This is the first part of a stunning two parter that wraps up the five year journey and lays down the backstory that The Motion Picture was based on.
Nicola Bryant's Lana is one of the best villains of any incarnation of Trek, period. Bryant plays her perfectly.
Anvar's performance is no slouch either and only looks smaller because Bryant's character had far more screen time.
Amy Rydell's performance of a character her mother(!) played 30 years prior is fantastic as well. It's kind of a wild form of fan service because Rydell herself greatly appreciated it (as shown in behind the scenes footage) but she looks just like her mother! But also, and ultimately more important, she nails the part.
And I put the STORY up there as good as any original TOS stories, and that's ultimately the most important thing.
Using the Smith character (from way back in "Where No Man Has Gone Before") is positively inspired and Kipleigh Brown plays it so well, her performance might even be the best upon many strong performances.
It's so hard not to fawn over this series and especially this two parter that it's almost hard to criticize. The only real negatives are a few of the performances of some minor characters make it obvious that not everybody is not rely a pro actor, but it's very minor.
The actors reprising the famous roles are, of course, not the originals, but they're absolutely not shabby. In particular, Kirk/Spock/McCoy are played not as parodies, but as these actors' interpretations of them. They're as good as any other actors recreating these characters.
Almost even another miracle is how well the new McKennah fits into the narrative. I have no problem believing she's an early version of a ship's counselor, and her role here plays a major role in the story.
Nicola Bryant's Lana is one of the best villains of any incarnation of Trek, period. Bryant plays her perfectly.
Anvar's performance is no slouch either and only looks smaller because Bryant's character had far more screen time.
Amy Rydell's performance of a character her mother(!) played 30 years prior is fantastic as well. It's kind of a wild form of fan service because Rydell herself greatly appreciated it (as shown in behind the scenes footage) but she looks just like her mother! But also, and ultimately more important, she nails the part.
And I put the STORY up there as good as any original TOS stories, and that's ultimately the most important thing.
Using the Smith character (from way back in "Where No Man Has Gone Before") is positively inspired and Kipleigh Brown plays it so well, her performance might even be the best upon many strong performances.
It's so hard not to fawn over this series and especially this two parter that it's almost hard to criticize. The only real negatives are a few of the performances of some minor characters make it obvious that not everybody is not rely a pro actor, but it's very minor.
The actors reprising the famous roles are, of course, not the originals, but they're absolutely not shabby. In particular, Kirk/Spock/McCoy are played not as parodies, but as these actors' interpretations of them. They're as good as any other actors recreating these characters.
Almost even another miracle is how well the new McKennah fits into the narrative. I have no problem believing she's an early version of a ship's counselor, and her role here plays a major role in the story.