The Arkansas TOS sets formerly known as STARBASE STUDIOS have just been AUCTIONED!

39 thoughts on “The Arkansas TOS sets formerly known as STARBASE STUDIOS have just been AUCTIONED!”

1. The fact that there appears to have been insufficient interest to save these sets is consistent with my feeling that the glory days of Trek Fan Films have passed. Films will continue to be made, but the enthusiasm that sparked all those series that were made on these sets, that peaked with STC, with a number of extraordinarily good feature-length films, and ultimately with Prelude to Axanar, has passed that peak.

   Fan films became too good, and the constraints from CBS/Paramount ultimately had to happen. It occurred with Prelude, but if it hadn’t been that film it would have been another almost immediately. Fan films were intruding on the boundaries of the pro world, and the uncertainties and changes of direction and structure in marketing for the commercial producers brooked no risks coming from the amateurs. The big studios were already too nervous about their futures.

   These constraints bring a limit, a severe limit on the level of achievement to which fan film producers can aim, and if your horizons are darkened by a wall that limits how high you may aim, then ambition is dampened.

   Jonathan, I know your enthusiasm is essentially unbounded. But I believe that while fan films may not die, while brilliant gems will still emerge, the days of wonder are in decline. Sadly, the future is unlikely to see a succession of series and productions as you have revealed in the story of these studios. I hope I am wrong.

   1. Hey, you could be right, Bryan. Who knows? I certainly don’t.

      But truth to tell, you’re remembering only a tiny few fan projects of the scale of Prelude to Axanar and Star Trek Continues. The vast, VAST majority of Trek fan films have always been the little guys, the ones with the overweight Trekkies for actors and the bad-fitting uniforms and home-done make-up and cheesy VFX. Those haven’t gone away, and many of them are getting better than they had been. In some cases, it’s because the technology has improved (if not the writing and acting!). In some cases, it’s because the CGI apps are getting easier to use or you’ve got folks like the turbo-powered Samuel Cockings willing to do VFX of a stellar quality for next-to-nothing, allowing many fan films to go from cheesy space shots to high quality gourmet without breaking the budget.

      Also, let’s all thank the Great Bird of the Galaxy for Ray Tesi opening up the STC sets to fan filmmakers. They add a level of quality that few productions could ever achieve without such amazing sets. But even folks who don’t have easy access to Kingsland, GA are still managing to make some pretty amazing sets for fan films. Across the pond, Leo Tierney amazed with Deception II. Gary O’Brien is preparing to wow us all with The Holy Core. Other strong 24th century fan films (that I haven’t covered yet) are coming out of Germany, the Czech Republic, and even Russia. Across the other pond, Aaron Vanderkley has released four very powerful NX-era fan films with a fifth and final one on the way. In another couple of weeks, I’ll have an interview with Matthew Blackburn on the third of his “Survivor” trilogy, Last Survivor. But he’s not done with Trek fan films. He’s planning more. And let’s not forget the upcoming The Romulan War and all the War Stories vignettes that are proceeding it.

      And this doesn’t even count the fan film “factories” like Potemkin Pictures and Stunt Doubles and Dreadnought Dominion. Sure, they might not be Axanar quality, but they can still be fun. And after all, isn’t that what fan films should be? Sure, it’s nice to have the occasional professional-quality fan production, but those were always the rare exception, even in the good ol’ days. And hey, the high-end productions aren’t completely extinct yet! We’re weeks away from First Frontier; we’re still waiting for Pacific 201; and of course, there’s always Axanar.

      I don’t think I’ll be retiring from the blog scene anytime soon, my friend. (And there, I’ve just jinxed it!) 🙂

      1. Er …I take your point(s).

         1. 🙂

2. Sad that it came to this. I’m glad to see that several people got a few mementoes of what once was a good fan-based production venue.

   All the bickering and in-fighting between the former owners gave fan films another black eye it didn’t need.

   The silver lining is that there are other sets, and set owners, out there willing to let fans make their films for whatever cost those owners deem fair.

3. When men fight like little boys. Just sad all the way around.

4. This whole thing became a drama of non communication, but I’ll bever forget doing my first fan film Melbourne at Starbase Studios in OK. saD to see it die.

   1. Hold on to your memories and Starbase Studios will live on inside your mind. 🙂

5. Any idea who bought them or what they’re doing with them?

   1. From what I understand, the larger bridge structural pieces weren’t auctioned (at least, not yet). The smaller things like chairs and monitors and props, according to Dan Reynolds, were sold. No idea who got what, but the attendees were mostly local folks.

6. While all of this is moot at this point in time, I’d like a chance to clear the murky waters. When I first came on board as a partner I ASKED for a copy of a lease agreement, or at the very least details on the arrangement. I was informed by Glen Wolfe that he did not make the arrangements. All further attempts to gain useful information was met with equally vague answers. I was left with the impression that a part of the monies [aid by productions using the sets was to be paid to Mr, Pelsor. As to the demise of the sets, from October forward Mr. Wolfe proposed Scott Johnson and I take the bridge while he would retain ownership of the remaining sets. As you are well aware Jonathon, the current agreement which you helped draft specifies the sets remain together. Further, the spirit of that agreement was for the sets to be restored to the state they were when first moved to Arkansas, before being pillaged my Mr. Wolfe. This never happened, and was THE major factor in the three of us not being able to come to agreement. Now if the arrangement was Mr. Pelsor was to be compensated by production fees, then those monies also cover Mr. Johnson and myself. I for one would like to see a rental agreement or something approaching that. I’d also like to see receipts of the monies Mr. Wolfe claims he paid. Oh, a side note, it seems as if Mr. Wolfe does indeed have possession of all of the sets besides the bridge. Is not there a question of shared ownership there? Further, didn’t Mr. Pelsor have a legal duty to inform all owners of intended sale. First I’ve heard of it was your informative article. Thanks to Mr. Reynolds taking the time to drive by.

   1. I appreciate you writing in. At this point, Glenn, unless anyone is willing to sue anyone else (an exercise that would cost WAY more than would ever be recovered in damages), I think this starship has been decommissioned and the battles are now over. Time to move on for everyone.

7. Shit ..i tried buy it all last year but the three said couldnt with way contract was set up ..prolly went cheap too ..any idea how much in total was made n wheres the money going ??

   1. No idea on how much revenue was generated, but I would assume the landlords kept it and applied it to unpaid rent.

      1. Once again I will state that there was never any rental agreement or set rate of”rent” or “cash” to be paid EVER…
         If there was such an agreement in existence would we not be entitled to see such paperwork??
         Which raises a question. If Mr. Wolfe is stating he has paid rent on the building, where are his receipts to prove this?
         Remember everyone, there are 3 owners in this NOT just 1 individual

         1. There’s an old Klingon proverb: “Only a fool fights in a burning house.” At this point, Scott, the house is pretty much gone.

            1. Jonathan Lane says:
               February 27, 2019 at 10:56 am
               There’s an old Klingon proverb: “Only a fool fights in a burning house.” At this point, Scott, the house is pretty much gone.

               i.e. [ Stolen ]
               moved to a non-disclosed location w/o any notification

8. A truly sad day. So many films we won’t get to see because of the loss of the studio.

   1. Well, some of them are being shot at WARP 66 Studios nearby. Others are being shot in Georgia. Trek fan films live on!

9. Only a fool fights in a burning house ……. I seem to recall reading am article in these pages awhile back praising, and I’ll quote “The heroic efforts of Jonathan Lane and Vance Majors to save Starbase Studios …”. The end result pf those “heroic” efforts was that Glen Wolfe had a 50% stake of ownership, and Scott Johnson and Glenn Miller would share the remaining 50% equally. Also, as part of that very lega; contract the set pieces were to remain together, Soon after this agreement was reached. I traveled to Arkansas along with Scott Johnson and Michael King hoping to sit down with Mr. Wolfe and work out the problems between him and Scott. One of the first things I asked for at that meeting was for a copy of the lease, or details pf the agreement. Mr. Wolfe;s reply was he did not know, since he didn’t make the arrangements. I also tabled that an LLC be formed. Since Wolfe lived in Arkansas, and had retained an attorney, it made sense to use his attorney. I offered to pay all fees as a gesture of good will. We were akso assured the sets had been restored from their pillaged state. Imagine the shock that Michael, Scott, and I felt when we opened the doors and found nothing had been returned, AND on top of this the carpet had been removed. When confronted Mr. Wolfes teply was the carpet was his personal property, however, should anyone wish to donate carpet it would remain a permanent part of the set. On occasion Mr. Wolfe would bring back some props and set pieces for a shoot, and promptly remove them again. When I confronted him with the fact that signing the agreement settled all prior claims, his answer was he did mot trust Mr. Pelsor and didn’t want to leave expensive pieces at the studio. This wasn’t the only issue. I’d also insisted on an insurance policy covering the three of us. Yet, without this in place and over the objections of me and Mr. Johnson, proceeded with these shoots. Now, once more I’ll state as your are well aware. There were three owners of the set pieces. Mr. Wolfe now has possession of the corridors, turbo lift, sick bay, transporter, briefing room, and living quarters. He had been pushing for Scott and me to take ownership of the bridge, and he the rest. I don’t know about you Jonathan, but this all seems to much by design. And where is this $2000 back rent figure coming from, and why on Earth was it never mentioned over the past 18 months? Seems there is a whole lot more to the story. My take is some honest, hard working, good natured Trek fans got taken over the coals by a shyster.

   1. The thing about the Klingon proverb of fighting in a burning house is the question: if you win, what do you get?

      Glenn, you and Scott are fighting tooth and nail now that much of what was the Starbase Studios sets is now gone. What’s left, as I understand it, is the large bridge station pieces without the monitors or chairs. So let’s say that you convince Bud to give them to you–which he just might do, as he’s trying to get rid of them anyway. Now you and Scott have to arrange pick-up, transportation, and storage. Are you prepared to pay those costs? If so, I’m certain Bud would be happy to chat with you. My guess is you’re not. And honestly, why would you even want to? Those sets are all-but unusable at this point, in need of significant repair, and missing somw of the most important components.

      So what exactly are you fighting for? Why are you writing all these angry comments and posting them here?

      Is it just that you want someone to say, “Oh, you poor fellas. Glen Wolfe was sooooo awful to you!” Well, I can’t say that with any sincerity. I’ve seen your communications with each other. You were, all three of you, insufferable to the others. The dysfunction was paralytic and prevented you three from accomplishing anything. You all knew this clock was ticking down to zero. But all you could manage to accomplish in a year was arguing, and the only thing you could agree on was how wrong you thought the other side was.

      I’m sorry, Glenn…I have no sympathy for any of you. I tired my hardest to help, thought I had, and ultimately was chased away with pitchforks. I gave dozens and dozens of hours of my time and work without asking for anything in return–to all three of you–and was rewarded at the end with derision and criticism and no appreciation whatsoever. You skewered me on Facebook. So I was done then, and I’m still done now. If you need someone to kiss your boo-boos at this point and tell you that the bad man won’t hurt you anymore, well, I just can’t bring myself to give you that.

10. Jonathan, I thought your understanding of human nature/psychology was better than that (don’t you have Psych as a part of your formal background?). When people are in conflict to the depth you describe, attempting to help will always result in scars ─ and you will suffer the worst of all.

    But you may have been involved from the early stages, before warning signs were evident, in which case you are forgiven. It can be amazing the things that can bring out the worst in human nature. The USA ─ the world is so full of conflict on subjects that really do matter, but so few people step back for a better view, a better perspective (NOT referring to you in that observation!)

    1. Yep, I’ve got a B.A. in Psychology from Cornell. I use it about as often as I use my lower appendix. 🙂

11. No Jonathan, it isn’t about kissing my boo boos, nor crying about the big bad Wolfe. It is however about telling the truth, getting the whole picture, and maybe a bit about journalistic integrity. You know, the 5 “w”‘s and sometimes “h”. I too have all of those communications and I’ll dare you to show one where I’m being unreasonable. Unless of course you consider forming an LLC and getting a GL policy unreasonable. I’ll also dare you to produce one in which Scott Johnson relinquishes ownership of the corridor, briefing room, transporter, sick bay, and living quarters to Glen Wolfe. That notion was pushed by Vance Major, but never agreed upon. The truth is that since day one, Glen Wolfe pursued his own agenda with complete disregard of the partnership. You are quite right in stating you tried very hard to help work something out. Which I cite in my first response to you. However, since then you have become a mouthpiece for Glen Wolfe. Why do I say this, in the past year you have written several articles regarding these sets and the problems the three of us were having. You have interviewed Vance Major who has nothing to do with any of it, Kent Edwards who left because of Wolfe’a behavior, and quoted Glen Wolfe. Not once did you reach out to me or Scott to fact check or get the other side. You flunk Journalism 101 there. So, the truth is Wolfe took the sets that he wanted and abandoned the bridge set. Now I’ve dared y0u to share one of these phantom communications. I’ll up the ante and say since Wolfe doesn’t own those sets I’ll foot the bill for their storage. But they will be under lock and key here in Mississippi, and not being used by Warp 66. Further, if someone can produce a valid lease agreement I’ll pay Scott’s share of the back rent. Kind of funny how that became an issue only after Ray Tesi tried to rescue the bridge. Can we all sat money grab? Yes, there is a lot to this story you have not reported on. Fact is Scott Johnson is 50% owner of ALL of the sets since I had to leave the group due to poor health in late November. But I’ll be damned if I’ll let Glen Wolfe take everything off of this man considering the years of blood, sweat, and tears that he has put into it.

    1. House still burning.
       Glenn still fighting.
       If you had the money for moving and storage, Glenn, then the time to bring that all up was 2018, not 2019. Sorry.

12. FINALLY! Reading a lot of these comments, people are starting to finally seen through all of this. Your last comment and observation of the whole situation is “Dead On”.

    What Miller and Johnson never understood was they needed to do something to make the studio work. But, alas, they only bitched and moaned without working on a plan to rescue the sets or a new home for them.

    This is reminiscent on what happened a couple years ago when Starbase Studios had a hard date to remove all set pieces at the Oklahoma City facility. If it weren’t for Glen Wolfe and his tenacious diligence to save the sets and me finding a suitable facility here in Arkansas, those sets would have been history long ago.

    When everyone knew that a hard date to vacate at the Dogpatch building was set, they should have, once again, been frantic to secure another facility.

    WARP 66 Studios was formed because Glen and I knew that our films would never get completed unless we rebuilt. So, we took months off and, based on what sets we needed in the script, we built them.

    So many opportunities during all of these months that things could have been resolved but it was quite clear one side really didn’t want a resolution it was more important to point fingers and create a swill of needless drama.

    The lesson here is to surround yourself with people who love making Star Trek fan films, do it with a feverous passion, do it with integrity and avoid, like the plague, the negative forces and those who will do everything in their power to squelch what good you are trying to accomplish.

    1. In general, I prefer less drama and more positivity. The fighting was happening before the house caught fire and continues even now that the house is a smoldering pike of ashes.

       1. Jonathan, As you know I prefer to keep the dirty laundry in the hamper, so I am not going to rehash the case that was resolved a year ago. I just want to applaud you for allowing the parties to vent their frustrations. It is almost funny to see how different people remember the “facts” differently. I can say that all relevant “facts” and documents where included in the lawsuit for all parties to see and an outcome was put in writing. Sadly that was the last time the minority parties opted to visit the sets, help build, maintain or even buy a gallon of paint. It is sad that it ended this way, but as I told you before the real reason that this venture failed was the lack of funding.

          1. I thank you for your comments about my involvement, Glen, but again: this is all an epilogue to a story that’s now over. Everyone seems to be wanting to plant “THIS IS HOW IT REALLY HAPPENED!” flags when most folks out there don’t really care. They cared back when the sets were still viable and salvageable, but now folka just want everyone to move on. Or at least I want that. I don’t think there’s anything to be gained at this point in any of you guys trying to claim the moral or intellectual high ground. What’s done is done.

13. I could use less drama myself, as I’m the one suffering from a serious heart condition and stage 4 kidney disease. So once more I will present the FACTS for your readers Jonathan, and you can follow up as a journalist, or spew disinformation. I took Kent Edwards seat after Glen Wolfe pillaged the sets, and Kent simply could not deal with him any longer. My first action was to front money to Scott Johnson to answer Glen Wolfe’s court challenge. This is the point where YOU were very much involved in finding a solution, and Scott opted to sign a variation of the settlement that you had drafted. So instead of fighting in court, I flew to Oklahoma, and Scott Johnson, Michael King, Owen Mills, and myself traveled to Arkansas for a face to face with Mr. Wolfe. I had high hopes that once we all met, things could be worked out and the three of us, meaning Wolfe, Scott, and me could move forward together in a spirit of friendship and cooperation, share, have fun, and pardon the pun, bold new adventures. Here are some key things discussed at that meeting, and the above witnesses I’m sure will verify this. First thing was that the sets were restored, to which Wolfe answered yes. That was an out and out lie. Second, the possibility of moving into a building he claimed to have built to house the sets, his answer was possibly, and he dangled this like a carrot on a stick for the next four months. Third, the formation of an LLC, which I told him to go ahead and have his lawyer do and I would pay the cost. Fourth, getting a General Liability insurance policy. Fifth, any expenses regarding the sets would be documented and all partners would receive a copy. Wolfe agreed to ALL of this. About a half hour later is where everything begins to fall apart. Owen, Scott, Michael, and me arrive at the Dogpatch location to find the sets have not been restored, NOTHING has been put back, in fact, now even the carpet has gone missing. I called Glen Wolfe and he responded the carpet was his personal property, as to the set pieces he would return them when shooting, as he didn’t trust Mr. Pelsor or the poor security at the location. From that point on, Glen Wolfe acted as a lone wolf. Disregarding every thing we had agreed on and pursuing his own agenda. He did bring set pieces for the Starbase “Word’s Woman” shoot, and removed them after. He then shot several of his own films there without giving the common courtesy to inform us. Again, I’ll remind you of that liability issue. Which prompted me to go on The Federation Files Facebook page to notify his volunteers they were in fact trespassing. Once it became clear that Wolfe had no intention of letting us use his building, I found potential sites in Florida, Texas, and Oklahoma, all of these were nixed by Glen Wolfe who stated he did not move to Arkansas in order to travel. So you see Jonathon, the issue of finding a home for the sets was indeed on my mind, and I did take some action. In all of this time Wolfe did not comply with ONE of the things we had discussed and agreed upon in that first meeting. I understand Mr. Wolfe has answered in this thread, but for some reason I cannot see his comments. I will say that if he had run any expenditures past me I most likely would have cut a check. So, here goes, AGAIN. I’ll ask you to show one communication in which I am unreasonable. I’ll ask Glen Wolfe to produce one email he send me regarding his expenditures on the sets. Produce a valid lease agreement and I will pay the fair share of back rent. Scott owns 50% of the sets now in Wolfe’s possession, I will pay for their storage. As to the bridge, the three of us bear some guilt there, but Wolfe didn’t need it so he in essence abandoned it, and he took the sets he needed to complete his set up at Warp 66. There is a legally binding contract that states the sets will not be broken up, Glen Wolfe has breached that contract, and is unlawfully in possession of property that he does not hold full title of. That is the main difference between the situation now, and the situation that started this whole fiasco. You, Jonathan, have ignored all of these facts in your reporting of the former Starbase sets. I’ve put my money where my mouth is, now, can you show you are more than a pimple on a journalist’s ass?

    1. “can you show you are more than a pimple on a journalist’s ass?”

       Apparently not. Good day to you, sir.

14. Well Jonathan, you are correct. It is the past, it is over and no amount of revisionist history is going to make anyone feel better. So lets look ahead, the fan film producers have a complete set to shoot on in Georgia. WARP 66 is almost done with The Equinox Effect and is gearing up for a summer shoot of Doppleganger. So all in all the fan films will continue. So lets keep it fun and enjoy what we have.

    1. I’m good with that approach, GW.

15. After reading all of these comments from all involved, it re-affirms what the late Leonard Nimoy said a decade past.

    “Star Trek has run its course.”

    All of the in-fighting and toxic fan politics have certainly proved that Mr. Nimoy was right.

    You were right about the burning house being gone, Jonathan.

    Star Trek and its out of control fan base was that burning house and because of the internal fighting, it is now gone. Nothing but burning embers and ashes.

    That’s 21st Century humanity for you. Or in this case, human stupidity.

    It also proves something that the late Charlton Heston once pointed out in an interview with OMNI Magazine about the human condition. Group man is nothing more than just a bunch of blithering idiots.

    Star Trek is done, folks. No matter how many fans try to keep it alive, it is done after all of this insanity and stupidity.

    Sir Anthony Hopkins was right when he said that some filmmakers are absolute Hitler-types.

    What happened with this incident also proves that point.

    1. Man, I am so glad I don’t know you personally, dude. Your life must suck.

       1. It depends on which side of the fence you are on.

          I still stand by what I said. Star Trek has run its course. And like The Lone Ranger, it is time to retire Star Trek.

          It’s a relic of the past. It is time to go forward.

          1. And yet, CBS is spending hundreds of millions of dollars a year because they think you’re wrong. I’m curious why they aren’t telling their shareholders about that one anonymous guy out there who thinks they’re wasting their money on something that has “run its course.” 🙂

             1. Unfortunately, Jonathan, when it comes to the money-men in the business, they don’t know when to quit. To them, it is all about profit. They don’t care about the art or the quality and integrity of it there of. And that is why Star Trek got run into the ground once and has been run into the ground again. And most of that has to do with both the fans and the studios mishandling the franchise by poor writing, not doing their research properly in regards to continuity, and the out of control fan politics that led to the downfall of fan films. The latter of which involved the Axanat incident and the end of Stsrbase Studios. Human greed and folly, as well as egotism and selfishness played a hand in that as well.

                For someone who studied Psychology, I’m amazed you did not detect those negative elements going around in those realms of fandom.

             2. Fan films had no influence on anything that’s happened with Discovery. Only about 20,000 Trek fans are even vaguely aware of fan films. Less than half of that care enough to follow them or even donate to them. The Axanar case was followed by a small percentage of fans. Starbase Studios by only a fraction of that. Even Fan Film Factor is luck to crack 1,000 visitors on a normal day. 🙂

                What CBS does with Star Trek is meant to attract fans in the hundreds of thousands or even the millions. Fan films and even Axanar mean about as much to the execs at CBS and the show-runners on Discovery as the score of the local varsity high school game matters to the professional sports franchise.

                And yes, I studied psychology. It’s obvious I’m dealing with someone who can’t bear to face the reality that he is wrong…and is creating towers of conjecture and justification to try to save himself from cognitive dissonance. The fact of the matter that you cannot face, Robo, is your belief that Star Trek has no future is disapproved by CBS spending hundreds of millions of dollars on it. As you said, they’re greedy bastards. So if CBS didn’t feel Star Trek was viable and could make them many hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars in profit, they wouldn’t be throwing hundreds of millions at it.

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