I’m worried for the Star Trek fan films.  Reading between the lines of this preemptive defense of Star Trek Axanar, I’m not sure they understand the real issue.  It’s not about the IP.  It’s the amount of money these fan films are raising from fans that will trigger a crackdown.  The budgets are going through the roof and CBS will eventually see this as competition to a revenue stream that they previously had all to themselves.

It doesn’t help that there is a very vocal group online that spreads their hate for the “new-and-improved JJ Abrams reboot movies.”  Number five in this letter mentions this controversy as a defense for the continued existence of fan films but I don’t think CBS will see it that way if the new film doesn’t meet expectations at the box office.  CBS cares about the money the franchise can generate.  Eventually someone somewhere in that corporation will get tired of sharing it.   …and that will be a sad day.

Picture credit: The amazing Trek Core