Whether you are team Next Generation (TNG), Deep Space Nine (DS9), Original Series (TOS) or still undecided, all groups were represented last weekend during the official Star Trek Convention 2014 held just two hours south of the border in Washington.
Fan events company 'Creation Entertainment' organized the convention, that took place from Dec. 12th to 14th at Bellevue’s Meydenbauer Center featuring headliners Jeri Ryan (a.k.a. Seven of Nine) of DS9 fame, and Walter Koenig (Pavel Chekov) from the classic run. The biggest contingent of guests was from TNG that proved a big draw for many visitors including myself.
I attended the show on day three, walking into the main auditorium with Jonathan Frakes lying on his side across the stage candidly speaking to a couple hundred guests asking him all sorts of questions. Queries ranged from what his favourite episode was to direct, to his thoughts on the Seattle Seahawks football team. At one point, his cell phone rang and the crowd yelled, “take it!” at which point Frakes picked up the call and chatted for two minutes.
After his panel ended, there was an opportunity for people to get on stage and pitch their ideas for the next Star Trek movie to potentially win a $100 gift certificate to the merchandise room. A rather generic idea for a Netflix special surprisingly took the big prize.
The merchandise room was a cavernous exhibition hall that had a handful of vendors hawking their wares including requisite T-shirts, discontinued toys, books, comics and themed jewellery. One booth was advertising a brand of Star Trek-themed adult beverages with names like “Vulcan Ale” and “Klingon Warnog.”
With the break over, next up on the docket was Tim Russ. He was followed by my favourite item on the itinerary — the hilarious pairing of Michael Dorn (Lieutenant Worf) and Marina Sirtis (Counselor Troi), who shared a particularly funny and endearing anecdote of their mutual distaste for one another during the first season of filming. John De Lancie (Q) and Denise Crosby (Tasha Yar) rounded out the schedule.
The Trekkers who were in attendance and came out dressed like their favourite characters were almost as entertaining as the celebrities. I saw Spock, mini-Kirks, a couple of Klingons and even a fully cybernetic-implanted-out Borg drone.
For a list of upcoming Creation events, visit their website at www.creationent.com.
