PREVIEW: Trek actors beaming into Northeast for fun fan events

Seeing beloved Star Trek actors at conventions is a time-honored tradition, and thankfully Trekkers and Trekkies in the Northeast will soon have multiple chances to meet their favorite TV stars.

One special event, which is all but sold out, finds Star Trek: The Original Series actor William Shatner making a three-hour appearance at Pandora’s Box Toys & Collectibles in Lafayette, New Jersey. The meet-and-greet, featuring autograph and photo opportunities, takes place Sunday, April 23. As of Feb. 25, only one photo op ticket was left, but it seems cancellations free up some tickets on occasion. Check the website for more details.

The Galactic Diversity & Inclusion Convention easily wins the award for coolest name ever for a con. Brought to the fan world by the folks at Gaaays in Spaaace, this three-day event (with a special fourth-day VIP experience) sounds like a wonderful, meaningful, engaging weekend of science fiction, Star Trek and inclusivity.

The D&I Con is billed as a weekend event that brings together guests from the world of science fiction and the space industry. The festivities take place May 5-7 (with May 4 for that special VIP experience) in Philadelphia at the Downtown Philadelphia Convention Center. GIS, the producer of the event, has been a regular mainstay at conventions for quite some time, alway setting up a table to spread a D&I message to fans around the country. They also have hosted many celebrity events and fun evenings of games and hilarity, so this one should be a blast.

The celebrities on the guest list lean toward the Trek-verse, and they include Denise Crosby, of Star Trek: The Next Generation; Nana Visitor, of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine; and Robert Picardo, of Star Trek: Voyager. If those names weren’t reason enough to purchase tickets, D&I Con will also welcome fellow DS9 cast mates Alexander Siddig, Penny Johnson Jerald, J.G. Hertzler and Robert O’Reilly. In fact, the two Klingons in the bunch — Hertzler and O’Reilly — will offer a Friday Bat’leths for Beginners course, which will find attendees battling one another, stage combat style, with foam Bat’leths. Hertzler and O’Reilly will be present as their Klingon characters, Chancellor Martok and Chancellor Gowron, respectively. Yes, this seems like it will be a Trek event to remember in 2023. (Update: This experience is now sold out. Let’s hope they add a second session.)

The celebrity list doesn’t end there: Star Trek: Enterprise, a series that is experiencing a resurgence in popularity, will be represented by Connor Trinneer, Dominic Keating and John Billingsley. If one hasn’t experienced a Trek con yet, please note: Trinneer, Keating and Billingsley are bankable guests who always have the audience rollicking in the aisles with their stories and insights.

Garrett Wang, of Star Trek: Voyager, will also be meeting fans. He has been in the Trek sphere for decades at this point, and his recently launched podcast, The Delta Flyers, with Robert Duncan McNeill, is a hit for fans of the Kate Mulgrew-headed series. He’ll also offer a special “Away Mission,” costing only $40, in which fans can learn how to play the game of craps.

It should be noted that new Trek will be represented as well: Bonnie Gordon, of Star Trek: Prodigy, will be in attendance.

Much credit to the inaugural D&I Con for expanding beyond Trek. They are going to welcome a few actors from The Orville, including the previously mentioned Jerald, Peter Macon, Chad L. Coleman and Mark Jackson. Syfy series Killyjoys, a show that has a special place in the hearts of sci-fan fans, can meet Thom Allison in person.

There are even more guests — almost too many to mention! — from the worlds of space, academia and sci-fi fandom. Check out the full list here.

Tickets for D&I Con are relatively affordable, with many different options at various price points. To be expected, that exclusive Bat’leths for Beginners course is the priciest experience, at $300, with only a few tickets left. There’s a VIP reception on Thursday, May 4 — P.S., who said this day was exclusively for Star Wars fans? — and that runs $100, but includes food and drink. Day passes are as little as $50 for adults and $10 for children, with a weekend option available as well.

It’s time to beam into Philadelphia for this inaugural event.

After the D&I Con, Trekkers and Trekkies can head a couple hours north to Long Island, New York, for the appropriately titled Trek Long Island, which takes place May 20-21 in Hauppauge, New York, and features many Trek actors, including a fair number from the new Paramount+ shows. The headlining guests for this weekend event are simply awesome and have Hollywood Soapbox ready to purchase tickets: Doug Jones, Oded Fehr and David Ajala, all of Star Trek: Discovery.

Star Trek: Picard, the in-the-news-at-the-moment show, will also be represented by the inclusion if Isa Briones and Evan Evagora — and note: their photo ops at $40 each are a true bargain. Plus, there’s Raven Dauda and Phumzile Sitole, both of Discovery; Robin Curtis, of Star Trek movies and Star Trek: TNG fame; Gordon, of Star Trek: Prodigy; and Hertzler, bringing his Klingon passion to the proceedings. A real treat will be the chance to meet some of the classic guest stars from Star Trek: The Original Series, including Sandy Gimpel (yes, the salt vampire!), Tanya Lemani, BarBara Luna, David Frankham and France Nuyen.

Makeup guru Michael Westmore will make a virtual visit to Trek Long Island, and composer Alan Howarth — known equally for his Trek biography and his John Carpenter résumé — will be on hand. Plenty of Trek authors will be present as well, everyone from Robb Pearlman to John Peel. Bonnie Moss, a Trek historian, will offer memories of the late actor Leonard Nimoy, better known as Spock.

The Northeast Trek offerings don’t stop there. The highly popular Star Trek Original Series Set Tour will have a Shatner weekend, July 7-9, at their facilities in Ticonderoga, New York, which is located in the Lake George region. Their annual Trekonderoga event also returns, Aug. 18-20, with a celebration of TNG. Scheduled to appear that weekend are franchise favorites Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner and John De Lancie — all in the news lately because of the final season of Star Trek: Picard, which is now airing on Paramount+.

Trek is back in the Northeast!

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

William Shatner will appear Sunday, April 23 at Pandora’s Box Toys & Collectibles in Lafayette, New Jersey. Click here for more information and tickets. D&I Con in Philadelphia will take place May 5-7, with a special VIP party on May 4. Click here for more information and tickets. Trek Long Island will take place May 20-21 in Hauppauge, New York. Click here for more information and tickets. The Star Trek Original Series Set Tour will host Shatner, July 7-9, and TNG actors, Aug. 18-20. Click here for more information and tickets.