The weather outside may have been cold and wet, but Star Trek and science fiction fans in the rainy Pacific Northwest warmed themselves with laughter and warmth from some of their favorite stars this weekend at the "Creation Entertainment Salutes Star Trek, Stargate SG-1 and 'Star Wars'" in Seattle. Actually taking place in Bellevue, a Seattle suburb to the east of Lake Washington, the event at the Doubletree Hotel drew large crowds of all ages to meet other fans, peruse through the memorabilia in the Dealer Rooms and rub elbows with some actors from Star Trek and other shows or movies.

Saturday — Day One

The Doubletree Hotel, is deceptive — the front desk and main entrance aren't on the first floor, they're on the third floor, so fans entering the lobby had a moment of "Am I in the right place?" before heading down to the first floor, where the convention was taking place. Right away, it was clear that this was the place; fans in costume, fans wearing T-shirts from their favorite shows or movies, and a long, long line to the registration desk stretching around the corner, down a corridor and then doubling back on itself.

As the morning's light rain finally stopped falling outside, the fans waiting inside dried off and buzzed with anticipation over the day's guests, Star Trek: Voyager's Tim Russ ("Tuvok") and Ethan Phillips ("Neelix") as well as non-Star Trek stars Amanda Tapping (Stargate SG-1) and Peter Mayhew ("Star Wars").

After getting everyone squared away with admission, the convention itself could begin. There were a few video pieces, a Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager retrospective slideshow followed by a screening of the short film "Roddenberry on Patrol," a Star Trek spoof directed by Russ and featuring cameo appearances by a legion of Trek veterans such as Russ, Phillips, Nichelle Nichols ("Uhura"), Walter Koenig ("Pavel Chekov"), Robert Picardo ("The Doctor"), Robert Beltran ("Chakotay"), Richard Herd ("Admiral Paris"), Robert O'Reilly ("Gowron") and voice-over done by the familiar deep voice of George Takei ("Hikaru Sulu"). The afternoon continued with appearances by non-Trek actors, a Creation documentary salute to Voyager, auctions for memorabilia and a trivia contest.

Tim Russ and Ethan Phillips

Midday, the first Star Trek actor appearance took place, and it was actually a double-shot of Voyager stars Russ and Phillips, both of whom took the stage to a rousing ovation. Coincidentally, both actors sported evidence of injuries. Russ was on crutches due to a pulled Achilles tendon, which he'd injured in a pickup basketball game and which had required surgery, and Phillips had a bandage on his arm from hurting himself during the run of his recent performance as Polonius with the Uprising Theatre Company's production of "Hamlet." Coincidentally, he appeared in the play with Armin Shimerman ("Quark") playing the role of Claudius.

Despite the injuries, there was no stopping the pair of Voyager actors from playfully clowning around and generating huge laughs from the assembled fans. Phillips told a joke, Russ told stories of Kate Mulgrew ("Kathryn Janeway") hurling spitballs at him on the set or dropping live worms down Russ' uniform right before a take.

"That was often their goal in life," Russ said of his costars, "To get the Vulcan to laugh. There were many moments that the veneer of the Vulcan was broken." Phillips agreed, in mock-wicked fashion, "We took so much pleasure breaking that concentration."

Russ recounted a funny incident between takes outside the soundstage, when he saw an actor talking on his cell phone to his agent. The actor was guest-starring as an alien on Voyager that day, and was covered head to toe in makeup and prosthetics, but was yelling at his agent, "What do you mean I'm not right for the part?"

Phillips took a moment away from the jokes to auction off a Reginald Barclay action figure, autographed by his alter-ego, actor Dwight Schultz. "This thing goes for $22,000 on eBay," joked Phillips. The proceeds of the impromptu auction went to benefit the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation, which helps people who suffer from the condition, which Phillips has dealt with his entire life.

The pair returned to entertaining the crowd, with Russ signing a quick Voyager-themed parody of the Love Boat theme, and then finished their appearance by sharing an hysterical blooper reel from Voyager, packed with actors flubbing lines, cursing themselves good-naturedly for their gaffs and non-stop laughter from everyone involved.

After Russ and Phillips left the stage, the convention continued with non-Trek events, and then a screening of the bonus materials to be included on the Star Trek: Voyager DVDs, due out February 24.

The Voyager Vaudeville Show

Later that evening, fans packed the convention hall for some delightful performances by Russ, Phillips and Robert Picardo. Russ wasn't hindered at all by his leg injury, playing guitar and singing songs from his albums, and Picardo delivered a set of his funny, groan-inducing song parodies. Both Russ and Picardo's performances are regular events at conventions they appear at, and fans new to seeing them enjoy them, while fans who have seen them before see that both performers continue to modify and add new material to their sets, keeping them fresh and fun.

Perhaps the high point of the Vaudeville Show was a short play performed by Picardo and Phillips called "Housecall," where both actors reprised their Voyager roles. The piece was written by the two actors along with Ted Kopulos (who has also had some Star Trek fiction published under the pseudonym TG Theodore).

While of course neither actor could appear in full costume and makeup, the fans bought right in and the laughter commenced. In a nutshell, the short play involved the Doctor transmitting himself back to the Delta Quadrant to perform a housecall for his old Talaxian friend. Rather than spoil it for fans who will (and should) see this at future conventions, the plot takes a back seat to the pure fun the two actors and the fans have. At numerous points Phillips would begin to adlib and Picardo would admonish, and then beg him to "stay on script!" The adlibbing and poking continued throughout, much to the joy of the audience.

After the performance, another event took place, a Creation "Dessert Party," where for a special added price, fans could enjoy a dessert bar and mingle with the actors one-on-one. As the evening wound down, fans either returned home or to their rooms to rest up for the following day's events.

More coverage of the "Creation Entertainment Salutes Star Trek, Stargate SG-1 and 'Star Wars'" convention will appear tomorrow.