James Cawley
James Cawley
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AnElvis Presley tribute artist from Ticonderoga, New York, Cawley is a hugeTrekkie who has been collecting props and costumes fromStar Trek: The Original Series since 1997. His attention to detail earned him an internship under costume designerWilliam Ware Theiss onStar Trek: The Next Generation.[2][3] Theiss provided Cawley with manyOriginal Series original source materials, including costume patterns and blueprints for the set of the original starshipEnterprise in the early 1990s. He used these blueprints to construct near-flawless recreations of the original series sets in an abandoned car dealership in Port Henry, New York, spending more than US$100,000 of his own money. Fans who were part of the production helped with the costs to continue to maintain and update the sets.
The new sets were soon put to good use. Cawley and otherStar Trek fans came together to begin filmingStar Trek: New Voyages, a non-profit internet series taking place during the fourth year of the USSEnterprise'sfive-year mission under Captain Kirk. The pilot, "Come What May", was filmed in 2003 and released in January 2004. Pieces of the sets, and some of the costumes, have been borrowed by Paramount for theirEnterprise series.
Cawley's set was later moved to the site of a former supermarket at 112 Montcalm St. in downtown Ticonderoga. In July 2016, the set was opened to the public for tours on Saturdays. It is officially licensed by CBS Consumer Products.
Cawley producedNew Voyages under The Retro Films / The Cawley Entertainment Company, funding the project using money he earns from his successful career as one of the country's top Elvis impersonators.[4][5] Until the release of new fan-film guidelines in 2016,CBS Studios Inc., which owned the rights toStar Trek, allowed the show's production (and that of other fan-created material) so long as the series did not make a profit.
The popularity and quality ofNew Voyages have led alumni from officialStar Trek productions to contribute their talents to the series.Original Series actorsWalter Koenig,George Takei,Grace Lee Whitney, andWilliam Windom have appeared on the series, reprising their roles asPavel Chekov,Hikaru Sulu,Janice Rand, andCommodoreMatt Decker respectively.Next Generation performerDenise Crosby also guest-stars as the grandmother ofNatasha Yar.Majel Barrett-Roddenberry also reprised her role as the voice as theEnterprise computer in one episode. In addition,Original Series writersD.C. Fontana andDavid Gerrold have each written an episode of the series. Fontana and Gerrold are also consulting producers on the series, as isRod Roddenberry, son ofStar Trek creatorGene Roddenberry. A host ofStar Trek production staffers too, have lent their talents to Cawley's production, including among othersDoug Drexler,Dan Curry,Mike Okuda,Andrew Probert,Steve Horch, andGregory Jein, to name but a few.
As a testament to the project's success, its third episode, "World Enough and Time" (guest-starring Takei and Whitney, written byMichael Reaves and directed byMarc Scott Zicree), earned the series theTV Guide's 2007 Best Sci-Fi Webisodes Award.[6](X)
In addition to his work onNew Voyages, Cawley appeared as CaptainMackenzie Calhoun in the "Vigil" episode of theStar Trek: Hidden Frontier fan series. He also playedPeter Kirk opposite Walter Koenig,Nichelle Nichols, andAlan Ruck in the long-awaited internet mini-seriesStar Trek: Of Gods and Men, directed byTim Russ.Star Trek: Of Gods and Men used Cawley's sets and costumes to film their shipboard scenes.
TheEarthStarfleetfreighterTiconderoga referenced in theStar Trek: Enterprise episode "The Aenar" was a subtle nod to Cawley's hometown of Ticonderoga, New York.[7]
Cawley was given a background part in the newStar Trek movie following a chance encounter with director J.J. Abrams on theParamount lot. Abrams invited a group of people, including Cawley, to visit the set of thebridge of the movie'sEnterprise, which Cawley describes as "spectacular" and "absolutely stunning." Cawley had the chance to be a background extra in the film as an officer working aboard theEnterprise, which began filming23 January2008. Although he was initially skeptical of the new film, he now supports it after talking with Abrams and after seeing the sets, the costumes, and the performers in action.[8]
Cawley was also interviewed for the "CollectingStar Trek's Movie Relics" featurette on the2009 DVD/Blu-Ray Disc release ofStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Cawley's interview was shot on the bridge of theEnterprise used onNew Voyages/Phase II, and focused on the costumes he owns that were originally created for the ill-fatedStar Trek: Phase II canon TV series.
External links[]
- James Cawley interview atTrekMovie.com
- James Cawley atWikipedia
- James Cawley at theInternet Movie Database
- Star Trek: New Voyages – official site
- StarTrekTour.com – website for Studio Tour