More Crap from KRAD
March 1st 2008
The wonderful Keith R.A. DeCandido of Pocketbooks is at it again.
His target this time is Star Trek: New Voyages' fan film, World Enough and Time. Mr. DeCandido doesn't feel that fan films and fan fiction should qualify for recognition for a Nebula Award. According to his own words:
Yes, a fan film is on the Nebula ballot. The same Nebula ballot which would never sully its hallowed halls by allowing a media tie-in novel or short story, has a fan film on it. Look, this isn't a knock on the fan films as such. But that's what they are -- they're fan films. They are not professionally produced. What's more, they're unauthorized and, by the letter of the law, illegal. In fact, one of the reasons why they're not prosecuted, is because they don't turn a profit, which is one of the legion of ways that they're not professionally produced.
This is more of the same sort of nonsense that he and the rest of the Pocketbook pinheads usually attack fan fiction with: Oh, it's not professional. No real writer would stoop to writing fan fiction. The zines aren't professionally published. They're illegal. Fandom doesn't matter.
Oh, sure, he tries the lessen his comments with:
Look, this isn't a knock on the fan films as such. But that's what they are -- they're fan films.
Now, let's be honest here. Mr. DeCandido's career stems from the fact that he hardly writes anything original, and that almost all of his work are "media tie-ins." Is this a case of sour grapes, any one? After all, he's the one who points out that the Nebulas:
...would never sully its hallowed halls by allowing a media tie-in novel or short story...
Well, after reexamination, the SFWA has decided to keep it on the ballot, but it still sticks in his craw that New Voyages has indeed risen to the point where it is a professionally produced project.
This doesn't surprise me, and it shouldn't surprise any Star Trek fan. The only thing that surprises me is that this sort of fellow is still allowed to write for Star Trek. It's more of the same from the current Pocketbooks clique of writers. He's no longer a fan; he's a hack, and in my opinion, Pocketbooks would do well to rid themselves of him and anyone else who's forgotten that fandom matters.
Randy
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