"STAR TREK – HORIZON" FAN FILM SHUTS DOWN AT STUDIO "SUGGESTION", PROVING NOT ALL FAN FILM MAKERS ARE IDIOTS

In a surprising turn if events, "Star Trek – Horizon", a Star Trek fan film production set in the "Enterprise" era, is shutting down according to its creator Tommy Kraft. In a Facebook posting on Wednesday, Kraft had this to say:

"BREAKING NEWS: “STAR TREK - HORIZON" SEQUEL, "FEDERATION RISING", SHUT DOWN.

Earlier today, executives from CBS reached out to me and advised me that their legal team strongly suggested that we do not move forward with plans to create a sequel to Horizon. While this is a sign of the current climate that we find ourselves in with Star Trek fan films, I want to personally thank CBS for reaching out to me, rather than including us in their ongoing lawsuit against Axanar.

It was conveyed that the reason CBS was reaching out to me was due to the legal troubles stemming from the Axanar case. Again, CBS did not have to reach out personally. The message I received felt more like they were giving me a heads up before we got too involved in another project, rather than a group of angry executives swinging a hammer.

On behalf of myself and Ryan Webber, my co-writer and co-producer on Federation Rising, we appreciate your initial support and are saddened that we cannot bring you what we believe was a fantastic feature film. However, rest assured that Ryan and I are committed to continuing our storytelling partnership with an original project. We also welcome other fan productions and fan film lovers to join us on this new venture.

While we initially planned to debut our Kickstarter for Federation Rising this Saturday, we hope that you will instead stand with us as we announce an original sci-fi project that Ryan and I have been co-developing in addition to Federation Rising. We’re incredibly excited to tell you about this completely original story that follows the ideals set forth by Star Trek that Ryan and I have been such huge fans and admirers of our entire lives.

Please stay tuned for this Saturday’s announcement.

- Tommy Kraft, "Star Trek - Horizon" creator"

This gracious statement from Kraft stands in stark contrast to the defiant tone taken by Axanar. The now-on-hold Axanar production was clearly warned by CBS in this statement last August which appeared in TheWrap:

“CBS has not authorized, sanctioned or licensed this project in any way, and this has been communicated to those involved,” a representative from the network told TheWrap. “We continue to object to professional commercial ventures trading off our property rights and are considering further options to protect these rights.” (Paramount did not return TheWrap’s request for comment.)"

This statement was clear and specific. But instead of taking it as a warning, the Axanar production chose to ignore it, resulting in the lawsuit that was filed against them in December. They could have taken the same path as Horizon has chosen – one of understanding and appreciation. But that would have made too much sense, apparently.

To Mr. Kraft and his production team I'd like to state that you're a class act and your decision is totally understandable – and sensible. Perhaps other productions will take heed of your example.

How this will affect other productions like "Star trek Continues" and "Star Trek New Voyages" remains to be seen. But I think it is highly unlikely that these larger profile productions will continue as they have if a relatively small one like Horizon was specifically warned. We'll see.

LLAP.

Don

SEATTLE'S EMP MUSEUM'S NEW EXHIBIT "STAR TREK: EXPLORING STRANGE NEW WORLDS" OPENS IN MAY

The Star Trek Exhibit will include key costume pieces from TOS

The EMP Museum (formerly the Science Fiction Museum) in Seattle will be returning to its roots with a new Star Trek-themed exhibit appropriately called "Strange New Worlds". This will kick off the museum's celebration of Star Trek's 50th Anniversary. Here's what they have to say:

"Discover the beloved series all over again in this fully immersive experience, featuring more than 100 artifacts and props from the five Star Trek television series, spin-offs, and films, including set pieces from the original series like Captain Kirk’s command chair and the navigation console (on display for the first time to the public); Kirk, Spock, Uhura, and McCoy original series costumes; and the 11-foot U.S.S. Enterprise filming model from Star Trek: The Next Generation."

For more info, visit the EMP site at:

EMP Star Trek Exhibit

LLAP,

Don

REVIEW: WILLIAM SHATNER'S "Leonard: My Fifty-Year Friendship with a Remarkable Man"

When I heard that William Shatner was writing a memoir about Leonard Nimoy, the cynic in me said "Bill must need a paycheck". After all, he had half a century to write such a book. Why wait until the subject is gone to make it so? And, over the years Mr. Shatner has made it clear that he'll do anything for a buck ("Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds", anyone?). So when I received my copy, I realized I had to put my own preconceived notions aside and let the book stand or fall on its own.

It's important to take the title into account. From the first page it's clear that this is not a biography of an individual, but the recounting of how that individual's life intersected the writer's. Because of that, Shatner intertwines elements about his own life (though to a lesser extent than Nimoy's) in the telling of Nimoy's story. In this case, that is a very proper thing to do, for without knowing how the two men led their individual lives, we'd have little understanding of how and why they would first come together as colleagues and, eventually, as friends. 

If you're a long-time Star Trek fan and reader of Shatner and Nimoy's past memoirs, there's very little new material regarding their early days. And very little new material, period, at least from a nuts and bolts "these are the facts" perspective. Been there, read that. But where this book shines is that, for the first time that I know of, the narrative is exclusively about how these two men became attached – first by fate and then by choice – for almost half a century. Each had played some role in the others' memoirs, but only as one of dozens of other players. Here the focus is specific and laser-tight.

It's interesting to see Shatner acknowledge that his own self-image was perhaps not as accurate as he once thought. In the past, Shatner has admitted to having being oblivious to the needs of others. And so, in relating various stories, Shatner gives us the sense that his friend Leonard sometimes gave him a very honest take on his past behaviors and how they affected those around him, and not always in a positive light. 

The book is filled with various interplay between the two over the years and is laid out in a roughly chronological way. Shatner and co-author, David Fisher, show no real ability to consistently connect to the material on an emotional level with a couple of exceptions. When Shatner relates a conversation with Nimoy in 2001 and quotes the actor as saying "You're my best friend", you'd have to be made of stone to be unmoved. So, too, as Shatner tells the story of his third wife's battle with alcoholism that would eventually lead to her death and Nimoy's steadfast support for his friend – an understanding that could only have come from an alcoholic like Nimoy, himself – we get a stark, honest look at one of the worst moments in Shatner's life. His friendship with Nimoy was one of the few rocks upon which he could lean. 

But the most interesting – and strangest – part of the book comes at the end when Shatner basically tells us (spoiler alert!!) that despite their deep friendship, the two hadn't spoken since 2011 because, for some reason unknown to Shatner, Nimoy stopped speaking to him. Shatner claims to have reached out to Nimoy several times to no avail. He also claims to not understand the basis of the problem. It's interesting to note that the last time the two saw each other was for the production of a German Volkswagen commercial in 2014, just a few months prior to Nimoy's death. Despite mentioning this event, Shatner tells nothing about how the two related to each other during the shoot. Surely the subject would have been broached, right? But no insight is given and we're left to wonder "what the...??".

While an imperfect story, "Leonard" should nonetheless be considered a must-read for Star Trek fans who, like me, grew up with these two wonderful actors and their iconic characters who took us, boldy, where no man had gone before. We'll never see their likes again, and any insight into these individuals is well worth the effort.

LLAP.

Don

EXCLUSIVE SHOTS OF THE ENTERPRISE IN HER SMITHSONIAN DRYDOCK

On January 30, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum held their annual open house. It was a special day for Star Trek fans, of course, since one of the items on display was the original Enterprise model from the 60's as it awaits its impending restoration. Friend of the blog and Star Trek fan extraordinaire John Simmons was in attendance and has kindly shared some of his exclusive shots with us. Click on each photo for much larger versions.

Dismantled in preparation for its upcoming restoration, the Enterprise was lovingly laid out in pieces for attendees. All photos courtesy of John Simmons.

Engine nacelles with the light module that resulted in the "warp effect" under the domes. Note the Shuttle Bay doors in the center.

A better shot of the impulse engine add-on (lower left) and the engine domes.

The secondary hull with the front assembly removed. The skin's inaccurate heavily weathered paint job will be removed and restored to its original simple texture.

Aft end of the nacelles showing the domed caps. The secondary hull front piece is sitting just behind it with the iconic saucer sitting between.

Side of the primary hull showing the same exaggerated weathering as on the secondary hull.

More detail is shown on the nacelle front opening. It looks like rather crudely carved wood because that's exactly what it is!

The museum displayed this graphic as an overview to attendees.

Thanks to John for recording and sharing the amazing experience of being in the presence of the one and only original Enterprise!

LLAP,

Don

THIS SATURDAY CATCH A GLIMPSE OF A TRUE RARITY: THE DISASSEMBLED ORIGINAL ENTERPRISE MODEL AT SMITHSONIAN

Spread out in pieces on a work table, the USS Enterprise sits as if on a flat space dock, its parts carefully laid out around her iconic saucer awaiting the Starfleet engineers to complete their final assembly. But this is no fictional shipyard, but the real-life Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

The old girl has been to hell and back but she's finally getting the long-awaited refit she deserves. That's right – the original 11-foot-long shooting model of the legend that started it all – the USS Enterprise NCC 1701 – is in for repairs and will be on display this Saturday during the annual Open House at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center on Saturday, January 30. She's been taken apart, prodded, analyzed and measured, all toward the goal of stabilizing the model and returning it to its appearance from August of 1967, during the filming of the episode The Trouble with Tribbles, which marked the last known modification of the ship during the production of Star Trek.

Ready for restoration to inspire whole new generations.

This isn't the first time the model has undergone restoration. The last time was in the early nineties and lead to a controversial outcome. Instead of being given a freshening that would have reflected her true appearance in the studios of Desilu, someone thought it would be a good idea to "idealize" her and gave her an overly-detailed, totally inaccurate paint job instead. To this fan's eye the outcome was not pretty and should never have been called a "restoration" as the original appearance was never "restored". This time around things are apparently being done differently and the goal is a TRUE restoration – make her look like she actually did during original production almost a half century ago.

The final painting of the Enterprise model will begin in April, using newly discovered reference photos from an appeal to Star Trek fans in the fall. That appeal garnered all sorts of images that haven't been seen in decades and will aid the conservation process.

For a full report on the process and more photos, visit the Smithsonian Natioanl Air and Space Museum page.

LLAP!

Don

"BEST DAD EVER" BUILDS TOS BRIDGE PLAYSET FROM SCRATCH FOR SON

This is the coolest thing I've come across in a long time and I had to share it. A guy named David Weiberg built a complete TOS Bridge Playset for his 8-year-old son, a budding Star Trek fan. It was created in the same scale as the old 5-inch Playmates action figures. Amazingly enough, with all the toys that Playmates made back in the 90's, they never made this playset!

Below are some shots of his amazing creation. It was made with wood and plastic and a lot of patience.

You'd swear you were on-set! All photos: David Weilberg

He began with basic wood construction building modules – just like the original shooting set:

He then moved on to the center command section:

 

And the all-important viewscreen:

All parts were then rough-assembled to check fit:

 

Everything was then filled, sanded and primed:

 

Next – building and painting the iconic chairs:

Then came the rails made from plastic:

And final paint:

 

Next came the super-critical client review:

Graphics creation:

 

And application:

And completion!

Notice his son's multi-level approach!

This is an incredibly cool and – let's face it, charming – piece of Star Trek-inspired love. I hope his boy has fun with it for years to come!

You'll find the entire build overview here:

Star Trek Bridge Playset

LLAP!

Don

AXANAR LAWSUIT "DOE" DEFENDANTS CAN GET EXCLUSIVE SWAG – SUITABLE FOR THEIR COURTROOM APPEARANCES!

This story references the current controversy and lawsuit surrounding the Star Trek Axanar project. You can get more info HERE.

The folks over at Axanar are known for the "Donor Swag" they send out to their mindless minions who apparently have more money than common sense. Daniel James Squire over on the "I Stand With CBS" Facebook page gave the idea his own unique (and realistic!) twist:

I'm sure that all the unnamed "Doe" defendants (as in John and/or Jane Doe) will be sporting this on T-shirts and coffee mugs (filled with Axanar Coffee) real soon! That way we'll be able to pick them out in the courtroom.

Thanks for an inspired message, Daniel!

LLAP.

Don