Category: News

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STAR TREK CONTINUES wins its first WEBBY AWARD

STCYesterday, Star Trek Continues announced that they were selected as the 2016 WEBBY People’s Voice winner for Online Film and Video – Drama: Long Form or Series.  Congratulations to this prominent Star Trek fan series.

The Webby Awards presents two honors in every category — The Webby Award and The Webby People’s Voice Award. Members of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS) select the Nominees for both awards in each category, as well as the Winners of The Webby Awards. In the spirit of the open Web, The Webby People’s Voice is awarded by the voting public. Each year, The Webby People’s Voice Awards garners millions of votes from all over the world.

The Drama: Long Form or Series category is open to serial content dedicated to dramatic material premiered on the Internet. Entries must consist of one or more episodes over 5 minutes in total to qualify for this category.  This year, in addition to Star Trek Continues and three other web series, the category also contained a nomination for NBC’s Heroes Reborn web series, Dark Matters.

Read more about Star Trek Continues in this 3-part feature…

Starbase Studio’s STARSHIP GRISSOM releases its debut episode!

Grissom

The first episode of the TOS-based educational fan series Starship Grissom is now online.  This series is written by a group of teachers from Highland East Junior High School in Moore ,Oklahoma and is designed so educators anywhere can download and use it in the classroom.

A complete set of lesson plans and introduction videos, in a variety of subjects, is also released with each episode.  All lessons meet Common Core and STEM standards and can be modified for Advanced Placement or Special Education students.

The goal is to provide a complete teaching resource using science fiction to promote interest in science, technology, and education.

Watch Starship Grissom‘s debut episode “Planet L-197” here:

AXANAR files legal response to CBS/Paramount’s response to AXANAR’s response

Axanar logoIn what is likely the final documentation containing legal arguments to be submitted before the court hearing on May 9, 2016, the attorneys representing Axanar have just filed a Response to Paramount and CBS’s Response to Axanar‘s latest Motion to Dismiss (itself a response to Paramount and CBS’s Amended complaint for copyright infringement).

Although Fan Film Factor is taking a neutral stance regarding this lawsuit, I do have to admit to being fascinated as I read each of these documents.  If one can get past all the legal language and case references scattered throughout, what amazed me most was how thoroughly convinced I was each time I read the arguments of one side or the other.  Just when I thought, “Oh, man, they’ve nailed it!” I would read the response and think, “Okay, well, that convinced me the other way!”

In other words, I’m glad I’m not the judge on this case!  He’ll have to study all the main legal documentation filed in this case so far…

Here is a link to the text of the ORIGINAL lawsuit.

Here is a link to the text of Axanar‘s ORIGINAL response.

Here is a link to the text of the AMENDED lawsuit.

Here is a link to the text of Axanar’s SECOND response.

Here is a link to the analysis of CBS/Paramount’s response to that.

And here is a link to the FINAL response from Axanar.

For a more complete list of media coverage of this story, Axanar has provided this Press Room Page full of links to news reports and editorials regarding the lawsuit.

DON’T PANIC!!! – NEW VOYAGES and AXANAR websites both go offline temporarily

NV and Axanar

Yesterday, fan rumors began furiously flying when two separate fan series websites were suddenly unavailable at the same time!  Was this some new offensive by CBS and Paramount to shut down all fan films???

Stand down from red alert, folks.  It turns out that nothing so earth-shattering happened.  In the case of Axanar‘s website, the glitch appears to have been just that, and the site is back up and running normally.

In the case of Star Trek: New Voyages, the disappearance of their main U.S. website was explained on their international Facebook page:

Continue reading “DON’T PANIC!!! – NEW VOYAGES and AXANAR websites both go offline temporarily”

Independent Star Trek Film Awards – Winners Announced!

Independent Fn Film AwardsAlthough the Treklanta convention has not yet (as of this posting) updated their website, they have created a video announcing their winners for 2016.  This is their second year presenting these awards.

Alec Peters of Star Trek: Axanar, who attended the event in Atlanta, just posted a list of all of the winners in text format (which is faster to read than watching the entire 9-minute video).

In summary, of the 13 categories, Star Trek: Renegade‘s pilot episode/movie won 7 awards, and Star Trek Continues‘ episode “The White Iris” won 5 awards.  The only other winner was the just-launched new series Starship Tristan and its debut episode “Moving Day.”

The only fan film/series represented at the con to receive their award in person was Starship Tristan.

STAR TREK: HORIZON’S TOMMY KRAFT announces a new NON-TREK Kickstarter!

Project DiscoveryA few days after announcing that he was shutting down his proposed Star Trek: Horizon sequel, Federation Rising, fan filmmaker extraordinaire TOMMY KRAFT announced a new KICKSTARTER for an original (non-Trek) project called PROJECT DISCOVERY.

The Kickstarter has a very ambitious goal of $250K in two months, but it managed to raise its first $4.6K in just 10 hours!

Here’s Tommy’s official kick-off announcement…

BREAKING NEWS: ORIGINAL INDEPENDENT SCI-FI FEATURE, “PROJECT DISCOVERY”, BEGINS CROWDFUNDING Continue reading “STAR TREK: HORIZON’S TOMMY KRAFT announces a new NON-TREK Kickstarter!”

STAR TREK: NEW VOYAGES Facebook page taken off-line by JAMES CAWLEY

Fans became concerned earlier today when the Star Trek: New Voyages/Phase II Facebook page went off-line.  After Tommy Kraft was urged by CBS to shut down Star Trek: Federation Rising earlier this week, fans worried that the venerable and highly-popular New Voyages would be next!

Star Trek New Voyages InternationalThanks to the following posting on the New Voyages INTERNATIONAL Facebook page, fans can rest a little easier:

Some people have noticed that the Star Trek New Voyages / Phase II Facebook page, run by James Cawley, has been taken offline. This is his statement: “You may tell folks, I have taken the facebook page offline personally. It has nothing to do with CBS.”

This Facebook page will continue to represent the fan film project.