The Decipher ship is sinking fast, and like a captain, Star Trek Communicator is going down with it.

First reported by “Inside Business'” Janet Dunphy, the future does not look ‘Star Trekish’ for the game-card company headquartered out of Norfolk.

The company has been fraught with lay-offs, lease loses and a slew of pending lawsuits from several sources, including some of its most loyal fan-base. A group of fans are disgruntled at Decipher’s failure to pay up nearly $4,000.00 in Las Vegas Tournament winnings. Also, the company has failed to reimburse some of its clients who purchase products for convention sales. According to those clients the products never arrived.

None of this came as a surprise to the subscribers of its Communicator magazine once their latest issue failed to arrive as scheduled.

According to Steve Krutzler over at TrekWeb.com, Larry Nemecek, the former editor, stated that Decipher has stopped publishing the magazine. Nemecek told a crowd of eager fans at the Star Trek Convention in Vegas this past weekend that “Paramount will not let the Fan Club and Magazine die, forces are zooming along as we speak to get the magazine and club operation going again – good forces, and to have the Fan Club and Communicator back better than ever, especially with the 40th Anniversary of Star Trek next year.”

Nemecek added, “I also expect that Paramount, who as you may know from the news is itself amid the big Viacom split happening now – affecting Star Trek and many arms like video, online, licensing, etc. – will be insisting that the next incarnation will be in experienced hands, with a return to a more accessible payment and customer service attitude. I would bet we’ll also see new and returning member bonuses, including online component.”

Despite Nemecek’s optimism the road ahead for Decipher is extremely bleak and Star Trek Communicator will have a long climb back to reach that pinnacle of public trust, regardless of who takes charge of its future.