FRIDAY GUIDE: Official Star Trek Con gets ready for Vegas!

Click here for a guide to Thursday events.

Click here for a guide to Saturday events.

Click here for a guide to Sunday events.

The Star Trek universe will focus this weekend on Las Vegas and the Rio All Suites where Creation Entertainment will set up shop for a four-day convention. Expect big names (William Shatner, Kate Mulgrew) and rare names (Colm Meaney, Scott Bakula). Tickets will be on sale at the event, but arrive early for the best deals in the vendors room. Thousands of fans will flock to Sin City, so expect some wait times and possible sell outs.

BASICS

The action at the Official Star Trek Convention is split among several different areas at the Rio All Suites.

In addition to the main theater, the convention spills over into a secondary theater, vendors room, photo op area and other banquet halls. Expect lines, but nothing too bad. The Rio is enormous, and last year’s event ran smoothly. Many ticket options, autographs and photo ops are still available. Some special dinners and meet-and-greets are sold out, but fans will still have plenty of options to choose from.

Everything starts early and goes late. Pace yourself. You need to take breaks during the day and get away from the convention for an hour or two. If you continue from 9 a.m. to midnight every night, you’ll be burned out by Saturday and may be forced to sleep through the Captains Summit on Sunday.

Click here for a guide to Thursday events.

FRIDAY, AUG. 10

Note: Celebrity names are followed by autograph prices and photo op prices. Some guests sign in the vendors room and prices are TBA; this will be noted. Guests will appear in either the main theater or secondary theater. All information is subject to change.

Guests: Grace Lee Whitney (autographs in vendors room, $40), Garrett Wang (autographs in vendors room, $40), Ira Steven Behr (limited free autographs, no photo ops), Connor Trinneer ($25, $40), Dominic Keating ($25, $40), David Livingston (limited free autographs, no photo ops), Robin Curtis ($30, $35), Eric Menyuk ($20, $35), Andrew Robinson ($30, $40), Eddie Paskey (autographs in vendors room, $40), Patti Yasutake ($20, $40), Alexander Enberg ($20 autographs in vendors room, $40), Michael Barrier ($20, $35), Arlene Martel (autographs in vendors room, ), Elizabeth Dennehy ($35, $40), Hallie Todd ($20, $35), Lycia Naff ($20, $35), Lisa Wilcox (autographs in vendors room, $40), Michael Snyder ($20, $35), Eugene Roddenberry (autographs in vendors room, $30), Diana Muldaur ($60, $50), David Gerrold (autographs in vendors room)

Additional photo ops: Max Grodenchik ($35), LeVar Burton ($40), Michael Dorn ($40), Brent Spiner ($40), Gates McFadden ($40), Marina Sirtis ($40)

Special photo ops: Brent Spiner and Gates McFadden together ($75), Dominic Keating and Connor Trinneer together ($70)

Special events: Star Trek: TNG, The Spoof starring Eric Menyuk and Robin Curtis (free); Special play starring Garrett Wang, Dominic Keating and Connor Trinneer (free); StarTrek.com panels; discussion on robotic rovers in space; panel forum hosted by Larry Nemecek; lecture on Gene Roddenberry’s humanist legacy; no-minimum-bid auction; Richard Arnold’s presentation on Star Trek: The Next Generation’s 25th anniversary

Evening events: Trek Nation documentary screening (free); Captain’s Chair celebration party (sold out); karaoke party (free)

Tickets: Gold and Captain’s Chair tickets are sold out. Preferred weekend packages ($319), general admission weekend ($149), Friday reserved seating ($70) and Friday general admission ($35) are available.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywodSoapbox.com

• Click here for more information. Saturday and Sunday guides will be published in the coming days.