Actors Cast Doubt on Axanar Threat Over Blooper Reel

Peters may have lost Trek actor Gary Graham, who reportedly said Axanar cast ‘a pall’ over his career

Main article: Peters Threatens Legal Action Against 'Prelude' Blooper Reel

After threatening to draw Prelude to Axanar‘s cast into litigation over a former Axanar staffer’s plan to release a blooper reel from the 20-minute short, some of those cast members reportedly threw producer Alec Peters’ threat into doubt.

In a July 15, 2017, email to AxaMonitor editor Carlos Pedraza with the subject line “Legal Issues,” Peters said he had informed the agents for the professional actors who appeared in Prelude, as well as their union, the Screen Actors Guild/AFTRA, that Axanar’s former chief technologist, Terry McIntosh, planned to release blooper footage without the cast’s permission.

“Release of actors’ images without their approval is a violation of their rights,” Peters told AxaMonitor. “I will let everyone know that Terry has violated every actor’s rights and that the agents for those actors can proceed against Terry and you.”

THE CAST of Prelude to Axanar, including Richard Hatch and Trek veterans Gary Graham, J.G. Hertzler, Tony Todd and Kate Vernon.

After AxaMonitor published that threat on July 20, McIntosh contacted the actors involved to explain the situation and seek their blessing on the blooper project. Actor Gary Graham (Soval in Star Trek: Enterprise and Prelude to Axanar) demurred, while casting doubt on his further involvement with Axanar.

According to McIntosh, Graham wrote:

For reasons of my own, I really wish that you didn’t [use my blooper footage]. The Axanar thing has inadvertently put a pall on my relationship with Star Trek … and I’m still hunkering down from it. With that four-minute [Vulcan] scene that was released, I had become somewhat of the poster boy for fan-film litigation and I want to stay well clear of it now. It takes years to assemble a credible acting career… and it can all go away overnight. Please don’t use any footage of me. Thanks for understanding.¹⁾

McIntosh acceded to Graham’s request, saying:

> Remember, [the actors’] wishes are not binding. I’m inquiring as a courtesy. I like Gary, so I told him that I’ll respect his wishes due to the career hit that he explained that he took/is taking. That simply makes more room for embarrassing Alec.²⁾

Kate Vernon as Capt. Sonya Alexander in Prelude to Axanar (2015).

Meanwhile, Kate Vernon gave the project a thumbs up after McIntosh explained it this way to her:

There seems to be some controversy brewing regarding my creating a fun and light-hearted “blooper reel” from Prelude to Axanar shoot and releasing it in a tasteful manner to the Axanar donors as a bit of recompense for how things have turned out for them. Would you have any objection to several extremely short takes with the possibility of a funny flub being released publicly?³⁾

According to McIntosh, Vernon said, “Hi Terry. Sure that’s fine with me :) ”⁴⁾

Actor J.G. Hertzler in Prelude to Axanar.

J.G. Hertzler, the actor running for Congress in-character as Mark Twain, asked to be omitted from the bloopers.

My feeling is that I should be left out of a blooper reel. With all the chaos surrounding Axanar. … for an abundance of reasons. Not the least being the advice of my attorney/campaign manager who is standing with me at Kinkos right now. Hope you can work around me on this! I did have great time working with you on Axanar.⁵⁾

McIntosh courteously replied, “No worries, John,” but posted on the AxaMonitor Facebook page that hadn’t yet decided whether to honor Hertzler’s request.⁶⁾

Graham’s latest message added to the public doubts he would appear in “Axanar Lite,” the two 15-minute episodes Peters was allowed to produce under the terms of his settlement in the copyright infringement lawsuit brought against him by CBS and Paramount Pictures.

To keep fans’ interest in Axanar alive, Peters has claimed the Star Trek alumni actors who appeared in Prelude would return, stating as recently as June 25 that Graham and Hertzler would appear in the short films.

On June 28, Graham said no deal for him to appear in the Axanar shorts had yet been struck. Meanwhile, Hertzler recently announced a run for Congress under the guise of Mark Twain, and signed on to reprise his role as the Klingon, Martok, in Star Trek Online.

On July 20, Hertzler responded to an inquiring fan who asked, “Are you still going to be part of the Axanar Project now that you are running for office and working for STO [Star Trek Online]?”⁷⁾ Hertzler replied:

Hope So! Planning on it! No worries.⁸⁾

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