Star Trek has had a project in limbo for years now, and the creative team behind it is providing a long-awaited update for fans. The documentary about Star Trek: Voyager officially lifted off in early 2021 with a crowdfunding campaign to get To The Journey – Looking Back At Star Trek: Voyager into production. After seeing donations pour in at record speed, the team behind the documentary was able to get production going with the official permission of the Star Trek franchise. After that, cast and crew members from Star Trek: Voyager all sat down and provided interviews for the documentary, and it seemed like it was set to be the next big behind-the-scenes feature about the inner workings of Star Trek. There was even a sneak peek trailer released.
Videos by ComicBook.com
But that was years ago.
Today, the team behind To The Journey posted an important update on their social media page. The long and short of the message is that volatile factors in the DVD/Blu-ray market, as well as licensing and distribution challenges, are still holding up the project from being released: “Fulfillment costs and inflation have had a major impact.”
That’s a very tricky situation, as this Voyager documentary has been collecting record revenue from crowdfunding, pre-orders, and an entire merchandise store. In fact, the documentary team actually cites the merch as one big hurdle they need to get over, saying “Before even reaching the physical media stage, hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent fulfilling the backer perks promised during the campaign — including manufacturing and shipping.” They also state that “due to approximately 25% inflation” across the economy, “These increases have had a substantial cumulative effect.”
On the licensing and distribution side, the group claims that “Paramount passed on distributing the film,” after they couldn’t come to terms, due to upfront costs. “They require a six-figure license fee before any wide release can move forward which has added complexity to the path toward producing DVDs/Blu-rays.” There is also direct competition from a YouTube Voyager documentary that recycles archival footage from interviews and featurettes and splices them into a documentary-style feature. According to the To The Journey team, “We have reported this to Paramount, but no action has been taken as of yet. Its visibility has added confusion at a very sensitive stage in distributor discussions.”
At the end of the day, there’s a dedicated community championing this documentary, and it doesn’t sound like they’re getting any closer to having their dedication rewarded. The team behind To The Journey insists that “Negotiations are ongoing — and we are continuing to work toward a solution” to this long delay. They thank the fans “for sticking with us and supporting the film and the Star Trek community that made it possible.”
There’s contact info for anyone who wants to voice their concerns or ask more detailed questions. In the meantime, Star Trek has just one new upcoming TV series, Starfleet Academy, as well as a new film project in production.
Most Viewed
-
Image courtesy of Virgin Films -
Image Courtesy of Netflix -
Image courtesy of Netflix.
