It’s almost here. Creation Entertainment’s Official Star Trek Convention, celebrating Star Trek’s 45th anniversary, will be held from August 11-14 at the Rio Suites Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, or right on your computer screen via StarTrek.com's Live Stream presented by Tvoop. The guest list is nearly unprecedented, as are the planned events, which range from parties to live performances to once-in-a-lifetime photo opportunities.
Where to even begin?
First there are the guests, an amazing array of men and women, actors and actresses and behind-the-scenes talents, with the list spanning from TOS to Enterprise to the features. Here goes, and it’s just a partial rundown: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Nichelle Nichols, Walter Koenig, George Takei, Patrick Stewart, Kate Mulgrew, Brent Spiner, John Cho, David Warner, Terry Farrell, Rene Auberjonois, Nana Visitor, Armin Shimerman, Tim Russ, Garrett Wang, Grace Lee Whitney, Nicole de Boer, Jonathan Frakes, Ethan Phillips, Denise Crosby, Connor Trinneer, Dominic Keating, Jeffrey Combs, J.G. Hertzler, Yvonne Craig, Max Grodenchik, Lee Meriwether, Mariette Hartley, Robin Curtis, James Darren, David Gerrold, Joseph Ruskin, William Schallert, Chase Masterson, Celeste Yarnall, Felix Silla and plenty more. Most of them will be on stage, engaging in Q&A’s with fans, and some of them will be at their own tables in the dealers’ room.
Then there are the autograph and photo ops. Just about everyone will be available to sign items and pose for photos with fans. The cool part is the unique combinations Creation is offering for photos. You can jump in between George Takei and John Cho, Patrick Stewart and William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and Brent Spiner, the Duras Sister in costume, Dominic Keating and Connor Trinneer, Rene Auberjonois and Nana Visitor, Nichelle Nichols and George Takei, and more.
Events include celebrity breakfasts, an array of private parties, joint and separate stage appearances by William Shatner and Patrick Stewart, a photography seminar with Leonard Nimoy, and concerts by James Darren and also The Star Trek Rat Pack. Among other events, there will be No-Minimum-Bid Auctions, trivia contests (one with Larry Nemecek), a writer’s workshop with David Gerrold, a makeup workshop with John Paladin, an attempt to break the world’s record for the most Star Trek-costumed fans in one place at one time, in addition to video and costume contests. And be sure to check out two special theatrical shows, Cross Our Hearts, Poems and Prose Read by Nana (Visitor) and Rene (Auberjonois), and Nevermore: An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe, starring Jeffrey Combs.
What else? Well, Creation, after many successful years of staging their annual Star Trek Las Vegas conventions at the Hilton, will, for the first time, stage the convention at the Rio Suites Hotel. And, after testing out live streaming from a recent New Jersey convention, Creation, Tvoop and StarTrek.com are joining forces to make portions of the Las Vegas convention available live to anyone unable to make it out to Nevada. Among those whose stage appearances will be streamed are William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Walter Koenig, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols and Patrick Stewart.
Gary Berman, co-founder of Creation Entertainment, said, "It is awfully hard to top some of those amazing early Star Trek conventions of the 1970's that were massively attended and filled with the excitement of trying to bring back a canceled TV series. However, with this 45th Anniversary Convention, we, of course, have many more potential guests appearing and also so many of them have been so gracious to raise the bar beyond standard ‘talking heads’ sessions. As producers, we are indeed gratified to have our beloved Star Trek stars ‘perform’ in plays, musicals, comedies and bands. As fans ourselves, it really adds to the fun, and we know our attendees are going to have a wonderful time."
Berman also noted that Creation is very proud of its continuing relationship with the Roddenberry family, represented by Gene and Majel's talented son Eugene and his presence at the upcoming convention. "Gene was an early mentor of Creation Entertainment and always very supportive of Creation events and fandom itself,” Berman said. “In essence, we owe our careers and passion for Star Trek to Gene's amazing vision of the future, which seems to get closer to reality each day."
On a sadder note, Berman stated that this year, the vendors’ room will be dedicated to the memory of John Harper, a long-time seller of Star Trek and sci-fi merchandise. Berman said, "John was always amongst the nicest of our vendors and his presence will be missed. He always had a big smile ready to greet everyone and even as his health was failing he still made it to several conventions. He was an important early figure in the building of the entire fan merchandise business, and it is an honor to have called him a friend."
For details about all of the above, including days, times, package availability and prices, visit Creation Entertainment’s official site at www.creationent.com.
