April 18

[Zeke]

Crap! Again! Not dead, just in constant battle with my neuroses. The next two updates are very nearly done, so I should be able to get tomorrow's update posted by midnight. There's quite a bit of substance to that update, including what I hope will be the solution to the on-again-off-again nature of 5MV's email update list.


For today, though, I'm deeply disheartened to report that TrekUnited has failed in its campaign to get Enterprise a fifth season. It wasn't a matter of insufficient funding or means; Paramount simply couldn't be budged. And on one level, we can't really fault them. Star Trek is theirs and it's their prerogative to call a halt, for better or for worse. TU's proposition was in some ways a lose-lose for them. If Season 5 had been lousy, it would have reflected on Paramount by association; if Season 5 had been great, it would have made them look like fools, shown up by a bunch of Trek geeks. Maybe this was what they were thinking... though given how clear it is that Paramount's biggest concern is the bottom line, it's still surprising that they managed to turn down all that money.


TU is beginning the refund process, so if you were able to donate anything to the cause, you'll be getting it back soon. My advice? Give it to some deserving charity. You weren't expecting to get it back, so presumably you can live without it -- and there are many other worthy causes to whom it could make a big difference. TU's detractors have been fond of claiming that the money being spent on Trek could be saving lives. That objection is grossly unfair and naive... but now that the money isn't being spent on Trek, why not do some good with it?


Finally, on a more lighthearted note, a reader pointed me to this Garfield strip. Hey, that's deep thought in my book.