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By CARLOS PEDRAZA | FEBRUARY 19, 2019 | 5 MIN READ
 
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Confidentially: Last night's guest on Axanar Confidential — actor J.G. Hertzler (Deep Space Nine's General Martok). In a 2015 interview about Axanar he said, "I anticipate that everything will be done as well as it was on Prelude. If not, then I have a problem!"

1. Lawsuit Against Peters for Defamation over Prop Sale is a Year Away from Trial

atImage/Paramount Pictures
The studio model of the Sovereign-class Enterprise-E from Star Trek: First Contact is at the center of a lawsuit over its sale, from which Axanar producer Alec Peters claims he is owed almost $200,000. 

A January 2020 trial awaits Axanar producer Alec Peters in a Nevada courtroom, where he's being sued for defamation by a Las Vegas prop company over a disputed sale of the Enterprise-E model from Star Trek: First Contact.
  • Hero Prop LLP co-owner Tiana Armstrong filed suit against Peters last fall asking a judge to rule that Peters was not entitled to a share of the Enterprise-E sale after he failed in an attempt to broker a deal with its previous owner.
  • In a countersuit, Peters is asking for at least $165,000 in damages for prop sales Armstrong made to which he was entitled to a commission.
  • Defamation: Armstrong's suit also alleges Peters defamed her in posts on a Facebook prop enthusiasts' group.
  • Amended pleadings or adding other parties must be done by May 22.
  • Expert evidence in the case is due by May 22, with expert rebuttals due by June 21.
  • Discovery deadline for both sides to collect evidence was set for August 20.
  • A status check in court is scheduled September 5.
  • Motions for summary judgment, or other similar motions, are due by September 19.
  • The expected two-day trial is scheduled to begin as soon as January 20, 2020, before a judge alone, despite Peters initially requesting a jury.
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2. Former Director Complains About Lack of Credit for Axanar Videos Released on YouTube

"A LOOK BEHIND AXANAR's Klingon scenes" is a 20-minute documentary by former director Robert Meyer Burnett detailing the creation of Axanar's battle scenes.
Glimpses of Axanar: Visitors to Axanar's YouTube have been treated to various clips of  visual effects that were to have been part of the never-to-be-produced Axanar feature film. The clips features work from VFX artist Tobias Richter and were directed by departed director Robert Meyer Burnett.
  • U.S.S. Ares on Combat Patrol: This most recent clip mentions neither Richter nor director Burnett, prompting a complaint by Burnett on Facebook:
  • #NeverDidTheWork: Burnett says he open-sourced his Axanar clips, but "when [the powers that be] at Axanar use them and put them up on their YouTube channel it would be nice for all the people involved to be credited for their work. But I suppose that's too much to ask. #NeverDidTheWork"
  • Making Money from Axanar Videos: The Axanar channel monetizes these clips. 'Ares on Patrol' has accumulated 60,522 views.
  • Bitter replies: Burnett's once-loyal fans bitterly replied to his complaint. John Stokking Strekis, who operates the Axanar channel, accused Burnett of having "gone out of your way to remake [the videos] as hatchet jobs and share them with a crowd only meant to hate them."
  • The "hatchet job" to which Strekis refers is a 20-minute documentary on Burnett's website in which he "shares his insights into the Klingon battle scenes planned for [Axanar]."
Why it Matters: Axanar is using these video clips to generate income via YouTube advertising, and to build fan enthusiasm ahead of fundraising for the two short films.
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3. Axanar's Dwindling YouTube Audience


Falling Views: The Monitoring the Trek Monitors blog takes a look at viewer numbers for producer Alec Peters' weekly livechats, Reel Trek and Axanar: Confidential, pointing out that "YouTube numbers … are falling, though superchat totals don’t appear to be falling off as badly."
  • Updated numbers: We've updated the viewer data pictured above since the MTM blog was posted a few days ago.
  • Counting superchats: We haven't found a way to confirm how much Axanar is bringing in via superchats, so we can't account for the impact on superchats by dwindling audiences.
  • Axanar: Confidential's audience particularly has fallen precipitously since its premiere.
  • Reel Trek's audience hasn't slid as much but it also didn't start as high. The two shows' audience appears to be leveling off at about the same size.
Why it Matters: Producer Alec Peters is counting on YouTube income to help pay for his Georgia warehouse; smaller audiences may translate into reduced earnings.
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Tidbits: Patreon Progress; Take that, Midnight's Edge

Last night's Patreon numbers: J.G. Hertzler's appearance on Axanar: Confidential generated a larger-than-usual live audience that appeared to inspire increased donations to Alec Peters' Patreon effort to pay for his Georgia warehouse. The day's totals: 193 donors, $1,776 in monthly pledges. So far, the total views for the video is about the same size as last Friday's Reel Trek.

Take that, Midnight's Edge: The rumor-mongering YouTube channel Midnight's Edge was taken to task by YouTuber Ketwolski for its convoluted conspiracy theory about trying to fool Star Trek fans about which timeline Star Trek: Discovery is in. Words of the day: Unverifiable conjecture.

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In Case You Missed It …

Binge-able Picard: Patrick Stewart is jazzed about playing Picard again in a 10-episode series arc. Yahoo has released the full interview with the Star Trek star.
Redefining Section 31: ComicBook.com examines the role of Section 31 as it's portrayed in Star Trek: Discovery, which is kinda freaking out the canonistas. Check it out.

Not with a bang but a whimper: Is this how a franchise dies? With only lukewarm anticipation for Dark Phoenix, and a virtually certain hard reboot when Disney takes back the X-Men rights from Fox, will the movie's box office performance really make any difference? From Forbes.

Tweet freaks geeks: Sue me; this is Star Wars news. The Star Wars Twitter account posts a tweet that's thrown fans into a tizzy. Behold the power of social media. io9 reports.

Dunesgiving 2020? Will the epic (i.e., expensive and complicated) Dune remake everyone's buzzing about (is there anyone in Hollywood who's not gonna be in this flick?) make its Thanksgiving 2020 release date? Vote in our Twitter poll.
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Find Us on Super Geeks

Join AxaMonitor editor Carlos Pedraza every week on the Super Geeks podcast on Subspace Radio, Mondays  at 7 p.m. PST/10 p.m. EST. If you miss it live check the "rewind" section for recorded episodes. Super Geeks is hosted by George Silsby.
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