Even before the lawsuit against Axanar Productions and Alec Peters, fan film crowdfunding has been showing signs of decline.
Star Trek: Axanar's first fundraiser for their full feature had 8,548 backers. Their Indiegogo campaign, on the other hand, closed with 7,660 backers — and that was after several months of being open for "in demand" donations after the original fundraiser ended.
Same story for Star Trek: New Voyages. Their first Kickstarter had 1,093 backers; their second had 788.
And, it's the same story for Star Trek: Continues. Their first Kickstarter had 2,981 backers; their second had 2,619 backers. Their current fundraiser hasn't closed yet, of course, but they currently have 1,804 backers.
The most recent fundraiser for Star Trek: Renegades (episodes two and three) is the only one that bucks the trend, with 3,379 backers. The three fundraisers run for the Renegades pilot on the other hand, certainly follow the law of diminishing returns — with 2,367, 1,499, and 303 backers for their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd fundraisers (the last, for VFX).
The lawsuit, no doubt, is hurting this fundraising campaign. But other factors — the increasing age of the audience for these fan films, the greater number of fan films seeking crowdfunding money, and the presence of an official television series in 2017 and an official movie in 2016 — are likely playing their part, as well.
