Report by Sandy Stone

At Comic-Con International last month in San Diego, part of the organized acknowledgment and celebration of Star Trek's 40th anniversary — aside from the numerous speakers and panels — came in the Souvenir Book that was provided in every attendee's complimentary bag. A special section devoted to Star Trek contained essays from various writers commenting on their love of Star Trek, and nine pages of artwork from 15 artists congratulating the franchise in one manner or another — like a sketch of Spock holding a cake full of candles, and a comic strip called "What Cap'n Kirk Should Have Done" (e.g., make friends with the Gorn and train the Mugato to be his personal bodyguard).

In "The Ages of Man: An Appreciation of Star Trek," cartoonist Brian Fies reflected on how he has related to different characters in different stages of his life. "When I was a child and teen, Spock was it: the apotheosis of alienated intelligence," he wrote. "On the rare occasion when Spock lost control, the results were unpredictable and frightening. Adolescence never had a better metaphor." As an adult between 20 and 40, he most identified with Kirk, who "knew who he was, what he was doing, and why he was doing it. He was a man." But in his later years, he's starting to appreciate McCoy: "Until recently, I might not have recognized the quiet heroism of a genuine mature adult who can be counted on to keep his cool and do the right thing."

Other essays in the book reminisced on the authors' experiences growing up with Star Trek. "I had just turned twelve years old ... and I was about to violate my parentally enforced bedtime in order to see Mr. Spock turn traitor..." recalled Shane Shellenbarger. "Star Trek sparked our imaginations while it entertained," observed Larry Kakos.

Even at events not specifically devoted to Trek that weekend, it never seemed to be far away from people's minds. For instance, at a 50th anniversary celebration of "Forbidden Planet," co-star Warren Stevens — who would later play "Rojan" in "By Any Other Name" — spoke about how that movie was in many ways a precursor to Star Trek and a principal inspiration for Gene Roddenberry. Past experiences on Star Trek often crept into the discussions of other shows involving former Trek producers such as Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar Galactica), Ira Steven Behr (The 4400) and Filmation's Lou Scheimer, who produced the Animated Series (there to talk about He-Man and related cartoons).

On a less reverent note, during the Galactica panel in the large upstairs ballroom, star Edward James Olmos made his entrance announcing that this was his first convention ever, and remarked, "I'm here to tell you that I'm not the kind of guy that's gonna tell you to get a life. I think people that tell you something like that should go get their [posteriors] checked. Only kidding, c'mon!"

Among the panels at Comic-Con devoted to Star Trek were several focusing on the literary side of the franchise. In this second and final part of our coverage from that convention, we will look at some of those panels, along with others featuring former creative personnel from the TV shows.

Page 2: "Star Trek Books: Daring to Explore"
Page 3: "Smart Pop Books: 'Boarding the Enterprise'"
Page 4: "Media Tie-In Writers: United and Licensed to Thrill!"
Page 5: "TV Guide Presents: 2006 and Beyond"
Page 6: Robert Blackman
Page 7: Eugene "Rod" Roddenberry Jr. & "Trek Nation"