Actor Joe Geragi closes shop on ‘Star Trek: Constellation’
It’s not one of the most prominent fan-films within the very limited Star Trek community, but it appears the tsunami of the Axanar copyright infringement lawsuit have taken out another production in its wake. Joe Geragi, a character actor and producer, has decided to shut down his project, “Star Trek: Constellation.” The fan project was designed to be a prequel to the original “Star Trek” episode “Doomsday Machine,” featuring Capt. Decker and what is a brand-new crew for his ship, the USS Constellation, at the Mirdani Space Station. “His life’s mission takes a drastic turn …
Studio putting all summer eggs into ‘Star Trek: Beyond’ basket
Paramount Pictures continues to struggle when it comes to its movie business, but the man leading the studio’s parent company says some financial help could be on the way. More than 40 companies expressed an interest in acquiring a minority stake in Paramount, chief executive officer Philippe Dauman said, and his team will now start the process of winnowing that down to the strongest candidates. “There is strong interest from around the world,” Dauman said, according to Variety. “We will have a compelling result that …
Language Creation Society takes Klingon stand in Axanar case
There have already been some crazy fan-based filings when it comes to the copyright infringement case between the studios that own Star Trek and a proposed fan-film. But the Language Creation Society has now upped the bar. And they did it in Klingon. The society, which was founded at the University of California-Berkeley, filed a “friend of the court” brief to say the Klingon language cannot be copyrighted. “Klingon gave Star Trek characters convincing dialogue,” wrote attorney Marc Randazza of the Las Vegas-based Randazza Legal Group. “But it broke its chains and took o …
Cameron Thor was convicted of molesting 13-year-old acting student
A judge in Los Angeles has sentenced a former “Star Trek: The Next Generation” guest star, to six years in prison for sexually assaulting a young acting school student. Cameron Thor, who played Narik in the two-part TNG episode “Gambit” in 1993, had been convicted last August of having multiple sexual encounters with a young woman who was a student in his popular acting school. Jordyn Ladell was just 13 when the encounters took place in 2009, according to Variety. She publicly spoke out about her recollection of the encounters last year with The Hollywood Reporter …
Tommy Kraft details what happened on ‘Federation Rising,’ and it might be a bit surprising
Anyone who talked to Tommy Kraft in February heard the same thing: He’s finishing and releasing his fan-film, “Star Trek: Horizon,” and then he’s done with Trek fan-films. Who could blame him? Kraft’s valentine to “Star Trek: Enterprise” was an arduous undertaken he did for less than $50,000, and some three years of his own blood, sweat and tears to get the film out. But since releasing “Horizon” on YouTube at the end of February, the fan-film has topped 1 million views. And those who watched it wanted t …
PLUS: Did Axanar claim it was ‘officially sanctioned’?
With a hearing just two weeks away, the attorney representing the fan-film “Star Trek: Axanar” filed paperwork with the court Monday that reinforces its position that the two studios who own the copyright to Star Trek have failed to make an infringement claim against her client. Erin Ranahan, a pro bono attorney with Winston & Strawn, defended her motion to dismiss she filed a month ago, arguing that CBS and Paramount have no standing to make the copyright claims, th …
Star Trek news site celebrates third anniversary, with changes afoot
This is a slightly more personal story than what you would normally find in the news section of 1701News, but I felt there was some important information I wanted to share with you, and felt here in our news section would help ensure that you saw it. I am the editor-in-chief of this site, which I co-founded with Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth of Roddenberry Entertainment on April 25, 2013. The idea was to join forces — my group, which was behind Airlock Alpha (which debuted as SyFy World, and later SyFy Portal, in 1998), a …
Names include John Billingsley, Ashley Judd for Showtime revival
How many actors does it take to bring “Twin Peaks” back to television? For director David Lynch, it’s 217 — including himself. Showtime, the network that has revived the 1990s cult classic, announced its cast Monday, listing all of the more than 200 people who will appear on screen. The list, led by Kyle MacLachlan and David Duchovny, also includes 18 actors who have Star Trek connections. Madchen Amick The 45-year-old played Anya in the 1989 “Star Trek: The Next Generation” episode “The Dauphin.” In fact, it would be after Trek that she would appear in “Twin Peaks” …
‘Star Trek Continues’ publicly distances itself from embattled ‘Axanar’
With less than two weeks remaining, “Star Trek Continues” producer Vic Mignogna is doing everything he can to try and raise $350,000 for more episodes of his popular fan-film series — even climb to the peak of Vasquez Rocks. The 930-acre park, located about 45 miles north of Los Angeles, is a popular television and movie location setting, including episodes of the original “Star Trek,” and the Vulcan scenes from “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.” Mignogna used the geological park as a setting fo …
Tribeca film panel ends with gay rights activist from North Carolina
North Carolina hasn’t exactly been the most welcoming state lately when it comes to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. At least as far as the government goes. But one activist resident in the state is not going to wallow in despair — instead, she’s ready to use Star Trek as an inspiration. Human Rights Campaign volunteer Melanie Skinner was one of several fans who asked questions last week at the Tribeca Film Festival screening of Adam Nimoy’s documentary “For the Love of Spock.” Growing up in the state, which recently passed a so-called “bathroom bill” t …Could be first time ever Trek has non-American home
CBS says it wants to do a lot of things differently when it comes to its new Star Trek series on CBS All Access. Not only in how the story is told and the characters who tell, but apparently also where the show is filmed. For what would be the first time in Trek television history, the new series will not have filming based in Hollywood, but instead will take up residence 2,500 miles away — in Toronto. Pop Goes the News reports CBS Corp. has booked studio space in the Canadian city beginning this September. That doesn …Working with a new director took some getting used to, actor says
Fans sitting down to watch “Star Trek: Beyond” will still feel the presence of producer J.J. Abrams, but new director Justin Lin has gone out of his way to make his own mark. “I think Justin brought his own vision to the story for sure,” the film’s Spock, Zachary Quinto, told Entertainment Weekly’s Nick Romano. “I don’t think he was trying to do it like J.J., which is great. And they’re very different people, they’re very different directors.” Abrams directed the 2009 film “Star Trek” as well as its sequel “Star Trek: Into Darkness,” but stepped aside for “Beyond” so …
Fundraising for ‘Star Trek: Horizon’ sequel was to have started next week
Have Star Trek fan-films finally met their fate? With CBS Corp. and Paramount Pictures continuing its copyright infringement lawsuit against the fan-film “Star Trek: Axanar,” at least one of the studios has reportedly forced a second fan-film project to pull the plug. “Star Trek: Federation Rising,” the recently announced sequel to the fan-film “Star Trek: Horizon” released last February by Tommy Kraft, has been shut down before it could even get off the ground. “E …Company restoring replica explains Google Streets picture
Google Maps has revolutionized the way many of us find locations, thanks to innovations like its “street view” options. Using nothing more than a mouse and some electronic device connected to the Internet, someone can digitally travel down Broadway in New York City, in front of the White House in Washington, or even TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. But nothing beats what Reddit video director Jordan Oplinger found while digitally exploring the area around McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas — a shuttlecraft from the USS Enterprise, doing nothing more than sitting o …‘Guerrilla’ will touch on real-life racial strife in 1970s England
Idris Elba is not slowing down at all following his trek into the stars with “Star Trek: Beyond.” Elba is set to star in a new Showtime miniseries from writer John Ridley called “Guerrilla.” It’s based on true events of a London couple fighting against a British counter-intelligence unit designed to quash black activism in the 1970s, according to Variety. The story itself will focus on the couple who frees a political prisoner, and from there, creates a “radical underground cell.” “I am both humbled by and impressed with Idris’s passion toward bringing this story to …