Trekzone's "Feeling" Good?

A couple of years back now I just couldn't move for the number of fan films that were piling onto YouTube and spent a LOT of time watching and reviewing the variety of crews, actors, effects and stories that flowed through the Star Trek universe.

That all changed in light of the Axanar incident which led to restricting fan films to limited times, a maximum number of instalments, strict alignment on uniforms and many, many more points. It made it more than a little challenging for budding movie makers to step into the Star Trek sandbox...

In the works for 12 months, Trekzone, the Australian-based Star Trek site and YouTube channel, has premiered it's fan flick, Once More with Feeling.

Coming in at a shade over 12 minutes it's well within the guidelines nailed to the wall by CBS but this is one production that actually does something very different and you won't see it coming.. 

The basic story is that student Alicia (Chloe-Jean Vincent) finds and meets with a Starfleet captain to further her course research and what follows is Captain Donovan Lindsay (Jeremy Levi) recounting an encounter between the USS Sydney and a Cardassian starship at the very end of the Dominion War.

Written and directed by Trekzone's Matt Miller, Once More with Feeling is not a straight fans-on-a-sound-stage Enterprise bridge set but subverts expectations with the live action sequences of the film seeing the crew of the Excelsior Class USS Sydney facing towards the camera (with the set depicted on a screen behind them) and giving a dramatic reading of the events rather than physically acting it out. That and the point that they're all dressed in clothes of today rather than Starfleet uniforms which is a striking feature of this work.

I'll admit I had to watch it through twice just to get this real curve-ball way of telling a Star Trek story into my head and understand what was going on. In all honesty I'm still not 100% comfortable with it because it's such a big departure from what you think is coming but I have to applaud Matt's bravery for thinking - and getting people to act - outside of that expectation box and that's precisely what Star Trek is about - unique and different is good. You can't view this decision as anything but positive since it's not treading the path that every other fan film ever has before (no cliche intended).

Once More with Feeling will not be remembered as groundbreaking when it comes to the story but I firmly believe it will be for going outside the norm and trying something different. Maybe the cast could have done without using the script papers or maybe doing away with the green screen background and going truly behind the scenes as I felt it detracted from the abilities of the actors and also from the rather excellent CG supplied by Samuel Cockings from Trekyards with the mix of visual aids at times.

Once challenge I do have with Once More with Feeling is the opening section. It radiates a sense of multiple concepts - the storyboard-style images, the green screen and actual physical situational acting which almost conflicts against the rest of the story. Maybe the arrival of Alicia (Vincent) could have been played out as narratively exercised as the main bulk of the show to keep a theme running through rather than incorporating the unseen door and movement.

Not only that but this opening piece bears a striking similarity to The Visitor.

The influence of the pre-titles sequence of that Deep Space Nine classic is all over this segment which is also scored by the great Star Trek composer Dennis McCarthy. The student searching out the older character for answers followed by a flashback story is a strong echo whether intentional or not. Jake disappeared from public life just as the Sydney's captain has been off duty for six months. Did it need the opening piece? Yes, because it's relevant and while the actors are great it does come a little close to screened material homage or not.

The ending to the latest Trekzone offering leaves everything open for a sequel (which the fan guidelines do allow) and I am interested to see where it goes although there's a little bit of the dynamism and excitement lost because this is more of a behind-the-scenes reading than the expected dramatic and more physical expectation.

As a first attempt this is a great piece of work to show what a low budget can produce when you have a script, some green screen and a talented CG producer. For the next one I'd love to see Matt Miller streamline the behind-the-scenes dramatic reading format a bit more and create a bit more lineage for the series in a set style rather than bouncing between a couple of visual formats. For example there's no real need for the crew to simulate the ship being hit if this is being portrayed as a dramatic reading - it feels inconsistent in where it wants to sit likewise with the door opening and use of the "unseen" medical instrument.

Matt and his cast and crew cannot be faulted for effort or ingenuity on this one and I wish them every success on the second feature which will learn a great deal of information from this foray to make part two even more epic and story driven. Admittedly it's not sat easily with me because it has really played with my expectations. It is a very different and clever way of working to the guidelines and 100% is unique but if you're looking for actors on a Star Trek set then this might not be quite what you're looking for. 

Seen Once More with Feeling? What are your thoughts on "Australia's Biggest Fan Film"

Screencaps with kind permission of Matt Miller and Trekzone.org

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Who Blinked First? Axanar is Settled

The Battle of Axanar is over - at least in the courtroom it seems.

In the last 24 hours Paramount/CBS and the Axanar production have agreed terms which mean that the law suit will not have to go to court and things can finally move on after just over 12 months of legal wranglings.

But what exactly does all this mean now? The fan film landscape has been left a virtual Mad Max-esque apocalyptic wasteland following the events that kicked off on December 31st 2015 leaving many with difficult choices to make if they wished to survive in some form or another. Sure there were - and still are - many who curse the name Alec Peters for screwing their projects but from the other perspective wasn't this perhaps something that was likely to happen in some form at some point; just a matter of time? How long would CBS have put up with feature length fan films being around when they have a brand new official Star Trek series just around the corner on their own pay-to-view subscription service...just saying...!

But hey, before we get bogged down in theoretical nonsense over what could have been let's be very clear; fan films in the Star Trek universe will never be as they were in 2015 because of Axanar.

While it now appears that Peters and co won't be getting their asses sued off by Paramount/CBS (although there are some legal matters that need to be resolved within the next sixty days), the path now seems clear for them to produce...something.

Flashback and you'll recall that Axanar was supposed to be the fan film/independent Star Trek production to end all fan film/independent Star Trek productions and got itself caught up in its own hype and success. The movie-length film will now no longer happen and in comms direct from Axanar themselves it seems that the proposed galactic adventure will now be reduced from the 90-minute odd feature to just two 15 minute segments that will be distributed for free on YouTube. That says to me donors won't be receiving any DVDs any time soon as one of their promised perks.

The biggest point to note and one that will unquestionably affect the production's future is that Axanar cannot fundraise pointblank. However it can accept donations but I have a feeling this is going to be an bone of contention with fans who will be expecting to see just how their money was spent up on the screen over 12 months since it was donated in one of the biggest Kickstarter fundraisers ever. For some time that's a question fans have been vehemently asking especially in light of documentation that indicates it was used in perhaps different ways than might have been expected. 

Prelude to Axanar cannot be used at official Star Trek conventions but can be used at festivals and the like but non-commercially. Paramount/CBS are very clearly ensuring Axanar is not making a penny from their intellectual property. Nor can anyone working on it be paid in any form and that includes the four actors it seems they are allowed to have on the production - Richard Hatch, Gary Graham, Kate Vernon and J G Hertzler; three of whom are classed as Star Trek veterans.

While the tone of the communications from Axanar seem very upbeat it does come across that they have had to bow to the wishes of Paramount/CBS and conform to the fan film guidelines which were issued in June of 2016. In fact I can see the only win in the list of points they address as being able to use the services of the four actors who appeared in Prelude alongside Peters and the non-returning Tony Todd. I suppose there is an element of victory here in that Garth of Izar: The Movie will come to pass in some form, if somewhat neutered, sooner than we might have thought following the news that it was going to court. 

How that will now look will of course be dramatically different and there will clearly be questions around cost since it looks like it has to be done gratis or at the most using the funds that remain from the Kickstarters et al. I actually feel that finances might be at the core of all this and I'm just speculating here but might it be that there just isn't enough coinage in the coffers to have fought a case that looked to have been already won, closed and nailed shut by the Paramount/CBS juggernaut? Did it finally make sense just to hammer out a deal which meant that Peters and Axanar could get their film made in some form and give something - however minimal and below original expectation - just to keep the fans who backed it happy?

Axanar is now a word that does send a shiver down many a Star Trek fan's spine and will forever be associated with changing the face of the franchise's fan film look. The case does look to be severely in the networks' favour although there does not nor do I believe will there ever be a declaration of a "winner" in this instance. Paramount/CBS have stood firm and protected their property to the hilt and Axanar has been made the example, the warning to others. At least now the battle can take place on the screen rather than behind the closed doors of a courtroom. 

Honestly I do wish the Axanar production well and that we do get to see them finish the project so many fans have so desperately wanted to see happen. I have no personal ill-will towards the team and believe that their hearts were in the right place when this idea was sparked. The tragedy is just what happened following that which may well have robbed us of some very fine fan productions that were in development. 

Long term we'll get cheaper, more fan film than independent film quality productions with severely limited run times and no big franchise names in association. It also means we as fans can get back to the important stuff of arguing over whether The Final Frontier is canon or not(!)

What we can say is that Axanar is back. Thing is, in what state and is this really the end of the matter?

Pleased it's (almost) all over? Will you be waiting to see the finished result or has it gone on for so long you just aren't bothered anymore?

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The Year Ahead: 2017

Another year has rolled around and thank god we have managed to pull ourselves out of 2016. 

Going back 12 months to our predictions for the year, what did we get right and what didn't quite work out?

Well, Beyond wasn't the runaway success we all hoped it would be. While the script from Doug Jung and Simon Pegg was light years ahead of the the '09 and Into Darkness movies both that and the direction from Justin Lin didn't inspire audiences to head to the cinema in their droves. Rated as one of the "flops" of 2016 it's a big shame since Beyond is a damn fine Star Trek film. How this disappointing result will affect the already announced Star Trek 4 we will probably find out shortly.

In regards to our thoughts on fan series and the like, a certain court case put paid to a lot of those although there were a few final episodes from Continues, New Voyages and the exceptional Horizon movie which premiered back in February. Sadly though there will be no sequel to that project after a quiet word from CBS meant it was canned permanently.

Now the New Year beckons and with it our thoughts on the next 365 days. Let's kick off with the obvious one...

Star Trek: Discovery

First announced in November 2015 we should now be mere days away from the pilot episode however due to what might be a genius move, the show will now launch in May. I reckon this is a sensible step given all the backstage events of the last 12 months. Adding a few more months to production just ensures a stable show and will help iron out the cracks. Along with the assembled writing staff we also know of seven cast members although according to IMDB only a few of those are signed on for the full first season. I'd guess that these won't all be lead characters and there are still more announcements to come. Note too that Sonequa Martin-Green has not yet been officially cast as "Lieutenant Commander Rainwood" which could suggest there are certainly others who are to be added before her confirmation. Without question and be it good or bad, this is the Star Trek event of 2017. Let's hope they sorted that ship out too...

The Next Generation @ 30

Believe it or not, the show which revived Star Trek on TV back in the late 80's is celebrating three decades in 2017. That might mean pulling out that Blu-ray box and watching Encounter at Farpoint one more time but it could indicate some special releases later in the year? Something commemorative perhaps? Would we go so far as to suggest The Next Generation Roddenberry Vault?  I wouldn't be surprised if there's a 30th anniversary novel or trilogy to accompany. Time to dig out the technical manual and that 365 book - think they'll be getting a lot of use this year!

Deep Space Nine Behind the Scenes

Much touted, much wanted and can't come too soon for many fans - a promised documentary on all the goings on from the dark sibling of the Star Trek franchise. When announced this really got Niners excited including myself. For a series that is often sidelined even against Voyager or Enterprise, the news that we would be getting a documentary digging into the very bones of the show was a highlight of 2016. This will be a must see and must own for any fan.

The Future of the Fan Series

Exactly a year ago the fan film sphere was shattered by the news that Paramount and CBS had issued a cease and desist against Axanar. The independent/fan film was set to be the closest thing to Star Trek ever not produced by the licence holders and was backed by one of the most successful crowdfunding projects of all time. Trouble is that there seems to be a lot more to it than that with expenses, studio ownership and "missing" funds being part of something we never wanted to hear about. The case goes to court on January 31 2017 and will without doubt determine what can and can't be done by fans of Star Trek forevermore. One thing is for certain and that's that "fair use" cannot be used as part of the Axanar defence. 

Thing is that already the case has effectively closed down much loved web series such as Continues and New Voyages to name but two. Already it seems that New Voyages has resigned to the fact it's all over and is now offering guided tours of the original plan-accurate sets. The case also forced others to change their name and style just to stay alive - Renegades and Anthology (now The Outer Rim) to point out a couple of instances. If you recall these were a couple of our ones to watch in 2017. Rules are already in place following the 2016 furore but this impending court case might alter the deal even more. 

Eaglemoss

The Official Starships Collection will hit its 100th issue in 2017 with the Daedalus Class marking the occasions. While this year will bring us bigger versions of every Enterprise from The Original Series to Nemesis plus specials focusing on ships from Beyond, the publisher is also branching out into the graphic novels. Following a successful test run in late 2016 this series will soon allow fans to own material from the last 4 decades of Star Trek with some cool gifts along the way. Perhaps not one in too fussed about but I certainly think a lot of fans will be excited by the prospect of this new collection.

First Contact Day 

Out of the Ashes 2.0

In its third year as FCD and after some monumental challenges in 2016, the event run by fans for fans is back and at the Telford International Centre.  With a line up including cast from Babylon 5 and Stargate Atlantis and Universe, the big draws for Star Trek fans in the U.K. will be FCD veterans John Carrigan and Aron Eisenberg plus Voyager's EMH, Robert Picardo and Number One himself, Jonathan Frakes. Really amazing news to hear the team had managed to get these two gents to add to their already superb line up. FCD might not be the arena filler that Destination Star Trek pertains to be but it has more heart and passion than any other event I attend during the year and that goes for things Trek or non-Trek related. Get your tickets. Don't delay.

So what are your highlights and thoughts for the coming 12 months?

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Fuller's NEW TCA Discovery Reveal!

Confirmed for Prime Universe...

Now it has been confirmed by Brian Fuller that Discovery will sit somewhere in the timeline between Enterprise and The Original Series - in fact ten years before Kirk which puts it around 2256(ish)

I had suggested when the series name and ship were unveiled that the registry - NCC-1031 - might just be a placeholder and a red herring however it now seems that it's period accurate according to Bryan Fuller himself. At the massive Las Vegas convention it seems Scott Bakula might have let something slip too in regards to it being great if Archer could cameo in the show. This confirmed time period might just make that possible.

So if that's the case then the USS Enterprise is already out there under the command of Captain Pike (or April if it's a bit earlier). Might we get to see it...? No hints so far on that.

As for more info from Fuller, he dropped some big hints at the Television Critics' Association panel. The lead for the series is likely to be a black woman who will be a lieutenant commander "with caveats" rather than a captain which is a huge step away from the standard format of every other series of Star Trek to date. It will also open on a scene not on an alien planet or Earth.

Fuller's attention to diversity means that we will get a gay character, "there will be robots" and we will have more aliens than ever before. One of which we have been teased already but more on that in a sec.

The main cast is set to include seven characters and one is apparently named Saru. Fuller revealed he has a fascination with Spock's mother, Amanda Grayson and hinted that she could appear in the first season but that's not absolute confirmation.  She may not be the only character from The Original Series to appear although Fuller indicated that the younger versions of popular characters probably won't turn up in the first season. I reckon that's a good move to at least let the show bed in and find its own identity.

Perhaps one big point is that with the series going to CBS' All Access subscription service, they will not be "...subject to certain broadcast standards and practices..." noted Fuller. This means that there could well be more graphic content than we've ever had in Star Trek before.

Discovery sounds fascinating already but it does however raise a few concerns. Some we've already encountered with Enterprise and some new ones...

What we learned from Enterprise is that a prequel series has to be in some respects a little predictable. Certain things can happen, certain things have to be in place but you are restricted by what we know will happen in the later series and the adventures of Kirk, Picard, Sisko and Janeway. it will be a Prime Universe show - we absolutely know that for a fact so Fuller and the Writers' Room are going to need to be super-careful with their continuity not just for the shows that run after Discovery but the one that will have come before it as well. Uless of course they do a JJ and just ignore everything.

Now though, there's another factor we need to take into consideration and one I've scarce seen a comment on since this news broke (maybe I'm just looking in the wrong places).

As part of the presentation Fuller did divulge that we will be seeing an incident that's been talked about in Starfleet history before  but "...has never been fully explored..." and will be told from the perspective of this lieutenant commander. It's definitely an event referenced in The Original Series and something both Fuller and fans want to see.

Now, think back to that teaser trailer and the music. Sounded a bit Klingon? A bit combative? Well what if that's just what we're going to see - the war with the Klingons, the aftermath of the Romulan War perhaps and, dare I say it, the Battle of Axanar? Some sites have referenced the Klingon Wars as the period in which it will be set but that appears to be purely conjecture at this time.

Not one to jump into the conspiracy turbolift of Doom but if this is a prequel series set in those as yet untold decades between the NX-01 and the NCC-1701 voyages under Kirk I would not be surprised to see those events. Explaining the evolution of the Federation in its fledgling years and thus stepping away from Enterprise would give so much juicy opportunity for action it would be insane to miss. The time period for the battle places it at 2251 according to internet sources so it's not too far outside that ten year window Fuller describes.

In that case I'm not sure what the reaction is going to be if Axanar does occur. Is this an event that a season would be leading up to and, just because of the proximity to the first season of the new show versus the launch of the lawsuit would I raise the possibility of it being the season one finale/cliffhanger? 

It would make CBS' legal action against Alec Peters make a lot of sense. Remember that the lawsuit came about two months after it was announced that the new series would air in January 2017 and at this point I suspect CBS knew where the show would be heading. 

If it turns out that CBS did launch the action to neuter Axanar ahead of their use of it within Discovery I wouldn't be shocked and I guess they wanted to keep their plans a secret hence the lack of transparency on this seemingly sudden decision to sue.

There were of course rumours that this was among the reasons for the suit back in the day but that ship registry confirmation did nail it home for me. After all, why haven't they gone after some of the other notable productions? Yes the new fan film rules do cut down opportunities but specifically they utterly blockaded Axanar's chances to be completed.

Great news too that on August 8th Fuller posted his first tease of the show and it was...a makeup test for a pair of rather familiar antennae in a shade of blue. Can't imagine which race they may belong to...(see right).

How do I feel about "another" prequel? Well, quite excited. It's not going to be the same vision and direction we had from Berman and Braga back in 2001 and that's a good thing. Fuller seems inspired and driven to produce a show for the fans. Seeing those blue antennae did emphasise that even more but that time period choice might well tie his hands....

Star Trek: Discovery will premiere in January 2017 with a two-hour pilot followed by weekly releases of the remaining season episodes.

Do you think Discovery will enter the Axanar realm? What other "pre-Kirk" events could we see?

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The SIXTH episode of our podcast is available right now HERE including news on that Las Vegas convention and more...

The Podcast Episode Five

Episode five of the podcast has gone live this week and here's your link to listen to it NOW!

Significantly longer than usual, it's been a massive week for the franchise so Clive and Tiff discuss:

• Star Trek Beyond - was it what we hoped for?
• Star Trek: Discovery - the first test footage from the series is revealed.

We also welcomed producer/editor/director Robert Meyer Burnett to the podcast to chat about his extensive career in the film industry, Free Enterprise and, of course, Axanar.

Have a listen, please rate the 'cast and let us know what you'd like to hear in the future!

You can also catch up with this time's podcast episode by listening to us on Stitcher or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes by searching for "Some Kind of Star Trek"!

Has the Battle of Axanar Just Got Started?

It never rains but it pours.

For the first time in a long time I'm really disappointed with the Star Trek fandom to a point where, at one stage this week I really wondered if it was really all worth the effort. Let me clarify that everything I say here is from my perspective and my opinion.

Firstly there was all the hate for Rhianna admitting to being a Star Trek fan. OK, I can see why people would be a bit cynical and I was myself because it did appear to come out of absolutely nowhere alongside her single Sledgehammer which is, of course, featured heavily in the promotion for Beyond but it goes much further than that.

In a year where we are supposed to be celebrating the 50th anniversary the increasing negativity is making fans look like fools. In fact it's like a bad political election gone even more wrong. It's the sci-fi equivalent of Brexit for us Brits (or whatever we are now). There's hate for Beyond (mainly that first trailer), hate for the upcoming series because "it won't be Star Trek" and I can kind of understand the skepticism in both cases after the way the franchise was treated by Into Darkness. While a box office success it's principles didn't sit well with the bulk of the fandom. Then there's Axanar.

I've valiantly tried to avoid talking about the thorn in the side of the Star Trek franchise but I don't think it's possible to any more. Even when I went through the fan film guidelines I was loathe to give Axanar (formerly Star Trek: Axanar) much column space because of how I felt about its place with two very opposing groups of fans within the same fandom bubble. Let's be honest, it got nasty very quickly which is bizarre when you think about the whole Star Trek ethos. But apparently accepting all viewpoints isn't always necessary. 

But I don't think you can avoid it. It's the Star Trek white elephant and it's not going away. I've attempted to avoid giving a firm opinion on the project but as someone who did donate to one of their Kickstarter campaigns, there's always a voice nibbling away at me saying that I should just take my stand and say what I feel so here it is. 

I was actually inspired, bizarrely, by a tweet from Robert Meyer Burnett who, it seems is looking to produce a documentary on the story of the rise, fall and whatever it is now of Axanar. In fact a tweet I've reproduced here just for clarity. I replied and was told to blog about it. When I replied again to ask about that interview I got no response. I'm still waiting.

So thanks Robert for pushing me to write about Axanar because the lack of response might have been the kickstart I needed. So let's begin.

Right back when Axanar kicked off I was a strong supporter of its work and its vision. This would be a huge project as near to Star Trek as it could possibly be but made by fans for fans. Kickstarter went crazy producing one of the biggest totals it's ever seen and leading to the filming of Prelude to Axanar; a military documentary style teaser film explaining the build-up to the Battle of Axanar itself.

Directed by Christian Gossett, Prelude had an incredible cast including Tony Todd, JG Hertzler, Kate Vernon and Gary Graham plus Peters himself as Axanar hero Garth of Izar. The 15 minute film looked and sounded amazing, peaking fan interest and beating a firm path to begin production on Axanar itself.

The perks for donating were awesome. Everything from patches to ship models, set visits and all points in between but as the process developed, Axanar was being publicised as independent rather than a fan film. There began to leak stories that all was not well behind the scenes with staff being fired or leaving. Indeed the recent - and excellent - interviews of Christian Gossett recently by the G&T podcast and the Trekzone Spotlight have highlighted precisely what was going on.  If you want another opinion, just trek back over Tony Todd's Twitter feed to see his opinion on the activities around Prelude. The ship was not steady and then the court case hit at the end of 2015. A court case that, even though JJ Abrams publicly said would be going away at the Beyond fan event is still running with a counter claim for losses and damages now coming from the Peters camp.

The last seven months have been a horribly revealing time for the Star Trek fandom as fans spoke out in favour or against the production. Those that spoke out seemed to get the bum deal being banned from fan groups and not receiving answers about what was happening with perks that are still not shipped (I'm waiting for mine).  Now there are a set of stifling fan film guidelines which could well bring an end to series such as Continues and New Voyages and have already caused Renegades to remove all Star Trek references so it may survive as a web-series in its own right.

There are still stories and swipes coming from both sides of the battle be it that anyone against is a "hater" or that the money has all gone and been sunk into Ares Studios which was "actually" the real end goal of the production, not the Axanar film. Indeed that studio was intended to be made available to other productions after the Axanar feature was completed.

From my perspective that's where my beef with the Axanar stable lies. There was a very open admission that money would be made off the back of Axanar and set Peters and co up for years to come. How come Alec and others were paid pretty decent salaries? Was some of the donor cash used to jet across the globe to fan events to promote the movie? A lot of cash would be made off selling merchandise such as the resin model kits of the Ares but there was a problem in that which was skated over - it was all unlicenced and incurred the wrath of CBS and Paramount.

I personally found Alec very easy to interview (via email) and he answered my questions very well and extensively. In fact whenever I wanted a comment from him in relation to Axanar he was more than accommodating so on a personal level I cannot fault his attitude however then you start hearing stories of what was happening and what had gone on with Propworx, its bankruptcy, speedy return from the ashes and another apparent lack of transparency. Again this is all from what I have read across the internet for which there are again for and against sides to assess. Now seemingly viewed as either the sole, flag-waving hero of Axanar and the right to make whatever you want from someone else's IP or the ultimate villain to give Khan a running, Alec Peters is a very visible figure within the Star Trek fandom. Heck, there were rumours that the Axanar story was going to be incorporated into the new series, that he'd offered it to CBS for nothing and even that he was holding out for an "inevitable" role on the new show. If that latter had happened could you honestly see Axanar not being dumped off?

Now I'm probably just covering over the issues very lightly and there are many more sites which deep dive into all the finer points much more precisely but in a year that should be celebratory we find fandom split. Perhaps not all of the fandom but maybe the more hardcore followers either stand for it or are against. There seems to be no mid-ground and anyone who speaks out is ground into the dirt. It's a very unhealthy place to walk with strong views on both sides.

In essence it comes down to intellectual property and who owns what. In simple terms and if you look at it from the outside, CBS and Paramount are clearly in the right. They own Star Trek and therefore can say what happens. IP is IP is IP. Fact, close the book, job is done and there's zero debate possible. 

Looking from the inside its not so simple because fans have been playing in this yard for a long time - at least 15 years - without hindrance but it could be said Axanar did an "Icarus" and flew too close for CBS' liking especially with a film and a series coming out in close succession to each other. Fan films have kept Star Trek on the radar for the best part of two decades especially thanks to YouTube and have been abided because of that retained interest. Why shouldn't Axanar do what everyone else has been doing but just make it damn near studio quality? In the very nature of becoming 100% transparent to its fans and supporters it stepped over the line it seems morphing from fan production into what could be deemed as a professional business even running its own annual report which detailed everything and may have contributed to its very downfall.

Whether or not Axanar was garnering more attention than the "real" Star Trek productions can be debated for eternity but all I'll say on that is take a look at the YouTube views for each and see which has pulled in more fans. In that respect I'm not sure if Paramount and CBS are quaking in their boots if fans of Axanar do choose to boycott the new series and movie in defiance of the lawsuit - just check out @startrekaxanar's Twitter feed for the support they have in this respect.

I honestly have tried to steer clear of this ongoing story but it has affected so many more people than just a group of fans making a fan film in the US. A lot of fans' money has gone into a studio and one scene (the Vulcan scene) that has been shot for the final movie. There are no answers as to when the perks will finally get shipped and the updates sent out via email - once very regularly - have now dried up. Only this week it was dredged up once more that the production might have run out of cash already in light of a conversation between Alec Peters and Terry MacIntosh who ran the donor platform but has since parted company with Axanar over payment that would have to be in shares rather than cash. Whether there is or isn't cash in the bank I can't actually confirm but apparently there is...maybe.

Out on social media there are clever little parody accounts getting a lot of views alongside very public slagging matches from numerous people once on board with Axanar. Just how much of all the stories, reasons for sackings, the state of the donor funding system, personal attitudes or agendas is true I can't be sure because of the volume, the counter arguments and because, frankly, I haven't spent the last few years with those involved.

However, I'm bitterly disappointed. Very bitterly disappointed in fact. I wouldn't say I'm a hater but I'm really sorry for all the other fan film makers who will be affected by the new guidelines in the wake of the Axanar case. I'm annoyed for fans, like myself, who may never get to see the result of our donations or even the perks we have been promised but ultimately I'm angry at how this project has divided the fan base at what should be such a happy time in the history of Star Trek. Maybe more than that I'm horrified by the vitriole that is launched by supporters of either side. Each appears blinded by its opinion, closed off to even the hint that there might be a second opinion. Things aren't right on either side and the more we hear, the more strands are revealed and the more we have to try and align be it true, false or just chucked in for the hell of it.


Axanar inspired fandom, it put a bomb underneath the fan film genre, promising so much and through Prelude, delivering exactly what was promised and more. How the film - if it ever gets made - will produce the same quality is again a debatable factor since a lot of the team have moved on. Those two trailers, all the firmament wave jokes and their rather hurried nature have not instilled hope into the hearts of even some of those who have steadfastly supported the project through these dark times.

One thing is certain, Alec Peters has ensured that Axanar will be remembered by Star Trek fans for decades to come because of the effect it's had on the franchise in its 50th year. I would love to see the movie produced if anything just to put an end to this saga but the guidelines have pretty much nailed that door shut at this time.  Prelude genuinely looked amazing and ticked all the boxes but with a lot of those talented individuals no longer on board, can the same be said for the full film (or the 15 minute short it might now have to be sans all that stellar Star Trek alumni cast). I expect that Peters and the Axanar team will fight against it and the battle will rage on. As my title suggested this is one fight that doesn't seem to have a clear end in sight and potentially no end at all.

I think that Peters' heart is in the right place. I think that Robert Meyer Burnett also has his heart in the right place but are they now so blinkered to the end goal that they don't see what this is doing to fandom as a whole? Do they want to rip the fabric of the franchise apart from the inside out and leave a bad taste in the mouths of all involved? I don't believe for a second that's their goal although how it will do anything else after such a long running feud seems impossible.

Personally I just want the actual story out in the open, perks to be shipped and a line to be drawn (here, no further...) because this is dragging on and we have other things to be dealing with. By the time Axanar gets made I'm not even certain we will want to see it and maybe the legend around it and its evolution would actually be better than the end result. That still doesn't account for the ton of cash already sunk in by fans and I'm unsure as to whether we'll ever get the full, right and definitive story.

On a side note, there is also a new Axanar project out there looking to do something similar - but its Twitter account has already been suspended. By whom and how remains a mystery.

As to Robert and his documentary, please drop me a line. You suggested a blog post on my thoughts to help promote that work, so here it is. I'm available and I'd love to chat Axanar pros and cons for as long as you want. Heck, why don't you come on the podcast and we can both use the chat?

Pro or against we all have an opinion. What do you think the future holds for Axanar?

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