I was wondering if folks would be interested in sharing their real life stories of encounters with the cast members of the original television series. I met James Doohan at a Star Trek Convention in the early 1990's. I had met former President Jimmy Carter earlier in the same week, but, as I shook Jimmy Doohan's hand, I told him that I was more excited meeting him than the former President from Georgia. Doohan got a big laugh out of the story..
Close Encounters of the Trek Kind
- Thread starter Komack
- Start date
I'd have preferred to meet Jimmy Doohan over Jimmy Carter too.
I got to see Deforrest Kelly, Walter Koenig and Grace Lee Whitney at a convention in 1979, about six months before the release of TMP. When asked why he attended the convention, Deforrest Kelly said "because I thought this would be the last one." How little did he know?
There was an auction to have dinner with Walter Koenig. I think the winner paid $500 with money going to charity. I was 16 years old and that was way over my budget.
There was an auction to have dinner with Walter Koenig. I think the winner paid $500 with money going to charity. I was 16 years old and that was way over my budget.
I got to meet Majel Barrett at a convention in Northern Virginia in the early 90's (92-93ish). Very warm and friendly. It was weird to hear the ship's computer when she talked 
I just got back from Creation Star Trek Las Vegas and had the opportunity to rub elbows with Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, and Grace Lee Whitney. I had met many of the other stars of TOS before but this was definitely the most contact I've had with any of them in a long time. Very cool!
sulu when his autobiography came out he was signing books at my local borders and my mom took me to see him, i was maybe 6 or 7 but i remember it vividly - still have the book and his signature and a little message to me he wrote
my thoughts exactly!
Met Leonard Nimoy at a Birmingham auto show in 1973, maybe 74. (How they tried to link the two, I have no idea.) Got to ask him a question. Imagine a 10 year old brat presenting a trekno-babble theory about Vulcan aging that left the poor actor flummoxed. (I theorized Spock may have been 70+ earth years old during Kirk's command, utterly failing to realize his human mother was probably no older than her late 50s at that time.) Even got his autograph...and promptly LOST the d@mn thing before I even left the premises! (I've never bothered with signatures ever since.)
Oh, I also nearly started a riot.
While waiting for Nimoy, who was by that point "fashionably" late, I started muttering, "I want Nimoy." My buddy Kyle heard my aggitation and joined in. Then others immediately surounding us started to "chant". Imagine a "ripple" of frustrated "chanting" with my serving the role of the stone cast into the water. Soon the volume grew and by the time Nimoy finally arrived, the crowd seemed ready to storm the stage!
In the words of Steve Urkel, "Did I do that?"
Sincerely,
Bill
Oh, I also nearly started a riot.
While waiting for Nimoy, who was by that point "fashionably" late, I started muttering, "I want Nimoy." My buddy Kyle heard my aggitation and joined in. Then others immediately surounding us started to "chant". Imagine a "ripple" of frustrated "chanting" with my serving the role of the stone cast into the water. Soon the volume grew and by the time Nimoy finally arrived, the crowd seemed ready to storm the stage!
In the words of Steve Urkel, "Did I do that?"
Sincerely,
Bill
I attended a mini-con in Calgary in the late '70s, where George Takei was the guest. However, I was also coming down with the flu at the time, and by the time his talk was over and he was ready to sign autographs, I was running a fever and so dizzy I could barely stand up. So I lost that chance. 
Some years later, though, Bjo Trimble and Sonni Cooper were guests at another Calgary convention. Bjo decided she wanted to go to the Calgary Zoo on the Monday after the con, and issued a blanket invitation to any con member who wanted to tag along with them! So my boyfriend and I and half a dozen other people had a very special day with these incredibly nice ladies.
I met David Gerrold years after that, at another Calgary convention.
I've never met anyone else who has appeared in a TOS production. I've met a few other ST authors, though, and quite honestly it's the authors I prefer to meet rather than actors.
Some years later, though, Bjo Trimble and Sonni Cooper were guests at another Calgary convention. Bjo decided she wanted to go to the Calgary Zoo on the Monday after the con, and issued a blanket invitation to any con member who wanted to tag along with them! So my boyfriend and I and half a dozen other people had a very special day with these incredibly nice ladies.
I met David Gerrold years after that, at another Calgary convention.
I've never met anyone else who has appeared in a TOS production. I've met a few other ST authors, though, and quite honestly it's the authors I prefer to meet rather than actors.
I've seen the following at cons: Roddenberry, Kelly, Doohan, Koenig, Whitney, Roger Carmel, and Angelique Pettyjohn. Most of these I saw when I was in high school. The only interaction I ever had with them was exchanging a few brief words while they signed stuff.
I also met author Anne Crispin when I was living in Morgantown, WV, and she was attending a writer's workshop.
I also met author Anne Crispin when I was living in Morgantown, WV, and she was attending a writer's workshop.
I've only had a few minor brushes with Trek stardom:
1) Back in the '70's Gene Roddenberry was on one of his speaking tours, and a friend of mine and I went to see him at USF in Tampa, FL (this same friend claims to have run into William Shatner at an airport hangar in Sarasota);
2) Can't remember what con it was, but I met Bibi Besch and have a signed Polaroid of her (yes, a Polaroid) somewhere;
3) My web cartoon Stone Trek gave me a few sideswipes... voice man Wally Fields ('Birth of the Federation') did work for me on that show, and I had received a little e-mail praise once from one of the producers of TNG - danged if I can remember who that was at the moment!
Brian Matthews
Creator, Stone Trek
1) Back in the '70's Gene Roddenberry was on one of his speaking tours, and a friend of mine and I went to see him at USF in Tampa, FL (this same friend claims to have run into William Shatner at an airport hangar in Sarasota);
2) Can't remember what con it was, but I met Bibi Besch and have a signed Polaroid of her (yes, a Polaroid) somewhere;
3) My web cartoon Stone Trek gave me a few sideswipes... voice man Wally Fields ('Birth of the Federation') did work for me on that show, and I had received a little e-mail praise once from one of the producers of TNG - danged if I can remember who that was at the moment!
Brian Matthews
Creator, Stone Trek
I met Robin Curtis on my 24th birthday in 1994. It was a surprise arranged by my mom. After spending several minutes talking with her, Curtis interupted the autograph session to lead the entire convention in singing happy birthday to me.
Yeah, I know she wasn't actually in TOS but she was in two of the better TOS movies, so it counts.
Yeah, I know she wasn't actually in TOS but she was in two of the better TOS movies, so it counts.
I've had the good fortune to meet all of the TOS cast, with the exception of Grace Lee Whitney. I even had an opportunity to chat with Roddenberry at a Salt Palace appearance in Salt Lake City back around 1976.
Everyone I've talked to was very cordial, with the possible exception of Koenig, who seemed to be having a bad day. George was very much the crowd pleaser with some of his tales and his hilarious laughter. He invited me and a few others to go jogging with him (this was at a con in upstate Washington) but I did not have my running clothes with me, so had to opt out.
Shatner was pleasant, though busy talking to others when I met him at a car show in Seattle. I thought he had a cold and clammy handshake, though. I ran into Jimmy Doohan several times; in one instance he was crossing a parking lot when I said, "Hi, Mr. Doohan," and he said Hi back. He remembered me later that day, though, when signing autographs and we talked about our respective military careers.
De Kelly was great; he talked about his time in the Army Air Forces and that's when I found out his full name was Jackson DeForest Kelly. I was surprised at how skinny he was.
Everyone I've talked to was very cordial, with the possible exception of Koenig, who seemed to be having a bad day. George was very much the crowd pleaser with some of his tales and his hilarious laughter. He invited me and a few others to go jogging with him (this was at a con in upstate Washington) but I did not have my running clothes with me, so had to opt out.
Shatner was pleasant, though busy talking to others when I met him at a car show in Seattle. I thought he had a cold and clammy handshake, though. I ran into Jimmy Doohan several times; in one instance he was crossing a parking lot when I said, "Hi, Mr. Doohan," and he said Hi back. He remembered me later that day, though, when signing autographs and we talked about our respective military careers.
De Kelly was great; he talked about his time in the Army Air Forces and that's when I found out his full name was Jackson DeForest Kelly. I was surprised at how skinny he was.
James Doohan at a Star Trek convention at Sacramento City College in 1975..
he seemed to be genuinely pleased to be there meeting and greeting the fans.
(including a 14 year old me..)
Gene Roddenberry, Majel and Rod while hiking Big Sur in 1978. (they were in a parking lot and all were very nice to me and my friends)
George Takei and Colm Meaney at a convention in Arlington, Texas back in 1993..
Both were quite taken with my oldest son (who was 4) and his brother (1 year old)..
and had nothing but kind words for me and them...
he seemed to be genuinely pleased to be there meeting and greeting the fans.
(including a 14 year old me..)
Gene Roddenberry, Majel and Rod while hiking Big Sur in 1978. (they were in a parking lot and all were very nice to me and my friends)
George Takei and Colm Meaney at a convention in Arlington, Texas back in 1993..
Both were quite taken with my oldest son (who was 4) and his brother (1 year old)..
and had nothing but kind words for me and them...
I've been to several cons in the 90's and early 2000's here in Portland, but there were usually only the Guest's in evidence and I never got to talk to them except in a trudging along autograph line. There was one exception, though: I forget the year, bu the guest was Robert Picardo (not TOS, I know, but wait for it...). In the dealer room was Grace Lee Whitney, Celeste Yarnell (yeoman Landon from "The Apple"), Robert Frost (Apollo from "Who Mourns for Adonais"), and also June Lockheart of Lost in Space fame. I told Grace that my dad was a big Trekkie when he was a kid during the first run and that he married a blonde because of her. She laughed and said she's heard lot's of guys claim to have had a crush on her as a kid, but never quite that. Moments later, I spoke to Celeste Yarnell about her episode and behind the scenes stuff. Then we talked about some sort of animal/veterinary charity she was a part of. She was very nice. I said I would have loved to get her autograph but I had spent my last cash on GLW (which was true) but she was good enough to say, "Oh, that's okay" and sign my book anyway. Robert Frost was pretty cool too. He had hardly aged in the 30-odd years between the episode and the convention. I told him that thanks to him a friend of mine wants to go a round of fisticuffs with a Greek god and he thought was funny. June Lockheart seemed to be having a bad day and she wasn't very friendly at all.
--Alex
--Alex
Speaking of June Lockhart, I saw her when I attended my first weekend long Trek convention, Dixie Trek '89. She was introduced as the mistress of opening ceremonies for the con. She was dressed very prim and proper as she was at this point in her life, the president of a bank. But she utterly shattered that air of officiousness when someone presented her with a small statuette of Maureen Robinson. She looked at the figurine in the small display box; grinned; and commented, "How sweet. They gave me tits!" There was a slight and complete silence throughout the audience as the fans absorbed this observation. Here the "mother" of Lassie's Timmy said the "T" word clearly into a microphone wired into a public address system. There was no mistaking her turn of phrase. The roar of laughter that followed literally shook the light fixtures hanging from the ceiling. I don't think anything that followed upstaged that zinger!
Sincerely,
Bill
Sincerely,
Bill
Great to hear these stories of Star Trek encounters.
When I was a kid, I begged my father to take me to a Star Trek convention that was happening in NYC. He just couldn't see the value in it. So instead, he took me to the "Federation Outpost" in Manhattan where I could see a few props/costumes on display and buy a few Star Trek trinkets. It sure would have been great to go to a Star Trek convention during that hiatus between TOS ending and the first movie being made... a bit more intimate compared to the monstrous nature of the large scale events that were to follow later on.
When I was a kid, I begged my father to take me to a Star Trek convention that was happening in NYC. He just couldn't see the value in it. So instead, he took me to the "Federation Outpost" in Manhattan where I could see a few props/costumes on display and buy a few Star Trek trinkets. It sure would have been great to go to a Star Trek convention during that hiatus between TOS ending and the first movie being made... a bit more intimate compared to the monstrous nature of the large scale events that were to follow later on.
Oh, Gary7, best sombrero avatar I've seen yet! 
I've seen quite a few Trek actors at various cons over the years. Some are friendly, some standoffish, some are fun.
One of my favorite memories is seeing Nichelle Nichols in 1986. I had my baby in my arms and she saw the baby when I came up for my autograph and wanted to hold her.
My daughter was more interested in a large blue-stoned ring that Nichelle was wearing than the stranger holding her.
I didn't realize it until later, but the Miami news was taping some of this and a shot of Nichelle holding my daughter ended up on the news that evening. That was pretty cool.
One of my favorite memories is seeing Nichelle Nichols in 1986. I had my baby in my arms and she saw the baby when I came up for my autograph and wanted to hold her.
My daughter was more interested in a large blue-stoned ring that Nichelle was wearing than the stranger holding her.
I didn't realize it until later, but the Miami news was taping some of this and a shot of Nichelle holding my daughter ended up on the news that evening. That was pretty cool.
Great to hear these stories of Star Trek encounters.
When I was a kid, I begged my father to take me to a Star Trek convention that was happening in NYC. He just couldn't see the value in it. So instead, he took me to the "Federation Outpost" in Manhattan where I could see a few props/costumes on display and buy a few Star Trek trinkets.
If you've not already seen it, you might enjoy this post over at Doug Drexler's blog: http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/2010/01/31/the-federation-trading-post-east/
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