Thoughts on "Go Beyond" night—and all it conjured up

Doyle Zhang, modern Trek fan: From
Shanghai, China, fan since ST 09 but now
loves all Prime Trek, won trivia, knew Dr. Trek!

It's been a week since Paramount's Star Trek Beyond Fan Night at the lot. A lot of friends and their news sites covered it pretty thoroughly in word and pictures (see vid links below), and the second, "that's more like it" trailer has been pretty well dissected. (That Other Story from the night has blown up, hot and cold, too.) But here's a few of my personal thoughts...and some pics...

The bottom line is this: If Paramount needed to catapult a catch-up offense in this game of promotion and expectations and "buzz" with a hail-mary pass on a hurry-up offense ... this was a huge score. Both in terms of the event, and of course the movie—not just a trailer, but two full scenes of exclusive footage for the 500 or so fans on hand—and a pass for two to the outdoor-IMAX world premiere at Comic-Con San Diego on July 20, plus a studio street naming for Leonard Nimoy in which his family, the Beyond notables, and all fans on hand took part in a toast and mass photo. How do you top that for feel-good?

Zach Quinto leads castmates, JJ, Justin, Adam Savage,
Nimoy family, and 500 fans in a toast to Leonard—
and the unveiling of a namesake street (right) in front of 
old Desilu Stages 9-10—today's Paramount 31-32

500 fans on Stage 31, to start—and a few of them were actually not streaming or live-tweeting for social media.

It was even crowd-managed well—mostly. I mean, we'd wondered what was gonna fill up four hours; some were even wondering aloud if we'd get a draft look at the whole film.

The last 100+ of this line (left) never got in

Holding the event on Stages 31 and 32—or, in old Desilu terms, Stages 9 and 10, storied home to TOS itself—was a master stroke. But there was a major downside, unbeknownst to those inside: Some 100+ ticketed fans who were in line on time were not allowed in over fire marshal capacity concerns—an overreach probably based on the fact that the normal amount of no-shows an event planner counts on does not apply to rabid Trekfans hungry for a local event in Hollywoodland. But plenty of them were pissed—and were promised at least their own world premiere pass for Comic-Con. We'll follow up and see.

Chris, Zach and Karl in Q&A with fans

This was also, I realized as Friday had drawn near, the first big feel-good Trek hoopla on the Paramount lot in a decade—that's a generation, in employee years. I heard there was a lot of excitement and buzz on the lot, where almost no one goes back to the 90s/Aughts era of constant licensing summits and affiliate station confabs in the cause of Star Trek promo and biz.

I have to admit I was a bit distracted: So many friends from the LA fan, media and fan media worlds were here—from  my "+1", longtime fan propmaker and The Con of Wrath associate producer/donor Rusty Harrell to the @Trekkie Girls from the UK (at left, with longtime Paramount secueity guard Steve D.). And then of course with my own ticket giveaway winners, there was a lot of hosting to do.

But I also was on the lookout for strangers—if any Trek fan can be called that. Over the past year, even with this third alt-verse movie's ups and downs getting off the launchpad, I've  had a gut feeling that film in new hands might actually find its Trek roots and vibe in a way that will have a broader old-fan appeal. I've also become very focused on getting out of my own bubble, my own Internet bubble, and meeting up with those fans who are solely more recent JJ-era fans, or those who embrace the alt-verse with no grumbling.
 
That's why I loved doing a piece for Star Trek Magazine on fan reactions: I was determined to talk with fans I didn't already know! And boy, did I: from China and Malaysia and all over the US, as it turns out, were three that night. In fact, one young lady won the stunt version of Jaylah's staff from STB as the only one in the room with her hand up (besides me, apparently) for my buddy Scott Mantz' (at left, apparently in the Andorian Sector) and his trivia on Edith Keeler's social work house—and it turns out Doyle Zhang (at very top)  had flown in from Shanghai for the event (and was a big Dr. Trek fan, to boot!?).... so again, an amazing night. Look for comments from her and five other fans I spoke with (that's me working, at far right!)  in the Titan Star Trek Beyond movie special issue coming in mere weeks!

So, I yeah—I did miss out on any real hobnobbing with Stars and Names. My head was into hosting and working, as I pointed out the next day in that actual snapshot.

The otherwise nondescript teleprompter on the back wall

But if the hard-cores had a highlight, though, it had to be the Interweb meltdown following impromptu but carefully worded "announcement" by producer JJ Abrams and especially director Justin Lin, coming from that bootstrap celebration of fan passion, that the CBS/Paramount Axanar lawsuit would soon "go away". Their careful wording left lots of wiggle room for interpretation as to final details, but it's obvious they are two guys who'd like the air to be as cleared as possible when their bright shiny movie opens. I made it a point to look over at that moment to see the back-wall teleprompter — and it sure looked  frozen to me, though others have sworn the lawsuit question was indeed scripted in the scroll.

In any case, a lot in the past week has already been thrown back into flux again on this one. We'll see—but that story nearly hijacked the sole focus that Paramount surely wanted this night to have on the Interwebs and TV channels still standing. I'd far rather focus on the new series... and now, even, this new movie.

Chris Pine mingles & poses with fans a bit

Finally... 
Because it all amounted to a pretty happy crowd by night's end, no matter the fandom roots or outlook, as far as I could tell. As my gut had hoped and a recent longform piece on Justin Lin reveals, the new flick's director is an old Trek fanboy from way back—and coupled with his fixer mentality and ability to work fast and furious under fire, the STB scenes we saw hit all the right notes and, in the end, just felt right.

How many news outlets reported on CBS star Stephen
Colbert's special message to the crowd, spoken as a Trek fan?

No, not a secret clue—just still handy in the studio sign shop

1000 of these special numbered TMP homage posters
were printed for the gift swag bag.

How many newbies didn't catch John & Bjo Trimble?

When I first saw ST09 and especially STID, my brain's inner thoughts first turned to "what will I say publicly?" so as to put an honest, upbeat public face on this new paradigm format I was still a bit queasy about—and knowing many fans would look to me for a reaction.

But no such worry here. Maybe it's just serendipity that with Bryan Fuller's bunch of new CBS Trek episodes in the works and apparently Prime-set (no confirmed word yet, though), I could just mentally relax about this feature film—no pressure at being the sole rep of Gene's canon filmic universe any longer, no matter its fate.


Maybe so. But it's moot now: The trailer, the behind-the-scenes reels...and especially the 12-minute-plus piece we were privy to I'm sure you've read about elsewhere by now, keyed by a wonderfully right-on Urban/Pine-McCoy/Kirk moment of reflection... Well, I no longer had to wonder what I'd say about it publicly.

My gut instantly said, "Now this movie I want to see."

And I didn't seem to be alone.

Here's that trailer again ... 




...and a recap of the night from Paramount (sans any Axanar moments) ...
.



...and a full one-camer view of the Q&A, plus Scott's trivia:





New fan, bored fan, or just curious how much Trek you don't even know you don't know? Check out PORTAL 47—the monthly 8-point backstage pass based on my 20+ years of memories, archives and crew contacts from the front row of Trekland....live and online, right to your center seat no matter where it is!  Like a mini-con all year long—taking you where no savvy fan has gone before.

Star Trek 2017 TV Logo and First-Look Teaser!

Well, they managed to upstage the "Beyond" movie event Friday, after all. Dang those UpFronts' timing! The Internet is melting down as we speak! 

And now the first hint of a webpage for ST2017 just went live!

Here's to someone finally getting that it can be synergy, not competition, between these two giants corners of Gene's sandbox. Even if by accident. The two news headlines ought to reinforce each other, in mainstream media circles, as #TheWeekOfTwoTrailers.

Meanwhile, here in Trekland, this new TV promo has to be one of the slickest teaserly-only moments for any such anticipatedly secret/undeveloped early stage project ever. Sure shows some Who title influences as well as alt-verse... which proves that, yes, CBS production values and CGI have indeed proceeded along since 2005. Relax, fans—once again, you don't look backwards to the last war when you're about to fight the next one, so to speak.

Or ...maybe this joy merely springs from the knowledge we have already, and what we have is a hunger+faith formula to end the Fallow Times and Boldly Go every week again. Finally.

What do YOU think? I know I can't wait to deep-dive this series as soon as the dust settles. Or, yeah, probably a lot sooner.

Bring on the movie fans!—and this ST Beyond event

Bless me, but I'm actually excited for Friday. 

After this long fallow decade of Trek... after two flashy yet brief film trips to the alt-Trek they created... with an actual, short-season Prime episode run coming as flagship of the new CBS All-Access ... and the excitement it has spawned running far more than the movie's—the one with a troubled start and practically no promotion so far...

Bless me, but I'm actually excited for this Star Trek Beyond Fan Event and Trailer #2 Premiere Friday night on the Paramount lot, led by director Justin Lin (left) and more headline cast/crew names TBA soon. Sorry, it's going to feel a bit "local" in the turnout, you far-flung fans reading this—unless you were among a handful to win a paid trip from Paramount to see it. (Or, of course, catch it on Facebook Live streaming.)

But even without that "radical" access ... it's literally going where no on-lot, live Trek movie promo event has gone before–especially for the public. Far more than just the trailer and talkers, I hear talk of some really cool displays—so we'll see!  "Star Trek: The Temporary Experience" is as welcome as any right now.

All of us will be eager to finally see what this jump-start buzz machine will actually jump-start among fans, their social media, and even hard-core media. That's the catch-up strategy, and it's already starting up this week.

But I also can't wait to meet and hear from the alt-movie fans, for once—if indeed a lot of them get in the gates Friday. I don't know that they always break through the "established" circles of fandom that tend to circle me... but I am so ready to gauge their reactions and feelings about what is unveiled this night. I really, really hope to finally meetup a lot of the fanbase who've come to Trek only since 2009, via the big-screen entry point.

With time not on the side of print media, I'll be writing a piece for Star Trek Magazine about not so much the event but the variety of fan feelings that night about both it and the movie. 

Look, as this unusual decade has played out with Trek in flux, my own perspective has finally evolved to understanding that while the "alt-verse" was not my first choice, this an overall well-cast film series has been amazing at pumping in new fans, and grabbing respect in The Town and This Media. It's been the best entry-level drug Star Trek has had in decades.

And if I haven't said it lately, I've said it often on-air: I had been excited to see what Bob Orci was going to bring to the series once left to his own, with JJ Abrams' shifting his gaze to Warsland; I felt for a long time that the JJ veneer on top of any Trek that Bob or anyone has done has been greatly underrealized, and had been eager to see what the final product would be without that veneer. for once. That said, even with its rushed restart after Orci's story was let go, I still have high hopes for the script that fanboy Simon Pegg and partner Doug Jung (right) turned out—and I pay no attention to group think: Lin has directed a far wider range of tales than simply that F&F tag he was stuck with—and he rejuvenated that. (Awesome profile on his life and its affect on his storytelling here.) 

I always hope for the best, and I'm really pulling for these guys. Maybe it's a luxury of optimism, now that we know a weekly return to Prime is due next winter. 

We'll see Friday. 

And I can hardly wait.




UPDATE: per Paramount: "The event will not be live streamed in it’s [sic] entirety. Buzzfeed Entertainment will be live streaming a portion of the event through their Facebook page. "

LAST CHANCE tickets for BEYOND fan event May 20!

You've heard all about it ... and likely seen the official, now-closed contest for giveaway tickets... to the big May 20 fan event and Trailer #2 preview hosted by director Justin Lin and cast for the third "alt-verse" Trek film BEYOND, due in theaters July 22.

You've even likely seen the other ticket giveaways from other sites, blogs and podcasts. Did you miss out?

If so, here's your LAST CHANCE... from Trekland and Portal 47:

WIN one of FIVE pairs of tickets to this 7 p.m. event right on the lot of Paramout Pictures in Hollywood with Lin and more—NEXT FRIDAY.  I'll be there, too! 

How? It's simple: Just email me your answer to this question, to larry@larrynemecek.com:

What is another aspect of the Kirk-era "Prime" universe that you feel should ALSO be a change seen in the current alt-verse Trek feature films? *

Now, alt-verse haters, back off. I mean this all in fun: Let's see how deep YOU can dive on this. And I don't need an essay—short answers are fine.

The first FIVE answers I receive that I judge best (creative, original... you know) will be declared winners, and each win a pair of tickets. 

The brief rules:

—Deadline is midnight Pacific time, THIS Sunday, May 15. Simply email to larry@larrynemecek.com.

—Your full name, along with your email off the entry, is required. You can name your second ticket-mate, or just go for now as a +1. 

—MOST of all, this prize is admission for two for this one Friday evening event only—no dream trips, sorry. If you are not IN Los Angeles already that evening or plan to get there yourself if you win, then these won't be much good to you stuck on Rigel VII or Tellar Prime.

Once winners are turned in to Paramount, the studio will get in contact about any further information, guidelines, etc.

BTW, here's how that official Paramount release described the night:

The one-time only special event, taking place at the historic Paramount Pictures studio lot, will include the premiere of the newest Star Trek Beyond trailer, an exclusive first-look of never before seen footage from the upcoming film, a Q&A with Lin and the cast and crew, special guests appearances, and other surprises. The Q&A will be streamed via Facebook Live.

And hey—I'll collect the five winners (and maybe some runners-up?) and post them next week. We'll have to grab pics of our Trekland/ PORTAL 47 winners that night at the event, too, of course.



*ie, Random or not—in the alt-verse, Vulcan is gone, Amanda is dead and George Kirk died early; Kirk was born in space, Chekov was born four years earlier, and the Enterprise and most all tech is vastly more advanced than their Prime equivalent at the same time due to the  leapfrogging info downloaded off the century-later Narada. SO—what's an aspect of the Prime timeline that you WISH was changed in the alt?

PORTAL 47 by Tuesday: BONUSES fixed and a new clear look

I've been hearing from more folks who were unable to sign in on the inaugural PORTAL 47 pilot session / sample "telebriefing" Tuesday night… or unwilling, given the new tech.  Or maybe, even this is your first notice.

See, you can now go right to the *regular* website, and get what you missed Wednesday.

And if you did miss it, you missed a bit of history.  We had some glitches, but I can't wait to mature that tool among the rest of the PORTAL package I've put together ….in my long hunt for unique ways to use my own 20+ years of archives, memories and Trek contacts… in a way fans have never seen before: a deep-dive mini-con right to your own "center seat."

Even though that was a sample call meshing two of our formats, I must share a big thanks to VGR/ENT 1st assistant director Mike DeMeritt  for just scratching the surface of what we'll get to with real and often under-heard Trek creators… and also the surprise commuting call-in from Trek fan>Producer Dave Rossi that kicked us off, even before the P47 members came in for a quick Roundtable.  In fact, I've got a blog coming about a point Dave posed. Hmmm!

The only bugaboo of the night was from me… FORGETTING to mention the three bonus gifts I had lined up for new Portallers to come aboard here in the Founding Time:
—a free Vol. 2 or 3 "On Speaker" CD of your choice
—an actual VGR/DS9/ENT call sheet
—and a free "13th month" of the PORTAL…. Which by next fall will have who knows how much more awesome than even now.

I just want to make sure everybody has a fair shot, and a clear shot, to see just what PORTAL 47 is al about, after these weeks of teasing:

So—I've extended the THREE inaugural sign-in bonuses a week—until midnight local time this Tuesday, Sept. 15. 

You're welcome—and here's the *regular* website link again.

"I'm a Wall Decor, not a Doctor!": Lifesize Trek for you!

We may be breaking some kind of sneak-peek today, but who cares? This is cool—partly because it's so dang simple.

Or is it? Need a transporter in your bedroom? Or just a certain Vulcan science officer?

Walls360 is a start-up company already offering durable, re-"stickable" wall art posters from small to mural-size pieces ... and now just guess what their first franchise license is?

Well, take a good guess, Lieutenant, but clear that board.

Of COURSE it's Star Trek—beginning with the original series. The press release announcement is set to hit today...but their site is live NOW. They offer images from characters to ships to gadgets to, well, rooms...these are just three of dozens... and are "contour-cut from a single sheet of repositionable fabric paper for seamless installation."  They stick to almost any surface—from walls and windows to ceilings and around corners—and can be removed and re-hung 100 times without losing adhesion, leaving a mark, or damaging surfaces.

... But best of all, they offer these flat goodies in all sizes and prices from $15 (one-footer) to $155—the biggest at eight feet tall!

"It has been a LOT of fun going into the CBS archives and picking out images that will work for giant wall graphics," John Doffing, the Walls360, told me. "We are starting with TOS, and will be adding a LOT of new content.  We are a brand-new company, and this is our first big branded partner launch." And yes, they do utilize the new higher-res clarity of the Remastered TOS editions to deliver the large-scale sizes.


Stay tuned, and we'll be having our own TREKLAND giveaway of some TREK Walls360 items coming up real quick.