Fanboys Is Really Happening, Only with Star Trek Instead

“Yes! We did something!”

Remember the movie Fanboys, in which a group of friends tries to sneak into Skywalker Ranch in spring of 1999 to get their cancer-stricken friend a sneak-peek at The Phantom Menace? If you haven’t, you should – the array of in-jokes ensures that people like us are literally the only ones who’ll appreciate it. Plus Kristen Bell in Slave Leia outfit (and that’s Seth Rogen above, in one of his dual roles, playing a disgruntled Trekker who doesn’t have legal permission to use official Paramount logos onscreen). But I digress.

Yesterday, I received this email:

I have a friend dying of cancer and all he wants is to see the [Star Trek] Into Darkness preview, anyway you could repost this and help get the word out?

It included a link to Reddit, which had some more information, from the man’s wife:

“My amazing healthy film buff husband diagnosed with leukemia (CML) at 38 had to endure 3 rounds of chemo before they found a bone marrow donor match had a Bone Marrow Transplant, which was MORE chemo, full body radiation & lots of other horrific things….then endured/survived 3 major infections + a massive GI bleed that put him in the hospital 10+ times over 3 1/2 years not to mention 100’s of doctors visits…. he is my hero; I am his caregiver – I would do anything to help him…. he is now ravaged by a new TOTALLY UNRELATED cancer, (isn’t that a fucker?) an aggressive and EXTREMELY rare vascular tumor that is crowding out his healthy liver tissue… they grew under treatment; there is nothing left to do but make him comfortable, at 41, he is jaundice & his liver is enlarged, his body has had enough, he has weeks to live, He was hospitalized and had to exchange our HOBBITT tickets (where the 10 min Star Trek preview was supposed to be shown) we were able to put him in a car and get over to the HOBBITT but NO PREVIEW???? we, his friends and family, the love of my life – WOULD LOVE him to be able to see the Star Trek movie but even the 10 minutes of the trailer would be AMAZING.”

I wrote back that of course I’d be willing to spread the word, and asking for some contact information where anybody relevant who might be reading could write back.

But before I could do anything, I got a reply…

I was just about to ask if I could give out his e-mail when it turns out JJ Abrams got into contact with them and is trying to work something out. Thanks for your support though! I really appreciate it!

The Mary Sue has more – it appears Abrams is trying to see if he can show the (literal) diehard fan a cut of the film itself! Failing that, he will at least get the nine-minute trailer.

And so the Internet was used for good once again. Tomorrow, the petty insults may resume.