AXANAR has a new co-writer! Ladies and gentlemen, meet PAUL JENKINS. As you can see from his IMDb page, this bloke (he’s British) has done a LOT of stuff in television, film, and video games. He’s also one of the writers credited with helping to rescue Marvel Comics from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the late 1990s with the introduction of the “Marvel Knights” series of titles. Since then, Paul has written everything from Spider-Man and the Incredible Hulk to the ground-breaking Wolverine: Origin (which served as the basis for the feature film with Hugh Jackman).
And now, Paul will be helping ALEC PETERS complete the scripts for the Axanar fan films.
The script for Axanar has trekked a long road. Alec first began working on the story back in 2011. And Alec welcomed input from folks like John Muenchrath (who played Dr. McCoy on Star Trek: New Voyages under the stage name “John Kelley”), Star Trek novelist Dave Galanter (see Dave Galanter’s post below in the comments section), Prelude to Axanar director Christian Gossett, and of course, “Trouble with Tribbles” episode writer David Gerrold. During 2015, then-Axanar director ROBERT MEYER BURNETT brought on BILL HUNT to take yet another pass at tweaking the script. By the time Axanar was ready to shoot in early 2016, the 90-minute script was already on version 7.
During the lawsuit, Bill Hunt and Alec worked on additional revisions of the script. I read one of their iterations, and it was up to version 9.
Finally, after the lawsuit settled, Alec was permitted to make Axanar not as a 90-minute feature film but rather as two 15-minute short fan films. There would still be a full 90-minute script distributed to donors, but two 15-minute scripts would now need to be written, based on the longer version.
Alec decided to write the new 15-minute scripts as “Part IV” and “Part V” of The Four Years War mock documentary, with Prelude to Axanar having been “Part III.” The first drafts of both of those scripts were completed by Alec this past summer, with a number of people (including me) reviewing them an providing feedback. Then, on October 6, Alec announced that Paul Jenkins would be joining the Axanar team as co-writer.
So what was a major comic book and Hollywood writer was doing coming to work on a Star Trek fan film???
I caught up with Paul a few weeks ago and had a lovely chat. The first thing I discovered is that Paul isn’t based in Hollywood. He lives in Georgia, fairly close to the new OWC Studios where the Axanar sets are now located. He also worked with the state’s governor, Nathan Deal, chairing an advisory committee on digital and interactive games-makers. This led to direct discussions between Paul and the governor about independent film making and how to better encourage it within the state.
Paul’s company, META Studios (META stands for Media Education Technology and Advancement), is focused on being part of that acceleration of Georgia-based film making by training up-and-coming writers, directors, producers, technicians, etc. And that’s how he met Alec. A mutual friend had linked Paul up as a mentor to a number of independent film makers in the area, and he was the one who made the introduction.
And with that, let’s jump right into our interview!
JONATHAN: So what made you decide to jump on board and help Alec with this project?
PAUL: My friend called me up and said, “I think you should go see Alec Peters, because they’ve moved over here from L.A., and they’ve got this project Axanar.” I saw the project, and I thought, “Man, that’s almost exactly the kind of thing that I try to promote. I love it when people make stuff. And I don’t like it as much when people put obstacles in the way of making stuff. I have a tremendous amount of respect for anybody that has nothing and turns that into something.
JONATHAN: Had you seen Axanar prior to being told you should meet Alec?
PAUL: No. I came in completely cold. One of the things that makes comic book people ever-so-slightly infuriated with me at times is that I’m not a lifetime reader of comics. I come into comics with kind of a fresh eye. So I’m not the guy who has read 400 issues of Spider-Man because I don’t think that should be your qualifications to write good Spider-Man stories. You just need to know how to tell good stories.
Now, I love Star Trek because I grew up with it, and I think it’s a tremendous franchise. I look at it sometimes in historical focuses. I think that Star Trek, if you consider when it was created, the memory of World War II is so very ingrained, and it would have influenced people like Gene Roddenberry tremendously. So I’m sure there were elements of things like, “What would we do with Germany after the second world war…how would we make friends with them?” becomes integral to how does the Federation makes friends with the Klingons? I’m sure there are a lot of metaphors in there.
But at its core, Star Trek is fun, pure science fiction. So I’m familiar with it but don’t specifically claim to be familiar with every single episode that’s ever been written. But that means I come with a fresh eye, so hopefully that gives me a better perspective. I care for the material and understand it, but I not necessarily an immersion in it to the point where I’m unable to get some clarity.
JONATHAN: So you hadn’t seen Axanar at all. But had you been aware of the lawsuit and all of the controversy?
PAUL: Well, I talked with Alec about it, first of all. Again, it was the same thing; I learned about it after. I’m becoming more familiar with it because I keep having people write to me and scream at me online.
JONATHAN: Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me! The detractors are hounding you already? You didn’t even get involved until nearly a year AFTER the legal settlement!
PAUL: A few people are obviously extremely agitated. I have a different approach to the way these fans can be than Alec does. I have always been a very accessible person, and I know the way that fans can be because I’ve been in this business for a long time. I’ve faced the “wrath of con” a few times with fans. It gets hairy and dicey. And there are times when I think the best thing to do is to not particularly engage. And I joke with Alec about it because he seems to enjoy it! He’s ready to engage these people.
In my case, I understand that people get upset because they’re very passionate. The part that gets a little harder to understand is when they get so upset that they want to feel anger or yell or drag someone’s reputation through the mud. Those things are not acceptable because there’s no place for that.
But by and large, people who’ve yelled at me so far online have been yelling about Alec. They’ve been yelling about Axanar as a project. That’s their right. But it really doesn’t have any bearing on my connection to it.
JONATHAN: And what about CBS and the lawsuit? Do you have any feelings about that?
PAUL: I think it’s a shame that they got so upset. I think I would understand, in terms of their corporate mentality—obviously I’ve worked with Marvel and Sony and Universal and Warner Brothers; I’ve worked with lots of different people—I understand that they want to protect their intellectual property in terms of their rights. So there’s that part of me that says, “Okay, I understand that.” The part of me that doesn’t understand is elements like fair usage. You have fair usage, and that’s why people can make fan films.
If you boil it down to its bottom line, I think what’s kind of sad about the situation with CBS is that they ended up suing people who really care about Star Trek. Ultimately, you can consider that they sued their own fan base. That doesn’t seem like as smart of an option or as welcoming of an option as it would be to encourage your fan base.
JONATHAN: Well, the lawsuit certainly didn’t strengthen Star Trek fandom in any way that I could see. Instead, it fractured the fan base and put Trekkers almost at war with each other on social media…and sometimes even in person!
PAUL: And that’s such a pity, and it was a mistake by CBS, in my opinion. When we went up to OWC Studios to attend this open house the other day—I told Alec I’d be happy to go over for a bit and went with my son—the people who stood around in there and looked around and said, “I’m gonna volunteer to help make this film…” they love their community and they love Star Trek. That’s where I think the mistake was for CBS. I think suing those very people is sad. You should let them make their project.
I think the difficult line perhaps that Alec had to face was whether or not CBS considered that that they were going off with the franchise and making money from it without permission. And obviously, that seemed to be the argument between the two of them.
But as I understand it quite clearly, there’s a settlement about how the project can move forward. That settlement includes the stuff that Alec is now working on. So…where’s the problem? There is no problem.
JONATHAN: Some detractors seem to have a different opinion…
PAUL: There’s a settlement, an agreement between CBS and Alec about the Axanar production—that much is pretty clear cut. That means that Alec has every right to go off and make this production, and it has been settled, so it really doesn’t matter what anyone’s opinion is. At least that much we know. So here we go.
The next thing is, what’s it going to be like doing this? I said to Alec, “I know the fans would like you to recreate what you had done and to finish the story and make it really wonderful.” And he agrees with me, the next one’s gonna be better than the first one. “Here’s what I learned from the first one; I’m going to make the next one better.” So I think the fans will be super-excited when they see what’s gonna be done with the project.
JONATHAN: So now that you’re on board the project and Alec has already completed drafts of both 15-minute scripts, what exactly will you be doing as co-writer?
Tomorrow: our interview with Paul Jenkins concludes with some insights into where he thinks the Axanar script can be improved and how he’s planning to do so.
So how long will he be part of the Axanar production for? 2 months? 3 months?
Not sure. It depends on how long the co-writing chores take. Of course, once the scripts are finalized, I suspect Paul will stick around for filming. Most writers like to be involved with the actual production as it happens. And of course, Paul has access to a wide range of film development resources throughout Georgia…resources that can only benefit Axanar as it moves into full production mode next year. So I’m assuming Paul will be sticking around for the long haul.
I will share something that might not come across in the interview because I trimmed over an hour from it (no plot spoilers, guys!), but Paul is REALLY enthusiastic about this project. His ideas for the script are truly exciting, and one of the scenes he’s planning actually got me choked up as he told me about it. I’m actually tearing up a little right now as I think back on it. But he really loves this script and this project in general, and he’s so excited to be a part of it. Obviously, Axanar needs that kind of dedication from the team–especially after all the controversy and headwinds and even the discouraging words and snide defeatist remarks that the detractors still (even after a year!) throw its way. As you read in the interview, the detractors are already griping at him…which really seems ridiculous to me since Paul only just joined the production team a couple of months ago. What’s there to be angry at him for yet? 🙂
Anyway, Axanar is and always has been a labor of love for those involved, and Paul Jenkins absolutely, positively has that love. I felt really psyched for the project after chatting with him!
Great interview so far. He is also very much on point RE: the lawsuit.
Mr. Lane,
I really would rather not have my name be associated in any blog post about Axanar without also explaining that my respect for Mr. Peters ended when he was sued, though previously he had told me that if CBS ever asked him to stop that he would; after he asked me to write bootleg Trek prose under a pen name for money; after he used my name in PR material without my knowledge or permission; and after his specious claims that he wasn’t really writing Star Trek even though he asked me to read his script and give notes, wanting it to be as Star Trek as possible.
When I learned that Mr. Peters was using donated funds to build out a studio (unnecessary for a fan film) that was going to also attempt to generate profit for his personal gain, I was outraged, and to be frank I was also ashamed that I’d ever been associated with such an unethical individual. (When I began to speak out about this, suddenly laughable rumors popped up that I was angry that Alec hadn’t offered me more money to write the unlicensed merchandise he wanted to sell. Puh-lease.)
So, if you’re going to “report” on all those who were once involved, maybe you should take note of why we’re no longer involved. Maybe Paul should take heed as well.
Good day, sir.
Hey there, Dave. First off, let me just compliment you on the quality of your novels. I know that isn’t what you wrote to me about today, but I just wanted to say that I’ve really enjoyed reading them.
Okay, back to more controversial things…
I went back-and-forth about whether to include your name in my list of people who gave Alec feedback on the script while it was still in development. I know that, in the years since you worked with him, your opinion of Alec has soured significantly…and I don’t begrudge you that. I even asked Alec if I should include your name in the list, and he said no.
So why did I include you?
Because you did, in fact, look over the script. The fact that you’re no longer involved with Alec isn’t really germane. John Muenchrath and Christian Gossett aren’t involved any longer either (although John isn’t doing the detractor thing like Christian is). In fact, David Gerrold also isn’t actively involved in Axanar anymore…although he still very much supports Axanar and Alec.
Anyway, my list of people was meant to be just that–a list–and not some kind of scoreboard where I ticked off “mad at Alec”/”not mad at Alec” after each name. They (including you) were simply folks who were shown the script while it was in development and provided feedback. And that paragraph (and the one following) were meant to focus solely on the history of the script itself, not the larger project, the lawsuit, or Alec’s subsequent decisions and actions.
That said, I’ll add in a “see Dave Galanter’s post below in the comments section” to direct people’s attention to your clarification. Hopefully, that will be enough to suffice…because I don’t think I can fit your three paragraphs into a parenthetical in the middle of a short list of names. 🙂
That will suffice.
But understand, I’m not “mad” at Alec. I don’t hate Alec. I barely KNOW Alec.
I only know that what he told me, and actual reality, were two different things. And that what I thought were a few ethical lapses on his part, were in fact a pattern of behavior.
At the start, I wanted to see Axanar. I was hyped that Christian was on board and believe he and his team made Prelude what it is. I even donated. Three times. THREE.
Maybe someone should ask why someone who supported the project walked away.
Some people who supported the project walked away; others didn’t. I obviously didn’t. 🙂
At the end of the day, although I consider Alec Peters to be a friend and I support him, my real support is for the Axanar project itself. I want to see it made…even if it’s just 30 minutes and not 90 minutes. And I have no illusions about Alec. He can be abrasive and quick to fire a full spread of torpedoes. We often don’t agree on an approach to handling a situation or person. But he’s also a very dedicated fan who set out to make a fan film–as other Trekkies had been doing for decades–but he pushed the envelope too far. And honestly, that could have happened to any number of fan film makers. Alec wasn’t the first production to build a studio or even to build a studio with the intent of offering it for use to other fan films. But yeah, he was the first to try to set it up to generate revenue to keep it going (including paying salaries), and yes, that was a step too far for the studios…along the content being similar to that being planned for Discovery, quality of the product being high enough to potentially cause confusion in the marketplace, and of course, the fact that Axanar was the first “fan” film to cross the million-dollar threshold.
But for me, I still support Axanar because it’s the dream of a fan project of this caliber and quality. I want to see it made. Alec is a friend, but Axanar is the goal.
My comments had nothing to do with Alec’s abrasive qualities or how he handles people. Again, this isn’t about personalities and there’s no hate involved. My concern was specifically about his lack of ethics.
And I realize that you and I don’t see eye-to-eye on that, Dave, which is fine. You’re welcome to your opinion on the matter…as I’m sure you’d reciprocate to me. In the end, neither of us can do anything to change the past, and considering that CBS has long since come to a settlement agreement with Alec, I doubt there will be any ethical question with Axanar going forward.
As per my username, I am very tired of the back and forth over Peters, with both sides continuing to go too far, but irrespective of that don’t you get tired of having to defend Peters all the time even to those who aren’t part of the “haters” ? The man has made a whole series of mistakes, and a good few of those are ones for which criticism is entirely justified. Mr. Galanter is only one of the numerous people who have had questionable things to say about Peters after encountering him on a professional level. There’s what, Tony Tood, Christian Gossett, Gabe Kroener (sp?) and that Terry McIntosh guy that I can think of immediately off the top of my head? The guy he also fell out with during Propworx days who set up a blog to talk of his bad experiences? While one or two of them have have an axe to grind (McIntosh certainly seems to), is it credible that all do? That’s even without all the stuff that came out in the litigation and it’s ignoring the obsessive hater cabal that devotes their lives to Peters hate.
I still maintain that you should try and step back and be more of a neutral and less of a Peters sycophant (which sadly is how you come across) because you know that Peters has made enemies (so to speak) and it looks like too many for this just to be put down to an unreasonable band of haters.
I figure if you are more nuetral it might lead you to more objective reporting when it comes to Axanar, like the reporting you do on other productions, and less of the bad smell that follows Peters around will stick to you.
“As per my username, I am very tired of the back and forth over Peters…”
Before I get to the rest of my reply, I’d just like to point out the hypocrisy of you saying that you’re tired of all the bickering over Alec Peters and then you proceed to bicker, calling me a “sycophant” and saying that there’s a ” bad smell that follows Peters around.”
And now that that’s out of the way…
I’ve thought about a number of ways to respond to you, “Tired of the Bickering,” but it seems the best way to begin is by pointing out the most obvious differences between the two of us. I use my real name so I can proudly stand behind everything I do and write on this blog. I don’t give in to rumor and unsubstantiated accusation. And yes, I stick up for my friend Alec Peters…not because I am a sycophant but because I do truly like the guy and I believe in his dream of making Axanar. I want to see the final film completed. I don’t need to suck up to Alec. At this point, I doubt I’ll even be able to watch any filming (Georgia is a long way from L.A.) as I had originally hoped when I first became an Axanar “groupie” back in 2014.
I cover a lot of fan films and fan filmmakers here on Fan Film Factor, and I try to give everyone the credit they’ve earned and deserve. I don’t “bash” anyone or belittle their accomplishments. This site is a positive place to appreciate and celebrate fan films and the people dedicated enough to make them. (Yesterday, someone wrote me saying that I should cover William Shatner’s ongoing Twitter “feud” with Vic Mignogna of Star Trek Continues. But…why? I’m not even sure that’s Shatner doing the tweeting—many celebrities hire assistants to do it for them. But even if Shatner does have a beef with Vic, why call attention to it here? Vic has accomplished some great things. Why sling mud on the triumphant finale of the STC fan series by suddenly going all National Enquirer/Real Housewives on Vic? So I’ve decided to ignore it.)
In Alec Peters’ case, I likewise choose to focus on the positive. There’s still a lot of life left in Axanar. You mention all the people who have left the project—Tony Tood, Christian Gossett, Gabe Koerner, and Terry McIntosh. Throw in Dave Galanter, and that’s, what, five? Rob Burnett is six. What about all the people who are still involved with the project? J.G. Hertzler, Gary Graham, Kate Vernon, Tobias Richter, Alex Bornstein, Dean Newberry, Alexander Richardson, Mike Bawden, David Gerrold, Larry O’Connor of OWC Digital, me (yep, still here; not going anywhere), and before his death, Richard Hatch was one of the staunchest Axanar supporters and someone who had stood by Alec longer than any of the rest of us). I’ve just doubled your list of six people who left with a dozen who are still around (and that doesn’t even include Diana Kingsbury, the folks in Italy making the costumes, dozens of volunteers in the southeast, and thousands of supporters in the Axanar Fan Group on Facebook). Oh, and now Paul Jenkins is on board, as well.
Are all of those people sycophants, too?
Have you considered, my anonymous British friend from north of London, that perhaps it is you who are in the minority and maybe have reached the wrong conclusion? After all, I’m willing to go on the record, day after day–despite some of the most vitriolic accusations and crass insult from a rabid group of obsessed detractors–with a proud and unapologetic support for Alec Peters and Axanar. You, on the other hand, aren’t confident enough in your own drive-by zingers to even identify yourself by name. Sure, it’s a small thing, and I don’t take off points for readers posting pseudonymously; they are welcome to do so. But such reluctance to stand behind one’s statements can often communicate something more powerful and clear than anything written in the comment itself.
Anyway, I’d like to say that your advice is appreciated, but really, it’s not. I am doing just fine writing my blog, and I don’t think I’m losing readership by continuing to be positive toward all fan films and their filmmakers…including Axanar and Alec. (If anything, the numbers are inching up a bit–daily readership has increased 33% over this time last year…and this year I don’t have the Axanar lawsuit to attract visitors!) And few people other than the detractors ever seem to complain about my coverage of the various producers and productions. In fact, many of my readers take the time to actually post nice things…something I truly appreciate.
If you’re really tired of the bickering, mate, then might I suggest you consider not bickering any more. You might happily discover that, if you stop smacking people across the cheek with your gauntlet, they stop accepting your offer of a duel. Just a thought…
Alternately, if you’re not enjoying my coverage of fan films, there are alternative blog sites. Fell free to go there if you prefer. Me…I’m nicely set in my ways. 🙂
I wasn’t going to bother having drawn out back and forth, but I think your reply is unreasonable and misses the point of what I am saying, so I am going to respond.
“Before I get to the rest of my reply, I’d just like to point out the hypocrisy of you saying that you’re tired of all the bickering over Alec Peters and then you proceed to bicker, calling me a “sycophant” and saying that there’s a ” bad smell that follows Peters around.””
That’s not bickering. I think you need to appreciate that one doesn’t need to be a member of the obsessive haters cabal (Carlos Pederaza and his kin) to make an observation. I have no loyalty to anyone. I am just saying what I see and in my opinion you are allowing your friendship with Peters to cloud your assessment of him. Whenever you report on Axanar you over egg it and it comes across as obsequious.
“I’ve thought about a number of ways to respond to you, “Tired of the Bickering,” but it seems the best way to begin is by pointing out the most obvious differences between the two of us. I use my real name so I can proudly stand behind everything I do and write on this blog. ” I don’t use my real name for professional reasons. I do not wish to mix my fan life with my professional one. Suffice it to say I am not in the film industry, and not a “known fan” and am not one of the “haters” either pretending to be what I am not or masquerading under a false name.
“I don’t give in to rumor and unsubstantiated accusation.” Neither do I. When I referred to Axanar not being a fan film and for profit, this was based on Peters’ own testimony under oath and that of his colleagues.
“I cover a lot of fan films and fan filmmakers here on Fan Film Factor, and I try to give everyone the credit they’ve earned and deserve. I don’t “bash” anyone or belittle their accomplishments.” There is a difference between bashing and objective assessment. Case in point, when you wrote about that set that had received damage and was now at the centre of a dispute (Starbase Studios was it?) you were far more balanced than you have ever been with Axanar, and the reason for that is obvious. No personal loyalties to anyone involved.
“This site is a positive place to appreciate and celebrate fan films and the people dedicated enough to make them. (Yesterday, someone wrote me saying that I should cover William Shatner’s ongoing Twitter “feud” with Vic Mignogna of Star Trek Continues. But…why? I’m not even sure that’s Shatner doing the tweeting—many celebrities hire assistants to do it for them. But even if Shatner does have a beef with Vic, why call attention to it here? Vic has accomplished some great things. Why sling mud on the triumphant finale of the STC fan series by suddenly going all National Enquirer/Real Housewives on Vic? So I’ve decided to ignore it.)”
Well, I have no knowledge of that “fued” so can’t comment on whether or not it is story worthy, but I mentioned the set dispute you reported on above, so you are being disingenuous if you’re going to say you’re only posting articles that celebrate fan films. You were quite happy to post on something not so rosy on that occasion.
“In Alec Peters’ case, I likewise choose to focus on the positive. There’s still a lot of life left in Axanar. You mention all the people who have left the project—Tony Tood, Christian Gossett, Gabe Koerner, and Terry McIntosh. Throw in Dave Galanter, and that’s, what, five?” That was simply an off the cuff list I know of as a casual follower of it all. All I know is that they were all involved in the production of content and all had falling outs.
“Rob Burnett is six.” I was unaware that he had had a falling out. Or the Digital Bits guy (I forget his name). I thought they simply resigned? See, had I been a “hater” I would have tried to spin that into a negative, but that’s not the purpose of my post.
“What about all the people who are still involved with the project? J.G. Hertzler, Gary Graham, Kate Vernon, Tobias Richter, Alex Bornstein, Dean Newberry, Alexander Richardson, Mike Bawden, David Gerrold, Larry O’Connor of OWC Digital,” What about them? The actors you mention are not involved day to day and this is not about how many there are for or against. It’s not a football match where the most goals win. I am simply pointing out that the combination of admissions made in the litigation with the number of People he’s made enemies of creates that “bad smell” and this isn’t unsubstantiated. That Axanar was meant to be revenue generating and that Peters has had falling outs is fact. Then you have to add it his own deplorable online behaviour, abusing people and shutting down discourse wherever he can, and it all creates a negative picture of his character, whether he’s a mate of yours or not….and this is the point I am trying to get at.
He may be a friend. He may have gone into the whole Axanar thing innocently. But you simply cannot argue that he is not a controversial figure and hasn’t accrued enemies and a questionable reputation. Whether it is justified or not is a whole other debate, albeit I think any reasonable person would accept that some criticism is justified. The point is justified or not, that it is there nonetheless is indisputable and THAT is what I am trying to discuss with you. He’s not like the other fan film makers, so it is frustrating when you paint him as uncontroversial and just another nice, selfless fan trying his best to selflessly make a film, because that isn’t the consequence of the whole saga.
[quote] me (yep, still here; not going anywhere), [/quote] I thought you just did this blog and no linger had any involvement?
“and before his death, Richard Hatch was one of the staunchest Axanar supporters and someone who had stood by Alec longer than any of the rest of us). I’ve just doubled your list of six people who left with a dozen who are still around” Like I said above, it’s not a sport. This totally misses the point and is a bit childish. Like I said above, that Peters has a bad smell following him around is indisputable, even if he still have plenty of supporters and people willing to work with him. Case in point, how many other fan film articles to you put up here that generate as much criticism for the makers as Axanar? Very few, if any, that I have seen.
“(and that doesn’t even include Diana Kingsbury, the folks in Italy making the costumes, dozens of volunteers in the southeast, and thousands of supporters in the Axanar Fan Group on Facebook). ” Wasn’t she the girlfriend and originally intended to be the beneficiary of an Axanar salary? I don’t count “Axanar Fan Group” as suppoters. I have never been a member, but I do know that it is heavy moderated by Peters and any criticism is wiped off it simply by the amount who say they had their comments deleted and where banned. If you’re going to count them then I could just as easily point to the cabal of haters, which is in the hundreds at least, and many are people abused by or banned by Peters. But I won’t as they aren’t the point.
“Oh, and now Paul Jenkins is on board, as well.” Well, he’s only just joined, and as someone else pointed out, if there’s one thing that Peters definitely does seem to be good at it’s the initial networking involved in starting projects/businesses. It’s the long game where he seems to come unstuck. Perhaps because he has the gift of the gab in the short term? I don’t know. Never met the man. But I think it’s too early to be using Jenkins as evidence of “people who have not fallen out with Alec”.
“Are all of those people sycophants, too?” I don’t see any of them writing obsequious blog articles about Axanar.
“Have you considered, my anonymous British friend from north of London, that perhaps it is you who are in the minority and maybe have reached the wrong conclusion? “Are you attempting to dox me? I assume you have used my posting on here to carry out an IP search and now you choose to reveal my location without permission? What sort of person acts like that? Shocking behaviour. You think I one of the “haters” don’t you? How can yuou claim that maybe I have reached the wrong conclusion with you clearly unable to contemplate that I am not part of that sad group and am instead someone who has just been following all this on and off for a while and has formed his own opinion.
This is disgraceful. I request that you edit out my location and not attempt to dox me further if you want to maintain any sort of moral high ground. If you want to post information about me, ask my permission like any decent human being should.
“After all, I’m willing to go on the record, day after day–despite some of the most vitriolic accusations and crass insult from a rabid group of obsessed detractors–with a proud and unapologetic support for Alec Peters and Axanar. You, on the other hand, aren’t confident enough in your own drive-by zingers to even identify yourself by name. Sure, it’s a small thing, and I don’t take off points for readers posting pseudonymously; they are welcome to do so. But such reluctance to stand behind one’s statements can often communicate something more powerful and clear than anything written in the comment itself.” Well, you ARE taking points off. You are using the fact that I do not use my real name for professional reasons as a reason to try and paint me opinmion as less credible and imply I have some sort of underlying motive (I don’t). As I said above, I don’t use my name for professional reasons. I have a notable professional position that I do not wish to mix with my life as a Star Trek fan. Your attempt to dox me is now already compromising that and is unacceptable.
“Anyway, I’d like to say that your advice is appreciated, but really, it’s not. I am doing just fine writing my blog, and I don’t think I’m losing readership by continuing to be positive toward all fan films and their filmmakers…including Axanar and Alec. (If anything, the numbers are inching up a bit–daily readership has increased 33% over this time last year…and this year I don’t have the Axanar lawsuit to attract visitors!) And few people other than the detractors ever seem to complain about my coverage of the various producers and productions. In fact, many of my readers take the time to actually post nice things…something I truly appreciate.” Well of course. Most people don’t like criticism and we all like praise.
“If you’re really tired of the bickering, mate, then might I suggest you consider not bickering any more. You might happily discover that, if you stop smacking people across the cheek with your gauntlet, they stop accepting your offer of a duel. Just a thought…” This is not a “duel” and your combative nature says more about you than it does me. You are clearly someone who nominates any person with criticism as a personal enemy and I find that rather sad.
“Alternately, if you’re not enjoying my coverage of fan films, there are alternative blog sites. Fell free to go there if you prefer. Me…I’m nicely set in my ways. ” Your articles in general is fine. It is your approach top Axanar that I am questioning. You obviously can’t help but see that as a person attack.
Now, will you post up this reply and apologise for the attempt to dox? Be the better man if you think I am not honest in what I say.
In the interest of NOT bickering, I’ll simply post this without reply beyond stating that there are nearly 10 million people in the London area. There’s no invasion of privacy in doing that. Had I identified you by name or publicly provided your contact e-mail (which was supplied by you upon submission of your comment), then it would be doxing. So response posted? Yes. Apology? Doesn’t seem necessary to me and won’t really change anything. My readers still have no idea who you are or how to contact you short of sending out 10 million letters. You could be Prince Harry, for all anyone knows. (And if you are, I think it’s really cool that one of the Royals is reading my blog…and I’m kinda relieved it isn’t Charles.) 🙂
Just want to interject a point of fact, Gabe Koerner never had anything to do with Axanar.
He was invited to, though.
Yes, it is true, that script has had a LOT of prior collaborators who chose to move on.
If this new collaboration somehow turns a corner all those prior ones didn’t, I’ll be surprised and impressed.
Alec has always been able to connect and network with new and interesting industry relationships that seem promising at the start. Its his ability to nurture and grow those relationships that has a less than stellar track record.
Yeah…very reminiscent of Bryan Fuller, too. Actually, come to think of it, wasn’t Gene Roddenberry like that, too?
No. The analogy isn’t similar and doesn’t work at all.
To be even mentioned in the same sentence as those two great men, whatshisface would have to Actually Produce Something. Alec had a “watched a few blu-ray making of extras” idea going into “Prelude to Axanar” of what a Producer actually DOES and had to be hand-held the entire way.
And there’s little hard evidence that his competency in this regard has grown in any way.
The Creatives who made “Prelude” for Alec are by and large gone. If you believe they were “simply Conduits for Alec’s Vision and Alec is the only necessary component”, welp, ya done gone a bit too Jim Jones for my taste…
Gabe, I know that for some unfathomable reason, you feel it’s really REALLY important to put down Alec Peters and minimize his accomplishments. I understand that you desperately need to prove yourself right on this point, to be acknowledged, to be heard, to be loved, whatever it is that motivates you. But if you want to play this game, you have to at least make a little sense.
To put something ridiculous in quotes like “If you believe they were ‘simply Conduits for Alec’s Vision and Alec is the only necessary component’” (who were you even quoting?) that neither I nor any poster on this blog ever said, well, that’s just nonsense. No one, least of all me, thinks that Alec was the “only necessary component” of Axanar…just as I doubt anyone believes that Seth MacFarlane was the only necessary component of “The Orville.” He’s got writers, directors, a great cast, set designers, costumers, make-up artists, and a few VFX people you might have heard about to help bring his vision to life.
Likewise, Alec had the input of other writers, worked with a director, a great cast, costumers, make-up artists, fantastic VFX people, a sterling editor, etc. These creatives didn’t make “Prelude to Axanar” FOR Alec any more than you and your production team are making “The Orville” FOR Seth. You’re making it WITH Seth, and Seth with you. Like Alec, Seth is a writer and part of the cast, as well as serving as executive producer…just like Alec on Prelude. Now, am I trying to equate Alec directly to Seth? Hardly! Seth has an infinitely better singing voice. He’s also a vastly talented and successful Hollywood A-lister both in front of and behind the camera. Alec is a headstrong Star Trek fan who wrote a script and managed to assemble a team to turn that script into a 21-minute film of, in my opinion, significant quality. The comparison between Seth and Alec is, admittedly, like comparing Speaker of the House Paul Ryan to a city council member. But in both cases, someone did manage to run for office and successfully get elected…something the majority of us never do. Alec gets credit for that, at least.
So in both Seth’s and Alec’s cases, neither was “the only necessary component,” but both were unquestionably essential in the creation of their dream and realization of their vision. “The Orville” could not possibly have happened without Seth pushing for it hard at Fox, steering its creative direction, and providing leadership in attracting and motivating an incredible team. And “Prelude” could not possibly have happened without Alec to bring the script along to a place where it was filmable, working his ass off to raise $101K from a Kickstarter for a completely unknown fan project (at a time when most Trek fan films were failing to reach their Kickstarter goals at all, much less get to six figures), assembling a team, and sticking with the project to see it through to completion. That’s what a producer does–whether it’s on a hit network sci-fi series or just on a 21-minute independent fan film. It still counts as having “produced something”–something that, in the case of “Prelude,” would never have existed without Alec.
“major comic book and Hollywood writer ”
With all due respect to Mr. Jenkins, you are over egging him somewhat.
I don’t think I’m OVER egging him (what does that even mean?). Here’s what Wiipedia has to say about the gentleman:
“Primarily working for Marvel Comics, Jenkins had a big part shaping the characters of the company, helping via the Marvel Knights imprint to propel Marvel from Chapter 11 bankruptcy before choosing to focus on independent publications. He is also noted for his groundbreaking narrative work in the field of video games, and is recognized as one of the world’s preeminent “cross-media” creators for his work across such multiple media as animation, video games, comic books, and film.”
I think I summarized that nicely into a sentence fragment. 🙂