Now James Cawley, Star Trek Phase II/New Voyages producer and super-fan, has made public a letter that he sent to the Nebula awarding body, the Science Fiction Writers of America on the Trek BBS, a Star Trek message board. In this letter he refutes any claim to professional status – saying Marc Zicree had painted a “wrong picture” of his project.
“Legally, we are a fan-based production. We exist solely because we maintain our amateur status, and good faith relationship with Paramount CBS.
“I must stress this as strongly as I can. We are committed to maintaining our relationship with Paramount Pictures. We are a fan-based production. Legally, our episodes are AMATEUR. Marc Scott Zicree’s claims otherwise are notwithstanding”.
“Marc (Zicree) has a vested interest in portraying the show as professionally produced – he (not the production itself, mind you; the award is only for the script) can now win a Nebula. (…) we have a vested interest in remaining non-professional – our agreement with Paramount is that we can’t be professional (i.e., earn money) and continue producing our show. But in a pro vs. non-pro contest, I’ll put my empty wallet up against the empty space on Marc’s mantle any day. It would be a shame if the Nebula controversy ended up as a pyrrhic victory – Marc gets his award and the show is shut down by Paramount”.
The full text of Cawley’s letter can be found at the Trek BBS
