Destination Star Trek Birmingham

I cannot believe the guest list for this year! All those discovery actors announced so late plus some amazing free guests like John Eaves.
This is going to be massive and I’m certainly looking forward to it
Who else is going and who are you looking forward to seeing?

 

Massive? I don't think so. There's nowhere near as many people talking this event online as there was 2 years ago for the 50th. The huge number of complaints from many people at that event will have put off most of them from ever going back. It also looks like CBS have effectively waded in and taken charge of the guest list, since Jason Joiner was either unable or unwilling to spend the money to get main cast guests.

Most of the fans, as evidenced by the very lackluster response to and lack of photoshoot sales for STD guest announcements, couldn't care less about them or the show. Jason Isaacs photoshoots have been on sale for 9 months. He's sold 4 photoshoot batches across all 3 days of the event. That's about 200 people who've bought a photo with him. The Green woman has sold 2 batches, and none of the other STD actors have sold any. While the prices are extortionate, you can't cover up STD's unpopularity, especially since Shatner's sold close on 15 batches, while Mulgrew had sold 11 when I looked the other day, and she's only there for 24 hours.

 

Well I had a great time at the last one and the one before. I think the line up is great. There are interesting talks going on through the day. Really pleased that Ben from eaglemoss is having a Q and A. I don’t know what the politics are around the organiser and don’t really care. Stuff costs money nowadays. I was talking to a friend who was part of the organisational team of Star Trek cons in the mid 90s and he was saying ‘you used to get autographs for £10 each now they’re so expensive’ but I said to him we are 20 years worth of inflation down the road from that.

I can’t wait to get the photos I’ve ordered. Hope to see some people there

 

We get it, you hate DSC, god damn it man. Jesus Christ, this is getting annoying.

 

My sister and I are going. Got my finances in order and I'm about to buy the photos. Definitely getting Jason Issacs and the Quark at the bar one. Probably will get the Michael one since she's cute and it's always good to have pictures taken with pretty girls. Debating if I should do the "Colbert pose" this time around or just a normal photo as I wasn't that happy with it last time. The Discovery cast shoot is tempting but it's £370. It's a lot but I've always regretted not getting the TNG one 4 years ago.
I'll stop by the Eaglemoss booth and see if they have any exclusives as well.
Also, I've got a spare Gates McFadden and Nichelle Nichols autograph token if any Commanders going want to trade?

 

Booked my ticket at the weekend, gone a bit crazy this time with pictures getting"

Shatner on the classic bridge
Mulgrew
De Boer
Siddig and Farrell together
Ryan
And a seni of me on the TNG bridge

Not looking forward to getting up at 6 on a Saturday to catch the train from London, hopefully I can sleep for most of the way .

 

Will be my first ever event so looking forward to it even if it is a 7am train to get up in time! I have only booked the DS9 talk so far. For the autographs and photos would you usually be okay to do it on the day or book in advance?

 

I cannot wait...
I’ve booked
quark at his bar
Jason Isaacs
Sonequa
Mulgrew
But I’m most looking forward to Nana. Kira is my favourite ever Star Trek character.
I would like a photo with Nichelle but am put off by claims she has lost her memory and shouldn’t be working. What do others think?

 

I know it sounds obvious but wear some comfortable shoes you will be walking and standing a lot . For photo oops I would recommend booking in advance if you leave it to the day they maybe all sold out (depending on who it is) or you will be in a late batch and have to hang around till late to get your turn .

[QUOTE"Aerotrek, post: 12645961, member: 74302"]I cannot wait...
I’ve booked
quark at his bar
Jason Isaacs
Sonequa
Mulgrew
But I’m most looking forward to Nana. Kira is my favourite ever Star Trek character.
I would like a photo with Nichelle but am put off by claims she has lost her memory and shouldn’t be working. What do others think?[/QUOTE]

Damn Quarks Bar sounds great I might have to look in to that one .Oh how could I forget Nana might have to see if I can squeeze that one in too .

As for Nichelle I had the same thought too, I hear it's mostly to do with short term memory. But I guess if she loved doing conventions before and liked meeting fans just because she has dementia should she miss out on doing that?

My step dad has it and he can recall things from 30 years no problem but can't remember things from the last few years at all . I guess it's different for everyone but it's a tough one.

 

No comment neccessary.

 

No, I think a comment is necessary. I have no idea what the point of your image is.

 

Oh I thought that was an 'Or' and thought it was just bad grammar or something.

 

The confusion, deliberate or otherwise, that often befell non Star Trek fans in the 70s and 80s when you mentioned Star Trek, was thinking Dr Spock, a well known, well published 20th century pediatrician, and a pointy eared alien in Star Trek, were one and the same. I seem to recall it was pretty much a joke aimed at Trek fans.

I suspect this was Joiner trolling his own event and sticking two fingers up at the fans, hoping they'd all be too stupid to notice. However, the post quickly got hammered by a few people, and was deleted. Luckily I caught it while it was still in the twitter cache. I did wonder if CBS had seen it.

Just another gaffe to add to the facebook event page "no kill" alien prop advertising, which no one at Showmasters knew was called a Horta, and also to Nichelle Nichols name being spelt wrong on the ticket ordering site.

That TNG shoot from 2014 was the worst group photo I've ever seen in my life. A few I saw had half of Marina's face cut off because the monkey operating the camera couldn't frame the shot properly.

You bought a Commander's package in the belief, and I'm assuming you actually read what you were buying before you spent the money, that you would get a photoshoot and an autograph with a Captain actor. No one who bought a Commander package has received those with either Shatner, Mulgrew, or Isaacs. Have you complained about being defrauded by Showmasters?

I did the maths yesterday. With 5 days to go, the event had sold approx 55% fewer guest photoshoots than 2016. It's nice to see people voting with their feet and their wallets. Put on something decent and people go back for more. Put on shit and rip them off, and they don't. And yet CBS are reportedly alarmed that attendances at Trek conventions have become so low.

Also both Mulgrew and Doug Jones (and who knows who else) are leaving lunchtime on Sunday, this after his Friday appearance was cancelled. Nothing's been said by Showmasters. Doug has been telling people on his twitter feed. It's just all the usual lies and deception those of us who've been around long enough have got used to from Jason Joiner. And if you want a really dirty chuckle, the Tony Lee bloke that Joiner's got to emcee the opening ceremony, has quite happily said on twitter that he's besties with Manny Patel. That's not the sort of thing you admit to when you've been announced to appear at an official CBS Trek con.

 

I'm unfamiliar with the personalities you're talking about. Who is Manny Patel and why would this raise a dirty chuckle?

 

There is a name I haven't heard in a long time, I remember him from the convention circuit in the late 90s early 2000s. He used to hang out at Pages bar. OMG so many memories coming back, he used to be friends with a chap called Bob Benton (could be misremembering his name) who used to be involved in a convention organisation.

I vaguely remember going to a convention in 96 listening to some lady bad nothingm them for like an hour.