March 02, 2005
Trek fans a formidable foe
You would think television executives would remember 1960s. NBC announced it would cancel the original incarnation of Star Trek only to reverse the decision in the face of an incredibly organized opposition - the show's fans. Flash forward to today: Star Trek fans are at it again.
Last week there were coordinated demonstrations in cities around the world, and this week, Christie reports Trek United has managed to get three uber-geeks to contribut a total of $3-million to save the show's latest series Enterprise. Ordinary fans have contributed another $77,000.
Clearly, Star Trek fans are not a group with which you want to get into a battle. They are smart, well-organized and, apparently, some are pretty rich.
It seems to me that ratings are to television as polls are too politics. They give you a sense of what people are thinking, but they are not definitive. They don't tell you how passionate people are about their views or, in the case of television, what they view. I suspect Paramount, the producers of the show, underestimated the dedication of its fans and may have to reverse its decision as NBC did nearly 40 years ago.
The $3.1-million will be a bonus.
Further Reading:
Investors in space flight industry contribute $3,000,000 to TrekUnited (Trek United)
Save Enterprise
Posted by maxthecat at March 2, 2005 03:29 PM
http://www.maxsmewsings.com/mt/archives/2005/03/trek_fans_a_formidable_foe.php