While “Star Trek” is set to return to the small screen in September, fans of the franchise can revisit the original series in all its 1960s glory right now.

“ Star Trek Continues ,” a non-profit fan series, on Sunday released its ninth episode, “ What Ships Are For .”

The web series continues the adventures of Kirk, Spock and McCoy, with new actors playing the iconic roles. While once jarring to think of anyone other than William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley in the parts, viewers might be more open to the idea after seeing it on the big screen with the recent major motion pictures.

A highlight of the cast is Chris Doohan as Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott, or “Scotty,” continuing the role made famous by his late father, James Doohan. James Doohan died in 2005.

Greensburg native Vic Mignogna portrays Capt. Kirk, and is a writer, director and executive producer of the series.

Continues “is Vic's love letter to the original series,” his mother, Barb Myers, said. “He lived and breathed it.”

But while the latest movies made substantial changes to the look of the show, Continues strives for authenticity to the original series, with its episodes feeling as if they're straight from the '60s.

The goal of Continues is to complete the final year of the original Star Trek, which aired for only three seasons, leading up to “Star Trek: The Motion Picture.”

Over its nine episodes to-date, the series has produced its own original stories as well as revisited and followed up on classic ones.

Its first episode, “ Pilgrim of Eternity ,” saw actor Michael Forest reprise the role of Apollo from the 1967 episode “Who Mourns for Adonis,” continuing the confrontation between Kirk and the Greek god.

The latest episode is an original story, featuring actors known to Trek fans and beyond – John de Lancie, who played the nefarious “Q” on “Star Trek The Next Generation”; Anne Lockhart, best known for her role as Lt. Sheba on the original “Battlestar Galactica”; and Mark Rolston, who portrayed Bogs in “The Shawshank Redemption.”

Following new restrictions placed on fan films by CBS and Paramount Pictures, Continues plans to complete two more episodes for which it had raised funding before wrapping. The two-part finale is scheduled to debut to the public on Oct. 18 and Nov. 13.

The new Star Trek series, “ Star Trek: Discovery ,” is set before the original series. It will debut on CBS on Sept. 24, then move to the network's streaming service, CBS All Access.

Brian C. Rittmeyer is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-226-4701, brittmeyer@tribweb.com or on Twitter @BCRittmeyer.

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