Some Star Trek people are appearing at the Glendale Central Library in California - which is not far from where I live. Definitely going to check it out this Saturday. These Are The Voyages Author Marc Cushman Star Trek actor, screen writer and author, Walter Koenig Writer and producer, Mark Altman Star Trek writer, director and producer,John D.F. Black Sounds like it'll be a cool event. So nice to see these people outside of a convention setting. http://www.visionarytrek.com/join-w...more-at-the-alameda-writers-group-on-12-july/
Darn it! I've already got a family commitment for saturday. Thanks for posting the info, I'm really bummed I won't be able to attend
It was hosted by the much beloved (at least around here ) Marc Cushman. He’s actually a pretty good master of ceremonies and kept the meeting moving. The event was more of an advertisement for his These Are The Voyages books that anything else. On stage were Walter Koenig (sporting a Babylon 5 t-shirt), Scott Mantz (I think he used to work for Creation), Mark Altman (of Cinefantastique, Free Enterprise and Femme Fatales fame), John D.F. Black (writer and producer of TOS). Also present were people from Star Trek: Continues - including director James Kerwin. They did a dramatic reading of the memos surrounding the creation of TOS’ ‘The Apple’ with Koenig playing the part of Roddenberry and Mark Altman doing the voice of Gene Coon. I’m not sure how entertaining that was for anyone not steeped in Trek lore but there you have it. Some families (with young kids) poked their heads in to see what was going on and left quickly. I suppose the events must have looked pretty arcane/esoteric to them. I was struck by the median age of the fans - no one under the age of 40. Ah, to be a TOS fan. That is our lot in life. CBS/Paramount should find a young director and breath some new life into this old TV show. The most interesting thing was the universal praise Cushman’s books got from everyone. In fact, many paused to emphasize that his books are authoritative, unprecedented, etc. The only place I have heard anything negative about the books is on this board. It is nice to step out of the bubble once in a while. I was sitting in the back row when I noticed Koenig walking out of the meeting room. A few minutes later, the host looked around and said, "Where did Walter go?" Someone shouted, "He went to the restroom." If I had known, I would have ambushed Mr. Chekov and asked him how it was hanging.
The host mentioned Black writing 'Shaft' but no one pursued that line of questioning. After the show was over, Black (and his wife Mary) were chatting quite casually with attendees. I'm sure he would have enjoyed talking about it. There were less than 100 people in attendance.