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Settled: Star Trek Owners, Axanar Avoid Copyright Trial Axanar admits to crossing ‘boundaries acceptable to CBS and Paramount relating to copyright law.’
Just days after a federal judge appeared to open the door for the release of financial records behind a so-called “independent” Star Trek fan-film, the studios that own the 50-year-old franchise and the people behind Star Trek: Axanar have settled. CBS Studios Inc. and Paramount Pictures, who sued Axanar Productions and its principal Alec Peters in December 2015 for copyright infringement, issued a joint statement early Friday to GeekNation saying the lawsuit was now over and that Axanar was admitting it “crossed boundaries acceptable to CBS and Paramount relating to copyright …

MICHAEL HINMAN | Jan-20-2017 |

‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Adds Major Classic Character: Sarek BREAKING: CBS All Access casts veteran actor James Frain for role
We have had a lot of characters announced for the new CBS All Access series Star Trek: Discovery that are quite new to us. But now it’s time for someone much more familiar. You know, like Spock’s father – Sarek. CBS announced Wednesday it had cast James Frain for the iconic role that was originated by Mark Lenard in the original series, and continued by Ben Cross in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek in 2009. Frain is a familiar face for any viewer who likes high-quality television. He had a seven-episode stint just last year on Orphan Black as Ferdinand Chevalier, and earlier Th …

MICHAEL HINMAN | Jan-18-2017 |

Paramount, CBS Say Removing ‘Star Trek’ From Lawsuit Is ‘Absurd’ Axanar copyright infringement case moves forward
The lawyers defending a so-called “independent” Star Trek fan-film are trying to pull of what could certainly be the biggest upset in judicial history if they can convince a federal court judge to remove the words “Star Trek” from a lawsuit about, well, Star Trek. Erin Ranahan, who represents Axanar Productions and its principal Alec Peters, made the demand last month, saying that invoking the Star Trek name would not only turn a copyright infringement case into a trademark infringement case, but it would also confuse a jury. Lawyers for CBS Studios and Paramount Pictures I …

MICHAEL HINMAN | Jan-9-2017 |

Axanar Judge Closes Book On Klingon Language Debate Whether Klingon can be copyright is something this court won’t decide
A federal judge trying a copyright infringement case against a so-called “independent” Star Trek fan-film made quick work of one group’s attempt to push the Klingon language into the public domain, saying once again that copyright issue isn’t part of this particular case. R. Gary Klausner issued his decision against the California-based Language Creation Society Thursday, explaining that his order earlier this week that brought the copyright case against Axanar Productions and its principal Alec Peters to trial, made the entire discussion of whether the Klingon language can be …

MICHAEL HINMAN | Jan-6-2017 |

Judge Throws Out Axanar’s Defense In Star Trek Copyright Case A jury will now have a very simple task in front of it
If and when a jury finally sits down to decide a copyright infringement suit case against a so-called “independent” Star Trek fan-film – they’ll have a very simple job. Are Star Trek: Axanar and other related shorts substantially similar to Star Trek itself? If the answer is yes, then CBS Studios and Paramount Pictures will score a complete victory after a federal judge rejected nearly all the defense offered by Axanar Productions and its principal Alec Peters. R. Gary Klausner issued his order Tuesday, but was finally made public Wednesday, popping in Star Trek Easter eggs …

MICHAEL HINMAN | Jan-4-2017 |

Walter Koenig Heading Back To Original ‘Star Trek’ Set OK, it’s a replica … but a darn good one.
James Cawley’s replica of the original “Star Trek” sets is closed for the season. But when the Upstate New York attraction re-opens in the spring, it will be getting ready for a rather big VIP. Walter Koenig, who played Chekov in the original series, will make a visit to the former home of “Star Trek: New Voyages” in August, according to an announcement on the group’s website. Cawley didn’t provide many details about the visit, except that tickets for the weekend event will go on sale in February. He called it a …

MICHAEL HINMAN | Jan-3-2017 |

Star Trek Lawyers Don’t Want To Rehash Klingon Language Debate Say a language group should be fined for wasting court’s time
The studios behind the Star Trek franchise are not about to let the Klingon language take over its copyright case against an “independent” fan-film after attorneys over the holiday weekend asked a federal judge to punish a language organization for wasting the court’s time. The Language Creation Society, a California-based non-profit that promotes the “art, craft and science” of language creation, made news last summer when it challenged what it said was a claim by Paramount Pictures and CBS Studios Inc. to copyright the Klingon language. The studios had mentioned the langu …

MICHAEL HINMAN | Jan-2-2017 |

CBS All-Access Gives In … No More Ads New option will cost $10 monthly
One of the biggest hurdles facing CBS All Access, the subscription-based streaming service that will be the home of “Star Trek: Discovery” next year, is the fact that it has a huge disadvantage against competitors like Netflix and Hulu — commercials. But not anymore. CBS All Access announced today it would offer a commercial-free tier for $10 a month. That’s $4 more than its regular commercial-filled tier, but is an offering similar to what Hulu offers. Netflix has no commercial tier. This is good news for “Discovery” fans, who learned recently that CBS planned to include a …

MICHAEL HINMAN | Aug-31-2016 |

For Two Days, There Was Star Trek, Alabama Famous NASA-associated city celebrated franchise’s 30th anniversary in 1996
What’s in the name of a town? That’s a great question, and judging by history, no town name is written in stone. Especially if there is a chance to put that town on a map. Probably one of the earliest examples of this is Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. A town of less than 5,000 people north of Philadelphia, it was known as Mauch Chunk until the 1950s. While other towns, states and even countries are typically named after government leaders or war heroes, Jim Thorpe got its name simply by agreeing to build a monument and be the final resting place of famous athlete Jim Thorpe, who ha …

MICHAEL HINMAN | Jul-27-2016 |

Nimoy Bowed Out Of ‘Beyond’ Before Death Deteriorating health already had forced Spock Prime from returning
“Star Trek: Beyond” took extra care to address the death of not only Leonard Nimoy, but the character he played for nearly 50 years. But even if the actor had not died last year after a long battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, he still would not have taken part in “Beyond.” Adam Nimoy shared the news this past week with Yahoo Entertainment reporter Marcus Errico while promoting his new documentary “For the Love of Spock.” “I talked with dad extensively about it,” Adam Nimoy said. “He was very happy to be a part of this reincarnation of Star Trek, to be partic …

MICHAEL HINMAN | Jul-25-2016 |

‘Beyond’ Escapes With $59.6 Million Opening Weekend UPDATE: International markets add another $30 million
So it wasn’t the biggest opening weekend of all time for Star Trek, or even the second biggest. But Paramount Pictures is not disappointed with how “Star Trek: Beyond” opened this weekend in North America, earning $59.6 million, and putting it in line with the high end of projections from analysts. “Beyond” easily beat out its competition for opening weekend. “Ice Age: Collision Course” earned just $21 million, enough for fifth place. The horror film “Lights Out” earned $21.6 million, tying “Ghostbusters” in its second week for third place. Universal Pictures’ “The Secret …

MICHAEL HINMAN | Jul-24-2016 |

Trek TV Series Now Has A Name: ‘Discovery’ But not much else revealed about new CBS All Access series
Finally, CBS Corp. has released the official name for its upcoming Star Trek series. And it’s continuing the tradition of naming the show after the primary ship or space station featured in the production. “Star Trek: Discovery” is the name of the show, with adventures taking place on a smaller ship known as the USS Discovery. Showrunner Bryan Fuller unveiled the name Saturday at San Diego Comic-Con in front of more than 6,000 fans. But beyond that, he revealed little else. That was a little surprising, considering the show is expected to go in front of the cameras beginni …

MICHAEL HINMAN | Jul-24-2016 |

Lost Footage From Original ‘Star Trek’ Revealed Blu-ray also will feature 12 classic episodes
Gene Roddenberry didn’t like to throw things away. That might have meant a full closet in his bedroom, but it has become a treasure trove of material for Star Trek fans … especially in time for the 50th anniversary of the franchise he created. CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Media Distribution have joined with Roddenberry Entertainment to announce a new Blu-ray set coming later this year called “Star Trek: The Original Series – The Roddenberry Vault.” The Blu-ray will contain bits and pieces of episodic footage that was left on the cutting room floor, and then s …

MICHAEL HINMAN | Jul-23-2016 |

Emmy-Nominated Director To Helm Trek TV Premiere David Semel is a television veteran, including ‘American Horror Story’
Bryan Fuller isn’t taking the route of some television pilots and premieres by bringing in some big-time movie director to set the pace. Instead, he has hired David Semel — a name you probably wouldn’t recognize — to help lay the groundwork for the new Star Trek television series. Semel will direct the premiere, which is set to air on CBS in January. He’s probably best known in the genre for his work on shows like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Roswell” and “American Horror Story.” However, Semel likely caught Fuller’s eye because he helmed the pilot of NBC’s “Heroes” in 200 …

MICHAEL HINMAN | Jul-23-2016 |

Thursday ‘Beyond’ Previews Beam In $5.5M Could that suggest a bigger opening weekend than expected?
Thursday previews worked really well for “Star Trek: Beyond” to kick off its premiere weekend. The film has pulled in $5.5 million at preview locations at more than 3,000 theaters Thursday night. That easily topped its new release competition, according to Variety. “Lights Out” from New Line Cinema earned $1.8 million on Thursday, while “Ice Age: Collision Course” grabbed just $850,000. “Beyond” earned a little more than $1,774 per theater in limited showings, compared to just $300 per theater for “Collision Course.” That could affect Friday’s numbers a little bit …

MICHAEL HINMAN | Jul-22-2016 |