Whew! We fan film Trekkers just dodged a bullet! Well, maybe not a bullet, per se, but certainly a bit of bird poop heading straight for our windshield!
Many of you might not be aware that there is actually a Wikipedia page for the BJO Awards, which are given out each year in multiple categories to the best Star Trek fan films. Presented each year at the annual TREKLANTA convention in Georgia, the BJOs were first called the The Independent Star Trek Fan Film Awards and began in 2015. The awards were renamed “The Bjo’s” the following year when Bjo Trimble (the fan credited with saving Star Trek from cancelation with the great letter-writing campaign back in 1968) and her husband John were in attendance in announce the winners.
With four years of nominees and winning films/actors/directors/etc., plus coverage on Trek Today, Trekmovie.com, Treksphere, and here on Fan Film Factor, I wasn’t surprised to discover a few weeks ago that a fan film aficionado calling himself “Leo Walsh” had created a very nicely laid out and thorough Wikipedia page for the Bjo Awards. (And no, it wasn’t me. I don’t have nearly enough time to do that much work!)
Yesterday, I discovered through the grapevine that the Bjo Awards Wikipedia entry had been anonymously nominated for DELETION by a Wiki non-admin going by the name of “ShadowOwl.” I was sent this link to the challenge and the response. Apparently, ShadowOwl’s problem was stated as simply: “Non-notable award only sourced to IMDB.”
Huh?
The original entry was extensively sourced to numerous outlets (including my blog and others), and Mr. Walsh responded with a very passionate and well-presented counter-argument.
I was quickly preparing a “RED ALERT!” blog asking if there might be any reader(s) who operate as a Wikipedia author or editor—or who might know one—and could help out in the discussion to resolve the issue.
But before I could even finish writing the blog (let alone publish it), the nomination for deletion was withdrawn. Yay! However, not wanting to waste a well-written introduction, and figuring that most of you might not even be aware that there even is a Wikipedia entry for the Bjo Awards, I decided to post this blog anyway. Check out the wiki-page—it’s REALLY well done!
Sounds like someone in the anti-Axanar group is targeting all fanfilms. As a frequent nominee and occasional winner of what are now called the Bjo awards, I’d really hate to see the deletion of the Bjo Awards page. It’s not only a disservice to Eric Watts, it’s a disservice to all the winners (including Star Trek Continues) and a disservice to all fan films and Star Trek fandom. Shame on whomever tried this dick move.
There’s no evidence–let alone proof–that this was a detractor targeting fan films, Randy. That actually doesn’t fit their modus operandi. Even though Prelude won some of the earliest awards back in 2015, the vast majority of winners (dozens and dozens) were projects from other fan filmmakers.
Everyone, keep an eye out in case another deletion attempt is made!
No need to go to red alert just yet, ensign. 🙂
I have edited Wikipedia in the past, though there really isn’t a need to make such a call, as Wikipedia can be edited by anyone.
As a supporter of the BJO awards and an avid Trekker (trekkie if you prefer) I hope this is the last we will see of any attack on Star Trek, fan film or not. Of course this was not the first or even the last, we will just keep Trekkin along… LLAP
Everything about Star Trek at Wikipedia is inconsequential and overall poorly maintained. And this is not just because Memory Alpha is the by far more comprehensive and more competent Trek reference.
Even if more people at Wikipedia cared for Star Trek, their efforts would remain fruitless. Unlike it was in the beginning of Wikipedia, “normal” users are not really allowed to edit anything. In my experience, any edit by a non-privileged user is reverted by a bureaucrat (or by a bot) after a short time for formal reasons, even if it was a necessary update or correction. The time in which experts were allowed to contribute is over. Wikipedia has entered an age in which knowledge is only managed but not extended.
Wikipedia keeps Star Trek small. Several articles were already deleted in the past couple of years, especially in the field of fandom and of “special interest” topics such as technology. I am actually surprised that the Bjo Awards still had a page. Many fan projects were not so happy. Especially for everything that happens online, Wikipedia has an odd 20th century stance on “notability”. For some reason a newspaper journalist is required to confirm the existence of huge online projects. In some cases it even seems that canon content from episodes need citations in print in order to qualify for Wikipedia.
The result is that everything related to Star Trek at Wikipedia is a mess. Just look at the page of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Star_Trek_Starfleet_starships.
I keep my fingers crossed that the Bjo Awards will be allowed to keep the page. Opinion about what is “notable” is known to swing quickly and to be handled arbitrarily at Wikipedia.
Years ago, someone created a Wikipedia entry for me. I was flattered, and it was quite cool being able to say, “Hey, I’m on Wikipedia!” Unfortunately, that didn’t last, and the page was removed a few months later. But I am still listed on Memory Alpha, so I agree that Memory Alpha is the more comprehensive option for Star Trek reference. That said, there are still some entries for Trek fan films on Wikipedia than I find quite convenient.