YOUR GUIDE: Official Star Trek Convention comes to Las Vegas, Aug. 11-14

It’s time to live long and prosper in Sin City.

The Official Star Trek Convention from Creation Entertainment rolls into the Rio All-Suites Hotel & Casino from Thursday, Aug. 11 through Sunday, Aug. 14. The four-day extravaganza is the largest Trek event of the year, and many of the famous actors from the several incarnations of the sci-fi series will be on hand to greet fans, sign autographs and pose for pictures.

There are numerous highlights, but perhaps none more important than Saturday’s appearance by legendary actor, Leonard Nimoy. The man who brought Mr. Spock to life recently announced his official retirement from the convention scene, and Las Vegas is his second to last public event.

Here’s a how-to guide for all the Trekkers heading to the Rio for the four-day event. Hollywood Soapbox will be there reporting, so check back for daily updates.

Tips:

• The Official Star Trek Convention will be held Aug. 11-14 at the Rio Suites Hotel, 3700 W. Flamingo Road in Las Vegas. For those unfamiliar with the casino/hotel, the Rio is not located on the famous Las Vegas Strip. However, it’s a 20-minute walk down Flamingo Road, or you can grab a free shuttle between the Rio and Bally’s, which is centrally located on the Strip.

• The original convention rates for the Rio are sold out; however, higher priced rooms are available. Click here for more information. If you’re strapped for cash, try checking the prices on Priceline (you’ll see the picture of William Shatner there, of course). Recent searches turned up available rooms on all four nights of the convention. You can also stay at the Palms, which is a 10-minute walk across the street from the Rio.

• The top packages for the convention are now sold out. These included Gold, Captain’s Chair and Preferred Weekend Packages, ranging as high as $699. Preferred day tickets are available for $70 on Thursday and Friday, or $80 on Saturday and Sunday. A better deal is to snag a General Admission day ticket, which costs $35 on Thursday and Friday, or $40 on Saturday and Sunday. Online sales are finished, but there may be tickets available at the door. Click here for more information.

• There are numerous opportunities to hang out with Star Trek celebrities at various dining functions. Every day of the convention features a celebrity breakfast (typically $99), plus there’s a Thursday late afternoon happy hour with Connor Trinneer and Dominic Keating, of Star Trek: Enterprise (price is $69). Tickets still remain for all of these options, but they are going quick.

• There are too many guests to count. The highlights are numerous. Thursday will see Garrett Wang, Keating, Trinneer, Lee Meriwether, Clint Howard and Yvonne Craig. Friday will see Walter Koenig, Jonathan Frakes, Jeffrey Combs, Eugene Rodenberry Jr., Rene Auberjonois, Nana Visitor, Tim Russ, Max Grodenchik, Armin Shimerman, Vaughn Armstrong and Casey Biggs.

Saturday will see Nimoy, Brent Spiner, Kate Mulgrew (also appearing on Sunday), Ethan Phillips, Terry Farrell, John De Lancie, Gwynyth Walsh, Barbara March, Robert O’Reilly, J.G. Hertzler and Suzie Plakson. Sunday will see Shatner, Patrick Stewart, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, John Cho, David Warner, James Darren and Grace Lee Whitney.

This is only a partial list. There are also several celebrities who will sign autographs throughout the weekend in the mega vendors room. Note: Celebrities aren’t there every single day. If you arrive on Thursday looking for Shatner, you will likely be disappointed.

• Autographs can be pricey at the convention. Nimoy and Stewart are already sold out (costing $90 each). There are still tickets for Shatner at $90, plus Mulgrew at $50 and Warner at $50. Takei, Nichols and Koenig all cost $45 each. Most of the other celebrities charge from $20 to $35. Note: Creation Entertainment does not supply 8×10 glossy pictures with its autograph tickets. You’ll need to bring something for the actor to sign, or buy a picture in the vendors room (typically they cost $6 each).

• Photo opportunities are pricier than autographs. Individual photos with Nimoy and Stewart are sold out. Also no longer available is a joint photo session with Shatner and Stewart, Spiner and Nimoy, and Nichols and Takei. The other photo ops costs anywhere from $30 to $99. Buy early as these tend to sell out quick.

• If you have your admission tickets, autograph tickets and photo ops all bought, you’re ahead of the game. If you still need to buy these, then plan on arriving early. The convention schedule has not been confirmed, but there is a tentative time table available here. Tickets sell out; so arrive early.

• The vendors room is a definite must for fans of Star Trek. The Las Vegas convention features an enormous spread of rare collectibles, signed photos, costumes, uniforms, DVDs, etc. Expect to spend a lot of money here. Although most vendors accept credit cards, bring some extra cash just in case.

• The schedule of events includes many great panel discussions and Q&A sessions. Just about every celebrity that appears at the Creation event will be up on stage in the main auditorium. The convention is never over-sold, so you are guaranteed a seat.

If you’re general admission, then you might want to arrive a little early to grab a decent seat for a popular panel (I’m thinking the Nimoy, Stewart and Shatner events should be packed to the gills). You likely won’t be able to see everything, especially since there are two theaters running with continuous programming. Take a breath, and try to experience as much as you can. Be sure to save time for the vendors room and also some time to enjoy Las Vegas itself. Heck, take in a Cirque du Soleil show, just to change things up.

• Photo ops at Creation events tend to move quick; however, you should budget extra time.

Autograph lines, on the other hand, can be extremely long and slow. Fans are called up by their autograph ticket number (the earlier you buy, the better number you have). There are also several celebrities, including Mulgrew and Warner, who will sign on a complimentary basis for Gold Weekend pass holders. This means all of the Gold people go first, and then the peasants sitting behind them will get a chance. Budget an extra amount of time for these sessions (although, being that it’s ticketed, you are able to leave and come back if the wait is long).

• James Darren will offer a Saturday night gala performance in the main auditorium. If you have a weekend ticket package, then the admission is included already. If you bought single-day tickets, then you’ll need to purchase an additional entry into the concert. Tickets cost $45 for preferred seats and $30 for general admission.

• There are several VIP and special-event packages available. The Thursday night Bingo Bash is already sold out, but tickets remain for the Leonard Nimoy photography seminar on Friday night (the price is a slightly outrageous $199). David Gerrold, a writer on several Star Trek episodes, will offer writers’ workshops for $100 each. Check the Creation table in the vendors room to see what may still be available.

• There are actual FREE events at the convention (well, free after you pay admission). Several actors from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine will offer a hilarious performance of the Star Trek Rat Pack. The concert/comedy act is a must-see. Auberjonois and Visitor will offer a performance of their spoken-word piece, Cross Our Hearts, while Combs will portray Edgar Allen Poe in Nevermore, a one-man play about the famous horror writer. There will also be auctions, trivia games and fan-based panels. John Paladin is set to give his character make-up workshop as well.

• For those looking to dress in their costume or uniform, there will be an enormous costume parade, plus an attempt to break a Guinness World Record for the most Star Trek costumes in one place.

• Dining in Las Vegas is one of the highlights of any trip to Sin City. The Rio has a world-famous seafood buffet, but you should probably venture to the nearby Strip for other good meals. Check out the Wicked Spoon buffet in the brand-new Cosmopolitan. It’s the best meal in town. Plan on spending anywhere from $20 to $40 for a decent buffet in Las Vegas. For some good dining tips, visit Vegas Chatter.

• The fun doesn’t end when the main auditorium at the Official Star Trek Convention closes down for the night. Creation will host a couple of karaoke parties in their secondary theatre, plus all of Sin City’s many nightclubs and bars will be open for business.

• William Shatner may be present all four days of the convention to film his new reality series about Star Trek fans. Be on the lookout, and you just might bump into Captain James T. Kirk.

• So, with all of this information, what should you actually buy? What should you actually see?

Answers to those questions will depend on the individual fan. It’s probably a good idea to catch Nimoy in one of his final convention appearances on Saturday. The few minutes on stage that Shatner and Stewart spend together will also be a highlight. If you’re buying photo ops, consider getting the group shots. They are cheaper than buying them all individually. One of the best offerings in this department is a photo of the Klingon Empire, featuring B’Etor, Lursa, Gowron and Martok (priced at $99).

The Saturday night concert by Darren is a safe, and relatively cheap, bet, while celebrity breakfasts may be a tough sell.

If all goes wrong, there’s no shame in letting the rest of your money ride on black at the roulette table.

Whatever you do, have fun and don’t take a second mortgage out on the house for that rare USS Enterprise collectible.

• Click here for more information.

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