2009 Star Trek Convention Breakfast: Zachary Quinto, Jacob Kogan and Sabrina Scharf

The sunday morning came with the Zachary Quinto, Jacob Kogan and Sabrina Scharf Breakfast. It would be my first encounter with the wonderful and talented Heroes star and I was very excited about this moment.

Before the actors walked in (which was to be scheduled for 9am like the Voyager breakfast the morning before), we unfortunately got stuck with an auction that lasted until 9h30. I'm all for charity but it took too long and was out of control. Since the result was that the guests came in so late, they didn’t get to do the table hopping part. Instead, the actors were sat on the little stage and proceeded to a Q & A, with Zachary Quinto trying to diffuse the situation with humour and by repeating ''don’t be mad''; what a sweetheart that man is.

In any case, Zach was great and sweet. I was lucky enough to be sitting at a table next to the stage. He made jokes about the fact that it was so early. He even talked about how awful he thought his reading of the Star Trek audiobook was - especially some of the voices he made - which made us laugh. Jacob Kogan was a complete sweetheart and a bright kid (I was surprised to learn he's 14 years old. I wish I could have seen his panel). Sabrina Scharf, on the other hand, was elegant, gracious, and rather silent, letting the spotlight fall on the 2 boys.

Despite the auction, the presence of Zachary Quinto made the entire breakfast function worthwhile and fun. Next to come was his panel and then the much awaited Meet and Greet.

2009 Star Trek Convention Breakfast: Voyager Saturday

The Voyager cast arriving at the breakfast function: Robert Picardo, Ethan Phillips and Roxann Dawson

A feature of the Star Trek Las Vegas Convention is to offer the fans a chance to have breakfast with their favourite actors. And so I bought my tickets to attend a breakfast with the Voyager cast on Saturday morning and one with Zachary Quinto, Jacob Kogan and Sabrina Scharf on the Sunday breakfast.

Never having gone to one of these events before I had no idea what to expect. Walking into this big reception room, a dozen white linen draped round tables awaited us. Included of course was a delicious breakfast, and the food was much better than I expected.

Breakfast started at 8h45, and the actors were scheduled to join us at 9h00. So it gave us a good fifteen minutes to eat and be done with it before they showed up. I originally thought that the actors would actually eat with us. But it was certainly better this way.

On the Saturday morning breakfast, three actors from the Voyager cast joined us: Ethan Phillips, Robert Picardo and Roxann Dawson. Robert Beltran was originally scheduled to appear at the convention and the breakfast but it seems that a family emergency kept him away.
This is how the thing worked: Each actor spends about 5-7 minutes at one table, chatting up the guests, then leaves for another table when the time is up (a handler follows each of them to keep things running smoothly).

First at our table was Ethan Phillips who was completely charming, jovial and fun. When he learned that I was French-speaking, he quickly proceeded to chat me up a bit in the language of Molière. It was great fun. Roxann Dawson was the next one to join us and I was completely taken aback by how beautiful this woman was. At 50, she doesn’t look a day older than 35. I want to be her desperately. She was funny and friendly to everyone. Last but not the least, came Robert Picardo, who was charming and sweet to everyone, talking about something he holds dear to his heart: the charity auction for Habitat for Humanity that he was holding the following evening.

It was a very pleasing experience and was, as in everything, too short. I was thus even more looking forward to the Sunday breakfast I was having the next day.

Upcoming Exclusive Interview!

During the course of my 2009 Star Trek Convention experience, I have had the great pleasure and privilege to sit down and get an interview with the amazing Robert Picardo who plays the Doctor on Star Trek Voyager and Richard Woolsey on Stargate Atlantis.

Mr. Picardo has been very generous with his time during the convention, and the interview will probably be posted in three seperate parts.

Look for it to be posted by the end of the week!

2009 Star Trek Convention Saturday: Voyager Panel

Picture 1: Robert Picardo, Roxann Dawson, Ethan Phillips and Tim Russ laughing with the audience

Picture 2: Robert Picardo and Roxann Dawson concentrating on a fan's question

Picture 3: Ethan Phillips and Tim Russ

Picture 4: Roxann and Ethan

Picture 5: Robert Picardo talking to the audience

Saturday was the day of the Star Trek Voyager Panel. Voyager is my favourite series along with The Next Generation and so it was with trepidation that I was looking forward to this one.
On this beautiful afternoon, in a theatre full of expecting fans, walked on stage Ethan Phillips (Neelix), Robert Picardo (the Doctor), Tim Russ (Tuvok), and the beautiful Roxann Dawson (B’Elanna Torres). It was not long after everyone was seated that jokes were darting all over the stage. The Voyager actors, friends to be sure, were having a field day and much like the Enterprise Panel they were hysterical

The fun started immediately with a conversation about wardrobe. Robert Picardo told the audience that the hat he was wearing served the purpose of cutting the glare from his head. Then the discussion moved on to Tim Russ’s choice of clothes with a suggestion that he may or may not be wearing sweatpants. But then, Picardo added that Russ spent most of his time on set in his bathrobe.

Ethan Phillips later joked that while on Voyager, he had both acting and janitorial roles on the set, to which Robert Picardo again dryly replied that his role was to wrangle and manage Ethan on set – to the amusement of the actors and their equally rapt audience. At one point, Tim Russ declared ''you thought seven years in the Delta Quadrant was bad, try working with these guys for years.'' To which Ethan Phillips replied ''try working with Tim after a three bean quiche,'' and Robert Picardo to add ''Tim Russ, the man, the myth, the methane.'' By then, the audience was just holding their sides with laughter.

During the panel, Robert Picardo recalled that there was, at one point, an idea to bring DeForest Kelley to the show. He had proposed that the Doctor would need to consult the medical database and ask Bones a question concerning medical ethics. However, this scene was never filmed because of Kelley’s health problems. Robert Picardo then said that he later met DeForest Kelley at one time after being on stage at the Creation convention in California, and recalled that Kelley had quipped to him ''I'm a doctor, not a hologram.''

Roxann Dawson shared her thoughts about working on Voyager while pregnant on and off the show (she was pregnant in season 6 but they hid it and then they made her character pregnant in season 7) so for two years we didn’t see her figure. She and Tim Russ also shared in the notion that they hated directing and acting at the same time, which they did in certain episodes. They both agreed that it was better to concentrate on one task at a time.

On working on Stargate Atlantis, Robert Picardo said that it was easier to ad-lib on he newer franchise but not on Star Trek. Also, that he was a secret agent brought in by the other side to take down the show. It was very funny.

One person asked a question concerning the destruction of Vulcan in the newest Star Trek movie. Tim Russ first replied that he was glad to have gotten a weekend pass to get off the planet (laughter from the audience) and then Ethan Phillips exclaimed that he was tired to hear about Vulcan: ''What about Talax?!'' he quipped. The crowd was very amused at this and the comment drew big laughs.

About their favourite Kate Mulgrew recollections, Tim Russ told a completely hysterical story that took place during the filming of Flashback. Tossing some debris from the set, Kate Mulgrew warned Russ not to hit her with it. After thinking about it, he did, and when he got back to his trailer all his clothes were gone. Then, in retaliation, Tim Russ posted pictures of his bare behind all over Kate Mulgrew’s trailer but finally they made peace. At almost the same moment both Ethan Phillips and Robert Picardo indicated to the audience that these pictures were now for sale in the Vendor’s room. It was priceless. Then Robert Picardo told a more bittersweet story when he recalled that on the very last day of shooting for pick-up shots, Kate Mulgrew was there and they were literally taking down the set while filming. When they called the very last shot, Robert happened to stick his head there (he claims he was probably stealing pieces from the set and that made everyone roar with laughter) and Kate started crying and hugged him.

When the panel ended, there was a long standing ovation in the packed theatre. The actors were obviously delighted at this very warm reception and stood up in salutation. It was clear that many of the audience members were Voyager fans who totally loved them, and I was one of them.

2009 Star Trek Convention Friday: House Call

Picture 1: Ethan Phillips and Robert Picardo doing the reading for House Call

Picture 2: DS9's Armin Shimmerman, at the foot of the stage, showed up mid-presentation to encourage the boys

Picture 3: Ethan Phillips doing his Solo reading while Robert Picardo is concentrating on the lines

Picture 4: The Doctor and Neelix in the Delta Quadrant

Picture 5: A lovely presentation after the play where Robert sang and Ethan played the saxophone

One of the biggest highlights of my Friday, during the Las Vegas Star Trek Convention at the Hilton, was to go and see House Call in the DeForest Kelley Theatre. This 45-minute one-act two-character hysterical play, co-written by Robert Picardo, Ethan Phillips, and Ted Kopulos, tells the audience about what happened to the Voyager Crew after their return to the Alpha Quadrant.

Told by the Doctor, played by the ever wonderful Robert Picardo, and by Neelix, played by the incredible Ethan Phillips, the play opens with the Doctor as he is preparing himself to go on a date with Seven of Nine in a very funny scene where he is applying too much of a perfume preparation with the computer’s help. He is then disrupted by a communication coming from his former Voyager comrade, Mister Neelix, back in the Delta Quadrant.

Following a lively and hysterical conversation between the two characters, the audience discovers what the members of the Voyager crew are now doing since coming home. We learn, for example, that Kathryn Janeway is now an Admiral but that she is still in command of her own ship, and we also learn that the Doctor is now teaching and has already gone on a date with Seven before (in a very hilarious retelling). However, the light-hearted reunion turns into something a bit more serious - though never dramatic -when Neelix admits to the Doctor that he needs his help because his stepson is sick and that he is worried about him (something having to do with spots) since no one else seems to be able to do anything to help. At which time, the Doctor offers to have his program be sent to the Delta Quadrant and to help personally. The two friends are reunited, the Doctor cures the young man, they make jokes when the Doctor claims he has dreamed he was named Joe (the Doctor’s indecision to chose a name has been a constant on the show and we learned, in the last episode, part of which takes place 20 years into the future, that he has finally chosen the very mundane name Joe), they burst into two songs from Man of La Mancha and then the Doctor returns to the Alpha Quadrant.

Both Ethan Phillips and Robert Picardo were in fine form, and the dialogue was witty and true to the tone and personality of each of the two characters. It was wonderful to see the both of them slip so easily back into characters that they have lived with and we have known for over 20 years. While I expected them to be fully dressed and made up as their Voyager characters (I had never seen the play before), the presentation was more low-key and closer in style to a play-reading. They both stood at a lectern and read their parts from there, with Robert Picardo at one point going over to Ethan Phillips’ side in a simulation of his arrival to the Delta Quadrant, complete with voice-made sound effects to the utter delight of the audience.

The play was hilarious and the audience appeared completely delighted by the experience. The easy banter between both Robert Picardo and Ethan Phillips was a source of much fun for the fans who clearly adore them and the rapport and evident friendship between the two actors provided some of the highlights of the show. At one point, Ethan started rambling at his lectern and Bob had to tell him to stop it. Believe me, it was very funny, and they went at it on and off during the run of the play. It was glorious. When House Call ended the audience rose to their feet and warmly applauded the two men to show their appreciation.

A small gem, I wish House Call would be filmed so that everyone could get to enjoy it. What I will remember the most, beside the amazing performances, is that the fans had fun, the actors were wonderful and funny, and I believe the play was a success all around. If you ever get to a Star Trek convention and House Call is being played, you have to see it, believe me, you wont regret it.

The Last Words of a Time Lord? SPOILERY

Recently, Io9 ran a story about the possible last words of David Tennant's Tenth Doctor.

By taking clues from a page of the 2010 Doctor Who Storybook (see it here), they are speculating (as do some fans) that his last words could be ''Don't forget me.''

If you read the lines from bottom to top, you can see references to his regeneration from 9th Doctor to the 10th with ''Hello, ooh, new Teeth.'' Then, amongst others, he speaks of Rose Tyler, the Agatha Christie adventure in season 4 The Unicorn and the Wasp, Silence in the Library, Planet of the Dead, his upcoming appearance in the Sarah Jane Adventures and Waters of Mars and so on. It is also believed that he makes a reference to the Time Lords with ''Can't be alive! No! The gate!''

So if David Tennant's last line as the Doctor is ''Don't forget me'' as it appears at the top section of the page, you can believe me, many will shed tears. And no, no one will ever forget you David!

2009 Star Trek Convention Friday: Enterprise Panel

Picture 1: Anthony Montgomery, Vaughn Armstrong, John Billingsley, Gary Graham, Dominic Keating and Connor Trinneer - getting into a circle

Picture2: Dominic showing off his nipple, pecs and all

Picture3: Vaughn, Gary, Anthony, John, Dominic and Connor

Picture 4: Gary, Dominic, Anthony, John, Connor

Picture 5: Anthony John and Connor

One of the funniest panels I attended during the Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas must be the Friday afternoon Enterprise panel in the Gene and Majel Roddenberry theatre. The actors were all in great form and spirit and came across as extremely enthusiastic. Their reception from the audience was certainly warm. Present on stage were Vaughn Armstrong (Admiral Forrest), Gary Graham (Vulcan ambassador Soval), Anthony Montgomery (Ensign Travis Mayweather), John Billingsley (Doctor Phlox), Dominic Keating (Malcolm Reed), and Connor Trinneer (Charles ‘Trip’ Tucker).

The panel began when the actors asked the assembled fans how they would prefer them to proceed. After being told by said audience that they wanted to hear them talk as if they weren’t there, the actors then moved themselves, chairs and all, into a circle in order to talk amongst themselves. The little scheme drew a lot of chuckles from the fans. After a period of much goofing around, Dominic Keating then proceeded to show a completely amused and rapt audience his nipple – twice (in case people missed it the first time and at the audience’s general request).

Dominic Keating was the life of the panel (though everyone was funny and John Billingsley gave him a run for his money, almost literally, more on that later), as he brought many in the audience to the brink of hysterical laughter. For example, he jokingly said that the show got cancelled because he broke up with Brannon Braga and also called Jonathan Frakes ‘Old Frakes.’ The highlight was when he told a particularly funny story about once meeting a transsexual fan in Australia who told him he was actually wearing a pair of underwear Dominic had worn in an episode (you could buy Star Trek clothes and props on Ebay for those who wonder how this fan got a hold of these very sexy underwear, but I digress) – this particular story made the audience squeal with laughter, especially since Dominic was telling the tale rather enthusiastically. He later sang his own alternate version of the Enterprise theme song and – joined by Connor Trinneer – did an impression of the leg warmer wearing scene of the movie Flashdance because of some costume they had to wear in an episode of Enterprise. It was simply Priceless.

The other funny man of the panel was John Billingsley who some of you also know from True Blood. He talked about how Star Trek was a positive vision of the future, and when the first question was asked him about True Blood, he got up, walked to the woman at the end of the stage, and threw her a dollar bill (John also did that another time). As to the question, John answered that he had signed a nudity waver which he had now framed in his bathroom! It was an extremely funny moment. Later, another woman told him Phlox was her favourite character but by then John had no more money, so Dominic Keating and Connor Trinneer both got up and threw some money to the woman, with Connor later hoping he had not thrown away a hundred dollar bill. Hilarious.

Anthony Montgomery talked about his music career, while John pretended to read the newspaper. Gary Graham and Vaughn Armstrong tried to get Anthony to give a little show (Vaughn had to leave later in the panel because he was re-doing the show he had given at the Gold Patron's party the night before). Gary Graham then let slip a funny and embarrassing story about Jolene Blalock whom he called ‘the sexy, talented and the gassiest Jolene.’ I could not believe my ears. Connor Trinneer also got to talk about both Trip Tucker and Michael (a character he played on Stargate Atlantis) and said that obviously, Trip was closer to him. The panel lasted for approximately an hour.

In my opinion one of the most hilarious panels of the convention, the Enterprise crew certainly did not fail to entertain their many fans. Though the series was much maligned during it's 4 years run, it is evident that people love them. Enlivened particularly by Dominic Keating and John Billingsley, it was one of the funniest experiences of the convention.

2009 Star Trek Convention Organization

Welcome to your first line of the convention! And this goes on to the other side of that opening at the far end there.

Just to help situate everyone a little bit, the 2009 Star Trek Convention took place at the Las Vegas Hilton - a grand hotel situated not too far off the main strip.

The convention center is a huge building linked to the hotel and from what I could see, there are two main auditoriums, the bigger one is the Gene and Majel Roddenberry Theatre (the Barron Room) and the other one is the DeForest Kelley Theatre (in Pavilion 2 & 3). Photo-Ops were taken in pavilion 4 while the vendors had set up shop in the Conrad Room, adjacent to the Gene and Majel Roddenberry Theatre, and where some of the actors were also signing autographs. There was also more convention rooms, ballrooms, and smaller rooms there. Believe me, it's huge. I wish I had a map to show you but I don't.

Most of the panels and autograph signings were taking place in the Gene and Majel Roddenberry Theatre while other convention events such as auctions and special presentations took place in the DeForest Kelley Theatre. Celebrity breakfasts happened in other convention rooms. While everyday people would line up to buy daily tickets, most had picked up theirs on Wednesday night if you were a Gold or Captain's Chair Patron.

The majority of the time, one would wait, wait and wait again in line for everything. While Photo-Ops moved quickly (people were literally herded like cattle to have their pictures with a celebrity taken), autograph sessions could be painfully long. For the autographs included freely for the Gold ticket patrons, they would work row by row (there were hundreds of us) and then they would call the ticket holders. On the first day, Thursday, I had to wait 3 and a half hours to get my autographs and there were hundred more people waiting in line.

The whole thing is also about money. Pay for the autograph, pay for the picture you want autographed, pay for the photo-op, pay for this, pay for that. You cannot approach a celebrity happening to be standing there (and this never really happens as well) for a quick picture or autograph. They are all followed by handlers. Plus the actors are contracted so they can't write you an autograph or just take a picture if you happen to cross their path. You have to buy a ticket and do it when it's time. Unlike Comic-Con I was told.

So next year, to Comic-Con I may go.

2009 Star Trek Convention Friday: DS9 Panel

Picture 1: The entire DS9 panel: Casey Biggs, Armin Shimmerman, Marc Alaimo, Colm Meaney, Cirroc Lofton, René Auberjonois and Jeffrey Combs with Creation Entertainment's Adam Malin who acted as presenter.

Picture 2: Casey Biggs and Armin Shimmerman

Picture 3: René Auberjonois and Jeffrey Combs

Picture 4: Jeffrey Combs and Chase Masterson

My friday at the Las Vegas Star Trek Convention started in the main theatre called the Gene and Majel Roddenberry theatre with the Star Trek: DS9 panel. Many people were already sitting in their seats, waiting with trepidation for it to start. Everytime an actor was called and walked on stage, he was met with thunderous applause. It was one of the largest panels of the entire convention with seven members of the show present on stage all at once: Cirroc Lofton (Jake Sisko), Marc Alaimo (Gul Dukat), Jeffrey Combs (Weyoun), René Auberjonois (Odo), Armin Shimmerman (Quark), Casey Biggs (Gul Damar) and Colm Meaney (Chief O’Brien). It was followed by a very lovely moment at the beginning when the panel members told us about Cirroc’s birthday and people in the audience spontaneously started singing happy birthday to him.

The round of questions quickly began and the actors then talked about what they were doing now: Jeffrey Combs is doing a one man show on Edgar Allan Poe, René Auberjonois opened a show on his art photography and drawings, Cirroc Lofton is recording rap music, Colm Meaney is working hard doing movies, Marc Alaimo is enjoying life and building a studio, Armin Shimmerman is back in the theatre where he directed Twelfth Night (he and his wife are very much involved in the theatre) and Casey Biggs runs a foundation and lives in the Hudson Valley. At this point Chase Masterson (Leetah) had shown up on stage to join the boys where she discussed a new movie she had recently produced.

Quite a few interesting stories were told but some of them really stood out for their humour and fun. One such story was from René Auberjonois who mentioned that it was ''okay'' to work with Armin Shimmerman, which drew many laughs, and that he thought that his love scene should have been with Quark (again more laughter) because they worked a lot together and because they did become friends. More hilarity ensued when René later told the audience about the ability he had had to make bubbles with his Odo makeup by blowing air through his nose. The miming during the telling of the story made it even more hilarious.

Colm Meaney also talked about how he hated it when he had to be put into Klingon makeup. He recalled that Michael Dorn was at first happy that Meaney had to go through the process, but that later he no longer wanted him to be put in makeup because he had to endure Colm’s whining and complaining in the makeup chair next to him. Believe me when I say that the audience completely relish these types of stories. Humour and laughter are what drives everyone at these panels, to the delight of the fans.

Casey Biggs then mentioned that Marc Alaimo basically created what Cardassisans were, a statement that drew a big round of appreciative applause from the audience. Among other interesting facts that we learned, we also found out that Jeffrey Combs owes his DS9 appearances to René Auberjonois, while the reason why René now does conventions is because he had to replace Colm Meaney for a convention once.

Armin Shimmerman also talked about the last episode of DS9. He says what was touching about it, was that they got to see Cirroc grow up in the montage, and that everyone on the cast felt a feeling of paternity towards him and that he is proud of him. Cirroc also admitted that his relationship with Avery Brooks was very much like a real father and son relationship, even going on family vacations with him. I am certain these statements elicited a lot of awwww from many in the audience.

Shimmerman then confirmed what has been true of every Star Trek productions: that the actors had no input into the script and that they had to be as close to the script as possible. However, much to everyone’s complete hilarity, Jeffrey Combs admitted that he improvised a lot, to which Armin Shimmerman replied that that was why his character was killed so often.

One interesting tidbit for me was when René Auberjonois said that he had done motion capture for the PS3 game Uncharted and that he found the whole concept and experience fascinating. I'm a huge gamer and I love that game so it's fun to know he's in it.

After what felt like a very short hour, the DS9 panel ended. It was a very good one that showcased the close bond and good humour between these actors. The audience responded with joy and mirth to them, and it made for an entertaining and interesting hour.

2009 Star Trek Convention Thursday

Picture 1: The Klingon Panel with William Morgan Sheppard, John Shuck, Suzie Plakson, Spice Williams-Crosby and Tony Todd

Picture 2: Max Grodenchick

Picture 3: Robert O'Reilly as Gowron and JG Hertzler as Martok

Picture 4: Elizabeth Dennehy

Picture 5: Michael Dorn and Jonathan Frakes

Picture 6: Jonathan Frakes with Michael Dorn on the screen behind him


The first panel I attended on the first day of the convention was the Klingon Salute with actors Tony Todd (Kurn), Suzie Plakson (K`Ehleyr), John Schuck (Klingon Ambassador from Star Trek 4 and 5), Spice Williams-Crosby (Vixis from Star Trek 5) and William Morgan Sheppard (Star Trek 6).
(Panel formats are very simple. The guests walk on stage when they are announced and usually after a few rounds of banter and discussions back and forth between them, they quickly move on to questions. People then line up on each side below the stage where there are microphones and questions are asked in alternance from one side to the next).

During this panel, I learned that these actors, who played Klingons, often viewed them as theatrical and thus played them that way. Suzie Plakson found it both exhausting and fun because, as she said, she could also let strong emotions out, such as fury. The ever imposing Tony Todd (of Candyman, Xena and Chuck fame) admitted to having had the most fun while playing a Klingon while Spice Williams-Crosby talked about learning her lines in the Klingon language for her part in the Star Trek 5 movie with her colleague Todd Bryant (who could not be at the panel). But the most touching story was when Suzy Plakson said that her favourite experience about working on Star Trek was when she met Gene Roddenberry. She got emotional as she told the audience the story of her meeting with The Great Bird. She talked about what he had told her: ''It’s so much fun to make aliens real. Thank you for playing her.''

Next came Max Grodenchick who played the well loved Ferengi Rom, Quark’s brother, on DS9. He was very sweet and funny and did a hilarious rap about his character which he called Rom DMC. Amongst the highlights, he recalled a funny story about playing three different Ferengis on Star Trek but with the same teeth (cheaper and easier) and said that his favourite DS9 episode was Tribbles and Tribulations and that his favourite Rom episode was Little Green Men. Max also sung another song - which was usually sung by Armin Shimmerman(Quark) - called Rubber Butt Heads (because of the way Ferengi heads look like). Very, very funny.

The highlight of the day was the Gowron and Martok panel. Both Robert O’Reilly (Gowron) and JG Hertzler (Martok) appeared in costume as well as in character on stage. They sang a Klingon Hymn (to the delight of the panel), told stories about flying Klingon Air and how one of them was almost turned back at the check point because he brought a Klingon pain stick. That drew in a lot of laughs from the audience. They talked about the new movie, saying that there was a huge problem: Where were the Klingons? That again drew many laughs. Believe me, the actors were working it and selling their characters. It was completely wonderful. And to top it all, they actually made fun of Twilight, a real delight. The characters also rambled about how hot their costumes were, and of course, the immediate smelly jokes followed, with Gowron taking a good sniff of Martok’s armpit and making a face with his famous round eyes. That moment drew a lot of roaring laughs again. They then proceeded with a Klingon Rap Song (these Star Trek actors certainly love their rap). But the funniest, most hilarious, no holds barred, funny moment of the panel was when an audience member asked them to do battle on stage and procured a minuscule Bat'leth. What followed was simply the most hilarious thing of the day. The Klingons rejected the ridiculously puny Bat'leth and proceeded to doing Klingon opera while simultaneously doing battle to the death with cloaked (invisible) Bat'leths. They both ended up dead and grovelling on the stage floor, to the delight and cheers of the audience. After this impressive display, Martok and Gowron got a standing ovation.

Believe me, it was hard afterwards to live up to this incredible panel. Actress Elizabeth Dennehy who played Commander Shelby on 2 of the best episodes of TNG made her first convention appearance ever and did fairly well. She talked about herself and her career and gave us some cool tidbits such as the fact that the poor Borgs couldn't pee, that she did not enjoy wearing the costume and that she auditioned for Captain Janeway! This last one was a real surprise.

The last panel of the evening was with Jonathan Frakes and Michael Dorn who were received warmly. These two men, obvious friends, were bantering and joking between themselves and Frakes said he was happy that they were packing the theatre even on a Thursday evening. He then proceeded to walk around said theatre to the delight of everyone before returning on stage. They both talked about the new movie (they didn't get the drilling platform part and why people on earth were just staring at it instead of taking action), about putting Marina Sirtis' dog in the microwave (the dog was fine, since Marina stopped them but I wonder if that story is true), and about how Frakes hated the Worf /Troy romance storyline. Then Elizabeth Dennehy showed up on stage for a lovely surprise reunion and left again; actress Carolyn McCormick also made a surprise appearance on the panel a bit later. The guys then moved on to telling the audience about how Marina Sirtis once said that she thought Tomas Riker was cuter than William Riker (they are the same actor) which made the audience laugh. Revelations abounded aplenty. We learned Patrick Stewart called Marina ''Space Whore'' because she fawned over all the cute male guest stars (believe me it was funny as Frakes perfectly imitated Patrick Stewart); that Patrick was a better actor than he was a director; that Michael Dorn never messed up his lines - to which Dorn replied it was because Worf only said ''Yes sir,'' and ''No;'' and that Scott Bakula was a gentleman regarding the last episode of Enterprise because it basically took place on the holodeck of the Enterprise D during the TNG era and featured Frakes and Sirtis with a guest voice appearance from Brent Spiner as Data. All in all, it was an entertaining panel. People love them.

The regular convention day ended with the autograph session which took more than 4 hours in all (there were 5 people signing autographs). When I finally left, after a painful 3 and a half hours of waiting, there were many more people waiting in line. I have to commend the actors, who have to sign for that long, and still look gracious.

Welcome Back Me!!!

Hello everyone,

Just to let you know that I am back and that in the next days, I will be working on the blog. Be patient with me since I have many things to say. I will also have an announcement concerning an exclusive, so stay put for that one.

In the meanwhile, it's good to be back!

David Tennant on his Last Doctor Who Episode

In a recent interview with Televisionary, David Tennant seems to be indicating that Bernard Cribbins, who plays beloved character Wilfred Mott, will be central to the last story of the Tenth Doctor's life.

For him, the fact that there is so many former characters returning, is not a cheap trick from Russel T. Davies (Lord knows he likes to bring back characters, the wonderful yet crowded season 4 finale is an example of this) that it is story-led and that there IS a reason why John Simm's The Master is there as well:


Televisionary: From watching the trailer for Doctor Who: The End of Time, we saw Catherine Tate's Donna Noble, John Simm's The Master, Alexandra Moen's Lucy Saxon, and Bernard Cribbins' Wilt returning. What was it like having these fantastic actors return for your final bow on the series?


David Tennant: Well, they are all great people to work with. But actually it's all story-led. Funnily enough, it could have easily been a greatest hits package, I suppose, to finish off our time. But I suppose Russell [Davies] would never have been so cheap, I guess. (Laughs)


But what you get is that there's a reason why Bernard Cribbins is in the center of the story. It's absolutely central to what happens. And there's a reason that John Simm is there because that absolutely tells you more about who the Doctor is.


As ever with Russell's scripts, he finds a way of bringing brilliant characters and brilliant actors together but it's all serving the story. It's serving the tale of the Doctor... There's an epic-ness to this because he knows he's dying and because, slightly cheekily, the audience knows he's dying. We're all kind of on the same boat and we're all telling the same story.


There's an inevitability which is inescapable. The Doctor is kind of on this runaway train and then, just when you think you know where it's going, Russell completely changes all the goalposts. And maybe he'll walk away...


He confirms that the Doctor knows he's dying. And we know that that ultimate destiny may be derailed because Russell T. Davis will come up with some magic hocus pocus that will turn David into Matt Smith. But I'm not complaining because I'm always happy that it all works out.

Go here for the rest of this great interview, in which David talks about what sort of legacy he believes he left on Doctor Who and the choices behind his Doctor outfit.

John De Lancie Getting a Bit Tired of Q

Q is one of my all-time favourite guest characters on Star Trek: The Next Generation and Voyager. In a previous story, I had written that I would like to see Q coming back for a Star Trek sequel, even if only for a short appearance. Well, I believe that my wish may have encountered a stumbling block.

In an interview given to AMCtv, John De Lancie discusses his role on AMC'S Breaking Bad, the new Star Trek movie, and a certain omnipotent being that I love. Go here for the entire interview.

Here is the excerpt:

Q: Are you needling him to try and get Q in the next movie?
A: Uh, no. I have to say as the years have gone on I'm getting a little tired of just Q, because I do a lot of other things. Almost everywhere in the world you go, people will come up and say, "Oh my God you're from Star Trek." But I was in Syria recently, and I had people stop me on the street, they came up to me and said, "Oh my God, we just saw Breaking Bad." That was a surprise. And it was great.

So there you have it. My only hope is that they recast, though it would never be the same without John De Lancie. Or, that they cast his son Keegan De Lancie, after all, he did play Q2 in the Voyager episode of the same name.

Yes, one can hope!

Eric Bana Confirms He Wont be Back as Nero

A story running on MovieWeb tells us that the character of Nero will not be back for a Star Trek sequel. Actor Eric Bana confirmed it to them exclusively.

Though I liked the character, I believe more could have been done with Nero to make him more menacing. He was much more complex and better fleshed out in the prequel comic, Star Trek Countdown from IDW Publishing. I recommend to everyone to read the comic before watching the movie again when it comes out on DVD and Blu-ray on November 17, so as to understand his motivations better.

In the meanwhile, we can see Eric Bana in the upcoming The Time Traveller's Wife on August 14.

Last Doctor Who Tennant Episode Running Time and the Return of Rose?

A story on Doctor Who Hideout claims that the last episode of Doctor Who will run seventy five minutes long. Apparently it has been confirmed by Russell T. Davies himself.

Russell T. Davies has stated that:

"Actually, our very last episode, coming at Christmas, David's very last episode, is one hour and 15 minutes long."

The BBC has recently confirmed the return of John Simm as the Master, Alexandra Moen as his suffering wife Lucy Saxon, Bernard Cribbins as Wilfred Mott (pictured above with David Tennant while filming the last episodes) and Catherine Tate as Donna Noble. We also know that Timothy Dalton is on board for the finale and though the nature of the role has not yet been disclosed, it is believed that he will play a Time-Lord.

We also know from some filming reports that Billie Piper will return as Rose and so will Camille Coduri as her mother Jackie. The above picture with the Doctor and Rose was taken while the two actors were taking a break during filming of the last episode. It is said that the Doctor will meet Rose just before she meets Christopher Eccleston's Ninth Doctor for the first time.

The title for finale is rumoured to be End of Time with another title called Nightmare Reigns rumoured to be for the penultimate episode. Nothing has been confirmed yet. How this all plays out remains yet to be seen.



Source: Doctor Who Hideout, BBC