A follow-up to yesterday’s blog about CARLOS PEDRAZA and AXACON…

Wow, quite a shat-storm started a’blowin’ after my blog post yesterday about CARLOS PEDRZA being banned from AXACON and then asking ALEC PETERS to refund the $413.50 Carlos lost buying a non-refundable plane ticket!  So much came out yesterday that, unfortunately, I need to do a follow-up to clarify, explain, and respond to a bunch of different items.

Up first, I did have a small inaccuracy in yesterday’s blog.  I stated that “…a Paypal order came into SphinxCon for a ticket with an Axacon add-on for one Carlos Pedraza.”  DAVE WEINER, manager of SphinxCon, reached out to correct me.  The ticket was mistakenly purchased through their website as an Axacon-only ticket with an Axacon add-on…

This was due to a glitch on the SphinxCon purchasing page.  Carlos mentioned later in his e-mail response back to Alec that he (Carlos) intended to attend panels at SphinxCon as well as Axacon.  So Carlos had obviously intended to buy a SphinxCon ticket with an Axacon add-on.  But SphinxCon tickets were no longer available online and had to be purchased at the door.  So the Axacon add-on was invalid since it requires a SphinxCon ticket.  Make sense?  Sorry if it doesn’t.

Technically, Carlos never purchased a SphinxCon ticket and therefore was never refunded for it being canceled.  Dave Weiner has made clear to Carlos that he will not be banned from SphinxCon should he choose to attend.  But neither will Carlos be allowed at Axacon.  That decision belongs to Alec Peters and has been made.

Next up was the elephant in the living room both Carlos and the detractors seemed reluctant  (afraid) to talk about…

That was, of course, the one-third of yesterday’s blog that I spent illustrating exactly how Carlos skews the truth until it becomes a lie, actually showing the transformation with screen caps.  I understand why none of these folks said anything about that, as any acknowledgement by them that Carlos Pedraza isn’t reporting the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth puts all of their derisions and accusations against Alec Peters and Axanar on very shaky ground.

So instead, in a perfect example of “the best defense is a good offense,” Carlos and the detractors tried to punch a hole in the one thing about my reporting that they felt they had a chance with.  Let’s go to the screen cap…

And thus has Carlos Pedraza’s magical poison keypad created yet another purposely misleading and inaccurate statement.  Apparently, I’d “yet again” accused Carlos of something that can be easily refuted with a simple Google search.  This implies:

  1. I’ve accused him of something like this before, and
  2. I’m accusing him of something now.

In point of fact, I simply reported that “[T]he U.S. Department of Transportation requires all air carriers flying to or from American airports to allow customers to cancel an airline reservation for at least 24 hours after the reservation is made with NO PENALTY (assuming the reservation is made at least one week in advance, which Carlos had done).”

I also went on to say, “Of course, perhaps Carlos had booked his flight days or weeks in advance.”  So I was giving Carlos the benefit of the doubt that he was/is, in fact, out $413.50.  I simply wanted folks to know that, for people who book their flights directly through the airlines, they do get a 24-hour window to cancel with no penalty.  So had Carlos booked his fare in the intelligent, non-gullible way, he wouldn’t be out more than four hundred bucks.

Yesterday, on Facebook, I explained to Carlos (in a mostly civil exchange) that typically, the airfares presented on sites like JustFly and Kayak and Travelocity and CheapOAir are nearly the same as those from the airlines themselves.  Sometimes, they’re the exact same, or at most $3 or $5 or $10 different.  The “agent” websites can’t be any less expensive than that otherwise they would go out of business, losing their commission fees (1-3%) to the discounts they provide.  So in general, my recommendation to Carlos (and others) in the future is to use a site like Kayak to find the least expensive flight(s) and then go directly to the air carrier’s website to book the flight directly.  It’s worth the extra few bucks to have that 24-hour cancellation buffer.

Anyway, things aren’t completely hopeless for poor Carlos when it comes to his “lost” $413.50.  Assuming he doesn’t decide to go to Atlanta anyway just to enjoy SphinxCon, Axanar supporter JEFF CRAIG offered (twice) to buy Carlos’ plane ticket from Seattle to Atlanta…

Also fortuitous was Star Trek Set Tour owner JAMES CAWLEY offering Carlos a free pass to their December 7 mini-con with William Shatner in Ticonderoga, NY…

Depending on the level of pass James is offering, this could be deal worth anywhere from $40 all the way up to $1,000!  If it’s the latter, that might be worth the fees to change the plane ticket from Atlanta, GA to either Albany, NY or Burlington, VT.  Hopefully, there won’t be too much snow up there in the Adirondacks in December.

It was also interesting to notice the other “go back on the attack!!!” strategy employed by Carlos and the detractors: calling Alec a “coward” for not letting a “critic” attend his convention…

Here, I think Carlos and his followers are just not getting it.  This has nothing to do with “fear” and is instead all about putting an unruly toddler into time-out.  There’s a party happening in two weeks.  One of the kids has been misbehaving and acting out almost constantly, making fun of the child hosting the party, teasing him, and getting other kids to pick on him.  Why should that misbehaving little boy be allowed to go to the party?  He hasn’t earned the right.  If anything, he’s done the opposite.

As I’ve told my eight-year-old son countless times: your decisions and your actions have consequences.  Sometimes you make good decisions and good things happen.  Sometimes you make bad decisions and have to live with a punishment.  But this is how we all learn and grow.

I’m not sure if Carlos will “learn and grow” from this experience.  My suspicion is that the obsessive need to hunt down and defeat this great white whale might now be indelibly locked into Carlos’ psyche.  But hey, none of us can fix that except for Carlos.  All we can do is give the kid with the bad attitude a time-out and not let him attend the party.  Nothing “cowardly” about it.  Just the adults in the room making the grown-up judgement call as adults are supposed to do.

And honestly, yesterday’s blog wasn’t really about Carlos being banned.  That was only the pebble in the pond, and it’s pretty much a done deal.  As I said in yesterday’s blog intro, had it ended there, I wouldn’t have bothered to editorialize.

No, the reason I said anything was to simply point out the audacity of Carlos Pedraza even suggesting that Alec should reimburse him for the price of his plane ticket to Atlanta…regardless of whether Carlos could or couldn’t cancel it with no penalty.

And to that point, I’ll end this blog by quoting a person I hadn’t expected to chime in on the conversation that Carlos and I were having on Facebook yesterday: BARBARA READER.  For those who don’t know, Barbara has done more for Star Trek fan films that any single individual on the planet (way more than I have!).  Her STAR TREK REVIEWED blog site has indexed nearly every Trek fan film to ever be released!  I rely on it religiously.  Barbara has cancer, and she’s recently brought on a team to help her out.  And I don’t see her postings as often as I used to.  So when she chimed in, both Carlos and I took pause.

Here’s what Barbara said, and then I’ll let her do the mic drop…

Mic drop.

60 thoughts on “A follow-up to yesterday’s blog about CARLOS PEDRAZA and AXACON…”

  1. Carlos is in no way a journalist if he ever worked for a News outlet they would fire him for not checking his facts before posting a story. He is better suited to write Fantasy Novels cause he can sure make up a story. And your right Jonathon he is very much acting like a child that needs a time out. And I agree he has no claim whatsoever to have Alex reimburse him for the plane ticket cost, he is the one who purchased the ticket without confirming if he would be able to attend the convention or not. He knew being who he is that this may cause a problem and should have reached out before purchasing either the convention ticket or the plane ticket.

  2. You were quick. I deleted that post in under 2 minutes. I had hoped no one saw it. I later posted a more appropriate response which discussed the legal ramifications of turning down an offer to mitigate damages on a claim. I am much too ill to fight with folks.

    I am post-major surgery. The website has been run lately ENTIRELY by the new staff for the last 3 weeks (and traffic is UP with them!), which includes Sven Matthes (Germany) Kirok L’Stok (Australia), James Heaney (Minn., USA), Martin Behr, (Hunan Province, China), and the Portuguese page is run by Ulisses Galazzo (Brazil). With luck, it will continue for years to come.

    1. I hadn’t refreshed the Facebook page after your comment post and the next couple of responses, so I didn’t know you’d altered it, Barbara. I’m sorry if you didn’t want me to post that. I should have checked with you first. My sincere apologies.

      As for Star Trek Reviewed, your team is doing a stellar job! I honestly can’t keep up with every fan film link they post…sometimes multiple ones in the same day (and at least one daily)! They’re amazing. And so are your for setting this all up in the first place. I often consider Star Trek Reviewed and Fan Film Factor to be complementary websites. You dig out a few scoops of ground to create holes pretty much everywhere in a field, getting it ready for planting. I dig considerably fewer holes but go much deeper, looking for the treasures buried further down. Between the two sites, we’re pretty much doing a number on that field…but in a good way! 🙂

      All our best wishes for you during treatment, Barbara, and thank you for all you’ve done for Trek fan films.

  3. Barbara said it all. Pedrazza will need to aloe vera for that burn.
    I have nothing more to say other than that!

  4. Obsession is the name of the game. For both sides…well a few on both sides. Each have followers that are equal in their zealot like attitude.

    But with this current tiff…

    What did your favorite celebrity eat for dinner last night and what was the consistency of their bowel movement after? Is that news? Is that reporting? No…it’s tabloid gossip and there is an entire group dedicated to watching what Alec Peters ate for dinner.

      1. The detractors keep saying that Peters is irrelevant yet they follow his every move. I hope that’s not the legacy they are leaving behind.

        Protecting the world from Alec Peters…a life well lived.

  5. Why would Jeff Craig need Carlos’ ticket? As a member/former member of Axamonitor, Jeff Craig is banned from Axacon as Alec Peters stated and you published.

  6. Why do you (and Barbara, and presumably Alec) think Carlos hates Alec? Read what he has written. There is no hate there. There are objective, fact-based articles with references throughout. Where Carlos has had incorrect information he has corrected it (mainly that time that Alec had someone deliberately feed Carlos wrong information). He is thoughtful and even-handed.

    Stephen Colbert once said, “Reality has a well-known liberal bias.” If you sense bias in what Carlos has written it’s because that is where the facts have led us. A conservative will find NPR biased because in their coverage it is understood that climate change is real and affected my human activity. Their offense at this doesn’t change the facts. Likewise, Alec’s supporters offense at what Carlos has written doesn’t change the facts underlying what he had written, and to date no one has credibly refuted anything on the Axamonitor site.

    I find Alec’s behavior to be very Trumpian. It is ironic that he is the thing he hates. Everyone who rejects Alec’s obvious lies and/or rewritten narrative must be a Hater with no life who will never be as “successful” as Alec. It is an immature and ultimately self-defeating perspective that prevents him from learning from past mistakes.

    1. Do me a favor, Chris. Go back and re-read yesterday’s blog… specifically he the segment with the screen caps showing how ONE person saying that not including the set tour in in the price of admission was “not a good deal” turned into “some say are exorbitantly priced” turned into “many complain.” Read how Alec “pleaded” for volunteers or how the ticket price was lowered due to “sluggish” sales without any sourcing of that statement.

      Now, do you still believe that “There are objective, fact-based articles with references throughout…” If so, then you might be too far down the rabbit hole for me to help you.

      1. To put this as politely as I can… I fear that you have your head too far up Alec’s posterior region to look at any criticism of him objectively.

        I stand my my statement. You and I may each in our own way be guilty of a little confirmation bias. If so, mine is borne out of my experiences as a donor, the documents I’ve read, and the stories I’ve heard. When it comes to Alec he’s been caught in enough obvious falsehoods that it would be foolish of me not to consider the source. I find Carlos to be a much more reliable arbiter of truth. Your mileage may vary.

        1. Obviously it does, as you’ve completely avoided commenting on the exact thing that made your initial statement about Carlos false. I literally showed you the lie being created and then expanded by Carlos. I even used screen captures. Heck, I even did it multiple times for multiple falsehoods. And yet you consider Carlos to be some kind of “reliable arbiter of truth.” I think the person with his head stuck in a posterior region might not be the fellow on my side of the keyboard today, Chris.

          But hey, your mileage seems to be quite different…considering how far you’re traveling to avoid the truth of the facts being presented about Carlos and his magic poison keyboard. But the Kool Aid has obviously worked its way thoroughly through your system. It’s okay; there’s 65 people out there who’ve drunk it, too.

        2. As I said, I stand by my statement. I guess Jon has never heard of a representative example.

          1. Like the four representative examples I provided of Carlos twisting the truth and/or just outright lying? Would you like more representative examples? How many are necessary, Chris?

    2. Oh don’t be so damned obtuse. See the wood for the trees. Carlos has devoted literally years on end now posting about Peters constantly on Facebook, Axamonitor, Trekbbs and elsewhere to the point that it’s been his daily life for probably over four or more years now. Ask yourself, who are these “fact based, objective” articles for? Just who cares about Alec Peters to the extent he and his few followers do? Pretty much nobody. The Axamonitor blog and his activity are far more about playing out his obvious grudge against Peters than this whole charade of objective journalism, and more fool you for buying in to the idea that he’s doing a public service. Carlos is no more a journalist than Peters is a lawyer. An article or two for the AP half a century ago doesn’t mean you’re a journalist any more than passing the bar but never having one day in practice makes you a knowledgeable and experienced lawyer. All Pedraza’s efforts are primarily for himself and those also still devoting their daily lives to this. Why are more and more people saying he’s obsessive? Because if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, well, you know the rest.

      Pull your nose out of Pedraza’s backside, stop believing the party line of the obsessives and realise how silly this has gotten. That’s advice that Peters and Jonathan might also consider frankly, as constantly giving time to this silly fight makes them look bad as well as it just keeps the whole thing going and fuels the obsessives with attention.

      1. I don’t do this “constantly,” Harry. My last blog editorializing on Carlos was way back during the spring…nearly half a year ago. I’ve actually published nearly 100 blogs since the previous one that discussed Carlos. I think 1% of the time shouldn’t count as “constantly.” 🙂

    3. Wow, the delusions run strong with you Chris. Carlos doesn’t use facts. he twists them. And since objective observers not on either side, who read Carlos’ blog come to that conclusion, I think it is more than Axanar supporters who see through his lies and bullshit.

  7. Well said, Jonathan, and props to Ms. Reader, she nailed it. Thank you for correcting the post from yesterday, which was aweome otherwise. Keep on Trekking and Long Live Axacon!

  8. WOW! Good job Barb. That is a Mic drop indeed!

    And I think the purpose of your articles here Jonathan, are to point out, above all, the obsessive hatred and pathological behavior of Carlos. How he crafts his lies and how he turns everything into an attack on me.

    Above all, his self-delusion is monumental. How someone who has achieved so little in his life, yet thinks he is an expert on EVERYTHING, is quite a wonder to behold. But I guess he tells himself the same lies he tells everyone else.

    I am not perfect. In fact I always say I make more mistakes than most people. That is because I take more chances than most people. I live, I learn, I work hard, and I try and get better.

    As to the haters, they still have produced nothing of value for Star Trek fandom.

    Alec

    2. I object to your assertion that haters still have produced nothing of value for Star Trek fandom. There are numerous “haters” (as you call them) that run very successful podcasts, have produced more fan films than you and just generally been nicer human beings.

      Go check your facts mate… or did you want to forward me another hate filled email?

      2. Are you the Trekzone guy?

        I am no fan of Peters either, but don’t kid yourself that you haven’t hitched yourself to a little bad of people whose obsession has gotten way out of hand. I do think you would be far better being a neutral than having taken sides in this whole thing as you have done. Being neutral would be better for your podcasts and videos, which, let’s face it, could really use more traffic – especially considering they are generally of great quality and deserve more interest (such as the great videos you did with Doug Drexler). Don’t let yourself get sucked into the obsession, even if your opinion of Peters is as low as can be. It can only harm you.

        1. Hi Harry, that is me… yes. Thanks for your kind words, but I’m comfortable with my position over the past few years, I have done what I felt was right by my audience with my coverage. And as a hobby, I’m also happy with the ratings. More? Sure…

          Trekzone, the brand / the podcast, barely even covered Axanar (in comparison to the number of other episodes) … while I remained active on social media under my own profile.

          I’m not sure if you’re aware, but I have now even dropped that away because I do feel that the group has wavered from the original “mission.” That’s not a capitulation but rather acceptance that the group is finding any topic to continue a conversation.

          3. I hadn’t seen that editorial, Matt. I found it fascinating (and it shows me there’s hope for you after all). 😉

            Seriously, though, I’d be curious to hear your insights, as a now-former detractor but still skeptic, into this group of people and their mindsets. Any interest in doing an interview? (Technically, you owe me one.) 🙂

          4. I read your editorial just now. I think you have made the right thing. I am not a million miles away from you ok my view ok the whole thing, but you have done yourself a favour by dropping the stench of those that have gone too far.

  9. I find it hard to believe the exchanges I am reading are occurring between adults. As an outside observer it would be easy to invoke the common comment, “Only in America!” – but, of course, that isn’t true. Here we have adults behaving like children expending a lot of energy over something that is essentially trivial. I live in a country (Australia) where the politicians are also behaving like children but in this case, such behavior isn’t trivial, it impacts on a nation.

    Guys, get a sense of proportion.

  10. All I can think to write at this point is that there’s a truly professional event going on that makes this not worth giving any more attention to. I write of the mid-term elections.

    My attention from here until election day is focused on the 11 California propositions, who I’m donating money to and how I’m going to vote where I’ve not yet made up my mind.

    I will suggest that issues raised here are echoes of the national event: honesty, integrity, judgement, fairness all wrapped up in a bow that is labeled morality or ethics depending on one’s belief system.

    And I will suggest that consistency argues that whatever bothers you about this fan situation should also be reflected in your political judgement no matter what “tribe” the politician belongs to.

    1. I’m not entirely certain about fan films and political leanings. I’ve seen Axanar supporters on both sides of the political spectrum. Heck Gary Graham is uber conservative while J.G. Hertzler is an ultra-progressive. But the two sides can come together with a love of Star Trek.

      1. Jonathan; I think Jerry is, in essence, echoing the intention of my comment and that you are missing the essential point of his. He isn’t so much linking the pro and con Axanar people with particular political leanings, as contrasting the importance of the political debate with that of the Axanar conflict (although I can see how your response stems from his third sentence). I read his last sentence as being the thrust of his response – people are expending a lot of effort and energy and thought into the Axanar situation, but it’s more important to put that energy into your country’s political situation. Sorry – nothing worse than an outsider giving such advice! (But Australia is seriously impacted by the political situation in the US.)

        1. Well, I put a lot of energy into BOTH debates. I am very politically aware and active. That’s how I was able to have such an in-depth conversation with J.G. Hertzler about American politics/. Did you happen to listen to the interview?

      2. PS. Jonathan, my comments were not directed at the energy you expend in this debate as, (a) as far as I can see, you are very even-handed and basically are just reporting events (although with comments) and, (b) you clearly take your politics very seriously (illustrated by the way you are ensuring Jayden grows up with a good knowledge and appreciation of the subject – would that I was brought up with similar knowledge).

          1. Bryan caught my meaning. What I was thinking of was consistency. If someone is bothered by someone related to Axanar, they should apply the same judgement in politics. So if lying bothers you, look at the candidates the same way even if the bigger liar is in your own political party.

  11. I have personally met Alec, and he came across as gregarious, and gracious. I was not familiar with Prelude to Axanar at the time, and he took time from the Axanar table where he had (I’m assuming) briefly stationed hisself to describe to me what it was all about. He invited me to see the premiere of Prelude (held at a local theater in Vegas) where I got to shake hands with and briefly talk to Richard Hatch. During the Q&A I asked why they had chose the Klingons as the enemy at Axanar, and not the Romulans or Axanari, The response was “Wow… what an excellent question”, Alec went on to explain that they were basing it off the FASA RPG and other sources but none was canon. Neither of them treated me like my question was bad or ridiculous, nor was I treated like an underling or the way some of the Star Trek alum treated fans, but as an equal to this vision. My few dealings with him since then have been much the same. I have never seen him be negative to anyone except those who lambast him for his mistakes and some plain falsehoods. On the gripping hand, I have seen Pedraza and his ilk make crazy shyte up that is proven false with even a modicum of research, and when I would point this out I was ignored or in some cases even blocked. For that reason I don’t generally even bother any more.

    1. Not at all. Barbara mentions this “hatred” but I see no hatred from Carlos. On the contrary I see nothing but anger and hatred from Alec directed at anyone who criticizes him.

      It’s not a mic drop if the premise is flawed to begin with.

  13. From what I’ve read here it looks like Carlos has gotten plenty of mileage and value out of his nonrefundable airline ticket via his usual, controversial bullshit. His real goal to start a bunch of crap is what the ticket purchase was really for in the first place!

    1. I just don’t get how someone can be so obsessed with another person that they’re willing to waste five hundred bucks just to create an internet drama.

      That’s it, I’m convinced. Pedraza must’ve secretly been in love with Peters and has been upset for years that Peters wasn’t interested! 😉

    2. But he still never Took Jeff Craig up on his offer. Even after informing Carlos a $25-$75 fee for transferring the ticket was possible

  14. I think Pedraza and his co-obsessives need to consider that Barbara isn’t the only person who doesn’t care for Peters but think this has gotten to the point of ridiculousness. He is losing his “supporters” month after month, with a few of his cronies left. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Trekzone guy dumps him next.

    When the Axanar litigation happened there was interested because some of us were concerned Peters had gone to far and was exploiting fans. I’m not saying that to have a debate on whether or not Peters was, I’m simply that that coupled with Peters’ hubris, antagonistic attitude,refusal to take any criticism and acquisition of fan money is what gave rise to people debating Peters and Axanar. In that climate the likes of Pedraza were able to flourish by behaving calmly in the fact of Peters making himself look bad by mouthing off any anyone who offered even the slightest criticism, banning people form his forum at the drop of the hat and generally being pretty conceited about how he viewed his own claimed accomplishments. People saw Peters as the vulgar, arrogant loudmouth and so they listened to Pedraza since his demeanor was much calmer.

    But as time when on the anti-Axanar group became toxic. Pedraza relinquished his respectability at when more and more he’d turn a blind eye to questionable behaviour from his followers. Plus the litigation ended. If Pedraza was just a journalist focusing on the question of justice then once the litigation ended that really should have been the end of his interest. But, as I said on yesterday’s article, it’s all clearly personal for him, as it is for the few remaining others who obsesses over Peters.

    If Pedraza is reading this, I’d suggest that he needs to take a looooonnnnngggggg hard look in the mirror. Carlos, you have long ago sacrificed your credibility. You continue to obsesses over Peters long after most people got bored with it. You are not a journalist. You are a blogger devoting endless hours, year after year, to a pointless cause when frankly the likelihood is that you won’t ever achieve anything…and your readership is a handful of people at best so what is the point? You have made yourself look like a ridiculous stalker and, quite frankly, if I were Peters I’d be taking legal advice to see what the laws in America are in terms of civil proceedings for harassment. Enough already. All this energy you waste on Peters you could be putting towards something like charity work or spending time with friends or family. All the free time you waste on things like Axamonitor could be invested in helping people and enriching your life rather than existing as an angry little middle aged man who just doesn’t know when to let go and move on.

    1. Alas, I doubt Carlos will ever read what you wrote…or even if he did, he just wouldn’t get it. But I read the whole thing, and I think you present one of the most fair and balanced views I’ve heard so far (even though much of what you said about my buddy Alec was critical). Thanks for posting.

  16. Adults NEVER say “I screwed up, SOMEBODY OWES ME FOR MY STUPIDITY!”

    This is just infantile.

  17. I did not back Axanar, but I did keep track of its progress and was looking forward to its release. Once all the hoopla started I came across Axamonitor page. After reading some of the stories I came to the conclusion that Carlos Pedraza has some sort fixation on Alec and the Axanar project, and if you somehow disagree with his point of view he transfers that fixation onto you.

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