Propworx VI auction arrives at Star Trek Las Vegas

 

Propworx will be holding the next installment of their Star Trek Auction series this weekend as part of Creation Entertainment’s Star Trek Las Vegas convention. With interest in Star Trek as keen as ever by both serious collectors as well as first time buyers, and happening in the midst of Creation’s flagship annual event, bidding is expected to be fast and furious this weekend.

“10% of the auction fees generated by the sale will go towards the financing of the upcoming feature film, Axanar, ” said Propworx CEO, Alec Peters. “We’re really excited to be partnered with Creation to bring a live auction of original series props and costumes to the fans.”

The Propworx area at Star Trek Las Vegas

Seeing original Trek props and costumes come on the open market was until recently an almost unheard of occurrence, but with the recent films and spate of high quality fan productions circulating has helped coax collectors to put pieces back up on the block. At this Sunday’s auction more than 150 original props, costumes, models, and production materials will be up for bid.

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“Trials & Tribble-ations” D7 filming model

Picking out what items to mention as key depends highly on what speaks to any individual fan. For costume fans there’s a Final Frontier Captain Kirk uniform and Deep Space Nine Klingon warrior uniform, as well as dozens of others from DS9, Next Generation, Voyager, and a range of the films. For those who might like one of the original filming ship models, there’s a rare filming miniature of the Klingon’s signature ship the D7 used in the award winning episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine “Trials & Tribble-ations”.

The auction will be run via LiveAuctioneers.com, and can be attended by people not only at the convention but also by submitting both pre-auction bids and participating during the auction online.

The full catalogue can be seen here.

Featured Items with estimated bid ranges:

Klingon Warbird Miniature from DS9 Trials & Tribble-ations $ 15,000-$ 20,000

Jem Hadar Fighter Model from Star Trek: DS9   $1,500-$ 2,500.

USS Buran Filming Model from Star Trek: The Next Generation $2,000-$ 3,000.

Enterprise-E Filming Miniature Hull Section from Star Trek: Nemesis $300. -$400.

Capt. Kirk Field Uniform from Star Trek: The Final Frontier $6,000.-$ 8,000.

Capt. Picard Holodeck Attire from Star Trek: First Contact $500.-$ 800.

Wil Riker Starfleet Uniform from Star Trek: Nemesis $3,000.-$ 4,000.

Full Size Borg Mannequin from Star Trek: First Contact     $800.-$ 1,000.

Guinan Hat Collection from Star Trek: The Next Generation     $200. -$300.

Wesley Crusher Grey Uniform from Star Trek: The Next Generation  $2,000.-$ 3,000.

Dr. Bashir Starfleet Uniform from Star Trek: DS9   $2,000.-$ 3,000.

Klingon Warrior Uniform from Star Trek: DS9   $4,000. -$5,000.

Cardassian Security Uniform from Star Trek: DS9 $200.-$ 300.

Chakotay Maquis Uniform from Star Trek: Voyager $300.-$400.

Chakotay Starfleet Uniform from Star Trek: Voyager $2,000.-$ 3,000.

Klingon Grammar Book from Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country  $300.- $400.

Hero Soran Blaster from Star Trek: Generations $2,000.-$ 3,000.

Klingon Boot Set from Star Trek: Enterprise200. $300.

Starfleet Crewman Belt from Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan $300.-$ 400.

Klingon Background Mask from Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country $1,000.-$ 1,500.

Romulan Bandoleer Badge from Star Trek: The Next Generation $100.-$ 200.

Mark IV Tricorder from Star Trek: The Next Generation $300. -$400.

Alien Nanites from Star Trek: The Next Generation $100. -$200.

Klingon Battleth from Star Trek: DS9 $600.-$ 800.

Klingon Dagger from Star Trek: DS9 $200.-$ 300.

USS Enterprise Dedication Plaque from Star Trek: DS9 $2,000.-$ 3,000.

Romulan Ale Container from Star Trek: DS9 $400. -$600.

Ferengi Grand Nagus Remains from Star Trek: DS9 $100.-v 200.

Marx X Science Tricorder from Star Trek: Voyager $3,000.-$ 4,000.

Black Tribble from Star Trek: DS9 $100.-$200.

Original Voyager Bridge Concept Art $100.-$ 200.

Original USS Grissom Concept Art $100.-$ 200.

Sketches for Klingon Assassin Knife from Star Trek: Search for Spock $50.-$ 100.

Jem’ Hardar Rifle Concept Art from Star Trek: DS9 $50. -$100.

DS9 Medical Scanner Concept Art 50. 100.“The Cage” Production Script Copy $50. -$100.

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So Cool! I want that D7!! =O

Hi Alec! =)

(hope you make lots of money for Axanar!) ;-)

It would be great to be able to buy all the wonderful toys available.

Looking forward to seeing all this stuff for myself when I’m in Las Vegas later this week.

@3 Mike in Iowa: Have a great time! Leave some comments on the convention!

Wouldn’t it be great instead if the 10% of the proceeds for all of this went to charity — to match the campaign that Star Trek Beyond is doing for needs kids and others?

It’s sad that this is an opportunity missed for people in need, and instead the dollars are going to a fan vanity project.

How is alot of this stuff on auction again. Some of this seems familiar from previous auctions. Is it material that people purchased and now approached Propworx because they want to re-sell it?

Propworx CEO Alec Peters is donating 10% to Axanar CEO Alec Peters?

Any relation?

@ Leon

Whoa !!!

If that is true, then this might be in violation of the “not-for-profit” nature of fan productions.

@ 2. Hat Rick,

“It would be great to be able to buy all the wonderful toys available.”

Yep!

I think the Axanar campaign has not worked as well as expected.

ireally do feel that they havr been a little greed. considering $650k they got last time, which was alot more than they wanted

@ Leon

I did some web research and it’s the same Alec Peters.

This raises a bit of a red flag for me. He is under contract from CBS to do these for-profit actions, which then funnel 10% of that money into his private not-for-profit Axanar project…a project which has turned into a “paid job” for him and some others, it would seem? Seems like “double-dipping”…probably OK legally, but smells a bit fishy perception wise to me.

I wonder if CBS is aware that they are essentially underwriting part of Axanar…that is actually kind of funny when you think about it.

This is also the same Alec Peters that claimed bankruptcy on Propworx awhile back. I was surprised to see it still existed. It’s also the same Alec Peters that threatened to sue a number of people in the prop community as well as other fan film makers. He’s a very interesting guy. It’s going to be fun seeing if Axanar ever actually gets made or if he’s funneling all this money into bad business projects.

Are you guys a bunch of narcs, or what? You are Star Trek fans. If this dude is finding a way to fund a proven kick-ass Star Trek project… what is with your “red flags”? Just trolling around looking to type crap to try to disparage someone who is actually motivated to get up off his ass and actually get things done in the world?

Well, isn’t Peters one of the guys who always defends Cushman? And Cushman is the guy when he needed more money, started a kickstarter for THESE ARE THE VOYAGES 3 in order to get the money to send them out by xmas because, as he said, the publisher was holding back till he got more returns … but HE is the publisher! Cushman the one person seems to divide as need be into separate entities as author and publisher, and perhaps he got the idea from Peters, or vice versa. It all SOUNDS like flimflam, regardless of it is actually legal, but is in keeping with sloppy ‘inventive’ scholarship of TATV books, and tars Peters with the same brush.

I imagine there will be three or four fervent defenders citing Cushman’s insights that come storming into the thread in the next 24-36 hrs to denounce all this, but hey, I’m all for calling the kettle black, especially when it seems to relate to the kettle’s soul as well as appearance. I think it vile that devotees get exploited by opportunists, and while it may be true that there’s a sucker born every minute, does it have to be a trek huckster — anybody who has read startrekfactcheck knows it would be hard to consider Cushman a serious researcher — who comes along to exploit them?

13 STEXP,
Assuming TREK means more to you than ship battles and seeing Kirk with a ripped shirt, then the concept of ETHICS should not be alien to you. If the ethics of this guy are questionable, that merits attention, not funding.

This is a consignment auction, they don’t have a contract with CBS.

@ kmart @ Savage Love Curtain

This just gets more and more interesting and weird.

#15. Prodigal Son – August 6, 2015

“This just gets more and more interesting and weird.” – Prodigal Son

Not saying I buy Milo’s line but it does make it even more weirder and interesting if we toy with that notion that she’s put out that Axanar is some sort of CBS skunkworks project to skirt savings for a series’ STAR TREK pilot. Even weirder is that it would mean that Cushman would have to be some sort of CBS hired disinformation agent that they plan to thoroughly discredit further down the line so as to reshine their image that they believed Roddenberry sullied so many years ago.

What are you guys talking about, it’s 10% the propworx cut going to help fund Axanar, so it is 10% of Alec Peters money going to help fund Axanar, by Alec Peters….i.e. he is putting his own money to help fund the movie, there is nothing shady about that…..read things and process them right before making snap judgments that make no sense lol

As far as I know, there are no true, verifiable, third-party, checks and balances involved in these “give me some money”, campaigns that lets me rest easy that they are, in fact, buying materials for filming and not 4k TVs for someone’s bedroom. I’ve never given a dime.

Yet, a donation is just that…a donation for them to do as they please and if you go in to a funding situation, fully aware of that, then that’s fine…your money, your business. But my facebook is getting hammered with “sponsored” solicitations from Axanar, fishing for funding and now this. I just hope the more passionate fans…Axanar’s targeted investors…don’t end up disappointed at the end of the day.

How I understood this, Peters is giving up large part of the commission for Propworx to fund the next best Star Trek movie, which will be available for all of us to watch for free. I see no vanity in that. Actually it souds quite filantropic to me and I am greatful for everything he does for fans. Unlike some people who can only talk. I hope the auctions will be most successful.

@ Eodeon

So you can actually confirm that he is taking that out of his own commission? Can you please provide the source?

Some of these items seem extremely undervalued, but I’m sure will reap great rewards.

I’m with Indiana Jones, “These should be in a museum” — but being props and costumes they were probably not designed for longevity.

5 ProdigalS, I agree; shame that that 10% isn’t going to charity. This auction will bring out the folks who look forward to “Axanar,” and the folks who want to possess the objects at hand, but it will not draw the numbers of people who might otherwise come if there were a charitable cause they could get behind (e. g., kids in crisis, anti-bullying, antiviolence, fighting disease).

Propworx (Peters’ s company) has missed a chance to generate positive press (and possible donations apart from auction monies Peters will raise) for his passion, “Axanar,” in favor of simply generating funds for it.

13 ST:EXP, How is it a “proven” kickass project? Have you seen the final production?

Also — your implication that, by comparison with Mr Peters, some fans don’t get “up off their ass to do something in this world” is insulting to the many Star Trek fans who in fact devote themselves whole-heartedly to charity projects (for which they aren’t paid in any way except a sense of satisfaction for having given of themselves to helping others) that are more worthy ‘in this world’, IMHO.

Maybe I’m comparing apples to oranges, but certainly the types of donations bring quite different fruits. The charitable fans and the fan (s) you may be criticizing here may be different, but your words come across as defensive and mean-spirited. Way to make your point.

# 19. Marja – August 7, 2015

‘ I’m with Indiana Jones, “These should be in a museum” — but being props and costumes they were probably not designed for longevity.” — Marja

All the more reason they should be conserved in in a museum. In the hands of most of the moneyed only interested in the having, original works of art will disintegrate and be lost to the ages.

It’s kind of annoying that most of the history of Star Trek keeps getting sold to the rich.

I would certainly appreciate it if someone would simply buy all of the products on display — new and unboxed, please, factory-fresh if you wouldn’t mind — and gift them to me without restriction. Just one of each will be fine, by insured carrier, all shipment fees prepaid.

That’s all I ask of such person (until my next request).

I would gladly thank such person publicly if desired and send happy thoughts their way, post-receipt of same.

“I wonder if CBS is aware that they are essentially underwriting part of Axanar…that is actually kind of funny when you think about it.”

Well, that’s one way of looking at it. Here’s another: Peters’ company is responsible for auctioning this stuff, after which they keep a percentage of the proceeds. That’s the deal. As the owner of the company Mr. Peters is then free to do with that money what he wishes: finance his “vanity project” (which has already been cleared by CBS in any case), play the ponies, open a pizza franchise, whatever. This really isn’t that complicated–unless, for reasons of your own, you want it to be.

” Cushman the one person seems to divide as need be into separate entities as author and publisher, and perhaps he got the idea from Peters, or vice versa. It all SOUNDS like flimflam, regardless of it is actually legal, but is in keeping with sloppy ‘inventive’ scholarship of TATV books, and tars Peters with the same brush.”

I’ll just politely note that the late Leonard Nimoy, John D.F. Black, Walter Koenig, and (yes) Harlan Ellison have also praised Mr. Cushman’s “scholarship” (a fairly risible term, it seems to me, when applied to the subject of a TV space opera). So would you care to include them in your grand one-hand-washes-the-other conspiracy? I’ve praised your own work as a film historian and writer in the past on these forums, Mr. Martin, but with respect to this subject at least I’m seeing a serious lack of perspective.

.

#23. Michael Hall – August 8, 2015

Fascinating that you should invoke Nimoy, who went on to get his Masters Degree in Education in the 1980s, views on the supposed scholarship of that as he had some interesting observations about wolves in sheepskin clothing too:

“But I must add a dark, unsettling postscript to this story: The Institute for Historical Review suffered a setback after “Never Forget” aired, but they remain with us to this day, busily fostering falsehoods and hatred. Only a few days ago, I read that a woman working on their behalf recently published a “history” book about typhus outbreaks during World War II. Her premise is their oft-repeated lie that the millions who perished in the concentration camps were actually victims of typhus—not genocide. What disturbs me is that texts such as this one are slickly written ‘and handsomely bound—and can often be found in university libraries. College students doing research on the Second World War can very well pick up such a publication and unwittingly believe it to be a “scholarly” work based on legitimate research.” — Leonard Nimoy, I AM NOT SPOCK, Chapter Sixteen

@ Michael Hall

Here’s my issue though. I am definitely getting the impression that some of the producers and workers in Axanar are getting a paid salary…can you definitely confirm for us that Alec Peters is not “getting paid” as part of the non-profit Axanar production? And if so, what is the level of compensation?

If you can confirm for all of us that Alec is doing this completely as volunteer, then I will most gladly withdraw my concerns here?

Folks,

I’m DIRECTING the AXANAR feature…and I’m not at #STLV right now because I have a DAY JOB editing motion pictures. While recently creating the Vulcan Scene, that is, spending weeks planning it, shooting it, editing it and overseeing all post-production, I also had a day job editing and overseeing post on the upcoming sic-fi feature film PARADOX. During this time I also finished the PRELUDE TO AXANAR blu ray for our donors, including creating a making of documentary, audio commentaries, etc…all for free.

I have a day job because we have a very finite amount of resources to make AXANAR…and if I took my normal salary out of what our donors gave us…I wouldn’t have the money I need to make the film I want to make.

To be clear, paying people salaries for their labor and efforts making something isn’t the same as selling that final product for profit. If there are construction people who must be paid to build a set, eventually to be used in a production, you’re not violating a copyright by paying those people to build walls, or consoles, or doors.

We needed to build an Ares Bridge set for AXANAR. Because we need to buy lumber, nails and paint, is Home Depot somehow doing something wrong by selling us raw materials? Hardly.

The money our donors give us is used for the creation of the perks, infrastructure and the production of all aspects of the AXANAR project. Some people have to be paid for their efforts. Why is this so difficult for some people to understand? Why do people think we need money to make a film? We need to pay for equipment, materials and manpower. Period.

Also…regarding Cushman’s books…whatever you may think of him…or his scholarship…did those books write themselves…? They represent YEARS of research and work on his part…and comparing them to Holocaust Deniers is offensive in the extreme.

My guiding principal in life is to allow my work to speak for itself. You might not like everything I do, but at least I continue to do work which can be judged in the court of public opinion. I look forward to seeing my work directing the AXANAR feature on these boards…

23, They have not researched the issue to the degree that others have, and simply ‘being there’ is not good enough when memory is often deceptive. The volume of information that startrekfactcheck has repudiated already is pretty enormous. My ‘perspective’ is formed from the direct and exhaustive research undertaken by that site (before a post even goes up, it is sent out to several folks for factchecking and re-review.)

There are many forms of conspiracy, but in this case we’re not talking about the celebrities as conscious participants, but rather as dupes, who probably had their memories jogged by some of the stuff that is presumably correct. Somebody like Black, who I thought had good records of events, I really cannot understand buying into this stuff. Nimoy was usually skeptical of approaches as well, so I’m assuming Cushman networked his way into position, he does seem to have plenty of friends.

Let me ask you a question. You mentioned my bona fides. Why am I riding this issue if not for the reasons I cite? I don’t stand to benefit either way.

I’d certainly like to see honesty and quality work rewarded, but that also means folks who aren’t going that route NEED to be exposed as frauds. I’ve brought this up on trekcore and ilmfan.com as well, and again, I’m not benefiting from this, I’m just trying to do the right thing.

Well, I stand to gain one thing: I really believe in the REMO WILLIAMS 11th commandment of Thou Shalt Not Get Away With It. I know that sounds quaint in an era of Halliburton and so much else (or any era, really), but doing what you can to preserve the core concept is worth some effort.

^That was to Michael Hall, sorry I got the wrong number on there.

@ kmart

Must be in moderation — I can’t see it?

What else is new?

24. Disinvited – August 8, 2015

Well, sure. That’s a genuinely serious subject, deserving of serious scholarship and all of the serious passions that arise from it. By comparison, Star Trek (and I say this as someone who loves it as much as anyone here) is less than trivial, and that’s what I meant by losing one’s perspective.

13. ST:EXP – August 6, 2015

Are you guys a bunch of narcs, or what?

Pretty much. There are two or three people here who incessantly imply financial impropriety on the part of Alec Peters and the Axanar production simply because they resent indie-Trek projects in general, for some reason.

Most people would be inclined to root for the little guy entrepreneur rather than try to crush him in favor of huge corporate products. But, there are a few people here who are the opposite. I couldn’t tell you why.

25. Prodigal Son – August 8, 2015

Here’s my issue though. I am definitely getting the impression that some of the producers and workers in Axanar are getting a paid salary…can you definitely confirm for us that Alec Peters is not “getting paid” as part of the non-profit Axanar production? And if so, what is the level of compensation?

The question about whether taking a salary constitutes ‘profit’ is certainly an interesting one, and one that I brought up myself on these forums months ago when PRELUDE TO AXANAR was first released. To my knowledge Peters does pay himself a modest salary (I’ve seen his car, and trust me, it ain’t no Lotus), and is or will be compensating the actors and other high-level people involved; otherwise, what’s the point of fundraising? But none of this has anything to do in any case with your suggestion that taking the money fairly earned for services rendered and spending it on the production is somehow improper.

29. Cygnus-X1 – August 8, 2015

“Most people would be inclined to root for the little guy entrepreneur rather than try to crush him in favor of huge corporate products. But, there are a few people here who are the opposite. I couldn’t tell you why.”

I’d guess it has something to with the conflation of corporate Trek with ‘canon’ or ‘real’ Trek, which is a very big deal to some people–as with so many issues these days, it’s an identity thing. I get that. But from my own perspective, all I can say is that I’ll take good fake Trek over mediocre real Trek any day.

Interesting information available out there on Peters and his once bankrupt Propworx” that raises more than a few questions about this whole Axanar fundraising business.
But I have no dog in this hunt, haven’t contributed, don’t intend to. If you’re curious, seek and you shall find.

30. Michael Hall – August 8, 2015

I’d guess it has something to with the conflation of corporate Trek with ‘canon’ or ‘real’ Trek, which is a very big deal to some people–as with so many issues these days, it’s an identity thing.

Actually, for the “narcs” here, I really don’t think that’s the issue at all. The people here who are against indie Trek happen to be the sort that aren’t all that bothered by details like canon violations.

“The people here who are against indie Trek happen to be the sort that aren’t all that bothered by details like canon violations.”

Actually, based on my own observations I would tend to disagree. But that’s not exactly what I was talking about, anyway: it’s more a question of proprietorship and brand (herd?) loyalty. In the end, whose Star Trek is the real one–Paramount’s, Alec Peters’s, Vic Mignogna’s, James Cawley’s, or any one of an increasing number of contenders? It’s all so confusing, but here’s my answer, fwiw: none of them are.

“Interesting information available out there on Peters and his once bankrupt Propworx” that raises more than a few questions about this whole Axanar fundraising business.”

Yes, I’m sure it’s all just so very diabolical. In your capacity as disinterested truth-teller with no axe to grind, thanks for the heads-up.

Still waiting for my post from yesterday to appear, but in the meantime …
33, Hall,
Going by that last sentence, you’re beginning to sound like YOU’ve got an angle or special interest on this. Care to share why? (you can wait till my other post appears before you reply, no rush.)

Nope, no “angle” or special interest at all. I just find it regrettable, that a fandom which once upon a time was a source of hope and inspiration and decent fellow-feeling–I’m dating myself here, fella, being old enough to remember it all pretty well–is now so polluted by cynicism and tribalism and petty self-regard. It was probably inevitable, as so much that was good in America has also gone that way, but it’s still a sad thing to see.

I’m as cynical as they come (developed during my first year in little league, in 1971, when we were in 1st place, and the league president, whose son was on the 2nd place team, started umpiring the games his son played and our team played, and we started getting called on strikes with pitches that BOUNCED ON HOME PLATE. Our coach started documenting this … and the prez got him kicked out of the league. Not exaggerating when I say this coach taught me to hit, he was 7 kinds of awesome.)

But I’m still inspired by people doing good work, especially when they choose that path over taking an easy way that just toes an untrue company line. And I abhor folks who misrepresent things and profit from spin over fact.

#44. kmart – August 9, 2015

Gee, for me, skepticism is a basic part of the science upon which the fiction in STAR TREK was built and the U.S. government was actively promoting to young schoolchildren such as myself. Not to mention Roddenberry’s views on his conflicts with network censorship which led him to the very cynical belief that the only way he was going to be allowed to air the stories that he wanted to tell was under the guise of science-fiction in a future setting.

But, if I had to finger a seminal event in my life where I developed a healthy mistrust of when someone promoting themselves as a supposed authority was feeding me a line that didn’t add up, it would have to be during my parochial school education when I asked my teaching nun if a Catholic must always absolutely attend mass on Sunday and she replied, “Yes!” and then I asked “What about a Catholic astronaut orbiting the Earth? What day is Sunday for him?” That’s when she explained that the Pope granted special dispensations. And when I asked my father about that he told me where he was born red meat wasn’t a staple part of their diet and they were granted a dispensation which exempted them from red meat fasts.

Cushman’s work feeds, addresses and supports a lot of mine and others’, including long time Trek fans and observers of the era, biases about what happened to Trek behind the scenes. It would be a very understandably human thing for me to defend his “scholarship” of Trek history based on that alone.

And in my early interactions with you and Kmet, I think Kmet thought, I was indeed doing just that when I was probing to be certain he was as willing to look at his own biases as critically as he was Cushman’s.

I don’t have a problem acknowledging Cushman’s putting a lot of sweat into these tomes. Where I have a problem is when I am told that’s all that is required to label it “scholarly”. Especially, given that a lot of PhD granting theses on Trek have been published since Trek’s first triennial and it is an affront to those to claim that what Cushman is doing in those books, approaches the scholarship of that.

And I don’t care how trivial some think STAR TREK, as long as it has been taught in the halls of higher learning, is still offered as a topic of some course in university curricula, and is considered a worthwhile topic for awarding doctorates, it DOES matter if publications of inadequate scholarship about it take up shelf space next to the adequate or better ones in those institutions’ libraries..

#44. kmart – August 9, 2015

Gee, for me, skepticism is a basic part of the science upon which the fiction in STAR TREK was built and the U.S. government was actively promoting to young schoolchildren such as myself. Not to mention Roddenberry’s views on his conflicts with network censorship which led him to the very cynical belief that the only way he was going to be allowed to air the stories that he wanted to tell was under the guise of science-fiction in a future setting.

But, if I had to finger a seminal event in my life where I developed a healthy mistrust of when someone promoting themselves as a supposed authority was feeding me a line that didn’t add up, it would have to be during my parochial school education when I asked my teaching nun if a Catholic must always absolutely attend m@ss on Sunday and she replied, “Yes!” and then I asked “What about a Catholic astronaut orbiting the Earth? What day is Sunday for him?” That’s when she explained that the Pope granted special dispensations. And when I asked my father about that he told me where he was born red meat wasn’t a staple part of their diet and they were granted a dispensation which exempted them from red meat fasts.

Cushman’s work feeds, addresses and supports a lot of mine and others’, including long time Trek fans and observers of the era, biases about what happened to Trek behind the scenes. It would be a very understandably human thing for me to defend his “scholarship” of Trek history based on that alone.

And in my early interactions with you and Kmet, I think Kmet thought, I was indeed doing just that when I was probing to be certain he was as willing to look at his own biases as critically as he was Cushman’s.

I don’t have a problem acknowledging Cushman’s putting a lot of sweat into these tomes. Where I have a problem is when I am told that’s all that is required to label it “scholarly”. Especially, given that a lot of PhD granting theses on Trek have been published since Trek’s first triennial and it is an affront to those to claim that what Cushman is doing in those books, approaches the scholarship of that.

And I don’t care how trivial some think STAR TREK, as long as it has been taught in the halls of higher learning, is still offered as a topic of some course in university curricula, and is considered a worthwhile topic for awarding doctorates, it DOES matter if publications of inadequate scholarship about it take up shelf space next to the adequate or better ones in those institutions’ libraries..

41. Michael Hall – August 9, 2015

it’s more a question of proprietorship and brand (herd?) loyalty

You may be right, but if loyalty to Paramount is the reason why the “narcs” are opposed to indie Trek, that’s even more bewildering.

On the one hand, we have the big corporation (Paramount), who has basically demonstrated that it has no integrity or loyalty and will do whatever it believes will reap the most profit out of Trek, even going so far as to announce (via JJ Abrams) that the BR Trek movies were not made for Trek fans. And then on the other hand, we have a small start-up that has demonstrated, at least by its mission statement, an intention to be faithful to the spirit and values TOS. And yet some people feel loyalty to the disloyal, purely profit-driven corporation, so much so that they want to see the indie start-up fail.

I guess “herd behavior” is the best description.

The herd mentality manifests in franchises, maybe. I remember Bond fans — even major Connery fans — who announced they would not see NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN because it wasn’t an ‘official’ Bond movie by the regular production entity. It is still considered to be something of a freak of a movie, but that probably owes more to the fact it doesn’t come close to delivering a Bond feel than anything else.

It seemed odd to me, because that attitude had manifested nearly a decade earlier, when another version of NSNA, called WARHEAD, almost reached production (both are derived from THUNDERBALL, rights for which were owned by another party.) WARHEAD, while it had a terrible script, had a terrific Bond-esque ending — SPECTRE takes over the Statue of Liberty, so you have helicopters attacking the statue, with somebody inside getting shot and blood coming out of its eye.

But from the ‘there can only be one true Bond production’ mentatiity (which is something apart from the ‘one true Bond casting’ mindset), I was bewildered, because the people making the ‘real’ Bond movies had so massively dropped the ball that I felt I could easily do without ANY Bonds made after 1971 and before 1987. Yet even though you’d read about how they had gotten too far away from the books or done a bad job of returning to the books, the flock still kept embracing the Eon-produced Bonds. I don’t know if it correlates directly to this or not, but these are two of the rarest entities in that one is pushing 50 and the other is even older and (sadly) flourishing with its newest misspin on 007.

It’s kind of weird, but the Bond people apparently recently got the way Paramount was with trek websites in the 90s, coming down hard on fan productions, apparently suppressing a teenager’s Bond parody. It suggests the old Trevanian line about why a certain kind of middle eastern man demands only to sleep with virgins — because he dreads comparison.

@ Michael Hall

It just feels wrong to me that Peters is auctioning off history to “the rich”, while promoting that some of the money goes to Axanar, which you confirmed he gets a salary from. So he’s essentially using a for profit business to move funds to a non-profit business, which then pays his salary.

The Axanar production team should be more transparent on who is volunteering, and who it getting paid. I think actually, as a non-profit corporation, they are required by the IRS to make some sort of public annual report…it would be good to have a look at that.

@ Jonboc

“Interesting information available out there on Peters and his once bankrupt Propworx” that raises more than a few questions about this whole Axanar fundraising business.”

Indeed, I found this link — if this information is correct, then this is very disturbing in terms of Peter’s business practices:

http://wrathofdhanprops.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-myth-of-propworx.html

47 PS, Good Christ! Sounds like he didn’t just read the Rules of Acquisition, he may have written them. Rollo Tomasi, indeed!