Star Trek: Enterprise... Renewed?

[Wowbagger]

This just in: As the 223, no 238, no 241 users packed into the TrekUnited live chat room hotly anticipate the big announcement, Tim tries to set up the chat. Then, suddenly, across the top scrolls the headline, in red, "Star Trek Enterprise Renewed!"

The forums have crashed. New Voyages producer Jack Marshall has just appeared. Kill Enterprise is on the scene. This conversation is going far too fast for me to follow.

The chat is continuing at trekfansunited.com, in the Live Chat room (see top button bar.)

More information as this shocking story develops...

[Wowbagger]

Apparently, the forum has been hacked. Or is it mere technical difficulties? This correspondant is confused. Some bashers... or are they real?... are posting that the campaign is over. We have lost.

[Wowbagger]

This announcement is finally posted on the forums, after Tim is locked out. This is from JBraz56, Tim's wife:

Tim can not get into the chat room. Seems someone has been up to some dirty tricks there. So here is the announcement. Tim can also not log onto the forum for some reason.



Paramount has agreed to do a release on our combined efforts proving that we were involved with these talks, negotiations or whatever you choose to call them. This is supposed to come from Mr. Wentworth’s office. We will see if they stay true to this. I have NO doubts that many of you will contact him. Please feel free to do so.



First, let me start off by saying that the way that most fans have united here is astounding. Most have all pulled together to try and keep Enterprise and Star Trek alive. I would also like to add that I am not sure why some on other forums were so mistrusting of what we as fans we were trying to do. It really saddens me that we could not all pull together in this to try and make a positive impact on the future of Enterprise and Star Trek.



Although non of our members that have contributed to the campaign have complained, most everyone else has. It boggles the mind that people do not have at least some trust in the fellow fans. It does not matter what series you are a fan of. They all push for unity as well as peace and that is not what all of the fans here on the internet have made this about. It has turned into a total concept of who is going to win and who is going to loose.


That has been wrong from the start and should not have come down that way by either side. If you were not happy with the way we were doing things. OFFER suggestions not criticism. Not one of the people putting down our efforts even tried to offer advice or contacted me personally to say “try this” or you might want to run this by your staff.



Here are the facts. We have been in talks with Paramount. We have brought millions and millions to the table to keep the show going. We have had two companies in Canada that were involved in trying to move it to Canada. We also proposed another way of keeping it in the U.S so that no one would have to move. This was all thought out very well in advanced and pushed forward not by just the staff at Trek United but by the other Canadian Companies as well.


We had many people involved in this outside of Trek United. We are NOT producers, directors or know anything about the television business. This is why we got in touch with people who were. We made a proposal to these companies in Canada and they wanted to take it to the next level which was Paramount.



The main problem here seems to be us accepting fan money. This will no longer be an issue. Starting Monday or Tuesday. Andrew our attorney and I will start the forms and refunding all money that our members have contributed to this campaign as per the TOS.



With this being said. The money from the fans was meant to make a point and that is what happened. People stood up and took notice. The media ate it up. Paramount has noticed us to say the least. We have taken this campaign to new heights beyond any other. We let them know that we would not go quietly into the night without speaking our mind.



A lot of our staff and members have taken a lot of abuse from others on forums and various places for standing up for what they believe in and something that they hold dear which is this wonderful world of Star Trek. Most of our members stand for what Star Trek is all about. Unity, peace and working together for a common cause and we did this against incredible odds which to be honest I thought was Paramount. I never dreamed that we would be fighting fans in this battle as well. This is NOT what Star Trek is all about.



For the people that have supported us from the start and for the ones that continue to do so. Please hang tight. You have done everything that you could to try and make this happen. It is plain to see that this is not about money, ratings and or anything else other than politics with UPN and Paramount or somewhere else.



Our final proposal was knocked down by Paramount. We will not see a season five for Star Trek Enterprise. All money as I stated earlier will be refunded starting Monday or Tuesday of this week. We will not allow people bashing our efforts on our own forums. Please keep in mind that our members are fans just like you are. If you feel the need to rejoice over this.. Please direct your email to me. Tim@trekunited.com



For the members that have supported us Thank you. We are all winners. We had the dream that we could make this happen. Trek United will continue to be here and we will explore new ideas, but the fan donation part if it has made the point we intended it to .



Tim

[Wowbagger]

The page continues in chaos, but, despite a very hopeful beginning, with those bold words scrolling across the top screen, it would seem that the campaign is over.

The live chat seems to be sending random sounds at an amazing and highly unlikely speed. It is possible that we have indeed been hacked, and that all that we have seen in the past several minutes is in fact false. But this seems a faint hope. This correspondant will continue to monitor the situation.

[Wowbagger]

The TrekFansUnited forum have crashed, amidst a quick flurry of user questions at a number of suspicious inconsistencies and the final appearance of a user suspected to be an Invision Board Admin. Still no word as was promised on either of the two main Save Enterprise pages. Have we been manipulated and attacked? Or was this just terrible luck related to server load?

KillEnterprise is having a party at JMSTrek.org.

Developing...

[Zeke]

The post you quoted looks pretty realistic to me; if it's not Tim, it's one devious basher. I think at this point we'd better assume it's real. So let me be the first (at this forum) to give my condolences to everyone involved with TrekUnited, especially the staff. This is a damn shame.

[Wowbagger]

True.

A conversation has finally been reestablished in the Live Chat room. A number of admins are answering.

It looks real. I hereby offer myself condolences.

Thanks for all the support from Five-Minute Voyager. Back to mourning.

[NAHTMMM]

It's such a shame.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by Wowbagger

Thanks for all the support from Five-Minute Voyager.

Yeah, 'cause I was so helpful to you guys, with my plan to start linking to TU all over the place as soon as I made my big ENT update. Oh wait -- I never finished that update. Because I couldn't be bothered to get off my ass and do anything in the last eight months, no matter how important. TU owes me no thanks whatsoever. It's a good thing you were so popular anyway that 5MV's traffic would have been a drop in the ocean.

[NAHTMMM]

Well, in hindsight, I have to wonder if Enterprise would have been renewed if Bill Gates himself had offered them $100 million to do it... :?

[Xeroc]

That's sad to hear.

[Wowbagger]

Originally Posted by NAHTMMM

Well, in hindsight, I have to wonder if Enterprise would have been renewed if Bill Gates himself had offered them $100 million to do it... :?

It came out today (I heard it second-hand, though) that we were still hammering out a $67,000,000 deal. This on top of the $18 Million we already had (if you count the Al Vinci deal, which was our main and only project at the time).

It has now been confirmed that the initial headline "Star Trek Enterprise Renewed" was caused by a hacker. Investigations are continuing. JBraz's post was authentic.

TrekUnited is not going away, but it looks like Enterprise is a lost cause. New project proposals will begin in the next couple of days at the same time the refunds come back. There is some discussion of purchasing Viacom stock en masse. The letter-writing campaign continues. The podcast will go on. I intend to propose purchasing the entire Star Trek franchise (net worth: approximately $1 Billion). A couple of people are already on board with that.

The live chat continues.

That looks like all for tonight. I leave you all with one word: Courage.

Signing off...

[persianmouse]

TU and SE are not over, just this current phase of the fight to save ENT. Everyone thought this was about money, and when they came to the table with $63 million to have season 5, without Paramount losing any money in or putting a dime into the production of ENT, they thought it was an offer they couldn't refuse.

Well, they did. It was a political decision. They simply did not want Trek on the air anymore. A great big giant "F U" to the fans. And this is all coming from Tim and the guys at TU, not my suppasition.

The next thing to do is a media blitzkreg. let it be known what when down. Get people from the space industry on our side (and no, that's not impossible, most already are, having been inspired by Trek themselves). Remind people that this is not just a TV show. Make it such bad PR for them that they will have no option but to acquiese. It's amazing what a little bad press can do.

Paramount said over and over again that is was simply not fiscally possible to do the show, so TU/SE naturally came up with the solution for that. However, the money wasn't the problem, so money couldn't fix it. Our problem was we didn't know what the real problem was. So now we all must regroup and try a new tactic. And have no bones about it; As one of the Anonymous Donors of the $3 Million said "Saving Enterprise is saving Trek." It will be far too easy for Paramount to just walk away once ENT dies it's horrible, dissipointing death. And making a stand with ENT ensures that Paramount may actually have to listen to the fans once in awhile, and start producing the kind of Trek that they should.

You can see the live chat with the AD on Trek United, he was very hopefull and very inspiring. And he said over and over for all of us to not stop the fight to save ENT. If we bitch loud enough and long enough, somebody will eventually have to stick their head out to window to tell us to shut up, and maybe then we can convince them. Maybe not, but I'm still gonna keep playing. It's the fact that I fought that's the point, and this little setback isn't going to stop me.

...oh dear, I'm starting to hear that awful little theme song in my head.

-persianmouse

[PointyHairedJedi]

Originally Posted by persianmouse

And have no bones about it; As one of the Anonymous Donors of the $3 Million said "Saving Enterprise is saving Trek." It will be far too easy for Paramount to just walk away once ENT dies it's horrible, dissipointing death.

You see, now that's the one thing I have a problem with. Yes, it is sad that ENT is gone, but that does not mean it's the end of Trek. It is a large and profitable franchise, with (as TU has so ably proved) a very dedicated fanbase, and I just don't believe that Paramount would walk away from that for good any more than I believe George Lucas would walk away from Star Wars (although in both cases I think it's fair to say niether cares much about the fans themselves anymore). I think if anything the SaveEnterprise campaign will ensure that Trek will come back quicker that it might otherwise have - with such demonstrable interest in the franchise, even a network exec should be able to grasp that there's money to be made here yet.

Whovians have had to wait 16 years for their show to return to TV, but reappear it has; I don't think Trekkers will have to wait anything like that long.

[persianmouse]

Originally Posted by PointyHairedJedi

You see, now that's the one thing I have a problem. Yes, it is sad that ENT is gone, but that does not mean it's the end of Trek. It is a large and profitable franchise, with (as TU has so ably proved) a very dedicated fanbase, and I just don't believe that Paramount would walk away from that for good any more than I believe George Lucas would walk away from Star Wars (although in both cases I think it's fair to say niether cares much about the fans themselves anymore). I think if anything the SaveEnterprise campaign will ensure that Trek will come back quicker that it might otherwise have - with such demonstrable interest in the franchise, even a network exec should be able to grasp that there's money to be made here yet.

Whovians have had to wait 16 years for their show to return to TV, but reappear it has; I don't think Trekkers will have to wait anything like that long.

Oy, I do agree with you that Paramount could make another Trek series, but that doesn't mean trek is saved. If they served up say "Starfleet Academy 90210", a 'this is not another teen angst drama' bit of drivel that would hardly be considered 'saving' Trek. And that is not a remote possibility; I’m surprised they haven't tried it yet. And do you really want to watch another Bermanga production? I don't. And you know what, they don't have to make one bit more of trek, and they'll still make millions off of it for years to come.

They are turning so many people off to Trek with this move. Some regard it as a betrayal, a spit into the faces of the fans, the fans whom without, Star Trek would not be the dynasty it is today. They won't watch another Trek, even if it does come out. Oh, they'll still love trek, and go to the conventions, and talk about it for hours online, but they will just be done with Paramount. Why would they start getting invested in another show, just to have Paramount up and cancel it before it's time? It's also the way they're canceling ENT, how they're ending it. I don't know what you know, and I’m not going to divulge any spoilers, but it's putting so many people off. It shows a lack of respect for the show, and insult to the fans, and a complete lack of understanding what Trek is all about.

They said they didn't have the money. We brought them the money. They said Trek doesn't have the fan base anymore. We showed them our numbers. They said that Trek needs a break, to refresh it. But this fan upsurge, this wee little rebellion of ours is just what Trek needs to have new life breathed into it. People are in a fever pitch like I've never seen. If they go with us now, embrace us and put Trek back on, they will get a loyalty and a dedication and gratitude like they've never seen. It will bring optimism, resurrect what has died, showed people that if you get involved and fight for something, you can make a difference. But if they fight us, shoot us down and ignore us, they will be cutting off their nose to spite their face. They will be dooming themselves, and any new trek, to failure. And hell, the new trek they produce might be great, but the problem is, they will have pissed Trekkers off so bad, they won't watch. Some will, but many won't.

But if we stand up now, maybe we will get the kind of quality Trek we want. Cause if we succeed, ParaBorg will have no choice but to listen to us. Cause then we'll have the power. Hopelessly naive and optimistic you say? Your damn right, but I don't care.


Paramount is not Trek. They are not one in the same. Trek lives in a completely separate dimension from them. Unfortunately paramount controls Trek, gets money from it, decides its fate. But they don't 'own' it in any real sense. The fans do, we always have. And that's one of the things people are fighting for when they fighting to save ENT. It's about standing up for ourselves, and showing we are a force to be reckoned with. That we will not be TV drones, sheep to be herded, and fed on whatever they give us, and be grateful for that. Trek is ours, it is not theirs.

I love Trek. I grew up on it. I've watched every series. But I won't be watching any new trek. And that doesn't make me any less a trekker than anyone else. I'm not turning my back on trek; I’m turning my back on Paramount. Maybe it's futile, and maybe it’ll do no good, but dammit, that doesn't mean I'm, or anyone else who’s fighting this, isn't going to do it. It's that fact that we came and fought that's the point.

[Kira]

They are turning so many people off to Trek with this move.

Well, I think Enterprise may have done a little bit of that itself. There certainly was support for the show, but there was also a large contingent of bashers who were doing a conga line on Enterprise's freshly dug grave.

Compare the fan response as a whole for Enterprise to shows like Arrested Development or Veronica Mars: while both of these series have less than stellar ratings, they also have consistently positive critical and fan support that likely plays a role in the network's decision to renew. I think a major part of what sunk Enterprise -- aside from UPN's desire to target a young, female demographic -- was that while there was support for renewal, it was relatively limited to the hard core Trek fan base, and even they couldn't agree on it. Add to that the lose-lose situation for Paramount accepting money from fans to keep the series going and you've got one sunk show.

[Zeke]

Jedi's right that this isn't the end of Trek. It's a good point, one that was also made by Ron Moore recently. There's no need to be overdramatic -- the fact that it's the end of Enterprise is bad enough on its own.

Originally Posted by Kira

Well, I think Enterprise may have done a little bit of that itself.

At this point I'm convinced that Enterprise could have been so good it cured a form of cancer every episode and still would have been bashed to smithereens by large parts of fandom. But I also think that doesn't matter. If there's ever been a link between quality and renewal -- or ratings -- it's long gone now.

[Kira]

Originally Posted by Zeke

At this point I'm convinced that Enterprise could have been so good it cured a form of cancer every episode and still would have been bashed to smithereens by large parts of fandom.

Maybe, but I think it would have been smaller parts than right now.

[PointyHairedJedi]

Originally Posted by Zeke

Jedi's right...

This can never ever be said enough. EVER.

persianmouse, I get where you're coming from, but what you're essentially saying - that whatever comes next you might not consider Trek (though you seemed a lot more definite about that than "might") because essentially you don't like it - is precisely what a large number of fans of the other Trek shows have said and continue to say about ENT. I might have course have grabbed completely the wrong end of the stick there of course, but regardless, what it really comes down to is "what do you consider Trek to be?"

[Wowbagger]

Trek is, in my humble opinion, defined as anything that isn't a BSG-style reboot, wiping out 700 hours of continuity. I don't think they'll go with any 90210-style stuff. They have to be smart enough to know that that wouldn't fly with anybody, Trekkie or no.

On the other hand, given the morons at the networks, I'm probably wrong about that.

In other news, I really do think that, after turning down $63,000,000 to fund a $36,000,000 show, Paramount must have really had it in for Enterprise. Ratings had nothin' to do with it.

Where did you materialize from, Persian?