Publishers and the Adherance to Phantasmic Posulations

So there's this story that I've been working on lately. I've written tons of snippets, side stories, and notes for it. I've spent time obsessing, researching, and perfecting. You'd think that, with all the work I've put into it, I might get some money from it some day. Wrong.
My work does not completely belong to me. Why? Because the universe in which it's set belongs to Gene Roddenberry and CBS. That's right, it's a Star Trek fanfiction!
However, unlike most fanfiction, this one is going to be huge. About the size of an actual book. And the crazy part? All of the characters are original.
At this point, you're probably shouting at your screen in frustration at my stupid choices. Why would I relinquish almost all of my creative rights and write about a universe that already exists when I could just as easily create my own?
Because it's a challenge.
I'm being forced to write within the bounds of a pre-written universe. This means that I have to adhere to the laws of nature and heavily research everything. It means that, even though all the characters are original and I'm creating an entirely new species and planet, I have to do things like look up the appropriate uniform for their era, observe proper Starfleet conduct, and make sure that I know the starship's floor plan.
A lot of work is going into this and a lot of work will continue to go into this, and I'm probably never going to get paid (unless they want to buy the story off me). I know this, and I'm fine with it. Sure, it would be nice to see some cash flow from a published book, but that's not really the point of writing. Honestly, I'd be happy if just one person read it. As long as a single person finds themselves enjoying the story, if it opens them to new ideas or viewpoints, even just a little, then my work has paid off.
Plus, if it ends up being a hit, pieces of it may just worm its way into Canon! Did you know that Uhura's first name was created by William Rotsler, an avid Star Trek fan who wrote Star Trek II Biographies, a licensed Star Trek novel (basically a glorified fanfic)? Gene Rodenberry and Nichelle Nichols liked the name, so it was adopted as canon. However, Nyota Uhura's name was never mentioned in the Star Trek movies or show until the 2009 film, taking place in the Alternate Reality.
<takes breaths/>
Whew! Did not mean to geek out so much there. What was I saying?

Oh yeah!
So I'm making this super cool, super long Star Trek fanfic that will probably never make me any money, but I'm totally fine with that and I hope that you guys will read it someday.
Phew.

Logging out. Live long and prosper.

Digital Copies

I just had an interesting conversation with Cooper today. Along the way, complained a bit about the absurd prices of comics and manga. I tend to slam through manga, comfortably reading about 4 volumes at a time. One of my favorite mangas is xxxHolic, a CLAMP story about the manifestations of habits, desires, and modes of thought. It's laid out beautifully, the art is amazing, and the characters and stories are divine. I would buy the entire series, happily giving my money to the artists, if each volume wasn't $10.95 new. I realize that the artists spend a very long time planning and drawing these beautiful things and I'm sure that a whole volume is worth $10.95, but, in reality, I'm not going to buy a whole bunch of these new. I just don't have the money! This brings up an interesting point.

The worth of a book isn't in the binding. It's the relationship between the reader and the story. You can bind the Twilight series in beautiful gold-framed, embossed mermaid skin, but it doesn't mean I'm going to buy it. Just because you spent a fortune to make the physical book doesn't mean that it's actual value goes up all that much.
The same's true for any work of art! You don't look at Van Gogh's Starry Night and say "My god! He really spent a fortune on paint! I hope he got his money's worth in the end.*" No, you think "Wow! Look at these colors! And the swirls! And the yellow!! ...And is that a tree or an alien structure??" and then you fight the urge to draw on a little exploding TARDIS in the corner.

Of course, it would be lovely if Van Gogh turned a profit on this! I would pay for tickets to see it myself... If I wasn't able to find a digital copy.
This brings me to things like eBooks. How much should we pay for one? Obviously, we should pay the person who types up the thing themselves or the person who creates the technology to properly scan the thing, as well as the author, editor, and publishers... But after that's done, should we pay for every single digital copy of the book? The work has already gone into it. I know that the author and the typists or programmers are still getting paid every time we buy one, but it's still kind of weird. We're used to paying for physical copies of things. Buying a used movie is fine, because you're buying it from the original buyer. But it it okay to buy or even trade a digital copy? Where should the line be drawn, and by whom?
When you sell a work of art, you're selling the physical product and an idea. You want your copy of The Picture of Dorian Gray to hold up, but the whole reason you bought it was so that you could experience the story the pages contain. So if the physical aspect is taken away (like with eBooks), the only thing that remains it the feeling itself. In this digital age, we are peddling ideas. Nothing more.
So how much is an idea worth? Can it be translated into dollars? If so, should it be? Should it be regulated?
These are questions that I have no answers to. If you have opinions or corrections on any of the points I've made during the post, feel free to leave them in the comments! Don't worry, I don't bite! I'll even respond to each one. =)

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*As far as I know, he only sold one painting: The Red Vineyard. ...So no, he did not get his money's worth.