I've come back from the Star Trek convention in Las Vegas. The big one. Thousands of fans were there, and almost a hundred Star Trek actors and other people that worked on the show or wrote books. It was something I've always wanted to do, and finally had the chance. I went as a TNG-era Klingon for two days and a TOS-era Klingon for the other two. It was a surreal experience, meeting all of the people that have been a part of my Trek experience for many years. Some, like Jonathan Frakes, Michael Dorn, Dominic Keating and Connor Trineer, I've wanted to meet for many years and finally did. Others, like Kate Mulgrew, Marc Alaimo, Andrew Robinson and Jeri Ryan, don't go to many conventions, if at all, so meeting them was even more of an extraordinary experience. I can say, that to a person, all of the Trek actors were wonderful to talk to and seemed to appreciate the opportunity to meet their fans.
Ah, the fans. To say that my uniform, which I thought was pretty good, was merely adequate at this convention, would be an understatement. There were so many people who looked like they just stepped off of a set of a Trek television episode or movie. They must have spent hundreds of hours working on their costume and were rightly recognized for it.
That being said, next year is the 50th anniversary of Star Trek, and the convention is going to be the biggest and best Trek convention there every was. I won't be going. I had a great time at the convention, but the crowds, the pace, and the atmosphere were so overwhelming. It just isn't as fun as going to the smaller conventions. Don't get me wrong. I'm glad I went and would have kicked myself had I never gone to the Vegas Trek convention in my lifetime. It's just not for me.
