Donald Gorman, another “Star Trek” fan, said Huddleston paid him $100 in cash to operate a forklift for one day. (Gorman went on to volunteer for three additional days.) He saw Huddleston talking with contractors and taking a photo of a prop replica from the film “Alien” to upload on the museum’s X account.

Grimwade said Huddleston met with a potential new CEO for a tour of the museum a week before the gala, but Huddleston told The Times that beyond recommending him to the board, he was not involved in his recruitment or hiring. Huddleston and Grimwade declined to identify the new CEO; however, Huddleston called him a “well-known, well-respected film producer and director.”

A cloud even hangs over Huddleston’s salvaged replica bridge that started it all. Huddleston appeared regularly at comic book, sci-fi and film conventions including Comic-Con and WonderCon with pieces of the bridge, most notably the captain’s chair. He’d take pictures of celebrities like “Star Trek” actors Nichelle Nichols, Walter Koenig and Marina Sirtis sitting in it — a donation bucket for the museum not far away, said former volunteers.

The restored bridge, however, is not assembled at Sci-Fi World. The organization recently announced that city inspectors and the owners of the building will not permit it to be displayed in its entirety because the bridge doesn’t have sprinklers on its ceiling, making it a fire hazard. The newly restored chairs and computers will be on display for photo ops.

Trekkie outcry

Tickets for Sci-Fi World’s red-carpet gala sold for $200 to $400. However, due to the ongoing permitting issues, the gala was held in the parking lot at the last minute. Santa Monica Fire Marshal Joe Cavin ensured no one entered the building. Huddleston was there, Grimwade said, talking with attendees and even running an auction for a speed painting.

Bradley Clifton, a self-professed “big sci-fi nerd” from Kentucky, donated to the original Kickstarter and flew to L.A. for the “gala.” He described a red carpet near portable toilets, a self-serve table of Buca di Beppo pasta with 2-liter bottles of off-brand soda — and none of the celebrities, bands or comedians that he expected. Clifton got his ticket money back but was out more than $600 for his plane fare and hotel.

“I’ve never been to a red carpet,” Clifton said, adding that the museum’s online posts teasing star-studded guests led him to believe it would be a ritzy L.A. affair, and he had been worried about what to wear. “I just see all this stuff on TV, and I’m thinking, ‘Big deal,’ and I’m like, ‘Wow, this is it?’”

Olivia Youngers, an actress who appeared in the CBS All Access series “Star Trek: Picard,” volunteered for the museum’s nonprofit in 2014. She said she withdrew her support after a few exchanges with Huddleston made her uncomfortable, and she later learned of his conviction.

“He would frequently comment on my age and how young I looked, and that unnerved me,” she said. When she heard the museum was opening, she discovered that Huddleston was still listed on its tax forms and decided to raise awareness about his involvement on Twitter.

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