One of the wonders of the fan film world is the incredibly detailed TOS sets at NEUTRAL ZONE STUDIOS in Kingsland, GA. For the past two years, owner RAY TESI has been offering open house fan appreciation weekends when Trekkers from all over the globe could come to tour the facility. Right now, however, the pandemic prevents that from happening. In fact, it prevents any in-person convention from happening.
But not virtual online ones.
Since Wednesday, VIRTUAL TREK CON has been appearing on a computer or smart device near you! And already, thousands of people have tuned in to see and ask questions of celebrity guests from all eras and series of Star Trek…everyone from actors like TIM RUSS, ARMIN SHIMERMAN, MICHELLE HURD, GARY GRAHAM, DOUG JONES and over a dozen others to behind-the-camera folks like IRA BEHR, ROBERT HEWITT WOLFE, and DOUG DREXLER. The full guest list is 34 people! And it’s all absolutely free…you don’t even have to sign up for a mailing list!
Today (Sunday) at 7:30pm Eastern Time, Neutral Zone Studios will be taking its turn as a Virtual Trek Con event with a special live tour of all the sets hosted by STAR TREK CONTINUES show-runner VIC MIGNOGNA, who will be taking family friendly, respectful questions submitted by viewers (so no questions about you-know-what) . Fans are encouraged to submit questions that may be answered live on air in the comments of the live broadcast chat.
Vic will share stories about the fan films that have been made at that studio and (according to the Virtual Trek Con website) have special guests joining to tell their stories and lend their expertise and advice on filmmaking.
The hour-long online event will also celebrate STC‘s Mr. Sulu, actor GRANT IMAHARA, who passed away unexpectedly last Monday. Vic will spotlight Grant’s achievements and the special contributions he made to both the Trek community and the sci-fi community as a whole.
You can access the live virtual event on Sunday July 19th, 2020 at 7:30pm Eastern Time at the following link:
www.facebook.com/events/s/neutral-zone-studios-live-at-v
There will also be a special message from actress NICHELLE NICHOLS (“Uhura” on TOS) to her fans immediately before the Neutral Zone Studios event at 7:15pm Eastern Time on Sunday.
The folks over at the Atomic Network (creators of RENEGADES) recorded Nichelle and were going to release the video to the public, and the timing was right to have it done during Virtual Trek Con. So you can watch this announcement from our inspirational lady of communications at either of the following links before it goes out to the rest of the public:
The Aron Eisenberg Stage: https://youtu.be/6VIQk_MDShE
The Rene Auberjonois Stage: https://youtu.be/hGTi8mY94Nc
It seems that when it comes to Neutral Zone Studios, more often than not the fact it was the home of Star Trek Continues overshadows the fact it was originally home to the Starship Farragut fan series, and was constructed by John Broughton and the Farragut staff.
True. Had any members of the Starship Farragut team been included in the event, I would have been sure to have mentioned them. I did write a very in-depth 3-part history of that proud and storied fan series, after all:
https://fanfilmfactor.com/2016/02/05/starship-farragut-part-1-2004-to-2007/
https://fanfilmfactor.com/2016/02/08/starship-farragut-part-2-2008-to-2010/
https://fanfilmfactor.com/2016/02/11/starship-farragut-part-3-2011-to-2016/
It’s also a tough call with Vic because he’s such a polarizing figure (kinda like Trump). Some fans love him, and others hate him. The fact is that I can’t erase Vic’s involvement in (and indeed, leadership of) one of the most impressive and honored Star Trek fan series in our community’s history. It’s kinda like discovering that JFK was schtupping Marylin Monroe in the White House all those years as president. How do you cover the achievements of the Kennedy administration with Jack’s very obvious human failings? Or if you want to use a less paragon-like example, how about Bill Cosby? His contribution to television history and the perception of black people in the 1980s made “The Cosby Show” a significant part of American culture. But will we ever be able to watch it in reruns again? Probably not! And such a shame because it was a great show, cutting edge, and had so many other talented people involved in its creation and production.
So my feelings about Vic mirror my feelings about Bill Cosby…although perhaps not quite as intensely (Vic never drugged and raped women). But it’s just so hard to separate my feelings about the man from my feelings about his achievements…and I haven’t figured out the perfect solution yet…if there even is one.
Shane does make a very valid point, Jonathan. By posting this, it is going to cause some serious controversy. And a negative backlash by the fans.
So far, not much backlash. Shane was polite. Another commenter called Vic names more suited to Jeffrey Epstein or Harvey Weinstein, reserving a few of them for me, as well. That comment got deleted because I expect respectful and civilized discussion on my blog.
And then there was your post, Celestra. So…three people. Stats show that Sunday’s blog entry received just shy of 300 views (slow day and limited timeframe). So I wouldn’t exactly call one percent a “backlash.”
Then, with all due respect, Jonathan, maybe you should not post anything about Vic ever again. Let alone delete everything about him on your blog.
Shane raised some very valid points. Maybe you should seriously consider listening to them.
Iām some ways, this also mirrors the acts committed by Stephen Collins and how badly that has reflected on Star Trek – The Motion Picture.
I find the sudden shift of our society into “cancel culture” to be fascinating. But I refuse to censor Vic’s name entirely from my blog. He gave something amazing to the world of fan films, and I will honor that. He also behaved inappropriately on numerous occasions over the course of years, and it cost him a fiancee and a career (and possibly a good deal in a major legal penalty). I need not sit in judgment over Vic. My blog is intended to celebrate fan films and the people who make them. If you choose to boycott all things Vic Mignogna in your life, Celestra, then don’t read any blogs I post that mention him (I’ll always flag him in the tags).
I don’t recall ever seeing that in the depositions. None of the women that Vic brought back to his hotel room was underage…at least in my memory (which, at the age of 53, isn’t what it used to be, but I can remember the words “person, woman, man, TV, and camera”). If you can find the depo and copy-paste the part about the underage girls being molested in Vic’s hotel room, I’ll gladly acknowledge that I was wrong.
If all you have is a vague recollection of something that might have been in the deposition but you’re not sure, I’d advise against using the term “child predator” to describe Vic. That’s technically libel. “Sexual predator” or “sexual harasser” would be safer phrases to use–for your own sake–because they are accurate based on verifiable news items easily found on the Internet and, in some cases, admissions by Vic himself. But if there isn’t something you can point to that says, “See? This says clearly and objectively that Vic preyed on children,” then you are accusing Vic of a serious crime for which the penalty is years or decades in prison. Without proof, that can easily be considered the textbook definition of libel. Vic has shown himself to be litigious, and his fans financially supportive. I wouldn’t want you having to spend money defending yourself in a libel suit all for the sake of a posted comment in a blog.
As for talking about STC without mentioning Vic, these days that’s what I tend to do. This blog announcement was an exception specifically because Vic was the one hosting the tour, and I agreed to Ray Tesi’s request to give coverage to the event. But most times, I stay out of the Vic controversy because it’s a Kobayshi Maru scenario. But if I don’t say his name, things stay quiet. So yes, that’s the general game plan. This was the notable exception that proves the rule. š