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Star Trek Phase 2(ST:P2)! Lest that phrase strike terror into the fetid pits of your dark, dank soul then don’t worry. I am not Spock: I am merely interested in the Star Trek effect. ST:P2 is an interesting conceit. Let me explain...

In 1969, Star Trek: The Original Series (ST:TOS) was cancelled for good. Letter writing campaigns were ineffective this time. The fabled ‘Five Year Mission’ was abruptly finished two whole years early after only three years. Of course, fan pressures kept the franchise alive and eventually led to the movie, which lead to The Next Generation (ST:TNG), on to
the gloriously un-Trek-like Deep Space Nine (ST:DS9) and through the rather lamentable Voyager (ST:VOY)

Of course, this being Sc-fi it wasn’t good enough. The fans wanted more Kirk and Spock. In 1997 a guy James Cawley (according to Wikipedia he is an Elvis impersonator... this is when seeds of doubt about Wikipedia's veracity flower!) began to do something about it by making episodes himself. Over the last couple of years the whole enterprise (pun intended) has blossomed. Using the power of the internet for distribution and crowdsourcing a team, allied with cheap digital tools, something magical happened: the missing fourth and fifth seasons went into production

In many ways, this is the current king of crowdsourcing. What is fascinating is how they have stuck to the original vision; how they have lovingly recreated the sets, props and even ham acting styles and, of course, how they have financed the whole deal

The project has been done with the blessing of CBS on condition that no profit is made. The entire cost is met by donations from cast, crew and friends, including actual Trek actors who appear occasionally

Not only did it work and be successful, it spawned another fan series, Star Trek: Of Gods and Men (OGaM), a three-part unofficial Star Trek fan mini-series which contains many cast members from the Star Trek TV series and movies. It is described by its producers as a "40th Anniversary gift" from Star Trek actors to their fans (Wikipedia). So the actual actors have crowdsourced a mini-series!

Now when we talk crowdsourcing, we often have lofty ideals in mind. At conferences all over the world we see examples of crowdsourcing that have resulted in grand and often experimental feature films being made and art projects being fulfilled. STP2 is a fantastic example of how real fans can harness the power of the internet and take control, bypassing us and the media. It is a lesson in how powerful real popular culture actually is. This is a lesson we can all learn. We often bemoan the difficulties in raising money and getting backing for projects but the power of popular culture can be an enormous driver in itself. Doing something that is outright and unashamedly entertaining can be just as valuable as something that is culturally aware but crucially is more likely to get an audience. When we design games we see nothing wrong in making fun games but when we try to make films or TV we tend towards attempting something with “more meaning”.
TV and film can be fun...

In terms of crowdsourcing and co-creation, it is the brand-led products that have tended to produce lighter and more fun content; witness inthemotherhood.com, which is entertaining, fun and fluffy (but clever with it). Of course, brands have a vested interest in appealing to ordinary consumers and are very good at it. Brands will of course only finance things that suit them. They are not white knights riding to the rescue of desperate producers, they have specific goals to achieve and these will often not totally square with a producer’s desires. But they above all others understand how making things popular generates money

Tapping the power of the crowd is oft talked about, but not much done (yet). The fact that probably the biggest example in the world is an unashamedly geeky conceit should give us pause for thought. It may have already been done, but it would be interesting to see a fully fledged crowd sourced sitcom, or what about a revival of say Fawlty Towers or Seinfeld’s Soup Nazi getting a spin off? Hell I am sure the crowd could even breathe life back into Sid james and Kenneth Williams... “Carry on Crowdsourcing” anyone?

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