50TH ANNIVERSARY STAR TREK AUCTION DELIVERS STUNNING OFFERINGS! (HAH! GET IT? STUNNING?)

The Shat's Captain's uniform!!

"Holy crap!"  Not too sophisticated, I know, but that's all I could think of when I saw the catalog for an upcoming auction of Star Trek items.

"Holy, holy crap!"

With Star Trek's 50th Anniversary fast approaching, there's going to be a lot of Trek in the news over the coming months. But nothing will excite collectors more than the upcoming Profiles in History Hollywood 83 auction that is featuring an amazing assortment of Star Trek props, costumes and production materials going all the way back to the original Star Trek itself. There have been some great auctions over the years but this one delivers what has to be the most exclusive array of truly rare pieces ever.

The exclusivity starts with no less than uniforms from both Kirk and Spock: Shatner and Nimoy-worn uniforms dating back to the original series. But as amazing as that sounds, it's just the start. Here's some additional highlights:

A red Uhura uniform worn by Nichelle Nichols

A gold Chekov tunic worn by Walter Koenig

A red Yeoman Rand uniform worn by Grace Lee Whitney

Nurse Chapel's blue medical uniform worn by Majel Barrett

Romulan uniforms from the classic "Balance of Terror"

Numerous guest star costumes

A deadly-looking Lirpa used by none other than Kirk himself from one of the greatest episodes, "Amok Time"

Klingon costumes from "Day of the Dove"

An amazing collection of props from "Wrath of Khan"

And on and on...

There's also plenty of items from later Treks as well including an assortment of Next Gen uniforms (featuring a Brent Spiner Data uniform!), costumes, props and even prototypes. Whatever your  favorite Star Trek version, there's definitely something for everyone.

You can find the complete catalog and bidding info here:

Profiles In History Hollywood Auction 83

Check it out!

LLAP

Don

CRAPPING IN THE SANDBOX: HOW ALEC PETERS AND AXANAR RUINED STAR TREK FAN PRODUCTIONS FOR EVERYONE ELSE

Disclaimer 1: This story is in regards to the on-going litigation surrounding a Star Trek "fan film" called "Axanar". If you've never heard about it, don't worry – most fans haven't. It's a tempest in a teapot. For the complete saga, see this very well done website dedicated to the subject: Axamonitor.

Disclaimer 2: I've been called a "hater" of Alec Peters. It's true, but then I hate all narcissistic douchecanoes (thanks Wil Wheaton!) who threaten my life, so...

Dear Mr. Peters: be careful what you wish for.

One of the key elements that Mr. Peters and company have bemoaned during the on-going Axanar litigation was the lack of specific guidelines for Star Trek fan films. For decades, other fan film productions did just fine playing in the Star Trek sandbox without said guidelines, with one even getting tacit approval from CBS/Paramount with their production, providing they didn't cross the line into commerce.

The First Rule of Star Trek Fan Films: Don't Make Money.  Second Rule: See Rule Number One.

While this may seem like common sense, apparently Mr. Peters and Company didn't understand that rule. I guess common sense is a rare commodity inside the echo chamber that is Axanar. But, just to make sure going forward that everyone – no matter how dense they might be – understands the rules, CBS and Paramount have now quantified them (found HERE). When all the elements of these guidelines are taken together as a whole, there's only one production that violates every aspect: Axanar. So there can be no doubt that these new rules were written specifically with Axanar in mind. All fan films break some of these rules but, up to now, they didn't shatter them. Only Axanar breaks them all. Breaks them, spits on them and then wipes their ass with them and sets them on fire. And that sucks for all the other fan productions who have tried to play nice in the sandbox for years but are now subject to these new draconian regulations that will cover all productions, all care of Mr. Peters and Axanar.

Make no mistake. Breaking Rule Number One is the equivalent of crapping in the sandbox. And if my own toddler memories can be relied upon, when you crap in the sandbox, everybody gets covered in shit.

The folks at Axanar would have us believe that they weren't doing anything that other fan films haven't been doing for years. That is a blatant lie that only the stupid would promulgate.

For those not in the know, here are just some of the main highlights of Peters'/Axanar's sandbox crapping:

• Raised over $1,000,000 in the name of Star Trek via crowdfunding

• Used some of that crowdfunding to build a for-profit studio

• Paid himself (Peters) at least $38,000 (that we know of)

• Sold unlicensed "Axanar Coffee" (no, I'm not making that up!)


• Sold unlicensed Axanar model kits

And on and on. Without exception no other fan film production ever did any of these things.

The basic fallout from all this is found in the first of the ten new guidelines:

"1. The fan production must be less than 15 minutes for a single self-contained story, or no more than 2 segments, episodes or parts, not to exceed 30 minutes total, with no additional seasons, episodes, parts, sequels or remakes."

The take-away here is that the most Star Trek any group can ever produce in the future is 30 minutes worth of story, period. No on-going stories, no episodes, no nothing beyond 30 minutes. This means that every existing Star Trek fan production is obsolete because they have already produced more than the 30-minute limit. They're done.

All thanks to Mr. Peters and his colossal ego. Contrary to what he and his rabid followers would have you believe,  this is not about huge companies smothering the little guy. Not at all. Rather, this is about a narcissist whose reach exceeded his grasp. He wanted to exploit the property of others for his own personal gain and he got caught. It's no more complex than than that.

Here's a list of known fan productions that can thank Alec Peters for his efforts on their behalf:

Star Trek: Ajax, Ambush, Anthology, Constellation, Continues, Dark Armada, Excelsior, Farragut, Hood, Intrepid, Lexington, Melbourne, New Voyages, Pegasus, Phoenix, Potemkin, Renegades, Starbase Studios, Valiant, Yorktown

ALL of these productions made their contributions to fan films without raising the ire of CBS/Paramount. Then along came Axanar and crapped all over their efforts because Peters couldn't keep his own ego in check.

Well played, Mr. Peters. Well played. I'm sure you are Mr. Popular with the fan film world today.


LLAP,

Don

I'M BEYOND "BEYOND": WHY "STAR TREK BEYOND" WILL NEVER MAKE A DIME OFF OF ME.

Over the last several months I've been completely overhauling a house. "Renovation" doesn't quite cover it – it's more like "a rebuild from Hell". It's kept me a way from this Blog for far too long and I hope to slowly remedy that, beginning now. Thanks for hanging in there!

Many years ago I read a book called "All I Really Need to Know I Learned from Watching Star Trek". It was a tongue-in-cheek look at how Star Trek's stories can be used to solve many of life's basic conundrums ranging from treating people fairly to keeping your phaser dry. Little did I know that one of Star Trek's key lessons would teach me about... Star Trek. Specifically, when to stay away from Star Trek.

The piece of insight to which I refer comes from the classic Star Trek episode "Friday's Child", wherein Scotty gives a piece of advice that has stayed with me all my life. After being duped by a fake distress call, he ignores a second one, sagely stating "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me!" This insight into human nature has helped me time and time again throughout life. And so it will again in dealing with the upcoming Star Trek Beyond.

Beyond is the third film of the "reboot" made in 2009's Star Trek which was produced and directed by Lost creator and lens flare aficionado JJ Abrams. In that film, we were introduced to an alternate universe version of the Star Trek we all knew for decades. It had all the classic characters – Kirk, Spock, McCoy, etc. – but they weren't quite what we knew from the earlier incarnation. And not in a good way, in this fan's opinion. And because those first two films used up all my good will – and patience – I refuse to give in to the temptation to give these film-makers another chance. For me, it's really just another opportunity for people who make, what is in my opinion, fundamentally bad films in general – and bad Star Trek films specifically – to make another buck off of me without delivering anything beyond overdone space battles that ultimately signify nothing but their inability to write a decent script.

Throughout the first two "reboot" films, Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) we are given an all-new back-story to James Kirk which defines the direction for these movies. Instead of the smart and highly-competent starship officer which we were first introduced to in the original TV series, we're given a character who inexplicably goes from drifter to Starfleet cadet to First Officer instantly, simply because the plot needs it. There's ZERO logic to it – it simply happens. And that is, in short, the problem with the rebooted universe. Everything happens because the plot needs it to happen, not because it makes sense. Nothing makes sense!

"Flawed" should not mean "stupid"

I'll use the character of Kirk to illuminate the differences these new movies have introduced, much to my chagrin.

Throughout the run of the original series and the films that were based on that series, we're shown a Captain James T. Kirk (to me, Real Kirk) that could be obsessive ("Obsession"), selfish ("The Motion Picture"), impetuous (you name it), and arrogant (you name it, again). In Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, his disregard for regulations opens the Enterprise to attack by Khan in the stolen Reliant. As a result, Real Kirk's ship is in tatters and crewmen are killed. It's one of the few times were Real Kirk's decision-making has lead to dire consequences. When he realizes what his actions have done, Real Kirk tells Saavik, "you go right on quoting regulations!" as a mea culpa. This is in stark contrast to the Reboot Kirk who makes one bad decision after another but faces no consequences. In Into Darkness Reboot Kirk's decision to let Khan out of the brig specifically results in the deaths of at least hundreds and probably thousands of people in San Francisco when the Enterprise falls out of the sky. Yet, he apparently gets no blame and keeps his command. We have no idea why. In that same film, Reboot Kirk also gets upset with Spock for telling Starfleet about his violation of the Prime Directive so that Spock could be saved. Apparently, he expected Spock to lie! Real Kirk would have assumed Spock would of course tell the truth and he, Kirk, would stand by his actions and accept responsibility for them. Real Kirk, for all his flaws, is a decent, honest man. Reboot Kirk is child-like, none too bright and is not deserving of his position.

Unrecognizable (silly) characters

Unfortunately, Kirk is not the only character to get tweaked. For some reason, Spock and Uhura become The Bickersons, a romantic couple that can't seem to keep their relationship issues to themselves. During a particularly dangerous mission, Uhura launches into a diatribe about how Spock is such a lousy boyfriend. Note to writers: having a female character rant about her boyfriend during a moment of danger is not showing us an empowered woman. Quite the contrary. In the original series, Uhura was always portrayed as a highly competent professional, not a love-sick teenager. Stick to that example, please!

Another unrecognizable character was Khan in Into Darkness. And by "unrecognizable", I mean  literally unrecognizable! The character made famous by Mexican actor Ricardo Montalbán was suddenly portrayed by the whitest of white guys, Benedict Cumberbatch. It made no sense whatsoever, but in a film that showed no ability to make sense, it fit right in.

Plots that make no sense (See? I told you.)

Both reboot films suffer from a total lack of common sense in their respective story-telling. While in command of the Enterprise, Spock decides that a rebellious Kirk needs to be banished to a harsh moon instead of simply being thrown into the brig. Why? Because it was a way to get Kirk onto a harsh moon for an action sequence after which he could meet Spock Prime who also just happened to be banished on the same moon. Wait, what? That makes no sense? No shit.

Then there's the "magic transporter", a plot device contrived to get characters from point A to point B that is, IMO, so incredibly stupid because going forward it negates the very basis of Star Trek – the need of a ship to go from place to place. It's used in both films, and the second time is even worse – ie: dumber! – than the first!

Add in crazy, blood-thirsty Admirals who have a model of their super-secret starship sitting right out in the open in their office, "magic Khan blood" that apparently cures death from that moment on, a super-smart Khan who can somehow design 23rd-century weapons of mass destruction but can't figure out how to thaw out his buddies frozen in their 20th century sleep units. He can even design a missile around them but can't wake them up! Riiiiight.

Don't get me started on the plot contrivances that yielded a mini "Wrath of Khan" redo with Kirk and Spock switching places in the story. "Contrived" doesn't begin to describe it. "Crap" does, though.

Enough is enough.

When the Harrison character in Into Darkness eventually revealed himself to be Khan, something snapped in my head. JJ Abrams had insisted that lily-white Cumberbatch wasn't playing Khan. Cumberbatch, himself, had insisted that he wasn't playing Khan. Only he was. But Khan COULD NOT look like Benedict Cumberbatch! He couldn't SOUND like Benedict Cumberbatch! That would just be stupid, right?

Correct. And so the straw that broke the camel's back snapped in my head and I no longer gave a damn about what happened in this silly, stupid piece of shit movie that was Star Trek In Name Only as far as I was concerned. It all played out in one silly action sequence after another, none of which made sense in any way but were simply woven together to get lots of things to go "bang" and to show pretty lights and explosions. It was the movie version of jangling keys in front of a baby. They don't require content, either.

I won't be missing out

I can hear you now. But, Don, you might miss out on a great movie!!" you're no doubt saying. But that's not possible, in this writer's opinion. There's a doctrine that states that fruit of the poisonous tree is tainted. And so it is with Star Trek Beyond. Any story that is based on the characters we've seen so far holds no interest for me. For me, it is not possible to have a good Trek film based on a Kirk that doesn't deserve his position and has displayed such poor judgement over and over. In short, it features characters that I just don't care about.

It can't be good since there are magic transporters that negate the need of a starship altogether and magic blood that has conquered death itself. The first time you see the Enterprise, ask yourself this: since they have the magic transporters, why is there an Enterprise at all? Will there be a line of dialog that explains those universe-shaking concepts away? I doubt it.

Given the way the first two films have gone, I can only imagine what piece of magical technology will be created to help the plot in Beyond. A Magic Tricorder that can tell the future?

If only that were a stretch.

I'll save my money. And my sanity.

LLAP.

Don

"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