The fan film world was jolted yesterday to learn that STARBASE STUDIOS, which had recently relocated from Oklahoma to neighboring Arkansas, has shut down—at least for now—due to the removal of critical pieces of their TOS sets and damage to items that still remain.
To document was was done to the sets, KENT “WORDS” EDWARDS and SCOTT JOHNSON, two of the four joint owners of the Starbase Studios sets (the other two owners being GLEN L. WOLFE and DAN REYNOLDS…although it is possible that Dan has stepped away; I don’t yet have confirmation on that) have made a 22-minute video with the help of prolific fan film-maker VANCE MAJOR.
Here is that video…
You will notice that the video bleeps out the name of co-owner Glen Wolfe. This is because Glen was the one responsible for the removal of the set pieces.
Now, before anyone starts targeting their phasers on Glen, I want everyone to understand that there are, in fact, TWO sides in this situation, each with reasonable grievances against the other side.
I have friends on both sides of this, and I have been speaking with them over the past two months off the record. That was their request, and I have and will continue to honor it. The hope on both sides was that this matter might be resolved before needing to make it public. Obviously it hasn’t been, and now Scott and “Words” have decided to take the next step for them, which is releasing the above video.
I have promised each side that I will report this story as fairly and objectively as I can, quoting each of them with minimal editorializing. I have been told that Scott is now willing to speak on the record, and I’ll reach out to the other side shortly to see if they are ready, as well.
However, the one thing I can report on right now is why the police are not getting involved in what appears to be a case of theft and vandalism. And that’s because it’s not. Glen is a co-owner of these sets, and if he has a key (which he does), the police do not consider that to be breaking and entering. Moreover, when there is a question of ownership, such cases are not considered criminal but rather under civil jurisdiction to be fought over by business lawyers. In short, like it or not, this is a civil case…if it does, in fact, wind up in court.
I beg your indulgence if I don’t get around to reporting on this further until next week. I’ll be volunteering at my son’s school all day for their Halloween carnival and then trick-or-treating with Jayden tonight. Then I have to clear time to speak to folks on both sides of this mess and organize their comments into an objective and coherent presentation for all of you. Please stay tuned.
If a manager has a key to mcdonalds and goes in after hours and removes property from the freezers without telling anyone, that’s theft.
In my opinion, same thing here, not to mention how many films had been affected by this action.
There’s a difference between a manager and an owner. That’s why the cops haven’t stepped in.
Not to mention that the legal definition of theft and what level of crime it rises to varies from state to state because of the differences of the criminal codes between states. That’s what the police and the courts have to follow when they determine a crime amd what type of crime it is, which, in turn determines the punishment.
To the person who did this report for us who just saw this video here. My name is kenny Smith And i want you to know that you should ban the person who did this to fix and replace the missing work and let them pay for the damage work?.
I feel terribly devastated that this has happened at all! What a shame. Obviously there is a deep and dark story behind all of this but what purpose does it serve to delay and destroy the hopes and dreams of future fan made films at Starbase Studios. I hope Ken and Scott receive a mountain of practical and financial help to restore the studio facilities as quickly as possible. Thank you for reporting this Jonathan. It’s a sad story and a sad day for Star Trek.
BTW, I mistakenly listed KENT EDWARDS’ name as “Ken.” His name is KENT…but his friends call him “Words.”
The police are not involved yet there is an ongoing investigation in regards to criminal and civil charges?
How does that work?
Hmmm… If it happened to me I’d be filing criminal charges first, worry about civil after the fact.
The police were contacted, but they are not getting involved because of the question of ownership. It’s not illegal to steal stuff from yourself. Of course, this is MUCH more complicated because there are multiple owners. But when a situation is so ambiguous, the cops tend to hold back and let the lawyers have the first crack at it.
If it was his he wouldn’t have to steal to begin with. I remember the restoration of these sets, two guys got together and bought the sets. Then it was restored from donations. How buying something together translates into him having direct ownership….. Well doesn’t work since there was no contract.
If I’m at work and my wife comes in and takes everything from my home it’s still theft, no matter how you label it.
“If I’m at work and my wife comes in and takes everything from my home it’s still theft, no matter how you label it.”
Actually no, it’s not…unless you’re divorced and have agreed to legally separate your property.
Horrible. Disgusting. Heart breaking. Gut wrenching. This looks like purposeful destruction to cause irreversible harm. I don’t know how they recover from this. IMO, Perpetrating this devastation, regardless of “having a key,” should be a punishable crime and in my eyes the people who did it are low life scumbags.
This sucks!!! I’m sorry to hear this!!!
Was the stuff that was taken collectible?
I noticed an empty liquor bottle on the table of the crew quarters. Was the person who took all the stuff drinking?
Did this somebody throw a party? Did Words find a lot of empty red cups and other bottles?
Was this stuff sold?
I’m just speculating.
I feel just as powerless as they do.
What a total piece of crap!
I’m sorry about what happened to the sets.
Me, too. I’ll have more background details next week.
CBS isn’t necessary to destroy fan film productions. Looks like the producers are even better at doing it to themselves… 🙁
Most Trek fan film producers don’t do stuff like this, Moshe.
I’m not saying that most of them do it. However, this is not the the first time that disputes between Star Trek fan film producers have led to incidents like this.
Actually, I don’t remember any fan film incident quite like this one. The closest was when Vic Mignogna purchased part of the Starship Ajax set pieces from John Hughes, but that was an agreement between two parties. What is happening currently with Starbase Studios is anything BUT an agreement.
Back in 2011 AD, Starbase Studios had gotten some of their sets taken by Vic Mignogna and the Farragut Films Production. And these were newly built sets. Basically what happened was this. When the Exeter bridge had been acquired by the SS production staff, Vic – along with Alec Peters and Doc John Murencrath – tried to purchase it by offering more money. They had missed out on buying the sets from the Exeter Studios staff. When the new owners refused to sell the bridge set, Vic and company had offered to build new sets for them, in exchange for being allowed to shoot on the Exeter bridge set. Well, a deal was made. A deal that turned sour.
Sometime later, the new sets that had been built by Vic, Chuck Huber, and the Farragut Films staff were later hijacked and taken to the Farragut Studios facility in ST. Mary’s Georgia. A friend of mine used to work on the Starbase Studios staff reported and confirmed what Alec Peters had posted on the Trek BBS in December of 2011. After all of this was revealed, the credibility and reputation of Starship Farragut and Farragut Films was tarnished.
There has been some speculation over the years that the theft of those sets was an inside job. Supposedly, someone on the SS staff – which was Starship Ajax at the time – assisted in the sets being stolen.
It should be interesting to note that Scott Johnson does have a criminal record and had made a death threat against a former Starbase Studio staff member. There has even been some speculation of Alec Peters also being involved in that inside job as well. And that his revelation on Trek-BBS and his well publicized hatred for Vic was also a smokescreen just to throw the trail off of him.
I’ll say this much. Starship Ajax – now Starbase Studios – has been doomed from the start. A disaster that has not been able to get off the ground with hardly anything. It has nothing to show for itself.
First the property thefts in 2011. The severe weather that flooded it years later. And now this, after moving to studio facilities in Arkansas.
Either this is a sign from God, bad karma, or the universe just saying that this Star Trek fan film production was not meant to happen. It wouldn’t surprise me if CBS/Paramount had been involved in this, as a way of reinforcing the new guidelines that were created after the Axanar fiasco.
Whatever the reason, his latest incident clearly indicates that Starbase Studios has not gotten anywhere and it is most likely out of business.
It looks as if history has repeated itself six years later.
Anyone interested in reading about what happened in 2011 can be found at this link.
https://trekmovie.com/2012/03/26/new-star-trek-fan-film-to-feature-chris-doohan-as-scotty-and-mythbusters-imahara-as-sulu/#comments
Wow, BT, it’s hard to know which of those statements to correct first! 🙂
Well, actually, I’d first like to say that your world seems to saturated in pessimism and negativity, suspicion and conspiracy. I do feel kind of bad for you. If you spend all of your time only looking down at the shadows, you’ll never enjoy the sun or the magnificent views stretching out before you with so many wonderful possibilities. I choose to look to the horizons, not at the dark and dirty ground. Sure, I might occasionally miss something directly underfoot, but on the whole, my life is brighter and filled with hope, love, and opportunity.
Okay, on to correcting the misinformation…
No sets were ever “hijacked” by Vic and the Farragut Films crew. I spoke to Scott Johnson about the incident, as he was there as an eye witness. Scott confirmed that Vic paid John Hughes (the show-runner for Starship Ajax who was paying the rent on the airplane hangar where the set elements were being built), giving him an undisclosed but reportedly not insignificant amount of money for the items that were taken to Georgia. These included portions of a captain’s quarters, briefing room (with table), and corridor. Some parts of sickbay were also under construction but far from finished.
So there was no theft and no “inside job.” Vic had keys to the hangar and full access, and he and the Farragut folks had already paid for a good portion of the raw materials used to build those partially-completed sets.
Starship Ajax did not “become” Starbase Studios. John Hughes stepped away from the sets and handed control over to Scott Johnson and Richard Wells, who created an entity called Starbase Studios to provide a bridge and other TOS sets for any fan production to use–for the cost of electricity for the day (about $50/day) to shoot their fan films. By that point, Starship Ajax existed only as a dream and some raw footage shot on the nearly-completed bridge. But Starbase Studios was a real thing with an amazing bridge and, later, a transporter, sickbay, and corridor squeezed into a warehouse in Oklahoma City that had no A/C, heating, or plumbing. But the rent was free, so for nearly five years, the facility was available to anyone who wanted to use or visit it.
And that’s why, when you say that Starbase Studios is, “A disaster that has not been able to get off the ground with hardly anything. It has nothing to show for itself…” I have to ask what mushrooms you’ve been injecting into your spore drive, Blue. Here’s a list of the fan films that have shot footage on the Starbase Studios sets over the years:
Starship Valiant
Starship Republic
Dreadnought Dominion
Melbourne
Starship Grissom
Yorktown: A Time to Heal (still in post-production)
The Red Shirt Diaries
The Minard Saga (multiple episodes)
Project Defiant
The Federation Files’ “His Name Is Mudd” and “Walking Bear, Running Wolf”
That’s hardly “nothing”! In fact, Starbase Studios has, in its own way, been one of the most unique and successful entities in fan film history. No other studio has ever made such elaborate sets available to as many productions for so little money. Starbase Studios was truly a gift to fandom.
“Either this is a sign from God, bad karma, or the universe just saying that this Star Trek fan film production was not meant to happen.”
Y’see, this is where your worldview and mine differ. Starbase Studios was hit by not just one but two floods. And yet, the volunteers came together to clean up, repair, restore, and keep the sets and studio intact for years beyond those natural disasters. What you see as a sign from God, I see as a human triumph over incredible odds and bad luck…an proof of how truly special and precious fan films and our community actually are.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if CBS/Paramount had been involved in this, as a way of reinforcing the new guidelines that were created after the Axanar fiasco.”
And that, well…that’s just stupid.
“Whatever the reason, his latest incident clearly indicates that Starbase Studios has not gotten anywhere and it is most likely out of business.”
Starbase Studios has accomplished so much that, even if this is the end of the road, it’s been an amazing and memorable journey…and one to be proud of. But I’m not ready to give up on these guys just yet. Despite their disagreements, both sides believe in the dream that is Starbase Studios. They know what it means to fans, and I have faith (of the heart) that they will somehow be able to overcome their differences.
“Well, actually, I’d first like to say that your world seems to saturated in pessimism and negativity, suspicion and conspiracy. I do feel kind of bad for you. If you spend all of your time only looking down at the shadows, you’ll never enjoy the sun or the magnificent views stretching out before you with so many wonderful possibilities. I choose to look to the horizons, not at the dark and dirty ground. Sure, I might occasionally miss something directly underfoot, but on the whole, my life is brighter and filled with hope, love, and opportunity.”
Maybe so, but sometimes you need to look down at the shadows in order to prevent yourself from being betrayed. In case you have forgotten, there are still some who follow Judas Iscariot’s example. Look what happened after that. Axanar is one of many examples.
The last time I looked, Star Trek fandom was about fans coming together to celebrate what made the series so special. Regretfully, past incidents and present – Axanar being one of them – has turned Star Trek fandom into something entirely negative.
If you can’t see that – then to quote the late Peter Preston – You’re as blind as a Tiberian Bat.
It’s easy to look down at the shadows, Blue. You’ll always find ways to tell people the sky is falling. What takes more strength, in my opinion, is to look past the bad and see the good…look beyond the impossibilities to see the possibilities. That’s why I create this website. Were I to ascribe to your view of Trek fan films, I’d likely see this genre as dying or already dead and not waste my time with it. That’d be much easier than researching and writing 2,500-word blog entries each week. But I love Trek fan films and the people who make them…even if they sometimes can’t see their way to loving each other. The only person I can control is myself, and I choose to make myself an example of light and positivity in this community. You, instead, place yourself firmly in the realm of darkness and negativity. That’s your choice, of course.
I’ll let my readers decide which of our two paths to follow, but at least mine doesn’t require a flashlight. 🙂
Jonathan,
“set piece.” You keep a-using that word. I do not a think it a-means what you think it a-means (in the movie biz):
A “set piece” is ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Set_piece ) a scene or sequence of scenes whose execution requires serious logistical planning and considerable expenditure of money. The term set piece is often used more broadly to describe any important dramatic or comedic highpoint in a film or story, particularly those that provide some kind of dramatic payoff, resolution, or transition. Thus the term is often used to describe any scenes that are so essential to a film that they cannot be edited out or skipped in the shooting schedule without seriously damaging the integrity of the finished product.
Yeah, I was actually meaning “piece of a set.” There’s also a definition of Set Piece as “a realistic piece of stage scenery standing by itself,” but that’s not quite right either. Glen Wolfe has also corrected me that the proper term is “prop”…even though the things that were removed were pieces of the sets. They were also considered props that were added to the set.
Gee, and all you really had to say was, “Inconctheivable!”
But I am not left-handed.
But there’s something I ought to tell you. I’m not left-handed, either.