After what seems like the wait of eternity, the much anticipated eighth episode from the Phase 2 team was “released” on New Year’s Day.  This one is based on an original 2-part script for the original Star Trek: Phase 2, but tweaked slightly for a single extended episode format.  I know nothing about the original script, but there has been much talk of this being a huge Klingon episode – something that’s difficult enough to pull off when you have a full budget, and surely impossible when all you have is talent, desire, and donations?

Without too many spoilers, Kitumba is a story about Kirk being sent on a suicide mission to prevent a war.  Starfleet has discovered that the Klingons are strengthening their borders as a prelude to war.  The only way to prevent this is for Kirk to travel deep into Klingon space and negotiate peace talks with Kitumba – the ancestral heir to the throne of Kahless, but currently a boy that’s having his power abused by his regent.  Kirk takes the Enterprise on this mission with the aid of the boy’s exiled teacher.  It soon turns out that the boy has his own agenda and Kirk needs to form an uneasy alliance with his long-time enemy Kargh (seen in previous Phase 2 episodes).

You can find the episode with the others from the Phase 2 series here: http://www.startrekphase2.de/en/4x08_kitumba.php.

I watched the episode last night, and here are some screengrabs:

You can click on each image for a larger one, however the actual footage is in high-definition and is suitable for your large widescreen TV.

The episode continues with the fantastic production values and visuals of recent episodes and leaves the series in a great position for when the new actor takes over the lead role of Kirk.  The next episode is already well into production and is planned for release in February.

Remarkably, Kitumba feels like a big budget Star Trek movie squeezed into a typical 60s TV series episode.  It straddles both stools extremely well and I would thoroughly recommend it to any original Trek fan.

Thanks to the Phase 2 team, Star Trek: The Original Series lives on as it was meant to be before Abrams got his grubby little mitts on it.