Colonial Fleets - Paramount Refused Fan Money

Interesting developments and check out the links in the story:

From The SciFi Wire:

Paramount Refused Fan Money

A high-ranking executive at Paramount Television, which produces Star Trek: Enterprise, not only denied to SCI FI Wire that the studio is in talks with Trek United, the fan group that is raising money to revive the show, but also sent a letter to Trek United chief Tim Brazeal last month saying that the studio would not accept fan money for such a purpose. "There are no talks going on with anybody at Paramount," John Wentworth, executive vice president for communications at Paramount TV, said in an interview. "And the decision to end the show is final."

Wentworth also provided SCI FI Wire with a copy of a letter sent to Brazeal on March 15, which read in part: "We cannot and will not be able to accept funds from viewers to produce Star Trek: Enterprise or any other series." The letter was sent to Brazeal and to the lawyer for Trek United, Andrew Beardall.

Paramount has previously disavowed any connection with fan groups collecting money in an effort to get UPN's canceled Star Trek: Enterprise back on the air. In a statement on the official Star Trek Web site, the studio said: "We would ... like to point out that there may be other campaigns underway to save [the] show that request a monetary donation. We would urge caution before you part with your money as these groups have no connection to Paramount, nor are their activities condoned in any way by the studio."

Trek United has been telling fans that it is in secret discussions with Paramount representatives about keeping the show alive, and that the reps have left open the possibility the show may return.

On April 12, Brazeal, the head of Trek United, confirmed to SCI FI Wire that he had received Wentworth's letter, adding that he responded saying that as the group was incorporated, they were not viewers and should be treated as a corporation. Brazeal maintained that the group is in talks with other Paramount representatives.

Earlier, a Trek United spokeswoman said that it was possible the Paramount spokesman wasn't aware of Trek United's talks. "I think it's probably a case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing," Candice McCallie, the Houston-based spokeswoman for Trek United, told SCI FI Wire last week.

In other developments, the message boards on the official Star Trek Web site had removed Trek United's prominently displayed solicitations for funds as of April 11. Last week, the message boards for Trek Nation/TrekToday did the same, citing in part Trek United's aggressive fund-raising tactics and the resulting rancorous debate surrounding them.

Trek United has raised nearly $3.14 million in pledges and contributions from fans eager to finance a fifth season of Enterprise, and McCallie said that donors are promised their money back if the show doesn't come back, "except for the 5 percent handling fee to cover the banks and Paypal and all that kind of stuff."