Activision sues over Trek "decay." In this corner, Activision - the world's first third-party video game software house, dating back to the Atari 2600 years, currently in the middle of a ten-year license to produce Star Trek games. And in this corner, Viacom / Paramount, the owners of the Star Trek intellectual properties, makers of the various TV series and movies, and owners of UPN. The story's something like this: Activision is suing Viacom for allowing the Trek franchise to "stagnate and decay," citing that only one feature film - Nemesis - has been produced in the five years since the license began, and two series (Deep Space Nine and Voyager) have left the air, handing the whole franchise off to Enterprise, a show which Activision hasn't yet been given permission to base a game on. Activision further claims that Viacom / Paramount has no further plans to produce Star Trek movies. The game company is suing for damages and to be released from the 10-year contract on the basis that Viacom hasn't made good on a promise to commercially exploit the Trek properties to their fullest potential; Viacom, naturally, has fired back with a retaliatory statement that there will ("eventually") be another Trek feature film, and that Activision is just seeking an early exit from its own contractual obligations. There's so much more that could be said about this, but these are just the facts; for a few opinions, read here. Sources: Electronic Media, Sci-Fi Wire

Galactica on DVD! Yes! Battlestar Galactica fans, rejoice. Universal Home Video, riding the coattails of Sci-Fi Channel's highly publicized miniseries remake of Galactica, is releasing the entire first season of the original series to DVD this October, with many bonus features, interviews and documentary material promised with members of the classic cast. The price is currently expected to be around $120. Universal is also planning on releasing the original Incredible Hulk TV series over this summer to cash in on the success of the new movie, and there is already talk of Universal mining other classic series from their library, including genre classics Buck Rogers, Quantum Leap and Sliders. Pre-ordering links for the Galactica box set will be available soon at theLogBook.com. Sources: Sci-Fi Channel, Digital Bits

Episode III filming begins. Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor went back before the cameras last week as the first filming began on Star Wars Episode III (no subtitle releasd as yet). Again being directed by George Lucas, Episode III will also feature classic trilogy veterans Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker and Peter Mayhew, reprising the role of Chewbacca for the first time in the prequel trilogy. James Earl Jones will also once again provide the voice of Darth Vader. 22 months and counting... Source: Lucasfilm

We're Outer here. The complete second season of Leslie Stevens' classic 1960s series The Outer Limits is on the way, with a September street date. Featuring the Harlan Ellison-written episodes Soldier and Demon With A Glass Hand, and the fan favorite I, Robot episode starring Leonard Nimoy, the three-double-sided-disc set contains all 24 episodes of the show's second (and final) season. You can pre-order The Outer Limits Season Two now from theLogBook.com.

The Outer Limits - The Complete Second Season

Going back for seconds. Season two just seems to be the in thing right about now, doesn't it? For you Angel fans, the highly-regarded second season is also coming in early September. The 6-disc set not only contains every episode of year two, but commentary on key episodes (Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been, Over The Rainbow), complete scripts for Darla and Disharmony, several behind-the-scenes featurettes, set blueprints, and more. You can pre-order Angel Season Two now from theLogBook.com.

Angel - The Complete Second Season

Activision vs. Viacom Part 2: the case against. I'm going to come right out and shock you here. I have no love for how Paramount has "exploited" the Star Trek franchise in recent years - I have nothing against Enterprise other than its constant recycling of ideas from the other series, and the fact that it's all gotten rather dull. The cast is great, and it's a pity to see them wasted on the weaker scripts, and a joy to see them soar (First Flight being a good example of said soaring). But is it Star Trek?

Well, without the sense of wonder and adventure...barely.

But here's what'll surprise you. Activision doesn't have a leg to stand on. I'll be amazed if a judge actually lets this case get anywhere. The basic flaw in their lawsuit assumes that Viacom and Paramount must exploit the franchise more for the sake of the licensees.

Down that path lies madness. Lots and lots of Pokemon-flavored, cart-before-the-horse merchandising madness.

In a completely objective sense, Viacom is exploiting the Trek franchise aplenty. Pocket Books (although, to be fair, Pocket is an imprint of Viacom-owned publisher Simon & Schuster) isn't complaining. And though it too is also a part of the Viacom / Paramount empire, Paramount Home Video's got to be rolling in it with its bi-monthly DVD box set releases from the Trek franchise. See a trend here? Viacom's exploiting the franchise aplenty for itself - but in a court of law, the studio will build its case on the fact that it is exploiting it.

Perhaps what really needs to happen is that Viacom needs to take the licensing shackles off of Activision. The game company seems to be limited in the terms of what kind of games it's allowed to build around the Trek franchise, and maybe that needs to stop. Let Activision get wacky with the franchise. Let them make the video game equivalent of the cross-generation movie that the fans are slowly starting to realize will never happen. I mean, we could cross crew members from different shows in Starship Creator, a pre-Activision title, couldn't we?

So the truth is probably somewhere in between Viacom and Activision: Viacom is exploiting the franchise, for better or worse, but it's keeping a draconian hold on what third-party licensees can do with Star Trek. And Activision probably does just want out of the contract, though maybe they'd stick around if they'd be allowed some wiggle room to make decent games out of a franchise that has produced some incredibly playable games in the past.

But in the end, the chips are stacked on Viacom's side of the table. Disgruntled fans may be cheering Activision on, but don't expect them to win in court. As a public-relations first strike, though, Activision's "stagnate and decay" complaint is a bold maneuver, and may do some damage - as if the press, TV critics, and of course the fans aren't already grumbling.

Earl Green
theLogBook.com webmaster/editor-in-chief