Earlier today, the AXANAR YouTube Channel was temporarily “terminated” (according to messaging displayed when users visited the web page). Numerous recent video updates with tens of thousands of views each were suddenly gone and inaccessible…along with Prelude to Axanar, the Vulcan scene, and numerous behind-the-scenes videos.
There was immediate conjecture that some kind of violation of the YouTube community guidelines or terms of service led the the termination of the channel. Needless to say, the fan film community exploded with activity as Axanar detractors salivated at the possibilities for happy dances and supporters panicked among uncertainty and confusion.
And then, less then three hours later, the Axanar YouTube channel was back up and running as though nothing had happened.
So what did happen?
All of this kerfuffle occurred while ALEC PETERS was at the gym on Sunday morning. When he got home—amid countless emergency IMs and e-mails from concerned supporters and team-members—he logged into his YouTube (Google) account, and all was restored instantly. Alec never received any notice or warning from YouTube or Google about violations. However, he did receive the following message (e-mail address redacted)…
In addition to the Axanar YouTube channel, the new Ares Studios YouTube channel was also deactivated and then reactivated with Alec’s sign-in. Most members of the fan community weren’t even aware that there was an Ares Studios YouTube channel (it’s still being set up), and so didn’t realize the extent of the hacking.
Although not confirmed, it seems that YouTube’s takedown was pre-emptive in avoiding the potential damages of a more serious, successful hack. Once the account was secured by the user (Alec), the channels were reactivated.
Naturally, the prime suspect(s) is/are one or more of the detractors, although there is currently no proof who specifically is behind the hacking. Obviously, Alec has changed his password and will continue to do so regularly.
But if I may speak freely for a moment, my friends…
It’s hard enough to make a fan film with everything going your way and no headwinds. Add in a lawsuit plus nearly constant attacks in social media plus websites dedicated to keeping you under a magnifying glass and publicizing every misstep and set-back…and completing your project becomes nearly impossible.
AND NOW HACKING????? Seriously, is this what it’s come to? Is this what’s necessary to stop a fan film from getting made?
The detractors are convinced Axanar will never be completed. If that comes to pass, I think it’s now safe to say that it won’t be Alec’s fault. Instead, it will be because of the almost constant efforts of those detractors who are desperately trying to sabotage this project.
And that’s not only sad, it’s just plain cruel. The real people stealing money from the Axanar donors are those who are working tirelessly to ensure that no Axanar fan film ever gets made. That is the true crime here.
Glad to hear the YouTube account was restored. While I might have occasional disagreements with Alec and his decisions, he’s worked really hard to get Axanar to where it is today and does not deserve to have his work taken down through the actions of a hacker or detractor.
I wish Alec and the team at Axanar Productions the very best in producing the two, 15-minute episodes of The Four Years War series and can hardly wait too see them!
#onward
So the take down was a maintenance move on Google’s part to prevent damage/theft? Figured it wasn’t what Carlos tried to make it out to be.
Carlos tried very hard to imply things without actually saying them:
CARLOS – “Terminated is not a good thing. It means YouTube itself closed the account for some kind of violation.”
Of course, in the end, YouTube did NOT close the account for some kind of violation (at least, not by Alec). But Carlos can (honestly) say, “I never said that Alec violated anything. I simply reported what YouTube’s policy says.”
Very sneaky way to phrase it, to be sure! I never said Carlos was dumb. Just the opposite, in fact. It takes true brilliance to manipulate minds with such skillful subtlety!
not really, YouTube did close the account for a violation. A violation of the account login by… someone.
Check out my update (the next blog I just published). There’s more information there.
Oh, please. No one in the Hater camp is going to sabotage Alec when he’s already shown how good he is at sabotaging himself.
Ah, Chris has cleared everything up then. Thanks, Chris. 🙂
Let’s break this down, shall we, Chris?
Alec Peters first produces the Prelude 21-minute video, to the applause and praise of much of the Star Trek community who still believes in Star Trek as it was once meant to be (i.e. NOT Discovery). He then sets up a Kickstarter / Indiegogo donation drive (one before the other, but either way, they were both successful in their goals). He then proceeds to release the ‘Vulcan Scene’ as proof that the efforts are ongoing, despite Paramount / CBS’ efforts that eventually derailed his efforts and ground them to a halt.
He (Alec Peters) did everything he could to keep things going, even to the point of using HIS OWN MONEY to pay the rent and keep things up and running during the lawsuit. Once the lawsuit finished, he was left with little choice but to pack up and relocate to Georgia, where he has successfully continued his efforts, with the gracious and appreciated assistance of many volunteers to re-assemble the bridge, get it up to filming standards, and prepare for the intended completion of the two 15-minute episodes.
He’s been transparent about his efforts, where the money has gone, what he is doing as he continues to plod along to the goal of completing these episodes, even going so far as to show us, the fans and supporters, the most recent arrival of donor ‘swag’ that he promised several years back. He didn’t HAVE to do that, because those of us who support him know that he’s in this for the long haul, and what he promised, he’s going to make good on.
And you’ve got the gall to comment about HIM sabotaging himself? Who do you think you are anyway? Sounds like YOU’RE in the ‘Hater’ camp yourself. Those who believe in a dream support it without criticism or derision. That’s different from providing constructive criticism in an effort to help the efforts of accomplishing the dream. What you’re saying is NOT helping and, quite frankly, I’d appreciate it if you’d do us all a favor and scurry back to the hole you crawled out of to take a snipe at someone who has dedicated himself to making the dream of Axanar come true.
Seems only one possible explanation of what happened, unless YouTube provides something different…one of the ‘Hate Camp’ managed to access Alec’s personal information and tried to bring the YouTube pages down to hurt him. Personally, I hope that person is found out and, once caught, is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
‘Nuff said.
The article wasn’t about Discovery but Short Treks. What does TorrentFreak have to say about that? Please lemme know.
Maybe a silly question, but I assume 2-step authentication is setup on the account? This would have alerted Alec Peters to someone trying to login to the account even if they did have the password.
I’m not sure exactly what YouTube/Google does, but I suspect that they get suspicious when a new device tries to access an account…which seems to have happened today.
“…the fan film community EXPLODED with activity…”
Huh. I didn’t hear a boom.
Boom tomorrow, maybe. But no boom today.
I got IMs, emails, and contacts through my website–dozens of ’em!–before I even woke up! One chat group had 52 unread messages by the time I’d gotten out of the shower. Admins had to step in on Fan Film Forum to quiet some people down. To me, it seemed like an explosion.
funny, I didn’t see anything on non-Axanar relsted groups…. still don’t.
Okay. Do I owe you a prize? 🙂
there’s that condescending tone again.
You just bring out the best in me, Matt. 🙂
(Man, you’re sure posting a lot right now. Is it just a need to have the last word? If so, I’ll gladly let you have it.)
I think his point is that your blog is mostly Axanar related and you’re heavily involved in Axanar in general, so it makes sense that you’d hear a lot about it. But the larger Fan Film community doesn’t really care.
Possibly. Had to say for sure. Right now, there seems to be a lot of interest in Axanar. Alec’s Dec 27 update has 97K views on YouTube in just 11 days:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmDLKkxgj1I&t=1s
Of those, 6.8K likes and only 168 dislikes. So the interest seems to be genuinely positive and enthusiastic. It’s quite possible they’d be concerned rather than not caring, as you suggest.
Oh Jonathan. Seriously? You complain of echo chambers and negative posts proliferating the internet and here you are, no doubt blogging out an angry text from Alec.
Whoever it was obviously had Alec’s password to begin with…. so might I suggest ya’ll look internally for a sheepish someone who made a boo boo before seeking the conspiracies where none exist?
It is curious too, as you have now provided the excuse Alec needs to not proceed… instead, might I suggest that he actually just get on with it. Where’s the cast, the crew, the storyboards?
Oh and that lawsuit you mention, hope you don’t mean the one allegedly forthcoming by Alec himself… cause that’s of his own volition.
I’m referring to the year-long lawsuit filed by CBS and Paramount that settled with the two studios giving Alec permission to make the fan film they originally sued him over…just 30 minutes long instead of 90 minutes. That’s the lawsuit I was referring to.
but that was 2 years ago….
So? My father had open heart bypass surgery two years ago. That doesn’t mean he’s playing tennis today.
once again you make these massive leaps in logic.
I’m not talking about bypass surgery, I’m talking about making a fan film. He’s had two years to make 30 minutes…. I spent 9 months making 13 minutes from scratch.
Alec was given the easiest option to make Axanar, the first 30 minutes of the film… that was already scripted, storyboarded (animatics and vfx plates at least) and ready for production.
Why didn’t he do that?
I’m sorry, are we still debating? I thought it was done. I was hoping to move on, Matthew.
interesting how you now refuse to answer the questions.
Interesting how you keep trying to create a second opportunity to debate me. I thought you were moving on, Matthew. Change your mind, or just trying to get yourself back in good with the cool kids? I’ve noticed you’ve rejoined Facebook. Temper tantrums and click-through user traffic don’t usually go together well. 🙂
answering your poor assumptions and falsehoods isn’t seeking a debate.
Excuse me…which one of us is the one with the falsehoods? Your record is far from stellar, Matthew.
Oh, wait, THIS is another one of your falsehoods! I get it! Very clever. 🙂
another giant leap in logic John.
I made my fan film from scratch in 9 months. Now, while it wasn’t 100% live action… if Alec had’ve listened to those around him, he could’ve used a swath of existing assets already produced.
If you have to second-guess decisions that were made years ago and create alternate realities for those new decisions to play out in order to “win” a debate, perhaps you’re not really winning the debate, mate! 🙂
I’m not second guessing anything. It’s now 2 years since the settlement. There is no cast, no crew, no storyboards… nothing to indicate production has begun.
And step back the condescending tone mate.
Why the need state so many falsehoods at one time, Matt? Why not spread it out a little? 🙂
The cast includes Gary Graham and J.G. Hertzler. I have that on audio from J.G.’s mouth. Also, Alec will appear, and he’s cast a very important Klingon.
Crew includes director Paul Jenkins, editor Mark Edward Lewis, VFX Tobias Richter, composer Alex Bornstein, and a few others including costumer, prop maker, set designer, graphics artist…the list goes on.
So when you say “NO cast” and “NO crew”…is that kind of like when you said “MOST” of the cast and crew had left after Prelude?
As for the condescension, that’s simply what you get from me when you try to spread lies on my blog, dude.
2 cast and a background extra, to carry the whole 30 minutes of interviews, joy.
No DOP, grip, lighting, 1st AD.
You mean DP? I think he’s got one. But aren’t these folks you hire closer to the time of production? Alec is still finishing the last of the bridge and then he needs to find funding. No sense in trying to set up a 1st AD or grips right now.
Look, all snarkiness aside, Matthew, you had your fan film, Alec has his. I don’t remember him critiquing your process, so why are you complaining about his? Seems presumptuous, but maybe that’s just my read from here in the cheap seats.
DoP is the Australian term.
Well, you also say “strewth,” so I guess that’s okay. 🙂
lets rephrase. no complete cast and crew.
I don’t have a complete cast and crew for my fan film either, and I’m planning to shoot mine before Alec shoots his.
Not sure what the point is here, Matt. I know you’re TRYING to criticize Alec, but I can’t for the life of me understand why you feel you have any right to? It’s not your fan film.
Someone from Axanar tweeted that they tripped the security protocol themselves.
You have the tweet?
who’s this guy?
https://twitter.com/STOGGYRETURNS/status/1081974111172284416
Yeah, I’m looking into this right now. Apparently, the hack attempt/shutdown happened while he was making updates, and he thought it was him or one of the other managers. So he posted the tweet. Turns out that it wasn’t him. The timing doesn’t work.
This was not hacking, it was one person attempting to gain access to Axanar’s YouTube site and getting it shut down as a security precaution. This happens to accounts all the time. You act like this was some sort of giant conspiracy against Alec when it lasted about an hour. It sounds to me like you are already starting the inevitable ‘Alec tried to make Axanar but the haters stopped him.’ Maybe an attempt needs to be made to make the shorts before excuses are made.
I’m sure what I’ve said here is going to be considered hate but I think it is good advice that should be followed.
Whether or not this was detractor hacking, the fact remains that efforts to sabotage and stop Alec Peters and Axanar are frequent from the detractors. Do you disagree with that assessment, Edward?
Yes I disagree that anyone cares to sabatoge Axanar Alec has done a good enough job himself. Please tell him to shut up, stop talking and make something. He needs to stop blaming other people since a fan film is something made out of love for the subject…something Alec seems to have forgotten. If it’s too much trouble stop trying to produce anything.
And why should I tell Alec this, Edward? I don’t recall you being promoted to either Alec’s boss or mine. It’s not even your fan film. I think I’ll choose NOT to relay your message…at least not to him. Maybe to you, though. 🙂
What is your definition of Hacking?
Mine is “NOUN: an act or instance of breaking into a network, computer, file, etc., usually with malicious intent (often used attributively)”. Notice the absence of plural on the word act or instance.
Your statement “One person attempting to gain access to Axanar’s YouTube site and getting it shut down as a security precaution” perfectly matches the definition (which came from http://www.dictionary.com with it’s proprietary source from the Random House Unabridged Dictionary).
I’m sorry, Edward, but I should tell Alec this….why? Did you suddenly become his boss (or mine) when I was asleep last night?
Jon – it’s a bit heavy handed to automatically blame detractors. Is it possible sure, but it’s just as possible it was a random group. Alec and Axanar is well known(ish) even outside of the fam film arena meaning that he is more at risk for hacking or other shanigans then the regular person. I’m not remotely “famous” and I’ve had my account locked due to attempted hacking.
Also, you statments indicated the account was terminated due to the attempted hacking, a couple of the Axamonitor group attempted to do that same thing and couldn’t get their account terminated. Can you provide more reason as to why you/Alec thinks the termination was due to hacking and not an error by YouTube?
Check out my updated blog for more information, Michael. It’s was published shortly after this one.
Haha
I prefer to stay outta this stuff these days.
It’s very refreshing (although I did see your post during RMB’s live-cast).
Was just commentary, not meant to be personal in any way. I listen to stuff when I have time but until these 15 minute shorts are made, there’s just not really much I have to offer.
Didn’t I ban you from posting to my blog?
And I’m sure that you did. I go back with Rob close to 2 decades, despite a hiccup we’re friends. But Axanar stuff is not really in my worked up emotional realm in a hostile way, there’s a lot of other stuff to do.