From "bridge restoration" to glorious teaching museum: A Kickstarter for a do-able sci-fi dream is now UP

UPDATE: Apparently, Huston has embroiled me in a $500 donor reward for the campaign: drinks and brain-dissecting. See the page.


Well! It's a big week for a little project that *I*, of all people, first revealed to the world right here back in August 2012. Without naming names!

But Huston Huddleston's project is not so little anymore. Or in cognito.

Yep, after all those "Captain, I saved the bridge!" T-shirts and celebrity support pictures at cons all over the country, comes the big news Wednesday that the non-profit "Enterprise D Bridge Restoration Project" -turned-"New Starship" has zoomed in scope to now become the Hollywood Sci-Fi Museum project—still headed by Huston but with an army of fan volunteers, both white-collar and red-shirted.

The big splash announcement kicks off an $83,500 Kickstarter crowd-funding drive to fund the groundwork of the initial preview site in Hollywood by 2015 and the build to a permanent, custom museum circa 2018. There's donor levels from $1 to $4500...
and it's already got a healthy start. I hope you all can join in and give what you can—and as a board member honored to be asked to serve, I'll give my thanks up front.

Yes, that's right: I'm on the board for this, among a few other peeps you might have heard of before. I vetted this every step of the way or else I wouldn't be involved. So I know a lot of you are thinking, "Hey wait a minute—restoring and housing the Enterprise-D bridge is one thing... but ain't this a bit grandiose? Smells like 'too much, too fast, too overblown' to be real." Or even: "Hey—you're coming back around for more money?"

And these are just the showy parts ...

Fact is, as Huston found out the past two years of hitting up corporate and other big would-be donors, the first concept was too SMALL, in their eyes. That's why the scope and the focus have gone beyond the bridge—and even Trek itself. And even that left a few early supporters skeptical.

"The money guys simply didn't care JUST about the D bridge," Huston told me today. "Some Trek fans don't seem to grasp that not everyone cares about a used set that was from a tour, and from a show that ended 20 years ago."

Be clear: the first "New Starship" Kickstarter  in 2012 funded some of the early planning, so as to get invited to a ton of conventions to spread the world, enchant mainstream media, grab fan goodwill with free photo ops, mushroom the social media, and park a lot of celebrity butts in the captain's chair.

That 2012 total would barely fund a bridge wedding and party center, though... much less the real teaching tool that the touch-screen computers and simulators can be for school trips in science, history, math—in fact, the whole STEM teaching model to jump-start our national education and workforce needs. And the art and crafts of cinema storytelling as well. So what cooler place for dispensing real science and fictionizing than the icons of science fiction everyone is already in love with?

But really ... not just Trek, but ALL these studios and franchises? Doesn't that just multiply the cost and legal hassles even more? How is this even conceivable? It's a Vizzini moment if ever there was one, right?

Au contraire, says Huston: "The secret is, it's not-for-profit and educational. That's the only way this is going to work. Despite how nervous the studio lawyers are going to get, all the actors, directors, producers and writers and certainly fans all want this to happen."

Add to that a lot of museum professionals, management experts, legal and CPAs... closet fans, too: they've done a lot of "sweat equity" to put together a pretty impressive batch of business, marketing, finance, sustained operations, education outreach .... well, binders full of plans.

Grant's "Hall of Robots" welcome video

Plus, my Star Trek Continues "Sulu" buddy Grant Imahara is only the first celeb to shoot an exhibit video for the project—his, natch, on the Hall of Robots.

Which is all one other way I know this is more than just one fanboy's pipedream. All these closet fans—and not-so-closet fans—have already invested thousands of bucks of consulting hours to help get this launched.

"This just seems like the right thing at the right time, " Huston says.

Even Paul Allen's vaunted EMP sci-fi and rock museum in Seattle, mentioned breifly in the Kickstarter video, has had contact with the "Hollywood Sci-Fi Museum" and sees a relationship, not a competition. "They are totally supportive of our concept and amazing people, " Huston says, after a trip to meet with their staff and compare notes. "They just don't do what we're going to be doing," referring to the hands-on student simulators and education access. "It's two totally different concepts."

There's really nothing like this as a teaching/entertainment sci-fi mecca, especially in "media capital" L.A./Hollywood, and there's a lot of interest in both the jobs, and the tourism ...plus the attached hotel/center for a private owner. And then the green-energy/sustainability goals for the eventual all-new building.

A lot of hard work, money and long hours are still to go on this thing. But it is out there with enough planning, vision, and phased-in conception to attract a lot of the real folks who make real things go. Too big to dream? Too big to work? Right now, it's what it needs to be. I'm excited to be a part of it, since way back at the birth ... and can't wait to see what all these excited pro-fans can launch together. Starting—again—right now.



And this is just one of TWO wonderful, non-profit, Trek-related projects I'm going to be involved with as a board member and proud backer. Stay tuned ...

A Seattle rush! Emerald City in my rear-view mirror

Before I get back on the road:

I just had an awesome time in Seattle over Emerald City Comicon—special thanks to Jim Demonakos and Mike Byers! And after five straight years, I think my little colony of Treklanders there is really growing—a hoot for me, since Seattle in 2012 is the very first place I tried out my "Con of Wrath" crowdfunder meetup idea. The prior two years I had cut my chops doing 8 a.m. fan meetups with Shannon and Matt and their once-and-current Seattle Geekly podcast! ECCC itself is just booming and selling out, as are most comic-cons.

I wasn't tabling this year, so panel-less Saturday felt odd with no bags and no show to weigh over me: I got to just attend! Friday had already been great, even with my "Between the Cracks" audience a bit drained from going up against the lovely mainstager, Eliza Dushku. I did get to meet Cat Roberts (left), one of our Star Trek Continues Kirkstarter donors generous enough to land a walk-on role in the Mirror Universe Episode 3....whom I'd missed on opposite ends of the shoot. As a doctor, she was especially sad not to catch McCoy #1 ( or #2, depending how you number vignettes. ;-) ) But at least we swapped snaps.

Friday night was dinner hosted by Huston Huddleston of New Starship, staying in town after meeting with A Major Museum —and then Saturday I was the dinner guest of Oren Ashkenazi (left) , Grace Moore and Bob Collins of All Things Trek podcast of Seattle (right), who'd just had me on their show. Selfie time!

And somewhere in there I even squeezed in another visit to catch up with Wende Doohan, to be featured in The Con of Wrath speaking for Jimmy, and their Sarah (left). (Guess who was the Adventure Time fan?)






Now, little did I guess that panel-and-meetup Sunday would be an even more hoppin' day than I'd planned: A pretty full crowd greeted us for our fan forum "State of the Trek," and a lot of passionate, feminist, activist, pro-and anti-corporate  views of Trek were voiced...and I think I added a little insight as well. Our Q&A speakers were lively, with everything from feminism and untapped diversity to "Hollywood factory" disgust versus JJ's franchise-saving put forth—and I think I threw out a few insights folks might not have considered, too.

But the adrenalin was already pumpin' thanks to TWO shocks right before that, in bang-bang order...






With about 45 minutes to go, who comes up to say hello but three honchos from Seattle's own Outdoor Trek theatre group (inspired but he now-ended similar group in Portland),  Joy DeLyria (left) and Kris Hambrick—plus Phillip Duff (who took this snap, right). I'd only read of their productions of TOS Trek—treating the classic scripts like Shakespeare with free-form and free-casting choices meant to showcase the stories, like those of the Bard's as timeless. In fact, with 20 minutes to go til my panel, I grabbed the Canon and we SHOT a 10-minute interview for TREKLAND STV that you'll see here before their season starts in July.

I might not have cut it so close (look at that line!) ... but what else happened on my panel countdown, RIGHT THEN? To my typical reminder tweet about who's reading my hashtags actually AT the con, lo and behold Uncle's Games from over in the gaming vendor's area across the street tweets me back to offer a prize for my panel to give away. While I'm in the terlet! Holy Terok Nor, Batman!

 So that's why, why before I chatted with Kris and Joy, curting it close.... I accepted this $180 value DS9 tabletop gameplay station model from Stephanie Fields and Sarah Tolsma of Uncle's Games of Seattle/Spokane, who ran it over to me just so I could give it away. Easy come ...

... And easy go. After teasing it sitting out all panel long and thanking and plugging the
store profusely, still amazed myself, we did a trivia question fior it. Dave Kosin, whose energy we practically had to restrain, actually won it fair and square. My thanks to front-rower SarafinaCosplay.com for hopping up to give me a second set of eyes once I launched the trivia question. Good job, Sarafina—we did not need a run-off!

But I needed a breather. Our post-panel throng was wonderful... but thanks to Seattle fan and follower Umberto Lenzi I eventually got out of there and up the hill three blocks via rollerbags for our third annual "Dr. Trek" crowdfunder-meetup for The Con of Wrath...back in the Six Arms pub where it all began. 

And that I'll save that story for later this week...

Oh, and one last word—which I tweeted at the time:

To the young lady in the brown, "Inevitable betrayal" Wash Firefly TShirt who so elegantly defended J.J. Abrams and his movies, and by extension the new and younger fans who came to Trek fandom because of them:

I want you to know that I love you, and nothing I threw in as commentary from other sources was meant to squelch your intelligence, your opinions, and most of all, your passion. Thank god we have you and so many more like you. I'd have loved to have talked to you more, but until I can—just keep the fire, girl. Don't let the Tellurian turkeys (including, perhaps, me) get you down!






Maybe should be it's own post?
I didn't do much cosplay snapping, but I couldn't resist this shot just outside the convention center:

2014 in Trekland: A bevy of crazy-busy new biz... and bub-bye Bones

You remember Janus, right?

No, not the mutual funds per se*, but the Roman god of time and passages, with dual "front and back" faces who could see into both the future and the past—and thusly the namesake of January, when we naturally catch our post-new-year selves doing the same thing: planning tomorrow, reflecting on yesterday. (I love it when I remember something like this from my fourth-grade language textbook.)

And looking ahead to the coming year I already know there's a boatload of things headed right at me—exciting things! I have three brand-new projects staring me in the face—two of them Trek, and the third a long-term date with a mic—but as usual I can't talk about them until they bloom or launch, hopefully by midyear. (Sorry, no links. Yet. And not a lot of fancy logos to break up this one: There's too many! I just want to get through all the words, okay?)

Now, that doesn't even count maintaining the Trekland Trunk after a fast start—I could use an assistant just for that—much less growing this blog and videos with some big overdue plans, and most of all getting our "Con of Wrath" documentary back on the front burner. It  took a back seat when 2013 turned crazy-busy—the long-planned home and office move, coupled with the unexpected joys of writing "Stellar Cartography" and stepping into the McCoy smock for Star Trek Continues.

I'm also proud of serving on boards for new exciting non-profit missions—and for one, I urge you to check out science-based Enterprise in Space project.

Toss in the LA2Vegas Trek film site tour for Geek Nation Tours, some big con trips including Germany's FedCon, another Trekland: On Speaker archival theme CD to come, and my column for Titan Trek mag....and again, it's an overloaded blue-plate special of a year.

But while my three new prospects are exciting, they are half or wholly all on me—meaning a ton of blood, toil, tears and sweat ahead in solo development work, otherwise known as "git'erdone." I'm excited for the challenge, and can't wait to talk about them when ready.

But thanks to Janus, I can learn from a 2013 look-back—and I can also learn from a fourth-grade textbook in another subject. Because, simply, the math "don't add up" when you tally up all this time and energy required—even more than it didn't add up in 2013. Many of my Vegas friends know the big cons were just a blur to me last year, and you readers know the blog has certainly taken a hit here at year's end as the Trunk got established. Well, there'll be even more like that unless we make a few adjustments and shifting of commitments—making way for some bold business ideas that have been long overdue around here... and, in fandom's case, an exciting addition or two to the Trekscape.

So, in the big mix of things, that's why for starters I have agreed to step back from playing Bones in STC as of now, and let that be the first relief valve. Just as it's no surprise that the opportunity was a dream come true for this McCoy/De Kelley fan, so too is the truth that the "gym time" I wanted to put in for the role took a big squeeze, in a production that had such a high bar to begin with. McCoy deserves better, the company deserves better, and *I* deserve better for work like that—but time is the fire in which we, uh, can't clone ourselves.

At the same time, STC has asked me to stay in the family as a creative consultant producer—and be involved in stories, Trek-vibe consulting, and a return to camera at some point when it can be done right (and when the big Tellar Prime script finally comes calling!) And nothing can take away the thrills of the great cast and crew, a jaw-droppingly beautiful Sickbay set on my very first day, and playing the good Doctor in these two episodes—one of which you still have to wait to see until Feb. 8-9!

And nothing can top the memory of our incredible Phoenix world premiere reaction—or that of the honest reviews across the spectrum, and much love shown to me from all the STC fans as I stretched muscles that hadn't been hit in a long time. A lot of work, a lot of love, a lot of good people: I support all the fans films, but Continues is a special group, and its product and my relationships there just got started.

I may make more shifts on my palette like this, as everything new before me is not only a creative challenge but a final product I can't wait to unveil in the case of the Trek plans—solo or not. You Con of Wrath supporters and donors have been patient as well, and I promise some new updates too—and there may even be an all-new newsflash on that score, as well.

Finally, an apology—for there was a time when anyone in creative development kept all their cards close to the vest... no jinxes! Knock on wood! But the revolution in 24/7 social media and crowdfunding has changed all that... leaving folks like me to be coy when I try to explain what the heck is going on right now over coming months. So my regrets, then, if this has sounded more like a fizzbin lesson than a log entry.

Meantime, among the fun Trek stories like this one and that famous backlog of vidchats I haven't really shared since April, I'll use Trekland The Blog keep you posted about my own headlines here first, as well via my newsletter—while also telling tales to those podcast hosts who keep having me on, for some reason. Fans keep asking me about doing my own podcast, but.... really? WHEN? Didn't we just have this discussion?

Stay tuned! It's going to be an incredible 2014... and I'm glad you are aboard.


________________
*OR the primary star to Horta home on its planet VI.
YES, me of all people—I get it.

Trekland in Comic-Con: Lots to see & do amid the mob!

Whoa! Time to go attack another San Diego Comic-Con!

Trekland will be making its usual rounds and appearances across all four days of San Diego Comic-Con—with two sales sittings in Autograph Alley and a Saturday night panel—and of course a meetup for "The Con of Wrath" after our San Diego hootenanny was a hit last year (below). We'll also be moderating the panel for the New Starship Foundation Ent-D restoration and museum with Huston H., and around their huge floor photo-op.

So, check it out—my known whereabouts for San Diego:

FRIDAY:

2:30-7 pm: Autograph Alley Booth 25, 2:30-7 p.m. Trekland CDs, photos and Star Trek Continues goodies: and flea market old 80s movie buttons!

SATURDAY:

2:30-5:30 p.m.: Autograph Alley Booth 25 (ditto of Friday).

5:30-6:20 p.m.: I moderate Huston Huddleston's New Starship Foundation panel on the Enterprise-D bridge restoration museum. Boy has THIS been building from the original exciting yet simple idea we showed you before anyone else did... you have to come hear the latest, and throw some feedback as well.

7:30-8:20 p.m.: OUR Panel: The Con of Wrath update and more—some raw footage, and who knows what else from Trekland (new projects, anyone?). Welcome DP Neal Hallford and our other associates Lex Wochner and Dawn Gagliano, too!

(If you are going, click HERE to "Log in" early at the SDCC site. There's already 51 signed on ... and you can do the same for other panels.)

9:30-11:30 p.m.: The "Con of Wrath" benefit meetup: Once again, as we've been doing live at cons across the country: you chip in $20 for a screen credit BUT get two hours live of the Dr. Trek Show!: prize trivia, rare Trek clips and raw doc footage.... and a screen credit, of course. Site in Gaslamp area backroom bar TBD.

I'll also likely try to support the projects of friends like the new version of Trek-vs.Wars psychology debate, the Roddenberry panels and Mission Log podcast, and Marc Zicree's Space Command...to name but a few.

I won't be camped there 24/7, but it's a good bet I'll be around Huston's gye-normous Enterprise-D photo-op spread on the Main Floor at times as well.

It's amazing how much SDCC has changed just since I started going in 2005—or that I feel like a battle-hardened veteran about it all now. I already know I'll be seeing a lot of old friends and maybe even transact some commerce.

So please—any Treklanders in the neighborhood, come by at least once to say hello. AND survive the week. I have slots open ... !

WonderCon look-back: A Bones-Sulu reunion AND a hit panel on video

What a difference a year makes.

A year ago we were drowning in a monsoon that ruined the mood at what I called "strip mall con"—the normally San-Fran-based Wondercon, San Diego's little brother relocated to Anaheim for a year or two and struggling then to share parking with two high school sports events at the convention center there. Meh. People were drenched waiting in open air for slow, overwhelmed and distant shuttle buses.

This year? Wow, and not just for the very welcome sun:

FIRST, I pull off a successful meet-up for "The Con of Wrath" (more on that soon)...

... AND enjoy the largesse of some table space at the hubbub of Enterprise-D chair photo opps thanks to Huston Huddleston (rear, left) and his booming non-profit restoration project and science center "New Starship"....

...WHERE we had a McCoy-Sulu reunion with Grant Imahara of Mythbusters (left and right), soon to be seen as the helmsman opposite my doctor in the new Star Trek Continues indie online series—the pilot episode to debut at PhoenixComicon May 24 (more on THAT later, too!) ...

...PLUS have a wealth of Treklanders drop by: longtime Trek illustrator-author (and Voyager designer ) Rick Sternbach and Voyager illustrator Tim Earls .,.. PLUS post-production producer Steve Welke, all of whom recorded vidchats with me for the blog for later: look for them soon.

Rick...

...Tim...

...and Steve!

PLUS a genre psychology panel I was asked to join that garnered a lot of news attention, recorded on homespun video for posterity (with a cool opening sequence)—and more on THAT later as well.

We even worked!—and got in an interview on the run with one of the dealers who was a pivotal key in the saving of "The Con of Wrath," our documentary on the 1982 Ultimate Fantasy show in Houston that was Stat Trek's most glorious failure. You "Wrath" supporters will hear more about that as well.

I also made it over to the CBS Blu-ray Remastering panel, for the great clips and reaction from another full house (at left) to the Okudas, producer Roger Lay, doc director Robert Burnett and even Brannon the Braga back on his outreach effort. I was sad to hear., though, the offhand news that longtime TV Trek set decorator Jimmy Mees had just passed away. (More on him soon, as well.)

All in all, from my admittedly narrow point-of-view on 2 of the 3 days the weekend, my two days at WonderCon WERE a wonder—a good mix of fans, coming from all across the genre spectrum of course, even as the Trek variety tended to find me—and in surprisingly and healthy numbers, judging by both the panels and the obvious cosplay. I really, really was amazed at the contrast between last year and this—both in numbers and in Trek repping. It was a good year for the show in deed, where I heard totals jumped up from around 40,000 last year to 50,000 this time. With the entire convention center uncontested by high school cheerleaders and girls volleyball championships—confusing the anime fans boys with cosplay photo meltdown—things overall seemed more settled, and folks having a more leisurely and settled time.

I still miss, however, the lack of anywhere to go NOT associated with the nearby hotels—as helpful as they are, overflow choices are still limited. With Anaheim set up to fuel Disney full-time or to host events whose members hit Disney for the night... there's just no mom-and-pop or local nightlife or pubs/eateries in walking distance. And heaven forbid you give up your hard-won, hard-paid parking spot in midday or early evening! Whether WonderCon returns wholly to San Fransisco's Moscone Center, or maintains split campuses now in both OC and the Bay, is among the choices the WC has said it will consider... based on venue vibes like this. Wherever it is held, WonderCon is enjoying the boom of popularity as many regional comic-cons enjoy these days as people shy away—or are forced away from ticket sales shutouts—from megamonstrosity CCSD and its 150,000 bodies in July.

Finally, though—just a big thanks to everyone who came and braved the sunshine this year, and offered up some fun chat or good cosplay, or both:

Ex-Brit Ben Paddon of L.A.'s own TShirt 

Especiale gracias to you guys-n-gals who made it to any or all three of the panels I was a part of, including our "traditional" Saturday evening Trekland "Between the Cracks" show—even if we did have to have it in the "classroom" room, you stuck by. And look for those psych-panel video and donor tribute posts before much more time gets by.

Oh—and you wanna say something about the Hawaiian shirt? Well, GO ahead. Disrespect the uniform.

STV—Bridge restoration update: Cons & Kickstarter in gear

When we last checked in with Huston Huddleston, we weren't even saying his name until this whole crazy "restore the bridge" project actually turned out—and prop-hunting crazies didn't descend upon "Dallas's" backyard in the Valley.

But here's Huston, all visible, to give an update on the sets, the progress, their con touring itinerary coming up (where you can sit in your TNG finest and snap pics for free, or make donations if you like for "Save the Bridge" T-shirts and other rewards)... and the whole Kickstarter campaign and some donor-celeb rewards. The drive is now over 50% to goal before ENDING Dec. 18.

Out in the open, New Starship has a logo contest

Have you heard about the project to re-assemble an Enterprise-D bridge from Vegas Experience and World Tour pieces, and to restore it for non-profit uses in Los Angeles?

Did you see our video visit (Part I) when it was still secret?

Well, tis hardly secret any longer, and the non-trademark-infringing "New Starship" project now is looking for a logo: check out the newly unveiled and ID'd Huston Huddleston himself as he asks you all for help via a contest for one that is similarly non-infringing:



(Recognize that fireplace? Those seats behind him?)