A Change in the Captain's Log (for now)

Hey all.  For the past few months, the Captain's Log has been a daily review of what is happening at Axanar.  One thing we take great pride in is showing you, the fan, exactly what we are doing, the progress we are making and how we are spending your donor dollars.

Well, with the Paramount/CBS lawsuit we are going to change our focus. Since we won't be moving ahead with production of Axanar at least until we have filed an answer in court (part of our agreement with Paramount/CBS), which will happen this month, we want to focus on you, the fans.  To that extent, we will be publishing the stories of fans for the time being.  Why do you like Star Trek?  What brought you to Axanar?  Why Axanar is special to you and what you are looking forward to.  You can submit your stories to pr@axanar.com.

The fact is, since Axanar has been receiving so much attention lately, I thought I’d share my experience with the production and Alec Peters as the point-of-view of one fan far removed from Hollywood.

I don't remember how I first heard about Axanar, but I was one of the backers for Prelude on Kickstarter. I remember being interested, but not terribly excited, over the project. The effects seemed very well done, but given the state of computer animation today, I would been surprised if they hadn't been.

Then a curious thing happened. I started getting these updates from Alec Peters on how the campaign was going. Not little drips and drabs, but full blown epics on the state of the project. And then the project ended, and I still got these updates. It was incredible. The standard up to that point with other projects has been infrequent updates and frequent wondering whether I would get my donor gifts.

And then some where along the line - this little thing called an annual report materialized. I thought, "Holy crap - what f*ckery is this?!? An actual accounting of how the money was spent? If these jokers are trying to take the money and run, they're doing a pretty poor job of it."

Little by little, I became convinced that this was no ordinary project, but a group of talented and dedicated film industry professionals with zeal of fans who were bound and determined to actually do right by me with the money I gave them. I made the acquaintance, if only through Facebook, of these people and found their passion and forthrightness to be refreshing. They are not idealists in the sense that they believe things will just work out - they have a plan and the expertise to back it up.

I have stated many times, though not recently, that Axanar - along with Stephen Fender's Four Years War (and other books) - has become the gold standard for me in terms of how a Kickstarter project should be handled. We as donors have been kept informed (to the extent possible) every step of the way on the status of the project. I look forward to this film with joy and excitement. Not just for the film itself, but for the honor of experiencing the achievement of those who have worked on it and persevered in these most recent difficulties.

This is very important:

Should the worst happen and the money is taken from the fans who supported this project by the studios who have filed suit, I will not count it misspent because I will know that it was not due to the actions of the steward in whom I first placed my trust.

Alec and his team can have my money for any project they undertake because I trust them to make the best use of it.

Vernon Vincent