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A child porn conviction and angry 'Star Trek' fans: Inside the drama around a new sci-fi museum

Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times on

Published in Entertainment News

A representative for Moore said the screenwriter has never been involved in the organization, and Nemecek said he resigned in 2015.

As if the museum’s leadership turmoil were not enough, CBS Studios, which produces multiple “Star Trek” series, said it has sent a cease and desist letter to Huddleston and Purdy, notifying them that they do not have the right to re-create elements from the “Star Trek” franchise and exhibit them for commercial use. A studio rep also said the “Next Generation” set pieces were believed to have been destroyed at the time of their disposal because they were extremely damaged.

Who’s running the show?

Huddleston repeatedly told The Times that his involvement with the museum is minimal, limited to helping assemble tricky props, and that all other managerial duties were up to Purdy. The museum’s public opening is delayed indefinitely due to permitting issues with the city. Huddleston said he had not been a part of early discussions regarding city requirements for getting the space up to code, and that he’s been onsite only about nine times since the 30,000-square-foot space was secured in November.

“I told John, and I told Cory, and I told everybody else involved, ‘I don’t want to step foot in there once it opens,’ ” Huddleston said, adding that he was wrongly convicted and pressured to take a plea deal. He said he had largely stepped aside for the good of the project. “I love that it’s getting done. I was really, really, really hoping by now I could prove my innocence. And that didn’t happen because I didn’t have enough money or power and it all happened during ‘Me Too.’ ”

Huddleston’s involvement extends to the property’s security camera feeds, which he confirmed connect directly to his phone. Huddleston said that the cameras feed to him only in the absence of a CEO or a general manager, and that he would transfer the cameras to the future GM’s phone.

 

Dacy said he resigned partly because the museum was not remotely ready to open.

“It’s been haphazardly handled,” Dacy said of the museum, which is selling annual memberships for $70. “It’s being treated the way a pop-up would be treated, in my opinion, where you go in with the idea that you’re going to be open for a few weeks.”

Grimwade said he heard Huddleston refer to the museum multiple times as a “pop-up,” in particular when “trying to convince electricians to complete work that they seem to think is not up to code for a permanent location.”

Huddleston confirmed that he called the museum a pop-up, and added that it was always meant to be a pop-up, unless it succeeds on a permanent basis.

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