Star Trek Las Vegas 57 Con: Fan Review

This year’s Star Trek extravaganza in Las Vegas (#STLV57) is now in the books. I had a chance to take part in the festivities from start to finish this time. Here are, in my mind, some of the highlights of this great event put on by Creation Entertainment.

First though, let us go over the big elephant in the room: The SAG-AFTRA strike! The strike began a couple weeks before the con opened, and there was a lot of angst among fans and STLV con-goers about how the strike may affect our fun.

Armin Shimerman (AKA Quark), was a leader online in getting valid information to the fans. He did his research, and reported back to fans via social media that actors COULD attend, but would not be able to discuss Trek (or any “struck” work or productions) in the on-stage panels. Photo Ops and Autograph sessions were authorized. Ok, I, as a fan, could live with that. My big deal at these cons is to get a picture taken with my favorite stars, so that was still a go. And, frankly, a lot of the time, the actors on stage discuss a lot of non-Trek things anyway. William Shatner (Kirk) and George Takei (Sulu) are among my favorites in telling all sorts of non-Trekkie stories. So, STLV was still on!

A few actors, most notably Kate Mulgrew (Janeway), publicly declared she would not attend in solidarity with the strike, but no other major star followed suit (thankfully). I had my photo op and autograph with her last year, anyway!

Now, on the STLV 57…Here are my big takeaways on this year’s con:

Trek Stars Galore: Many popular Trek stars came to STLV (as well as a lot of the Orville cast) and interacted with fans. In my experience, the actors seemed genuinely happy to see the fans (when standing for photo ops, for instance). One cool thing is the ability to interact and talk with the actors in the Vendor’s Room. Many of the stars had tables there and that is where many of them signed autographs and had selfie photos taken with fans. Here are my photos with Garret Wang (forever Ensign Kim), and Christina Chong (La’an).

Christina Chong (La'an) and fan at #STLV57 — Christina Chong (La’an) and fan at #STLV57

Garrett Wang (Ensign Kim) and fan at #STLV57

The Star Trek Panels: This one was trickier, as most panelists tried to avoid directly referring to Trek shows or even the names of their own characters. Most failed in this, either by accident or by intention. As a worker and union member, I understand why they are striking, and I hope their union achieves their goals. As a fan, I paid a lot of money to attend this event, and I really fail to see how not discussing Trek in front of Trek fans at a Trek convention actually will impact the fat-cat CEOs (i.e. the bad guys in this) who are screwing the actors and writers. Ok, their not talking Trek was not the end of the world and certainly did not really hurt my experience at the con, but it still was irritating. Then there were some actors who did not give a shit about what the union thought, and discussed Trek to the fans like normal. Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations, anyone? Shouldn’t that apply to opinions as well as ethnic, racial, gender, etc. diversity?

One very cool thing about the panels is that when Zachery Quinto (Spock) was about two-thirds of the way through his panel, they brought out Ethan Peck (Spock) to join him. A meeting of the two Spocks! The crowd went wild! Very cool.

Zachery Quinto and Ethan Peck on stage together as Two Spocks at #STLV57

I missed the opening of William Shatner’s (Jim Kirk) panel (I was in line for a photo with the Two Spocks), but later found out that they also briefly brought out Paul Wesley (Jim Kirk and Sam Kirk), and Dan Jeannotte (Sam Kirk). Three Kirks on stage together. And I missed it!

Star Trek Cosplay: I don’t cosplay, but a lot of folks do, and the costumes on display were great. My favorites include the Mugato, though there were so many great cosplays!

The Next Generation Reunion Panel: This was a highlight for myself and a lot of fans. Unlike other panels, this one fans had to pay to attend. But, it was cool! On stage (talking Trek, but, you know, not really talking Trek), were Jonathan Frakes (Riker) (“Who’s in Charge Here?”-ok, you had to be there to get that line-very funny!), Brent Spiner, (Data/Lore, et al) Gates McFadden (Dr. Crusher), Marina Sirtis (Troi), Michael Dorn (Worf), John de Lancie (Q), Denise Crosby (Tasha/Sela), LaVar Burton (LaForge). The panel was moderated by Picard showrunner Terry Matalas.

LaVar Burton and Brent Spiner at the Next Generation Panel at #STLV57

The TNG stars discussed (by name, multiple times), their characters, and aspects of both TNG and Picard Season 3. The whole “we are on strike and cannot mention Trek by name” thing seemed to be ignored or circumvented a lot on this panel. Crosby talked about how she wished Sela’s character could complete her story arc, and Frakes mentioned Trek by name several times. As a fan paying for this panel, this was more than I expected. Oh, and Spiner is genuinely a funny guy. My only complaint is that some big names were missing from this panel: Sir Patrick Stewart (Picard), and Wil Wheaton (Wesley). It would have been great to see them both join their TNG family on stage.

Another great aspect of STLV57, was the ability of fans to interact and discuss Trek. For me, that often came as I stood in long lines for photo ops and autographs. I met fans from around the country and around the world while in line, and had some great talks about Trek and sci-fi in general.

Other: I should also mention the accommodations at the Rio. The convention site itself is great for this event. I also had the opportunity to attend the World Series of Poker (WSOP) some years ago at the Rio. This hotel/casino has a great space for these huge events. Compared to last year at Bally’s (nice hotel, but the convention space was way to small), having the event back at the Rio was great.

On social media, I see that some fans complained about their rooms at the Rio. My experience was positive, as I had a room in the Masquerade Tower, where the rooms are a bit nicer and larger than in the Rio’s other tower, the Ipanema Tower. However, while the Rio restaurants were all open this time (for STLV55, during the height of the pandemic, many were closed, the price of the food was grossly overpriced for the quality. Don’t get me wrong, the food was good, but certainly not what I would have paid for a similar meal at a hometown restaurant.

Overall, the STLV57 con was a great success, and I, for one, enjoyed it immensely. If you enjoyed this fan review, you might want to check me out on Twitter, where I riff on all things Geeky…

Oh, and before we go…I saw this on Twitter. Terry Matalas posted a picture (did he take it?) of Brent Spiner taking a picture of the Mugato in the men’s bathroom at the Rio. As George Takei might say, ‘Oh, MY!”

#STLV Why is @robertbeltran74 getting all this hate? Other stars on stage mentioned Trek and characters by name, inlucuding Armin Shimerman (named Quark), Jonathan Frakes (mentioned Trek multiple times), Denise Crosby (mentioned Tasha and Sela by name, among others. #StarTrek

— Roger Lee👉👉👉#STLV (@Darth_Trojan) August 9, 2023

Quark -Armin Shimerman-Answered My Question About the SAG-AFTRA Strike and STLV

Last night (July 13, 2023), after the announcement of the SAG-AFTRA actor’s strike, I took to Twitter to ask several Star Trek actors if the strike would affect their ability (per union strike rules) to attend the Star Trek fan convention in Las Vegas (#STLV) in August. STLV is the biggest Star Trek event for fans each year, and over a hundred Star Trek (and this year, also, The Orville), actors, showrunners, writers, etc. are scheduled to attend.

At STLV, lots of fans pay good money for autographs and photo ops with their favorite Trek actors. If union strike rules forbid attendance by actors, that would impact a lot of fans who have already doled out money for the show.

So, I went to the Elonverse (i.e. Twitter), to ask Star Trek actors if they can attend. I got two responses, and both made my day!

First, Chase Masterson (Leeta from DS9) responded:

Chase Masterson's response to the #STLV question 07.13.23 — Chase Masterson’s response to the #STLV question 07.13.23

Then, Armin Shimerman (Quark, also from DS9) responded:

In both cases, their responses are exactly what I wanted, and needed, to hear.

Thank you to Chase Masterson and Armin Shimerman for clarifying their ability to attend STLV. Note that the Star Trek Las Vegas event is put on by Creation Entertainment, and is NOT (thankfully) an officially recognized or sponsored event by ANY of the studios. That, I believe, enables the actors to attend and make their fans hearts happy!

Let us hope that our Star Trek actors and the rest of SAG-AFTRA win their battle against the Ferengi-like Studios!

Live Long and Prosper!

PS. Check out my review of Strange New Worlds S2 Episode 5

Strange New Worlds Season 2, Episode 5 is GREAT!

A Treat for Trek Fans!

The latest Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode (S2, E5), titled “Charades,” is a wonderful example of why this latest iteration of Star Trek is one of the best Trek shows in franchise history.

Without getting into spoilers (yet), I can say that this episode hits all the buttons (for a non pew-pew, no phasers/photon torpedo type of episode), featuring character and plot developments, emotional and relationship plot lines, and quite a bit of humor. We ever have amorphous, gas-like and mysterious alien beings of immense power. A consistent feature of And, for this old TOS fan, the possible plug-ins to the Spock/T’Pring/Christine Chapel continuity are, to borrow a phrase, “Fascinating!”

Ok, on to specifics as to why this episode is great. Yes, that means spoilers ahead!

Humor: One thing that made TOS great was the easy camaraderie among the characters that came through in humorous comments peppered throughout the show. Strange New Worlds takes that to a new level. Anson Mounts’ facial expressions during the Vulcan Engagement Dinner ritual alone is worth watching this episode for.

The crux of this episode, on the surface, is Spock’s “accident” in which powerful, but clueless aliens “fix” him by wiping out his Vulcan DNA. Hence, for most of this episode, Spock is 100% Human. Oh, no…you know what that means…bonus points here for this not being the result of a Transporter Accident!

Watching the now fully human Spock learning what it is like to be a human (the bacon scene is hilarious!), is great, as is when his human and Illyrian friends try to coach him on how to be a Vulcan again is classic. Melissa Navia, as Erica Ortegas, has a natural comedic talent, and it shows as she demonstrates the classic Vulcan eyebrow arch.

Vulcan Culture: Fans of TOS well know about how Spock and T’Pring’s engagement concludes, but the ongoing story of their relationship brings new light to our knowledge of Vulcan culture and habits. The engagement dinner, and rituals fit into what we already know of Vulcan culture, and add to the backstory of Vulcan life. Also, bonus points to the mention of how Vulcans have issues with how Humans smell. First brought to light by T’Pol (Jolene Blalock) on Star Trek: Enterprise, the inclusion of this factoid again helps to connect SNW with the Trek shows that preceded it.

Spock: Spock’s ongoing internal battle over his dual nature has always been a major feature of the character, regardless of whether he is played by Leonard Nimoy, Zack Quinto, or Ethan Peck. This episode, along with Spock’s struggles with his romantic attachments, is a great new chapter in the story of Spock. Ethan Peck is superb in this episode, both as a dramatic actor (Spock gets ANGRY!) and as a comedic actor.

Gaseous, Amorphous Aliens: A staple of Trek encounters with aliens, this show features a new variety of all-powerful “ancient aliens,” to quote Ortegas, but the humor here is that they are entirely clueless. Again, great writing and great humor. Anyone else get the “Ancient Aliens” reference, or am I the only one?

SNW S2E5 Charades-Ortegas mentions "Ancient Aliens" — SNW S2E5 Charades-Ortegas mentions “Ancient Aliens”

Any Trek fan should enjoy this episode. “Charades” (the title comes from Pike’s attempt to delay having Spock’s humanness revealed; again, a great comedic moment), has all the humanity, vulcanness, humor, and great character and relationship-building that a Trekkie (or is it “Trekker,”) could want.

Star Trek: A Lifelong Passion

Star Trek: The Next Generation, was the first live-action Star Trek show I watched as each episode made its initial appearance on TV. I grew up watching the original series, simply known as “Star Trek,” back then, and I also vaguely recall watching the Star Trek: Animated Show when I was a kid. I now assume I saw the episodes as they “dropped,” to use the modern parlance, but for me, as a kid growing up, the live-action Star Trek show with Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Klingons, Romulans, and phaser shoot-outs, was THE show to watch.

My old buddies from Star Trek: The Original Series

Star Wars and Star Trek: That Time Ensign Kim Almost Killed Han Solo

Garrett Wang, who is best known for playing the eternally low-ranking Ensign Kim in Star Trek: Voyager, disclosed in the Delta Flyer Podcast that he creates with fellow Voyager alum Robert Duncan McNeill, that back when Voyager was in production in the 1990s, he almost ran over the legendary actor, Harrison Ford.

In recounting this near-disaster, Wang described driving through the Paramount Studios’ parking lot, he recalled speeding around a bend and Harrison Ford appeared out of nowhere, right in front of Wang’s car ‘I’m actually speeding around the parking lot, and I come around this one bend and this guy in a suit walks between two cars, right in front of my car, so I slam on my breaks,’ Wang said.

When he realized who the gentleman in the suit actually was, Wang’s first thought was “Oh my god, I almost killed Han Solo!” I would have been hated by nerds everywhere.”

Thankfully, no one was hurt in this parking lot episode, but think about this for a minute in a geeky nerdy way…had Star Trek’s Ensign Kim actually hit and harmed or killed Star Wars’ Han Solo, the eternal debate between fans of the two franchises could be decidedly more belligerent. As it is, many fans debate on social media which fictional universe is better, Star Trek or Star Wars. That debate is, and should be, ongoing and be both passionate and logical.

This reminds me of a comment made by George Takei (Hikaru Sulu from the original Enterprise) some years ago, where he said, in effect, that Star Trek and Star Wars fans should unite in a grand Star Alliance to fight the real enemy: The Twilight Franchise! I thought that was a hilarious comment, especially as, having seen the first of the Twilight movies, and going “ugh, glittering vampires?”

Regardless, it is a good thing that Ensign Kim did not run over Han Solo and Indiana Jones. The fictional movie world is a better place with Han alive. BTW, have you seen the recent Star Wars movies…?

Discovering Star Trek: Discovery

First impressions here without spoiling much, of Star Trek; Discovery, which I began watching from the POV of a long-time Trek fan.

Discovering Star Trek: Discovery

I just began watching Star Trek: Discovery. Yes, I know, for a guy touting himself as a Geek, to just now start watching what is turning out to be a very interesting, very geek-worthy Star Trek show is scandalous.

Before you start slinging bat’leths at me, let me hasten to explain…

You see, I am rather stodgy and old-fashioned when it comes to certain things. When I first heard that CBS All Access was a paid subscription for the new STAR TREK series, my proletarian sensibilities were upset. In the old days (and, as you all know, “in the old days” is grumpy old man talk), we could watch Star Trek with only an antenna…and then with a cable hookup…and then through Netflix, and so on. You see, it took me a while to decide that it was ok, that the Alpha Quadrant would not collapse into a tizzy if I actually subscribed (with money) to the new CBS access to see my new Star Trek show.

Plus, from talking with fellow Trekker fans at the recent Emerald City Comic-Con, and getting-first hand reviews from real people who also shelled out good money to meet George Takei, well, that helped convince me. I had heard bits and pieces over time from fellow geeks at work, and, frankly, the news that Sir Patrick Stewart himself is getting a new show titled “Picard,” well, that sealed the deal for this geek!

So now, I have duly subscribed to the Old Gods of CBS All Access, and am now five episodes into the first season. My thoughts on what I have taken in so far? Well, WOW!

Star Trek Discovery-GIF — Star Trek Discovery

I had heard that CBS was putting a lot of money into the production values for the show, based on the idea that a lot of Trek fans would pony up money to see it, and you can really see the quality in the props and special effects. Top notch! Each episode looks like a mini-movie, and the acting is also quite good.

I’m going to give my first impressions here without spoiling much, I hope. The first two episodes had me scratching my head a bit, since I knew the show is named after a Federation vessel (Discovery-named, as I later learned, from the ship in 2001: Space Odyssey), yet the main ship in the opening episodes is the USS Shenzhou, captained by Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and Crazy Rich Asians) as Captain Philippa Georgiou. First Officer is a woman named Micheal Burnham, played by Sonequa Martin-Green (Walking Dead). While this show, now that I am into it by five episodes, plays homage to all of the previous Star Trek shows, is unique in several ways. Our main character, Burnham, is not a starship captain. The show opens with a ship that is not the ship of the show’s name, and the show leaves a few questions in my mind.

Among those questions (again, trying to not spoil things here): What is up with how the Klingons look? This is at least the third iteration of the physical appearance of Klingons across the various shows and movies. Will ST: Discovery eventually explain this? Also, we see a lot of advanced tech on board Discovery that was not seen on Kirk’s Enterprise. Now, obviously, the special effects of the mid-late 1960s were inferior to what we have today, but if this new show is supposed to hold onto the continuity and the canon of the overall Trek Universe, we will need to have some explanations. From some brief readings online (https://www.ign.com/articles/2017/10/23/star-trek-discoverys-holodeck-has-fans-freaking-out and https://www.polygon.com/2017/5/18/15658904/star-trek-discovery-klingon) some of my questions and concerns have been alleviated, but I am a continuity and canon geek for my fictional universes, and I want clarity!

Before I go away to watch the next episode, I will say, that the references to historical figures (like Jonathan Archer) and “current” people like Christopher Pike and certain Vulcans and their family members do send the true Trek fan in to fits of geeky ecstasy. If you are a Trek fan, then this is a series worth checking out. More reports on the show as I progress through the episodes.

Live Long and Prosper!