Friday, June 15, 2007

In celebration of the new Out of this World: Extraordinary Costumes from Film and Television exhibit, the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame (SFM) in Seattle hosted a preview/costume party for members on Friday night. Fans turned out in droves donning costumes from sci-fi favorites such as Star Trek, "Star Wars," and "Blade Runner." Others celebrated the evening as pirates, medieval princesses, Hobbits, and one very convincing Austin Powers. Josi Callan, EMP/SFM CEO, introduced the curator of the exhibit, Jacob McMurray, who shared his enthusiasm for this project and thanked the many people involved in making it a reality. Fans spent the remainder of the evening enjoying hors d'oeuvres, listening to a live band, participating in a costume contest, and exploring the exhibit.

While touring the third floor of the exhibition, which is completely devoted to costumes and models used in Star Trek, I had the pleasure of meeting Claudia Ebling who shared her experience of restoring Amanda's silk chiffon over garment from "Journey to Babel." The neckline of the floral gown had been severely torn, so Ebling used crepeline to reinforce the fabric. She stated that the benefit of using this material is that it becomes nearly invisible under light and is "almost like sewing on dragonfly wings." When we examined the garment more closely, she realized that it had an under dress; had she known that, it would have changed the shape she cut the crepeline. Ebling shared that in a project of this magnitude, each person works on one part of the costume and may not see the entire piece until loading in the exhibit.

There were several fun fan encounters during the evening including a group of Jawas dancing with Yoda, a Storm Trooper and Tusken Raider ogling Darth Vadar's suit, and a Federation officer admiring Sarek's jacket from "Journey to Babel" alongside two Klingons. Yet, I most enjoyed meeting the crew of the USS Thermopylae, a chapter of Starfleet International. As the largest contingent of Star Trek fans at the event, I spent much of the evening with them. Little did I know that this great group of people would be prominently featured in Gene Roddenberry's tribute video during the Hall of Fame induction!

Saturday, June 16, 2007

As always, the SFM transformed the Sky Church into a beautiful banquet hall fit for honoring the Hall of Fame recipients, and a dessert buffet was provided for the intimate group. Though some of the fans at Friday night's free costume party balked at the steep price of admission into this event, I doubt they would have complained once the Master of Ceremonies, author Neal Stephenson, took the stage. His humorous introduction set the stage for an evening filled with laughs, applause, and an occasional tear.

Though all of the recipients are deserving of accolades, I was most excited about Gene Roddenberry's induction. Going into the event, I had no idea that Wil Wheaton was presenting, so I was delighted to see his name on the program. Wheaton is an incredible writer as evidenced by his hugely popular blog and books, and his speech did not disappoint! The induction committee could not have picked a better speaker to honor Gene Roddenberry.

Wheaton quipped about his lack of tie and then launched into a trip down memory lane. "Star Trek: The Next Generation turns twenty this year," he said with a charmingly boyish grin. "If my math is correct, this means it is almost old enough to get a drink in Ten Forward. Even more shocking to my fellow cast members, it means that I am old enough to run for President." This garnered an appreciative laugh from the audience. Wheaton went on to recite some lines as Wesley Crusher and to tell us about the "really-super-awesome-trust-us-you-totally-need-to-have-this-one-even-if-you've-already-bought-the-other-ones" DVD collector's box set that is soon to be released. He is hosting one the special features, which looks at the people and the places that have been affected by TNG over the last two decades. He stated that "we are some of those people and we are gathered tonight in one of those places."

He said that the SFM "is an affirmation of why I and so many other people around the world love science fiction, and why — whether created by Jules Vern in 1864 or Gene Roddenberry in 1964 or some hot new stereo-vision writer in 2064 — science fiction endures with a relevance that transcends generations." He reminded us that "whether it was written a hundred years ago or just published last month, science fiction can give us warnings about the future, hope for the future, or just blissful escape into the future." Although our nation was not a particularly optimistic place during the mid-60s, Star Trek, "like all great science fiction," held up a mirror and "showed us our failings and our triumphs. Not by beating us over the head with a message but by making that message easy enough to discover for those who cared enough to see it. Star Trek dared to do this during an incredibly turbulent time when it was risky to even acknowledge that this mirror existed let alone hold it up on network television."

Wheaton's comments struck a chord with the audience because, unfortunately, some things haven't changed as much as we would like. "When I turn on the television today, and I see medical drama after crime drama after reality series after intelligence insulting sitcom, I long for the original Star Trek or 4th season of TNG." The Wesley Crusher fans in the audience laughed at this and applauded appreciatively. "When I turn on CNN, I wish that our world leaders would watch more Star Trek and less 24." While waiting for the audience to quiet down, Wheaton scanned the room making each of us feel that he was speaking directly to us when he continued. "Star Trek has showed audiences for forty years and counting that there is real hope for our future if we are willing to work together to get there."

Page 2: Saturday Induction Ceremony Report continued