Monday, May 2nd, 2016
So last week, Joe Gerargi who had a Facebook page called “Star Trek Constellation”, claimed he was shutting down because of the call Tommy Kraft got from CBS asking him to not proceed with his sequel to Horizon. Immediately the opinion blogger who shall not be named (Let’s just call him Voldemort), wrote a long article blaming Axanar. I know that shocks you that a guy with a vendetta against me would find something I had nothing to do with and blame me. But hey, we are all used to it. And someone had to tell me about this blog because I certainly don’t read it.
But what Voldemort failed to mention (his M.O., he only used the facts that support his agenda) is that Star Trek Constellation wasn’t a fan film. It was a Facebook page with 358 Likes when I found it. A Facebook page started about 16 months earlier, that was full of nothing but Star Trek memes. No website, no proof that any work had been done on it. Oh, there was one or two posts claiming they were working on a script, but that was it. Nothing.
Constellation’s first Facebook post
No website at www.startrekconstellation.com
One of the rare posts that was actually about the project.
And so Voldemort, goes on his blog and writes this long article blaming Axanar. Why? Well, first the aforementioned vendetta against me (Rob Burnett swears the guy has a crush on me) and second, he is trying to drive traffic to his website so he can make ad money off of it. So the fact that there is no truth and no journalism, just sensationalism and disinformation is meaningless to Voldemort. He wants eyeballs. What better way than to creates story where non exists?
The fact is his article is a lie. Star Trek: Constellation wasn’t a fan film. It was an idea for a fan film. They claim they had a script (which was about Matt Decker and would have been interesting I think). But frankly, those of us who have been doing fan films for a few years have seen this over and over. Someone wants to make a fan film, starts to get their friends together and write something, and then quickly realizes how much work that is, that it costs money, and so they quit. We saw that with Star Trek Begins (about Robert April) and Star Trek Futures (a JJ verse fan film). Both had actually made far more progress than Constellation, and could actually lay claim to being fan films. Star Trek Begins actually shot something while Star Trek Futures had some great concept art, a bible and pre-production work done. Star Trek: Constellation had none of that. And if, after 16 months you have maybe 3 posts on Facebook and nothing to show, yeah, you aren’t a fan film, you are an idea, a project.
Now, that is not to minimize anyone’s efforts. We want everyone to make Star Trek fan films and no one supports other projects more than us. I think mining the back stories of minor characters in TOS is a great idea! 🙂 And certainly, if these guys had asked our help we would have loved to help. But to decide not to make your fan film because Tommy Kraft was asked to stop and NO ONE ELSE has been? Well, that is your call. So for Voldemort to blame Axanar is absurd.
And why has no one else gotten a call from CBS despite Tommy claiming that Bill Burke said that “Other productions are receiving calls as well”? Well, since the opinion blogs are too busy bashing Axanar to do any real journalism, we will take a look at that later this week.
Alec Peters
Executive Producer
A thorough googling led me to the same conclusions. Had they done even that much they’d have realized this is vapor trek.
Or maybe they did and didn’t care. Choosing to go for the sensational. There is definitely an agenda going on that is not in service of bringing news to the fans.
If you say anything about it your comments are marginalized to put it nicely.
If now is not the time to be thinking about doing a new Star Trek production. Rather than canceling put it off, work work on your script, or your process or your techniques do another project. Do something but don’t cancel. And then blame others for your misfortune because at this point no one knows how it’s going to turn out. Including Voldemort
“Voldemort” can go to hell!!!
nachDaq Suvmo’ woDDI’ anus neH outlook Hov trek vegh chor button, vaj vay’ vuD He’So’ qabDaj ghaj be blogger!
Sir Walter Scott must have known these people:
“Oh what a tangled web we weave, When first we practise to deceive!”
Alec did you do all this fact checking by yourself or did the friends of Axanar give a little time to figure out what really happened here? It kinda stunk how this story TK came about.
I figured it out pretty quick.
Alec
Jesus Christ you’re fighting for the rights of all Star Trek fans to be able to make fan films. I never even heard of the Constellation production but I’m glad now, because they’re showing their true colors; yellow and green. You guys have integrity. You’re Star fleet material, but they’re Romulans. They’d lie, cheat and steal just to make themselves look good. But you’re out there risking everything for all of us. Qapla’
Sorry Alec, but the cancellation of my project was due to CBS enforcing their IP, not the amount of work needed to get off the ground. If you had bothered to research you would have seen that we did have a website (which I took down), some names attached and that somewhere in your inbox is an email from me quite awhile ago, before your legal troubles, introducing myself and my project to you and offering any assistance that you might need for Axanar. If minimizing my project makes you sleep better then go for it. I suspect that there will be many Trek fans sleeping better once the verdict is delivered. Best of luck.
Joe:
I am sorry you took offense at the article, but none was intended Just like I am sure you didn’t MEAN to throw Axanar under the bus and blame us for your decision to cancel your project, even though everyone read it that way.
And if you had “names” attached you would have posted about it. You didn’t. There is ZERO news about your project anywhere.
And the WAY BACK MACHINE shows no website. So you took down your website but not your Facebook page?
And as I CLEARLY stated in my blog, I wasn’t minimizing anything. I would have helped you if you asked, but you didn’t. Instead you threw Axanar under the bus when you could have just stopped what you were doing if you were so scared. No need to go public and try and blame it on Axanar.
You didn’t need to post a cancellation notice throwing Axanar under the bus. You chose to make Axanar the excuse for your cancelling your project. No other production has gotten a phone call or been asked to stop. So please don’t accuse Axanar of being the reason you won’t move forward. My blog had nothing to do with your project and everything to do with Michael Hinman’s ridiculous article, which you seemed to have been a part of.
Alec
I commented on a trek Facebook page calling into question the actions of a couple of people who were obviously misinformed about the suit and its effect on other fan films. I was accused of lying, making stuff up, and changing my argument. I was even accused of calling them haters, which I never did, and when I asked them to provide evidence of such, one blocked me rather than respond. It is so strange out there. I finally quit responding because it was a waste of energy.
Darren I am right there with you. I read somewhere that we should think twice before we cast pearls before swine. Reading and writing all of this spiteful commentary, most of it subjective nonsense, serves little constructive purpose other than to preoccupy some whiny troublemakers. Lawsuits will unfold in the manner they are fated and the opinions of average Joes like you and me will not matter in the slightest. In the meantime there are plenty of howler monkeys online who thrive on scribbled opinions and simulated controversy. Axanar’s public conversation mirrors the discord in current political dialogue, as only one example.
In other words, the internet comment section is a “tale told by idiots full of sound and fury signifying nothing.”
And yes, I fully appreciate the irony of posting this in an internet comments section.
No disrespect intended but as soon as I realised you were referring to Hinman I kinda lost interest. Your problem is you didn’t agree with him so now he’s trying to bully Axanar out of existence. You could complete the project tomorow and the guy would still be trying to hammer you guys down. And as Darren mentioned above if you try to engage with them on FB or wherever you get blocked, your comments removed etc etc.
Well said Alec.. you have my support and looking forward to see this legal bout behind you and go on filming.. Ruben
Here is what I see in a nut shell. Joe Gwragi, you did a poor job of promoting your fan film. Like others said and I to had never heard of your production either until it was posted that you voluntarily cancelled citing CBS not Axanar. Then you went and joined the Anti-Axanar Facebook Groups and you are now engaged with the rest of the trash there blaming Axanar and Alec for the demise of your Vapor Trek production. Sorry. I am being so blunt but after reading things you have said against Axanar , Alec and agreeing with people like Micheal Himnan , Jody Wheoler and a several others over there I have No sympathy for your cancelling Constellation. Just my opinion.
What a waste of time and energy when you could be doing something much more constructive than joining with the haters. In that regard I have no respect for you. .