A rare political move: @TrekAgainstTrump takes a stand

Well, this is unprecedented.

Nearly 100 names and faces who brought Gene Roddenberry's hopeful, future universe to life over five decades are diving into Campaign 2016 with "Trek Against Trump." From the original series right through to the Kelvin timeline films and even Discovery—before and behind the camera alike, and alongside too.

And, I'm proud to say, me too.

It's not unusual in Hollywood —or in sports, or music, for that matter—to see celebs turn activist and political advocate. Kate Mulgrew, for one, stumped hard for her then-husband Tim Hagan when he was the Democratic nominee for governor of Ohio in 2002. Still, it's unusual for Star Trek, and most assuredly when done en masse. I'm sure that makes some fans queasy—or, since it's 2016, even outright hostile.

But here's the deal: It is 2016, and this group of Trek-related veterans have banded together for a political moment, wading into partisan waters with a joint message for their fans to at least consider—from actors, writers, producers, designers, and crew veterans of all incarnations. "Trek Against Trump" is the result: a simple yet pointed statement against perhaps the most controversial Presidential candidate ever arising from the mainstream two-party system, Donald J. Trump.

And it's a stand, the backers say, that leaves them uniquely affected because of their unofficial role as Ambassadors Emeritus for the Gene Roddenberry legacy of ideals, optimism, respect and future hope that they worked in: the core of Star Trek.

This all just came together in the past few days, and I've been proud to help contact and notify some of the names you see, and to consult on the social media logistics. You LN readers and followers know it's no secret where my politics lie, but they rarely if ever rear up on Trekland—as it should be. But, once again, the news reminds us daily how this is not even a typically partisan year.

And hey— this is an unusual step, and lots of the folks who signed on may have hesitated as to the normal effect that might have on career and even fanbase— not just for the stand, but in taking one at all, and so publicly.

But that again points to how so many see this election as not normal, like the signs for The Donald that are everywhere—from a stunningly historic lack of newspaper endorsements to a heavily split and divided party "behind" him. And yet we have a younger generation who see a protest vote as a viable option, who do not remember the bigger-picture consequences from the similar events of 2000—if nothing else, as depicted in the film Recount (check it out). As no less than Bernie Sanders himself has said, this is no time for a protest vote.


How will fans react to this "partisan stand" that backers say is not a stunt, but a natural reaction to counter their helpless feeling that "something should be done!"? There's a lot of high-power names here—and no doubt some fans will be incensed that their apolitical heroes got involved. Can it be barely two weeks since John Billingsley and Bonita Friedericy (Phlox and Rooney, if you need the prompt) felt compelled to launch their funny @MartiniShots anti-Trump mini-videos? Soon to be followed by Rick Berman's now famous tweet...

By that time, Armin Shimerman and John de Lancie were joining forces with John B, got more on board as signers and as help... and voila, here we are today.

So, yes, I'm glad to help.

If it's your cup o'tea, please join and share the simple Trek Against Trump Facebook (@TrekNotTrump on Twitter) everywhere. If not... well, this will all be over in just six weeks or so. Just dial up Netflix or slip in a new Blu-ray... and enjoy a non-political episode of Trek. If you can find one.

Oh, here's a list for that rewatch you might to check out: "The Drumhead" on TNG..."Past Tense" or "Home Front/Paradise Lost" on DS9... "Distant Origin" on Voyager, "Terra Prime/ Demons" on Enterprise... or, of course, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.

Because, once again, that's Trek. And that's the whole point.

STV: Why Doug Drexler backs that petition for a Netflix ENTERPRISE

Amid all the hoopla over that movie that came out May 17, or even our little Star Trek Continues ...

You might have choked on your gagh a few weeks back to read about a campaign to get Netflix to fund a "fifth season" of none other than... Star Trek: Enterprise?

It may have even popped up on your Facebook. That's how I first dropped my jaw over the topic. But I find out all about in this vidchat--just below. But first, consider this:

Netflix funding of original series and now the return of "old" series, of course, is a done deal already: new eps of cult classic Arrested Development are a movie lead-in, Kevin Spacey's original House of Cards aired there too—and now a Veronica Mars comeback movie, of all things, is green-lit after zillions of Kickstarter backers.

So look at where we are in 2013!

For the first time, a "dead" show could actually be brought back to life with non-network backing .... even an online streaming service. And the show's still-pissed-off fanbase would actually have a hand in resurrecting it by demand, and continued streaming.

And so that leads us to Jen DeSalle and Robert Bolivar, who decided to launch their own Facebook et al petition campaign to convince Netflix to do the same thing for Enterprise. After all, if zillions got a 20-something mystery drama back in production, surely many times more would stand up for the disrespected and increasingly missed final incarnation of TV Trek?

Then what to my wondering eye should appear than the respected name of Doug Drexler among the "backers" of the petition drive. No fan-flak he, make-up and CGI pro Doug went on to the Battlestar franchise of course and works all over now—but Trek is still his heart and soul. He wouldn't attach his name to this Facebook petition to Netflix lightly—so I had to track him down and ask, given all we know about Trek TV these days...



So the Facebook campaign HQ is here—and I wrote the founders to get more about it.

Jen told me that she was for the campaign to convince Netflix even with the Paramount/CBS "moratorium" on Trek TV. "Trek on TV has consistently done better than any of the movies by far. Now, CBS may not see this in the short term but over time, one of the things we hope to show them, is that the TV side is not only profitable, but, in the case of a series like Enterprise, also cost-effective." And, she adds, the "selfish" chance for a lifelong fan to create a page, CGI mockups and promo banners on such a campaign with Doug and other sites was "too much to pass up".

It was a comment by exec producer Brannon Braga, of all people, about using Netlfix to revive Enterprise as a renewed series or even TV movie that nudged Bolivar to jump ahead with the campaign for fans who feel "cheated" at the early departure of the NX-01. "Network interference, declining ratings and other studio red tape are something that every show has faced," Rob says. "Enterprise was just hitting its stride when it was cancelled. With our Facebook campaign, we are doing something that has never really been done with Trek before. We have gathered the fans, actors, production staff, etc.— all of them in basically the same place to support each other and the cause. Are there hurdles? Absolutely, but we have the ability of hindsight this time around. We know what works and what doesn’t. We know how to keep costs down and with the advances in digital sets; we can film just about anything. I think that Netflix is the perfect medium for this type of endeavor. Enterprise fans deserve this. We just want to see the series played out the way it was supposed to be.

" It's a worthwhile cause, and I hope, and pray that it is noticed, that we are heard, and we get our dream, at least one more season of Enterprise, to see some of what we can do now, and of course maybe the Romulan War wouldn't hurt.," Jen adds. As does Rob: "Streaming media is the future of television, and so is Star Trek."

What do YOU think? Does this really have a chance of appealing to Netlfix, much less persuading CBS to let it be done in the first place?

Or do we truly live in an "all bets are off" media world of change today, and who knows?