SIDEWALKS boldly went to a recent Star Trek Convention. Richard and crew experienced the out-of-this-world action of Creation Entertainment’s annual event.
San Francisco was the site for another Starfleet event.
Recently, Creation Entertainment — the leading origination behind some of the most popular genre television and film conventions around the world — brought “Star Trek” back to the Bay Area with many stars from the various television series ~ such as William Shatner (the Original Series); Jeri Ryan (“Voyager”); and Marina Sirtis, Jonathan Frakes, & Gates McFadden (“The Next Generation”); and many more ~ to celebrate the legacy of a show that started in the late 60’s.
Growing up with all the series and movies, I did went to a “Trek” convention when I was younger, where I got to witness the late DeForest Kelley (Dr. McCoy on the original 60’s program), who wanted to talk about his western acting days and not just his brief cameo appearance on “Next Gen.” As a fan of sci-if, I have to say my geek side was coming out again (the only other time at WonderCon and interviewing Summer Glau of the other scifi property, “Firefly.” You have to watch the interview to find out why.)
The three-day, small and intimate event was held this year at the Hyatt Regency near the San Francisco airport. There were two major rooms at the Hyatt that housed all things “Trek.” One large room was the banquet area where the stars talk to the fans from a rectangular stage. The other room was a dealer section where you can purchase Star Trek related items, such as posters, shirts, toys, pictures, and what everybody wants … a sound-effected pleaser. The other section was the lobby area where you can pick up your tickets, as well as get autographed photos and briefly talk with actors John de Lancie (who played the recurring character of Q on “Star Trek: The Next Generation”), Flakes, McFadden, and Sirtis.
Fans could also get one-on-one photos with the “Star Trek” actors. Two of the most popular ones during the weekend event were with Shatner, who had a long line around the hotel for photos, and Ryan, who makes very rare appearances at these cons. The prices for these photos ranged from $40 to a whomping $90 for a chance to stand with the man best known as Captain James T. Kirk, the commanding officer of the starship Enterprise. There were also opportunities to take a photo with two or three of the actors in separate sessions, such as Frakes and Sirtis, that were a higher in price. For fans who I talked to, these photo opps were some of the best moments of their lives to stand and get a snapshot with their favorite characters/actors.
[The “Sidewalks” crew went to two out of the three days of the “Star Trek” convention. We missed Friday’s event, which featured actor Tim Russ, who played Lt. Tuvok on “Voyager” and a makeup session with actress Suzie Plakson, who played the Klingon wife of Lt. Worf]
On Saturday, we saw some of the panels, which started with actor/motorcycle store owner Michael Aron, who played Jack London on an episode of “TNG,” and actress Lee Merweather, a guest star on the original series. Both of the actors, who have previous interviews with us on SidewalksTV.com, sat down with Creation co-creator Adam Malin and primarily talked about their one time guest appearance on their respective shows and their other non-“Trek” roles, as well as what they’re doing now with their careers. Fans also had a chance to ask questions with two microphones surrounding the stage.
A huge highlight on Saturday was the appearance of Shatner, who talked about his new record and other ventures (this guy has to be one of the greatest pitchmen around; he goes directly into his current promo pitch at the start of his one hour session). One of the most hilarious moments in the Shatner showcase was a question from a parent, who tried asking the former Captain Kirk whether he was the father of his baby, because the baby boy picked Shatner as his dad in the father’s previous one-on-one photo at another convention. The Canadian superstar kept interrupting the father with nonstop interludes that lasted around 10 minutes. Funny stuff that could have been answered with a simple “no.” I don’t think many actors could pull off that kind of routine without becoming annoying after a while. Only Shatner can.
Even though Shatner was a highlight, a major, fun presentation was actors Max Grodénchik and Aron Eisenberg, who dressed up in their “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” characters Rom and Nog. Seeing the two actors, who did a hilarious rap and a Ferengi dance on stage, in their old costumes and makeup really made the experience of “Star Trek” come alive. Eisenberg and Grodénchik told us in our SIDEWALKS interview that they are considering doing the presentation again in full costumes. If they do it again at another “Star Trek “convention, definitely don’t miss it. The former father and son on the second spinoff show — that was set at a space station — are a great an untapped comedy duo, and their chemistry continue to shine even today.
On Sunday, “Voyager’s” Ryan and Robert Beltran both made rare appearances at the con separately. The very personable Ryan, who played the former rescued Borg, Seven of Nine, went for a full Q&A session with the fans. Question topics range from her different costumes changes on the show (she explained that her first silver outfit was very uncomfortable to wear and to shoot in with the lights and camera), her other roles in TV, and some practical jokes that happened on the sets from “Voyager” and “Boston Public.” Beltran, who said he enjoyed playing Commander Chakotay, talked about his impressive acting career, which included a possible starring role in a Ricardo Montalbán project before he passed away, and his “Trek” character, which he struggled to play during the show’s final seasons over the lack of character development. Beltran has been mostly involved in the theatre scene since “Voyager” ended.
“TNG” co-stars Frakes, McFadden, and Sirtis also took the big stage on Sunday. All I can say about these three co-stars are they are hilarious onstage. Even saying they are hilarious don’t give it justice. Their reactions and one liners with the audience are priceless. I never laughed so hard at a session. One of the funniest moments within their session was when a audience member asked them about how they felt about the entire “Star Trek” franchise getting better as time went on. Sirtis, in a playful mood, became upset because she thought her series, which was the first in the spinoff shows, was the best and how the questioner was so wrong. She even had Frakes hold her back so she couldn’t attack the questioner at the microphone stand. These three were definitely a laugh a second with their quick wit. You can instantly recognize that their friendship over the last 25 years is still evident.
In true fandom, attendees came in costumes of their favorite characters. There was a sweet man named Carl Sheldon, who traveled from the East Coast, dressed like the late actor James Doohan, engineer Scotty on the original program [SIDEWALKS interviewed Mr. Doohan years ago. He is nicest gentleman you can meet, who honored our interview request even after signing autographs for over over 2 hours.]. Other cosplayers was a mother and daughter duo dressed as Counselor Troi and Lt. Uhura, two guys in elaborate and impressive Borg outfits with video displays and pulsing lasers, and a fearsome Klingon from head to toe. The fans in costumes were also treated to a costume contest session.
Surprisingly, and mostly an observation, most of the attendees came in costumes from the TV side and the original cast big screen adventures of the franchise and not the current reboots from producer/director J. J. Abrams. Even the products being sold were primarily from the small screen universe of “Trek.” There were also no talents on hand from the last two features present at this con. I also read that many actors like the Kate Mulgrew and Robert Picardo (Capt. Janeway and the Doctor of the “Voyager” series) had to cancel due to work commitments. Too bad. This “Trek” could have been a major outing like the annual granddaddy showcase in Las Vegas.
[For us at SIDEWALKS, the only disappointing part of the convention were the lack of interviews we were able to obtain for you, the “Star Trek” fans. With the exception of de Lancie and a couple of dealer room personalities, sadly, the main “TNG” stars declined, and we were unable to get close to talents like Shatner and Ryan, due to their tight schedule backstage with one-on-one photos. Any case, we are sorry we couldn’t get any of the Q&A emails answered. Hopefully next year, we will have better luck. Thanks to Creation Entertainment for giving us the opportunity to bring “Trek” via our medium. Also thanks to our own J.P. Langston, Sujoy Sukar of Comcast NBC Channel 27, and special guest correspondent Serena Toxicat for the joint technical assistant.]
