Should there be a free star trek.

[fireproof78]

Since then, I have seen several productions that basically violated the guidelines. A full feature (that needs a sound edit!) Also, a two part stand alone episode, that fully exceeds the 15 minute guidelines. As of typing this, they haven't been struck down by copywrite violations or cease and desist orders. Why is that?

Likely as not they were grandfathered in due to being in production prior to the guidelines being issued.

Take the inspiration, and make something new. There's nothing wrong with a fan flick. I'm an easy pinch. I love them, warts and all. However, I'd be just as chuffed if someone would take all that enthusiasm and energy, and make something fresh and new. Just my thoughts on it. Your mileage may vary.

This is far more my point of view. Honestly, if people make fan films it warms my heart even if it feels raw and amateurish. I mean, my college and high school years were filmed with amateur productions of SW, Matrix and Star Trek, among others. Some went better than others but we had fun with it anyway.

But, we also put in effort to make original content. And we had just as much fun. I would encourage people to take that enthusiasm for Star Trek and create something with that passion, either new or a fan film.

 

[Maurice]

The 1980 Flash Gordon is a great film...

And quotable...
"No! Not the bore worms!"
"Gordon's alive?!"
"Pathetic earthlings. Hurling your bodies out into the void."

Who quotes the Syfy Flash Gordon TV show?




No one.

 

[Kor]

Will Star Trek be public domain in 2061?

Not if Disney has anything to say about it.

Kor

 

[Forsythe]

And quotable...
"No! Not the bore worms!"
"Gordon's alive?!"
"Pathetic earthlings. Hurling your bodies out into the void."

My particular favorite is from Brian Blessed's Vultan:
"Flying blind on a rocket cycle???"
That man's a gosh darned treasure.

@fireproof78 , I believe I stand corrected. My less logical belief is that TPTB would be more forgiving of, well...anyone who doesn't attempt to monetize their project and/or studio. I certainly wouldn't want to test that theory myself.

 

[Shaka Zulu]

The 1980 Flash Gordon is a great film...

To you, not to me. The better Flash Gordon movie that came out a year before is this one:

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[JD]

I should also be able to see the first episode, and maybe a second, of Clarice before my subscription runs out.

Clarice is going to be on regular CBS, so you don't need to have CBSAA to watch it. Even if you don't watch it live, they usually put up the last 5 or 6 episodes of the regular CBS shows for free before you have to have CBS AA to watch them.
As for the whole copyright question, it isn't just about the big corporation, it's also about the little guys.
If I actually finish the story I'm working on, and by some miracle it gets published, I sure as hell want to be the one who gets to say what happens to it. These are my characters and my world, and I don't want someone else to come along and start a) making money off of them, and b) possibly doing it while portraying the characters and the world in ways that goes against my ideas for them. I'm a very liberal, open minded person, and I don't want somebody on the other side of the political spectrum coming along and having my characters say or do things I don't agree with.

 

[Dukhat]

This newbie doesn't want to subscribe to CBSAA (soon to be Paramount+) because he doesn't want to pay for episodes of the new shows so in his own way, he wants to see a free Star Trek show that would air on CBS Prime (standard CBS) without having to pay for it. If I'm right, let me know; if I'm wrong, let me know.

I think he just wants other companies, or even just regular Joes like you and me, to be able to produce their own Star Trek shows, comic books, and video games, but not pay anything to CBS and just make all of it free. Which is never going to happen, not only because of everything @Maurice already mentioned, but because the people making these alleged Trek shows, comic books and video games aren't going to do it for free either. If they had some kind of license or 'partial copyright' thing from CBS, it no longer becomes some fanfic or fan production where no profit can be made off of it. Just like how CBS gave Paramount a license to produce the Abrams films. Paramount didn't make those movies for free.

 

[fireproof78]

I believe I stand corrected. My less logical belief is that TPTB would be more forgiving of, well...anyone who doesn't attempt to monetize their project and/or studio. I certainly wouldn't want to test that theory myself.

I think forgiveness will come depending on how egregious it is. And, honestly, for the most part, if I were to do a fan film, following the guidelines would be fairly simple for me, besides the costuming and prop requirement. But, other than that, there is not much stopping me from going out and making a passion project and sharing it with family and friends.

 

[Maurice]

CBS has, in at least three instances that I know of (Star Trek Continues; Axanar; and one other I can't remember the name of now) sicced their legal team on fan-made Star Trek shows and shut them down completely.

They told New Voyages not to film Spinrad's "He Walked Among Us" (and I'm pretty sure I know why), and recommended that Kraft not make his feature fanfilm follow-up to Horizon. And yes, Renegades did a last minute reskin, but they'd been pushing their luck for a while.

Star Trek Continues, if you saw it, was top-notch, broadcast quality[...]

Visually it was 1969 broadcast quality. Script wise, none of them would have passed muster under Roddenberry/Coon/Fontana/Justman.

[...]and Axanar, judging from the preview, would have been feature-length cinema quality[...]

I don't think one can really infer that from a talking heads doco format show. The Vulcan Scene was sure not feature quality.

-- and CBS had them killed.

CBS allowed most of them to go forward—even Axanar—just under the guidelines they issues in response to Alex Peters abuse.

As-is the only 'fan productions' they legally allow have to have no actual 'Star Trek' references, or they have to be middle-school skit filmed-with-a-cellphone quality, or you get sued into oblivion.

That's not so. Plenty of fanfilms made since reference Star Trek all over the place. A number of them look fairly high quality. Middle schools skit quality is the fault of the writing, not CBS.

And, to my knowledge, CBS filed precisely ONE suit, and that was against that long long grift that is Axanar.

This is the reason by the way that I don't and won't ever pay for any of CBS's 'streaming'.

Do you boycott Disney for not sanctioning fanfilms of their works?

 

[DarKush]

Clarice is going to be on regular CBS, so you don't need to have CBSAA to watch it. Even if you don't watch it live, they usually put up the last 5 or 6 episodes of the regular CBS shows for free before you have to have CBS AA to watch them.
As for the whole copyright question, it isn't just about the big corporation, it's also about the little guys.
If I actually finish the story I'm working on, and by some miracle it gets published, I sure as hell want to be the one who gets to say what happens to it. These are my characters and my world, and I don't want someone else to come along and start a) making money off of them, and b) possibly doing it while portraying the characters and the world in ways that goes against my ideas for them. I'm a very liberal, open minded person, and I don't want somebody on the other side of the political spectrum coming along and having my characters say or do things I don't agree with.

Thanks. I was thinking it was exclusive to All Access. Good luck with finishing your story.

 

[JD]

Thanks.

 

[Bixby]

Star Trek Continues, if you saw it, was top-notch, broadcast quality, and Axanar, judging from the preview, would have been feature-length cinema quality -- .

No they weren't...Stop insulting the people who worked for years on the original Star Trek and knew how to write stories

 

[fireproof78]

have no doubt in my mind that the 'Star Trek' brand will only ever have 'products' that come out of CBS and none other.

It's their property.

 

[dupersuper]

CBS has, in at least three instances that I know of (Star Trek Continues; Axanar; and one other I can't remember the name of now) sicced their legal team on fan-made Star Trek shows and shut them down completely.

They shut Continues down? They had a proper finale; had they wanted a longer season?

 

[fireproof78]

Do you boycot Disney for not sacntioning fanfilms of their works?

The number of companies who are unwilling to tolerate fan films is quite lengthy. Mostly because it's their property to do what they want. Fan passion doesn't equal ownership.

Axanar, judging from the preview, would have been feature-length cinema quality

They had plenty of time to do so. That it didn't happen was the production team's fault not CBS.

 

[Maurice]

I'm pretty sure there's a logical fallacy in that line, and in any case I'm not giving a serious reply to it.

Neither are you entitled to your own facts. You made a bunch of claims about CBS and fanfilms that are demonstrably untrue.

You're entitled to your opinions of things that were in fact opinions, but so am I, and this ain't the hill I'm willing to die on.

And there's no logical fallacy in my question. You stated you are not paying for CBS All Access because of how they treat fan productions. Would you likewise not pay for Disney+ because Disney has a history of cracking down on fan productions of its IP?

I come here to have fun and enjoy myself. I've said what I wanted to say and now I'm walking away.

Translation: I come here to vent and when someone disagrees I take my toys and go home.

Bye.

 

[jespah]

Gentlemen, let's be kind.

Thank you <3

 

[BillJ]

Easy answer: no. If companies other than CBS want to make money off of space sci-fi properties, then they either need to use something in their own back catalogue or create something new.

 

[F. King Daniel]

CBS has, in at least three instances that I know of (Star Trek Continues; Axanar; and one other I can't remember the name of now) sicced their legal team on fan-made Star Trek shows and shut them down completely. Star Trek Continues, if you saw it, was top-notch, broadcast quality,

Which was completed? IIRC they cut a few episodes from their schedule and wrapped a little sooner than originally planned but it was done.

The other, New Voyages/Phase 2, ended when James Cawley got sick of all the drama involved in fan film creation. His sets are new the Official Star Trek Set Tour.

and Axanar, judging from the preview, would have been feature-length cinema quality -- and CBS had them killed.

Which was a scam to build a studio, sell patches and make money off the Trek brand rather than actually make a movie. That they STILL haven't made their 2 shorts (and that 2 former directors are making a doc about the toxic clusterfuck the project leader created and carries on to this day) says if all. If Alex Peters ever really wanted to make a movie he'd have done a Renegades/Orville, scrubbed the Trek names and designs and made the Axanar feature script which is floating about online.

 

[fireproof78]

Would you likewise not pay for Disney+ because Disney has a history of cracking down on fan productions of its IP?

I would love to hear a rationale behind such a statement. CBS is treated quite poorly for doing what other companies do regarding their own property. It's odd, at best.