Last time: We met Paul Olsen, the man who spent eight months back in 1978 and 1979 painting the original model of the refit USS Enterprise for Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Now, 37 years later, Paul wants to build it again: bigger, stronger, better, and painted to have the same opalescent shine as the original.
And Paul won’t be doing it alone. Richard Taylor (who designed the refit Enterprise) and Jim Dow (who built the original model) will be part of the team, as well. And the cost for this rebuild: $3 million!!! (They intend to build a 12-foot model that will last for hundreds of years plus a virtual reality display room that can be transported around the world.)
Right now, Paul and his team—with the help of Nichelle Nichols, Rod Roddenberry, and Tim Russ—are trying to raise $50,000 through a Kickstarter campaign ending on September 11. That will go towards a PR tour where Paul will attempt to raise the millions of dollars he’ll need to make this Trek fan dream a reality. He’s also trying to get official authorization for the project from CBS licensing, and that’s where we’ll pick up our interview, already in progress…
Continue reading “PROJECT: ENTERPRISE – A fan with a plan…and a dream! (Interview, part 2)”
Okay, this was kinda my fault. Back last December, Aron Eisenbeg (who played the Ferengi “Nog” on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) needed a kidney transplant. He’d found a willing donor, but there was still a problem. It would take both Aron and his donor about three months to fully recuperate, during which time neither of them could work. Aron’s partner, Malissa Longo, would need to be his primary caregiver and would not be able to work herself while also taking care of Aron. Unfortunately, these are the sorts of expenses that insurance doesn’t typically cover (lost wages), leaving all three of them in a bind.
