George Takei
On Friday, Creation's Las Vegas Star Trek convention continued to delight and inspire the crowd, which by this point had grown considerably from the previous day. On stage first was a favorite with convention audiences around the world, George Takei, as he entered flashing the Vulcan "Live Long and Prosper" hand salute to the cheering fans.

Takei talked about the greatness of Gene Roddenberry's vision of plurality and diversity, especially in these times. George recalled that back in the 1965 when Star Trek went into production, "America at that time was in turmoil [civil rights movement, Vietnam War, hippie movement, etc.]. The ideal we saw onscreen [in Star Trek] was a seismic shift."

He pointed out that technology is starting to catch up to Star Trek, with personal computers and also with cell phones, noting that the futuristic communicators on the show "in 40 years have become a very real ... nuisance," eliciting laughter from the fans.

Takei answered fan questions and told stories about his career, life and travels all over the world, and his work with the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. A fan whose family had suffered the similar fate of being detained in Japanese internment camps provided an inspirational moment, as Takei talked of just how far we have come since the end of World War II and how accomplishments by Japanese Americans have made these events a distant memory, albeit ones we can never forget. He holds up as an example of unity the International Space Station and the possibilities and symbolism this technology holds. At many points throughout his talk, Takei would marvel at the fans and conventions, saying "Gene (Roddenberry) would have been so happy to be here with us." Truly a class act, Takei is one of those Original Series actors that every fan should try see in person at least once. His message is unifying, inspirational and timeless.

Sally Kellerman Has Hot Lips ...
At least that is what certain members of the audience believe, as they continually praised the radiant actress who was here at only her second ever Star Trek convention. Kellerman, for those who may not remember, played Dr. Elizabeth Dehner in the second pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before." She loved working with Gary Lockwood, who played Gary Mitchell, but she was not impressed with him the first time they worked together on another TV show when the actor showed up not knowing his lines.

When Sally later found out that she was going to work together with Lockwood again on Star Trek, she was initially skeptical. "I hope he knows his lines this time," she recalled. Her skepticism was soon erased and they had a great experience on the show. She was even knocked out by Lockwood this time around. Not literally, of course, but she was impressed that he choreographed a couple of the fight scenes.

Brent Spiner
Brent Spiner took the stage and immediately took a dramatic, theatrical bow for the audience, then declared, "Photo Op, anyone?" and went into a number of silly poses while flashes fired away and the crowd laughed. "They told me there'd only be about 10 or 15 people here today! They were off by ... a couple of thousand! Close!"

He began by claiming he had no news to offer. "What can I tell you? Absolutely nothing. So! Good seeing you all, thank you so much!" Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. Upon questioning by the fans, he did talk about his upcoming guest role in three episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise, which will begin shooting in mid-August. And no, he won't be playing Data, because — he let the audience respond — "Data is dead!" And it won't be his other "Star Trek Nemesis" character, because, "It all takes place before B-4!" He will be playing a 22nd-century ancestor of Dr. Soong. "And I'm not gonna tell you anything else about it because ... I don't know anything else about it!"

He did put in a plug for the current Star Trek incarnation. "Enterprise is a wonderful show, I watch it all the time. I get in my uniform, I sit down, I line up all my action figures, and we all watch the show together. And to be honest, they enjoy it even more than I do!"

Marina Sirtis
TNG's Marina Sirtis entertained the crowd with her in-your-face humor, answering fan questions and touching on a variety of subjects and great stories. First off, she asked if there was anyone in the crowd who had not seen her before at a convention. When a few hands when up, she expressed amazement that after 17 years there were still people who had not seen her. A fan favorite, there is always a huge scrum of photographers who crowd the stage in an effort to take their best shot. Marina loves her audience, and they love her right back. A true professional, she regales them with stories from the show, the movies, and her life.

She ended her appearance on a serious note, with a plea to everyone attending to vote in the upcoming election saying, "If you don't vote, you don't have the right to complain," drawing applause and cheers. She also added a big thank you to the fans, pointing out that Star Trek is the only show where the actors can give back to the fans. "From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much," then, unable to resist, adding, "For my house, for my car, for my shoes!"

Cirroc Lofton
After a communication snafu led to him missing his scheduled appearance on Thursday, DS9's Cirroc Lofton was able to appear yesterday afternoon. "I didn't get the memo!" he said with a grin, "I didn't know they had conventions on Thursdays!" His tall stature always surprises fans at conventions, he noted, as he was 5' 6" when he started the show and is now 6' 4" ("and some change"). That was why there were so many DS9 scenes where he'd be sitting above the balcony on the Promenade, he said, because he was so much taller than his costar Aron Eisenberg. Lofton is currently a student at UCLA, studying Business Economics and is excited about upcoming conventions in New Zealand and Australia.

Other Guests ...
Friday was a full day, and for more on the featured guests we invite you to please check out STARTREK.COM soon for more complete stories on the Fan Club's Larry Nemecek, Wil Wheaton, Jeff Combs and Casey Biggs.