Star Trek: First official event for over a decade launches in London
All five Star Trek TV captains will appear on stage for the first time in event in London this weekend
A woman dressed as the Star Trek character 'Leeta' and man dressed as 'Rom' arrive to attend the 'Destination Star Trek London' convention at the ExCeL centre. Photo: Getty
By Jacquelyn McInally
5:09PM BST 19 Oct 2012
Destination Star Trek London to be held at London Excel centre from 19 th – 21st October 2012 is the first event of its kind for over a decade and where for the first time in European history, all five Star Trek Captains will come together on the same stage.
Whether you can tolerate the splitting of an infinitive or not, you cannot deny that Gene Roddenberry’s intergalactic vision for Star Trek started something special. Star Trek: The Original Series first aired in 1966 and almost 50 years on it is still going strong. With 11 movies (and one on the way) and six TV series (including Star Trek: The Animated Series) it still boasts one of the biggest, most loyal and dedicated fan bases in Science Fiction history. This weekend will undoubtedly be a colourful and eyebrow raising celebration of all that is Star Trek.
The main highlight of the event will be a Guinness Book of World Records attempt for the largest number of Star Trek characters in one place at 6.30pm on Saturday. With VIP tickets selling out at a staggering £2,999 each, it is clear that Star Trek regardless of your preference of series, is still hugely popular. As a self confessed Trekkie, or rather Trekker, as some of the more old school fans would call me, I could not be more excited to be attending this event.
From a very young age, I have enjoyed all that is Star Trek, even destroying a family trip to Florida, with my cassette tape of Conversational Klingon language lessons. The last time I attended a Star Trek Convention was in Edinburgh circa 1996. The draw of the Captains Chair proved too much and led to a few of us jumping the velvet rope and being asked to leave, so I am under a bit of pressure this weekend to be on my best behaviour.
So what should we expect from the first official Star Trek event to grace our shores in over a decade? This evening at 7pm, Captain Kirk ( William Shatner), Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart), Captain Cisco (Avery Brooks), Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and Captain Archer (the guy from Quantum Leap) will take to the stage for a unique Q&A session strictly limited to ticket holders. Among the other special guests expected to attend is Data (Brent Spiner), Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig) and a selected number of Vulcans, Klingons, Cardassians and Ferengi that would be more suited to a holodeck programme than a convention centre.
With the Captain talks, stunt shows and autograph opportunities all an additional expense outside of the ticket price, it remains to be seen whether the fans will see this as an opportunity for the franchise to cash in, prior to the release of next year’s movie release. Read my review on Monday to find out what the fans thought and whether or not I will get to sit in the Captain’s chair without being asked to leave.
