PHOTOS: ‘Discovery’ cast members entertain Star Trek fans at Vegas con
Photo: Mirror Spock is a big hit on the promenade of the Official Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas. Photo by John Soltes.
LAS VEGAS — Creation Entertainment’s Official Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas has always been a place where like-minded fans can congregate and share some special moments with one another and the TV actors who have populated the franchise’s many incarnations. This year, Creation’s Vegas convention had the vibe of New York Comic Con or San Diego Comic Con. It wasn’t only about fandom, but also about breaking news.
Surely, the biggest news from the long weekend came Saturday, Aug. 4 when Patrick Stewart made a surprise appearance with Star Trek: Discovery showrunner Alex Kurtzman and announced that the next Star Trek series will find him reprising his role as Capt. Jean-Luc Picard, according to news reports.
The news didn’t stop there: On Sunday, Aug. 5, while interviewing members of the Star Trek: Discovery cast, Scott Mantz announced that Disco’s first season will come to DVD and Blu-ray Nov. 13. There were also updates from Ira Steven Behr and the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine team on their new documentary project, What We Left Behind, which looks back at the memorable series on its 25th anniversary.
This is a welcome development for Creation’s Official Star Trek Convention. It was already a leader for the franchise and the go-to spot for Trekkers, but now fans can expect the five-day extravaganza to be a true newsmaker.
Hollywood Soapbox was on the convention floor Sunday, Aug. 5, taking the better-late-than-never approach. The main theater events did not disappoint, with the Disco cast members receiving the deserved spotlight. The panel featuring Sonequa Martin-Green, Anson Mount and Doug Jones was a highlight, and another panel with Mary Wiseman, Shazad Latif, Anthony Rapp and Wilson Cruz produced the best laughs of the day. Matt Mira helped instigate the laughter on the latter, and Mantz asked spot-on questions on the former.
Famke Janssen, a first-timer at #STLV, opened the day with a session that included questions about her time on Star Trek and in the X-Men movies.
DS9 received deserved attention with a special screening of the series’ high point, “Far Beyond the Stars,” and a mega-panel featuring numerous actors from the franchise, including Armin Shimerman, Rene Auberjonois, Nana Visitor, Aron Eisenberg, Terry Farrell and others.
The second theater included more in-depth programming, including a first-look at Star Trek Online developments and a top-10 debate on the best Mirror Universe characters with Jordan Hoffman, former host of the now shuttered Engaged: The Official Star Trek Podcast. Quark’s Bar and the CBS All Access Stage provided fans a chance to grab some eats, take part in some interactive events and also catch a few episodes of the TV franchise on the big screen.
Throughout the promenade area there were set recreations from iconic moments in Star Trek history. The Tribble photo op was popular; ditto for the agonizer booth. The Ten Forward was there, plus the bridge from Star Trek: The Original Series.
Certainly one of the highlights of the con’s offerings were the museum rooms featuring original artwork, original costumes (Star Trek: Discovery mirror offerings) and a new VR experience.
The vendors room gave fans a chance to lighten the weight of their wallets. Hallmark offered a few awesome exclusives, including a Quark pin, M’Ress and Arex ornament, and Gorn itty bitty. Titan offered an exclusive 3-inch figure of Michael Burnham from Star Trek: Discovery, an illustrated companion to the new series and a 4.5-inch figure of the U.S.S. Discovery. In addition, fans who signed up for a new subscription to Star Trek Magazine received a mystery figure and Discovery T-shirt.
Eaglemoss displayed their many starships from all incarnations of Star Trek. The must-have item was the U.S.S. Glenn NCC-1030 variant, priced at $80 and with only 500 pieces available. Other new arrivals were available, and fans could check out a few characters (Spock, Kirk, Worf and Data) from the company’s new Official Star Trek Collector’s Busts collection, coming later this year. Battlestar Galactica devotees could pick up a variant exclusive of Apollo’s Viper, and, hey, series creator Ronald D. Moore was on hand for autographs.
FanSets, purveyors of the best pins on the planet, did steady business. Fans seemed to gobble up some of their convention exclusives, including the pin commemorating the #STLV convention, which is styled after a poker chip with the likeness of Capt. Benjamin Sisko (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine). Other cool buys: a black-and-white variant of a TV pin showing a TOS episode, an autographed pin from William Shatner and a group of pins commemorating the 25th anniversary of DS9.
Creation Entertainment, of course, offered a myriad of Star Trek T-shirts, sweatshirts, tote bags, water bottles and more. Their photograph table allowed autograph seekers to grab a few 8×10’s before heading to the celebrities. Unfortunately, they sold out of Wiseman and Latif photos, sending fans searching for Star Trek: Discovery gear to get signed.
The celebrities were out in full force, with many of them located in the vendors room. Autograph prices ranged from $20 to $100, and one could probably guess which actor charged which price. The Star Trek: Discovery cast commanded the most attention on Sunday. Jones, who plays Saru on the new series, had a regularly long line and was simply a delight with fans. There probably wasn’t a person he didn’t hug and spend quality time with, and his $20 selfie charge was a bargain.
Martin-Green had an enormous line, to be expected; however, she was not alone. Wiseman, Cruz and Rapp finished the day with many scribbles for the hundreds lined up. Ditto for the photo ops.
For those fans who wanted a more intimate setting with some of their favorite DS9 actors, the convention closed out with a special mixer event. Visitor, Auberjonois, Eisenberg and others participated while Chase Masterson provided musical accompaniment. Then the Star Trek Rat Pack sent the convention-goers into dry dock.
If this year’s Official Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas is any indication, the fandom for this bold franchise is stronger than ever.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
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