewpoint was that, with Voyage Trekkers, we are mocking Star Trek and other science fiction. I don’t think that’s true, really. Obviously, it’s a comedy, and we’re poking some fun at some of the Trek-esque tropes of the genre, but I don’t really find it a ridiculling experience. For the most part, it’s not this space-age universe that is the farce of the series, but our lovably inept crew. I’d like to think that Voyage Trekkers doesn’t make fun of Star Trek any more than Seinfeld made fun of New York. There’s a genuine love of the genre in this series, and that as much as anything, I really wanted to put into the novella. I wanted to make it, on many levels, like it was a real Star Trek episode, but that it’s been handed to a far less capable crew than your usual Star Trek heroes, and they end up taking things on some strange and hilarious tangents. On that note, making a novella genuinely funny has been a real challenge because I didn’t have our brilliant cast of actors there to bring my glib dialogue and overwrought descriptions to life. Hopefully though, the reader will be able to picture our heroes in their minds’ eye as they cavort around with only the words on the page (or rather the iPad or other portable tablet device) to guide them.
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Your previous books were original concepts, what was it like adapting a story from an existing world like Voyage Trekkers?
Well, with my other works, the ideas and concepts which I use to write the stories come from a single source in my own head. But for something like Voyage Trekkers, these same conceptual notions end up coming from various sources. Not just from Nathan and the other people involved in developing the series, but from what Adam and Gabby and Logan and all the other actors do with the characters, both onscreen and off. One of the great joys of Voyage Trekkers in particular is how the project has taken on a life of its own, and evolved with the combined input from the creators, the actors, the crew, and the fans, who have all put their hopes and aspirations for what the series could be into it. Writing my own stories from scratch certainly requires a degree of vision to pull it through, which is an experience I genuinely enjoy. But it can also be exhillarating guiding and adapting a series like Voyage Trekkers, because you’re really pulling that single vision through a prism of ideas.
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Did you have a favorite character to write?
I suppose my favorite character to write in this story was the robot INFO, whose keen wit and philosopher’s soul make him the true heart of the Remarkable. I think there’s a lot of me inside INFO. I’d go so far as to say that in INFO, there’s a Craig, screaming to get out!
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What is Logan Blackwell (Commander Powell) really like?
NEVER mention that man in my presence! This interview is over!
(author yanks off microphone and kicks over chair as he storms out of the studio sobbing)
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Craig Michael Curtis writes for Voyage Trekkers and also plays the characters General Kang and the upcoming robot INFO. He is the author of the novels Elephante Bianco, The Other Side of the Gate, and recently released Famous Adventurers Correspondence School, all which can be purchased on his blog http://craigmcurtis.blogspot.com.
There’s method to our madness and here’s your official primer to the Galactic Union uniforms!
CAPTAIN: Red, with a uniform designed to convey more heroic qualities of a leader. With Star Trek everyone is more or less presented equally among officers, and I wanted to push that just a bit out of balance giving Suntrike (and consequently all Captains) a bit more of a hero feel.
SCIENCE & MEDICAL: Light blue.
OFFICERS: Purple. The standard outfit for the Galactic Union.
ENGINEERING: ”Hazard” Orange. Their outfit is also rougher and not as shiny because they’re always getting it dirty. They also don’t have the arm stripes.
MARINES: Green. Like with the Navy, Space Marines are the fighting troops on board a Galactic Union space vessel.
ADMIRAL: Similar to the Captain’s outfit, they’re a touch more regal and statesman, with gold and black being the main colors.
Admiral Grissom (James Hoenscheidt; right) has to put up with Sunstrike’s antics as an Officer (Brian Blackwell; left) takes notes.
And lastly, there’s also differences between the male and female versions of the uniforms. When we (Costumer Designer Arlette Parra and I; her actually making them, me making little decisions that made her life an endless hastle) redesigned the outfits we started with Logan’s Blackwell Commander Powell uniform.
We liked the spacey reflective sheen of the colored taffeta mixed with the firmer, more uniform feel of the other fabric, but it didn’t look very flattering on the girls.
Gabby wearing the rejected outfit with the same fabric as Powell’s, which made her look like a medieval squire, while holding up her Season 1 outfit
So we made versions for both genders with the female one being a little more, ahem, complimentary to the female form.
Yes, there were more flattering pictures of Jenna available, but hey…
Voyage Trekkers – Gambit of Chance. Coming October 2012
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We’re excited to finally announce that Craig Michael Curtis has secretly been crafting a Voyage Trekkers novella, entitled “Gambit of Chance”, due out this October as an e-book. With this announcement I thought I’d answer some questions you may have about the book (and tease you a bit too).
- How much will it cost? Most likely the e-book will be “Pay what you like.” Meaning that, yes, you can get the book for free. And if you want to pay $5 or $10 that’s certainly fine as well. All proceeds directly support the show.
- How long will it be? We’re not 100% sure yet, but under 200 pages is probably where we’ll end up.
- What’s the story of “Gambit of Chance”? The crew of the G.S.V. Remarkable are sent to a planet embroiled in political turmoil. There, each hero will find their courage tested as they risk to restore the balance. (but yes, hilarity ensues)
- Is this Craig Michael Curtis first novel? But of course not! He’s a published author that’s actually written four novels (or five??? errr, I’m a bad friend…). You can check out his author blog and learn more about his other work right here: http://craigmcurtis.blogspot.com/
- Any hints or tidbits on what we might find in the book?“Gambit of Chance” will be the first appearance of many new crew members created for Season 2 of the web series. And because Craig is in the “inner circle” with the making of the show, he’s privy to a lot of details in the Voyage Trekkers universe that don’t always make the five minute episodes, but will help enrich the book.
