The Next Generation Cast is Simply Amazing

[Trekker4747]

It's been some 20 years since this cast went off the air and went to movies. And though they've aged, they certainly haven't lost their youth and their sense of fun.

The cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation (sans one Patrick Stewart due to scheduling conflict, plus one Wil Wheaton and John deLancie in a surprise, un-announced/advertised, visit.) is in my home town at a local comic/pop-culture convention. And watching this group you'd swear they were a bunch of college kids on Spring Break.

Visited a panel yesterday featuring Michael Dorn and Marina Sirtis. When the un-moderated panel starts Marina goes into a mini-rant about the conservative mid-west and their apparent resistance to "Obamacare." Pretty much saying, "go to the website" and a mild rant on a universal-health care system like what England has would be better. Kind of a funny rant since I partly agree with her. Meanwhile Michael Dorn is sitting there sort of half-laughing, half calming her down half trying to move things forward. Just funny interaction between the two.

One of the attendees asked some question that sort of got Marina off on another mini-political rant about unions (her being in SAG), Michael quickly goes "no, no, no, no, no, Marina you're not doing this!" Marina launches into it and Michael Dorn sits there and actually face-palms.

Today was an un-moderated panel with Levar Burton and Brent Spiner. During the beginning of an "old man" somewhere in the back of the room ranting about nonsense. At first I thought it was someone drunk and/or crazy or something but after a couple of minutes it became clear it was Jonathon Frakes "crashing" the panel. During it he's talking about some altercation between Marina and Gates the night before at dinner. Apparently Gates "complained" to Marina about Marina getting more visitors at her booth than her and (according to Jonathon) Gates tripped Marina/pushed her over resulting in Marina breaking a finger on her left hand.

When Jonathon leaves, moments later Gates "crashes" the panel to try and get her side of the story in. All the while the banter between the cast members was just plain fun.

In the panel one of the things Spiner semi-rants about is people recognizing him on the street as "Data" rather than "Brent."

Also in the panel some good news from Levar about the future of the "Reading Rainbow" property.

Later in the day I'm go to get autographs and I first decide to get Brent's. As I'm in line I look over and see in Marina in her booth and notice she is, indeed, wearing a cast on her left hand, seeming splinting two of her fingers. (Pinky and ring.)

I get up to Brent's table and I jokingly say "Data!" and he sort of smiles and gives me a "Why I oughta..." fist shake. Then I say "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Spiner," and offer my hand. He offers a fist bump. I'm standing there talking to him for a moment and mention that I had noticed that Marina had a cast on and that I thought that they were all kidding or drunk or something with the business at the panel earlier. And he sort of chuckles and says, "No! Gates actually pushed Marina down!" Gates, in the adjacent booth, sort of turns and says, "Oh I did not! It was accident!"

I visit Marina's booth next as it had a shorter line than Gates' and I chat with her a bit about her hand and sort of say, "Hey it's a good thing you've got Obamacare, huh?" and we chat for a couple of minutes about Obamacare and a single-payer system, since I agree with her politically on those fronts. But man, if any one of these people were the polar opposite of their character...

I visit Gates next and chat with her a bit, again, friendly, friendly, woman. She signs my picture with "Redheads are the best!"

Unfortuantely due to unexpected car reapairs I do not have the spare funds to get autographs from Dorn, Frakes or Burton. They weren't at their booths when I went for autographs so my choices were made for me on who to get autographs from. But, MAN, do I want to get autographs from them. I may never have this chance again.

Anyway, tomorrow should be fun as I've got my pre-bought, guaranteed, ticket to get an autograph from the one and only William Shatner and tomorrow night he's moderating a reunion panel with the attending TNG cast members at the con.

Should be lots and lots of fun and it's really just very, very fun and amazing to see and meet these people and see how utterly friendly and close they all are with one another.

 

[Melakon]

Cool. First con I ever went to was in KC, in 1975. Shatner was there then too, but was not doing autographs in those days.

 

[LMFAOschwarz]

Cool. First con I ever went to was in KC, in 1975. Shatner was there then too, but was not doing autographs in those days.

Wow, that's something to envy! Reminds me of when my sister mentioned she saw the Moody Blues in concert in '71 or '72!

 

[Melakon]

blah...bla-blah...1975...blah

Wow, that's something to envy! Reminds me of when my sister mentioned she saw the Moody Blues in concert in '71 or '72!

I wish I still had all the stuff I'd bought back then. Had a program guide or something with autographs from Nichelle, Grace Lee, and George. It would probably be worth something now.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

If I met Levar Burton I wouldn't be able to resist asking him about his boat trip around the world.

 

[Trekker4747]

If I met Levar Burton I wouldn't be able to resist asking him about his boat trip around the world.

On the panel there was some humor in their discussion of "Roots."

It was during the bit with Spiner grumbling about being called "Data" and Burton sort of chimes in with something along the lines with, "isn't that the role you're most known for, though?"

And Spiner sort of turns to him and goes, "Oh my, God! Are you Kunta Kinte?!" Good laugh from the audience. Along this joke there was also something from Burton on, "Well you didn't see the sequel: Kunta's Revenge."

 

[WillsBabe]

Thanks for the post about the panels, Trekker. Very funny. I appreciate you took the time to post for those of us not there.

 

[Trekker4747]

Thanks for the post about the panels, Trekker. Very funny. I appreciate you took the time to post for those of us not there.

Thanks!

Just met Shatner and right as I'm up next in line the various TNG cast attendees are arriving and greeting Shatner, hugs, kisses, pleasantries, just awesome!

 

[JirinPanthosa]

I was referring more to his boat trip with Troy in Community. Yeah, I forgot he also played another character who took a different sort of boat trip around the world.

 

[Trekker4747]

Guys this is nuts. I am stunned and amazed.

I arrive at the convention center this morning shortly after it opened and the line for signatures at Shatner's booth is fairly long but not *too* bad, all things considered. I get in line and wait, at this point Shatner is expected to arrive in about half and hour but we soon get told he's running about 20-30 minutes late. Whatever. He's William Fucking Shatner he can be late if he wants to.

I chat up the people adjacent to me in line funny, friendly people some good Trek-related conversation.

Shatner arrives from the far corner of the convention center (near a skywalk to an adjacent hotel) carrying a cup of coffee and flanked by an "entourage" of a couple con organizers, a security officer and someone who looked like he may have been a body guard or something like that.

He walks by waving to those of us in line (which has now doubled in size since I got my place in line) and gives a wave as we all cheer and applaud.

Line starts moving soon after and actually at a pretty good clip as organizers had pretty militantly instructed people to have items ready before they're at the table and handing out Post-It notes to write their name on and place on items to be signed and sort of discouraged too much banter at the table to keep things moving.

So maybe 15-20 minutes later I'm a few people back from it being my turn and John deLancie comes up and says "Hi" and he and Shatner exchange some pleasantries and hugs. Few minutes later I'm 2nd or 3rd in line and the rest of attending TNG cast are now arriving in the area and gathering around Shatner, stopping things for a moment as everyone greets him, exchange hugs/kisses. Shatner is stunned to see Marina's hand in a cast wondering what happened and everything. Spiner walks up from somewhere behind me and says something like, "Is that William Shatner?!" and goes up and exchanges pleasantries with Shatner.

Just. Incredible.

I'm itching to pull out my phone and take pictures but we'd been instructed not to. Even the guy behind me says to one of the organizers/aids says, "Oh, please can I take out my phone and take *one* picture?!" the guy smiles and says, "I understand but, no, sorry."

When it's my turn to get the signature I go up to him and say, "It's a complete honor Mr. Shatner."
"No, no, honor is all mine."

He signs the photo (TOS-era photo of him in the captain's chair eye-fucking the camera) "To [me]" and then his signature.

He slides the picture to me and I say, "Thank you, can I ask one thing from you?"
"What?"
"Can you give me a 'Denny Crane!'?"

He sort of smiles and says, "No, sorry. I can't do that."

I thank him and again tell him it was a pleasure.

Just stunning and great.

This evening was the cast reunion moderated by Shatner. Again, a lot of fun an antics with the cast on the stage especially with the rolly office chairs they were provided with on the dais. Good moderation by Shatner and again, great chemistry from the cast.

DeLancie wasn't an announced cast member to be at this con, he wasn't even in the program or any other advertising material. And initially wasn't even in panel when the "reunion" started. Eventually one of the attendees asks a question along the lines of "who was the most nefarious villain the ship ever faced?" they kind of mutter a bit, Burton offers the Pakleds and then who should come on stage boasting about himself?

No points for being right.

Panel was pretty good, Shatner moderated well. Dorn, Burton, Frakes were probably the more quiet ones on stage. Though at one point Sirtis started prodding and pushing at Dorn to get him to offer an answer to a question.

At another point Dorn is answering a question and Marina interrupts him and Dorn looks back at her says, "Was I talking?!"

Someone gets up saying she suffers from a form of Autism and asks Spiner how he feels about being sort of an "icon" for people with similar disorders. Spiner says he thinks it's great and an honor and how it was a connection he had not considered or made until not too long ago when someone brought it up to him at a con. At this point Sirtis starts prodding, "Hug her! Hug Her!" referencing a bit of conversation from earlier on how sort of "un-touchy" Brent tends to be when it comes to things like this. Eventually Marina gets up and walks across the stage and gives the young woman a hug (sort of sitting down awkwardly given her injury and the position of her on the stage and the young woman on the floor) as she gets more joyfully emotional during the banter with her.

Some really great stuff between the cast members and Shatner even some baudy humor; some of which caused Wesley to hold his hand blocking out the gaze of Gates and shouting, "Mom!" And at one point Gates even lets out a "Shut-up Wesley!"

Man, guys, this was just a great, great, fantastic, experience.

I mean. Wow.

 

[EmperorTiberius]

Great stories man. Thanks

 

[Trekker4747]

Dude, my one regret is not getting autographs from all cast members. It was initially my plan using money from my tax return but Saturday morning enroute to pick up a friend my car suffered a mechanical failure that I had to get fixed right away. (Serpentine belt broke, along with a belt tensioner and also a side-item of a leaky motor mount that was sort of a "might as well fix while we're here and save on labor" repair. I was able to get a friend also going to con to pick me up and take me, and then I borrowed my parents car for the rest of the weekend. (My car would not be completed in time for me to retrieve it and the shop is closed on Sunday.) But... It's an expensive repair. One that's I'm going to need to dedicate pretty a good chunk of my tax return too, soaking up money I planned to use for the other autographs.

Which is a shame, it would have been great to have autographs from all of them. But, alas. Maybe I'll have another chance somewhere else down the road if not at this local yearly con then maybe somewhere else nearby I can go to. This con has gotten bigger and bigger every year for the last 4 years or so, so it's a lot of fun.

 

[GalaxyX]

some of which caused Wesley to hold his hand blocking out the gaze of Gates and shouting, "Mom!" And at one point Gates even lets out a "Shut-up Wesley!"

I lol'd at this I can picture it in my head, way too awesome!

I'm jealous man, I'd love to meet William Shatner. I'm thinking of going to one of these conventions.

I'd also love to ask Spiner what he thinks of his ideas in Nemesis and whether he regrets meddling so much with the story.

I'd be cool to meet Will Wheaton also just to tell him I never hated Wesley.

 

[2takesfrakes]

Outstanding commentary, on the TNG cast ...
Just another reason why I love this series, so much.

 

[PaleMoonlight]

Great story, must do it myself and meet some of them someday, been wanting to for years.

 

[Trekker4747]

I'd also love to ask Spiner what he thinks of his ideas in Nemesis and whether he regrets meddling so much with the story.

He sort of touched on this, saying that at the end of the movie Data performs the ultimate thing a person can do, sacrifice himself for another. He then (jokingly) said it was Stewart's idea that the idea was proposed "one of them had to die" in the movie and then, impersonating Stewart's voice, said "You die." Expanding that Stewart didn't even hesitate with the response.

Pretty funny stuff. Quite some banter about NEM in it, mostly in how the movie underperformed at the BO.

I'd say of all of them, excepting Shatner, Wheaton had probably some of the longer lines at his booth for autographs. Probably due to his net personality, social media and appearances on TBBT.

During the group panel there was a great point where Frakes stood-up walked up to his chair and did the "Riker Maneuver" for mounting a chair.

 

[SpHeRe31459]

Amazing anecdotes, wish I'd been there. I really need to see the TNG cast.

I was able to the Shat's autograph and lucked out with 2nd row seats to his Sac Comic Con appearance last weekend. He was in great Shatner form

 

[Salinga]

Today was an un-moderated panel with Levar Burton and Brent Spiner.

That one?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToHhssqtv_4

If you want to know, how incredible the chemistry between the TNG cast is, just watch this reunion from 2012:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wfTv5TnJUg

 

[Trekker4747]

Yep, that's it!

Cool to see that as some that is part I was sort of where I was a bit confused on what was going on.

For those who can't tell the name cards between Spiner and Burton were reversed as they sat in the wrong places.

 

[2takesfrakes]

Over 2 decades after going off the air, The Next Generation cast is still bringing joy to audiences, collectively - it makes me damn proud to be a TNG fan! I tell ya ...