I've seen 'em all and met 'em all, occasionally privately. The best anecdotes:
Mid-70s, not sure of the year, University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Gene Roddenberry was on the college lecture circuit with what was ultimately recorded for the album Inside Star Trek. Spoke with G.R. very briefly after his show. Was too young to take he and Majel to a bar afterward. To this day, I harbor jealousy of my college-aged friends who liquored them up and had them signing everything in sight.
Star Trekon '76, Kansas City, Kansas: don't remember the guests, but one woman had the best costume I've ever seen. She was about 5'2", morbidly obese, and dressed as a giant tribble.
At that same con: a ten-foot by fifteen-foot hand-woven tapestry of the marriage scene from "Amok Time." Best Trek-related art I've ever seen.
Circa 1978, University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Leonard Nimoy was touring his one-man show Vincent. The university art gallery had a small Van Gogh collection that he took in after the show. Followed him around like a puppy dog with half a dozen or so fans. Took great pains to make sure he signed something un-Spock-like (this wasn't long after I Am Not Spock was published).
Omaha, Nebraska Star Trek Festival, 1978: met George Takei. A serious Class Act at the time. One of my best friends' mother was a local radio DJ, had interviewed him the day before, and then had dinner with him. He knew he owed all his success to Star Trek and treated me (and the other fans) accordingly.
Circa 1980, probably an early Cretin Con in Omaha, Nebraska: bumped into the giant tribble lady from Star Trekon '76. This time, she was in costume as Vejur.
June 1, 1984, the Lincoln, Nebraska premiere of Star Trek III: no one of consequence in attendance. I was dressed as a Klingon. As the movie started, a pair of kids behind me were making noise. I slowly rose, turned, cast a malicious eye on them and said: "You. Will. Be. Silent."
Later, during the movie, a female stranger I'd met standing in line and who sat next to me grabbed my arm and then sobbed into my shoulder when the Enterprise was destroyed. I never saw her again.
November 26, 1986, the premiere of Star Trek IV: no one of consequence in attendance. I was dressed as a Klingon, unrecognizable. I'd told my college instructors my grandmother died to that I could attend the afternoon premiere. I wound up interviewed on the local 10:00 news -- but as I'd refused to give any name other than "Krass" and I was in a forehead ridge and long wig, I slipped under the radar.
Around 1990, a Cretin Con in suburban Chicago: handed Michael Dorn my 8x10 glossy to sign. He asked if I wanted him to take it back with him: I answered no, I just figured signing my headshot rather than his might be an interesting break in his routine.
Same con: noticed Nichelle Nichols had about had it for the day and assured her that the end of the line wasn't far behind me.
Early 90s, suburban Chicago: don't remember the con, but it was an unmitigated disaster. All guests were all no-shows due to lack of payment -- which was too bad because I had a good chance to liquor up Jimmy Doohan and I'd always heard he was a blast if you got him drunk. They were so desperate that they actually put me into a panel. Total flop of a con, but interesting.
The 1991 Michigan City Star Trek Festival: best con I've ever attended. Multiple stories:
Riverside, Iowa Star Trek Festival, 1994: the future birthplace of James Kirk (original timeline), and their annual town festival is Kirk-themed. I attended in both 1993 and 1994 as a meet-up with the old FidoNet Star Trek Echo. The guest of honor was Grace Lee Whitney, who unveiled the new carving of Captain Kirk that was going into the town square. My infant daughter (born December of '93) was adorned in a Bajoran earring by the other Trek Echo fans. Took the following pic with the Trek Echo crew. I'm third from the left, standing.
Also participated in Cow Patty Bingo. When Riversiders party, they party.
Dakota Smith
Mid-70s, not sure of the year, University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Gene Roddenberry was on the college lecture circuit with what was ultimately recorded for the album Inside Star Trek. Spoke with G.R. very briefly after his show. Was too young to take he and Majel to a bar afterward. To this day, I harbor jealousy of my college-aged friends who liquored them up and had them signing everything in sight.
Star Trekon '76, Kansas City, Kansas: don't remember the guests, but one woman had the best costume I've ever seen. She was about 5'2", morbidly obese, and dressed as a giant tribble.
At that same con: a ten-foot by fifteen-foot hand-woven tapestry of the marriage scene from "Amok Time." Best Trek-related art I've ever seen.
Circa 1978, University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Leonard Nimoy was touring his one-man show Vincent. The university art gallery had a small Van Gogh collection that he took in after the show. Followed him around like a puppy dog with half a dozen or so fans. Took great pains to make sure he signed something un-Spock-like (this wasn't long after I Am Not Spock was published).
Omaha, Nebraska Star Trek Festival, 1978: met George Takei. A serious Class Act at the time. One of my best friends' mother was a local radio DJ, had interviewed him the day before, and then had dinner with him. He knew he owed all his success to Star Trek and treated me (and the other fans) accordingly.
Circa 1980, probably an early Cretin Con in Omaha, Nebraska: bumped into the giant tribble lady from Star Trekon '76. This time, she was in costume as Vejur.
June 1, 1984, the Lincoln, Nebraska premiere of Star Trek III: no one of consequence in attendance. I was dressed as a Klingon. As the movie started, a pair of kids behind me were making noise. I slowly rose, turned, cast a malicious eye on them and said: "You. Will. Be. Silent."
Later, during the movie, a female stranger I'd met standing in line and who sat next to me grabbed my arm and then sobbed into my shoulder when the Enterprise was destroyed. I never saw her again.
November 26, 1986, the premiere of Star Trek IV: no one of consequence in attendance. I was dressed as a Klingon, unrecognizable. I'd told my college instructors my grandmother died to that I could attend the afternoon premiere. I wound up interviewed on the local 10:00 news -- but as I'd refused to give any name other than "Krass" and I was in a forehead ridge and long wig, I slipped under the radar.
Around 1990, a Cretin Con in suburban Chicago: handed Michael Dorn my 8x10 glossy to sign. He asked if I wanted him to take it back with him: I answered no, I just figured signing my headshot rather than his might be an interesting break in his routine.
Same con: noticed Nichelle Nichols had about had it for the day and assured her that the end of the line wasn't far behind me.
Early 90s, suburban Chicago: don't remember the con, but it was an unmitigated disaster. All guests were all no-shows due to lack of payment -- which was too bad because I had a good chance to liquor up Jimmy Doohan and I'd always heard he was a blast if you got him drunk. They were so desperate that they actually put me into a panel. Total flop of a con, but interesting.
The 1991 Michigan City Star Trek Festival: best con I've ever attended. Multiple stories:
- Personally met, bought drinks for, and chatted with Peter David and Jeanne Dillard (separate conversations). Preferred slightly drunk Jeanne to slightly drunk Peter.
- Passed on a message to Bjo Trimble from a mutual friend (and then took her reply back to him when I went home).
- Left a local newsdork angry. It's my best story from any con:
I had this very nice TNG uniform costume that my late ex-mother-in-law made for me. She was an awesome seamstress. I was younger (and slimmer) in those days and my hair and beard pure brown.
As my (now ex-) wife and I made our way through the dealers' room, we noticed this blown-dry, blond newsdork. He'd cornered half the people in Klingon costumes and had them growling for the camera, spitting Klingonese, and frankly embarrassing themselves and everyone else.
As we wandered past the newsdork, he stopped to interview me. He wanted me to have a fake battle with the Klingons, and I refused. I don't need to be on TV badly enough to act like an idiot.
He kept calling me "Commander," and I kept telling him that it was a costume, I'd never been in the service. He kept at it, with increasingly inane questions, until he finally asked, "So, do you wear the costume all the time?"
In one of the only times in my life when I thought of the right thing to say when I needed it as opposed to two hours later, I replied:
"Does your wife wear her fishnets and crotchless panties all the time? No, she wears them when it's appropriate. I wear this to conventions and on Halloween."
The newsdork stared at me like I'd sprouted an extra head, and without missing a beat had his cameraman point back at the Klingons, who were more than happy to be idiots for him.
Riverside, Iowa Star Trek Festival, 1994: the future birthplace of James Kirk (original timeline), and their annual town festival is Kirk-themed. I attended in both 1993 and 1994 as a meet-up with the old FidoNet Star Trek Echo. The guest of honor was Grace Lee Whitney, who unveiled the new carving of Captain Kirk that was going into the town square. My infant daughter (born December of '93) was adorned in a Bajoran earring by the other Trek Echo fans. Took the following pic with the Trek Echo crew. I'm third from the left, standing.
Also participated in Cow Patty Bingo. When Riversiders party, they party.
Dakota Smith
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Aside from those two, the only other celebrities I've ever seen were Starsky and Hutch, and the Sarge from CHiPs, when they were filming at my grade school.
