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CBS/Paramount sues to stop Axanar

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David "No Dog in This Fight" Gerrold chimes in once again on the Axanar lawsuit, says CBS and Paramount are jeopardizing it's greatest asset — fan loyalty and goodwill. Same story, same rant, different words.

Apropos of nothing at all...

I had a learning experience a few decades ago. A fan on Compuserve -- yes, that's how long ago it was -- started posting everything he knew about why I left Star Trek: The Next Generation. And it was all, every single word of it, absolutely true -- in some other alternate dimension. But bullshit in this.

For various reasons, I had chosen not to comment on anything that had happened behind the scenes -- not the least reason was that I was already outnumbered by Gene Roddenberry's enablers and their steamroller of lies. Arguing with all of the various little people carrying wood and water for Gene was simply an exercise in futility. So I did my best to stay as detached as possible. I figured if I waited long enough, the truth would come out eventually.

But this particular fan was going on at length, so I politely asked him where he was getting his information. I didn't remember him being in the room. He said, very firmly, that he knew what had really happened and my word couldn't be trusted. So I asked him again how he knew what had really happened if he hadn't been in the room? And he said he didn't need to be in the room to know what had happened. It was obvious. And he then proceeded to explain me to me.

Now ... the fun part of that was that most of the people in that particular Compuserve forum knew me very well, many of them had known me in meatspace, many since the 70s, so I wasn't worried that he was going to convince my friends about any of these stories he was concocting. But I really didn't want speculation and rumors added to the already existing lies that were coming from Gene's lawyer.

Fortunately, about the time that I was ready to explode, I didn't have to. A dozen of my friends explained to the little twatwaffle that he was dancing on a landmine, and it wasn't my credibility he was damaging, but his own.

After a week of Dutch Oven confrontations (kind of like a Dutch Uncle, only hotter), he shut up and eventually faded away.

Now, what does this have to do with anything current?

Well ... there are a lot of people gossiping and speculating about the Axanar lawsuit. Some of them think they have to take sides. A few have even made up some really fascinating stuff -- not true, but certainly fascinating.

I know some of the real background on this -- more than most people. And, because I have more accurate information than most people, I'm not saying anything at all. It would be inappropriate.

Everyone else who is speculating --

1) They weren't in the room.

2) Most of them are making stuff up.

3) The people who know what's really going on aren't saying anything. That means that the people who are talking about what they think is really going on don't know what's really going on. It's all speculation and rumor and gossip and bullshit.

I will say this -- and from here on, this is my opinion and not reflective of anything anyone else is thinking or saying or doing:

There is a third party who has an interest in how this lawsuit resolves, and that party doesn't have a lawyer to represent those interests. I'm talking about the fans.

What all of the various fan films represent is the hunger for more Star Trek. They are evidence that there is a large audience, an enthusiastic audience, a committed audience -- they are the reason the franchise has endured for half a century.

I fear the studio executives sometimes fail to understand what Star Trek means to the fans. It's not just a TV show, it's not just a movie -- it's a vision of a world that works for all of us, with no one and nothing left out. It's a promise that tomorrow will be better. It's an optimistic future, more than a dream, a commitment. It is an epiphany of possibility.

And I fervently hope that the wiser heads in the studio offices can recognize that the loyalty of the fans remains the biggest asset that they have ever had. Trust requires patience and respect -- but it's fragile, it can be destroyed with a single betrayal.

I am not the only one to suggest this idea -- but it's one way to resolve this that serves everyone's best interests. Paramount and CBS could create a Star Trek Fan Film award, with the best films getting honored and then distributed under the CBS Home Video umbrella. This gives more fans a chance to see what other fans have created, and it also gives Paramount/CBS control over their copyrights. Best of all, it allows fans a non-profit license to invent more of their own Star Trek because they love it so much.

However this resolves, I hope it resolves in a way that does not punish any fans for being enthusiastic about the series.

In the meantime, unless you have real information -- unless you were in the room -- zip it. Gossip doesn't help anyone on either side.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/david.gerrold/posts/10207594104863056
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RCAM said:
David Gerrold's definitely been in the room with bullshit before. Guaranteed.
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He seems like he has smoked/is smoking it too (if only some real mild stuff). If he truly has 'no dog in this fight', he has no right to tell anyone else what they can or can't do/say etc. Now Tobias has chosen a side, but he has also chosen to keep his mouth shut for the most part. I could care less who Gerrold is or what he's done though. If he has no dog in the fight, he should do himself and the rest of us a favor and shut up.
 
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RedForman said:
He seems like he has smoked/is smoking it too (if only some real mild stuff). If he truly has 'no dog in this fight', he has no right to tell anyone else what they can or can't do/say etc. Now Tobias has chosen a side, but he has also chosen to keep his mouth shut for the most part. I could care less who Gerrold is or what he's done though. If he has no dog in the fight, he should do himself and the rest of us a favor and shut up.
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He's not Alec-level, but he's always come off as arrogant and self-satisfied in his public comments. This was a lot of text to say very little.
 
Ryan Thomas Riddle said:
David "No Dog in This Fight" Gerrold chimes in once again on the Axanar lawsuit, says CBS and Paramount are jeopardizing it's greatest asset — fan loyalty and goodwill. Same story, same rant, different words...

https://www.facebook.com/david.gerrold/posts/10207594104863056
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From Mr. Gerrold's Facebook Post:
The people who know what's really going on aren't saying anything.
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^^^
I guess that means Mr. Alec Peters and Mr. Robert Burnett must not know what is going on because they sure as hell are saying A LOT of things, hourly. And I love when a someone equates a stalking encounter with people who have some knowledge of the law, and how lawsuits and courtroom proceedings go - yet are somehow 'clueless'.

For someone who has said he has no dog in this fight (aside from being listed as someone who's assisted with Axanar, and has been featured in many a photo taken at the Ares Studio site); yeah, your words carry a lot of impartial weight...oh, wait...:guffaw:

Oh, and as for C/P creating a 'Star Trek Fan Film Award' along the same lines as Lucas Arts/Disney have done with the Star Wars IP - EVEN IF C/P does that and uses the same criteria - the AXANAR feature film that would fit said criteria has been made and released; and it's this (starts at 1:17 or so):
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^^^
Yes, it's the "Axanar Vulcan scene". Now why do I state that the above would be considered the full fan film? Because what Axanar supporters fail to mention about the Star Wars Fan Film Award is that to qualify - NO FAN FILM CAN BE OVER 5 MINUTES LONG. (I guess even Mr. David Gerrold doesn't know as much as he thinks.)
 
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What is it with Gerrold and finding himself in these exact same situations? Did he learn nothing from this:

Heinlein wrote:

(Gerrold is) selling stuffed fake-fur and velour Tribble dolls at science-fiction conventions...If the matter had simply been dropped after that one episode was filmed, I would have chalked it up wryly to experience. But the ‘nice kid’ did not drop it; tribbles (i.e., my ‘flat cats’) have been exploited endlessly.”
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muCephi said:
Kira at Bashi.
Donor, his arms open.
Donor, his eyes closed.
The beast at Ares.
Alec, his army with fists open.
Loeb and CBS, at trial.
Alec, his face black, his eyes red.
Axanar, when the walls fell.
Alec, with sails unfurled.
Donor, his eyes opened!
CBS, his arms open!
CBS and fanfilms, on the ocean.
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:guffaw:

I want to go to the Posting school that teach how to Post jewels like this!

Post of the Month!!!
 
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wtriker1701 said:
Alec Peters got it all wrong. Here's the naked (and pathetic) truth:

Haters_zpsbexecgtj.jpg


EDIT: Damn, how can I get local images up here? Fool, that I am...
EDIT 2: Jespah, you're an angel!
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That's "Madame Supreme Court Justice Angel"!!!

:techman:
 
In Gerrold's thread someone asks what if producers of fanfilms enrich themselves. Gerrold replies that he doesn't know of any fanfilm where the producer enriched themselves.

Clearly a man in the room.

Edited to be more clear. He said no fanfilm based around enriching the producers.
 
Gerrold is a plagiarist. He's only "famous" because a real science fiction author (Heinlein) didn't give enough of a shit.

EDIT: derp, ninja'd by Maurice
 
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