Longtime convention-goers will remember that for nearly 20 years, Creation Entertainment’s Grand Slam Show, held annually in Los Angeles, was the show of shows, attended by thousands of fans and featuring appearances by talent from all across the sci-fi spectrum. It’s been a while since Creation last mounted such a show, but that’s about to change. The Star Trek & Sci-Fi Summit XVIII is set to be held Feb. 15-17 at the Burbank Airport Marriott Hotel, and a Who’s Who of sci-fi names will be on hand for the event, with the highlight sure to be a very special Saturday night Star Trek: The Next Generation Reunion Performance bringing together, all at once, Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, Gates McFadden, Michael Dorn, LeVar Burton and Marina Sirtis, each of whom will also appear separately throughout the star-packed weekend.
In addition to the TNG cast, other familiar Trek and non-Trek guests will include Ben Browder, David Giuntoli, James Marsters, Robert Picardo, Sam Witwer, Bruce Boxleitner, Catherine Hicks, Jasika Nicole, Connor Trinneer, Jeffrey Combs, Dominic Keating, Armin Shimerman, Celeste Yarnall, Bobby Clark, Rene Auberjonois and more. Fans can expect to see the talent on stage, answering questions, as well as available for photo opportunities and autographs; chief among the photo opportunity highlights: a shot with the entire TNG cast… and you. There will also be panels, parties, contests and more.
"As some fans may remember, we had a 5th Anniversary Reunion of The Next Generation cast in L.A. at the Bonaventure Hotel,” Creation co-CEO Gary Berman told StarTrek.com. “I recall Majel (Barrett) showed up as a surprise and she was always very helpful behind the scenes with our conventions. In fact, it was Majel who helped get Marina to the first convention that any TNG star did. And since that time we've had hundreds of appearances by these stars, but never the whole cast together at one time, until now. So it has been 15 years in the making for us.
"Having the chance to do these TNG cast reunions is amazing and we know by the support we're getting from our audience that these are going to be huge,” Berman continued. “The cast really interacts well on stage, which makes a lot of sense considering what accomplished performers they all are. It's pretty unique in show business history that an entire cast from a series that started two-plus decades ago is out there on stage and attracting sold-out crowds. But then, the Star Trek phenomenon in itself has always been groundbreaking when it comes to this type of thing."
Berman also noted that the Creation team is still chasing its mission to secure 80 guests for the annual Official Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas, which will be held in August. Right now, the list is at 60 guests and counting. Here are the latest confirmed additions: George Takei, Terry Farrell, Megan Gallagher, Joel Grey, Adrienne Barbeau, Robert Beltran, Suzie Plakson, Rick Worthy, Ira Steven Behr, Alexander Siddig, Grace Lee Whitney and Ronald D. Moore.
Click HERE for details about The Star Trek & Sci-Fi Summit XVIII and HERE for details about the Official Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas.
