Salt Lake ComicCon: What a line-up for Trekland!

They say that Salt Lake ComicCon is now the #3 geek/genre convention in the country now—after granddaddy San Diego and still-young New York CC. I guess I'm about to be two for three!

Yes, I'm SLCC-bound next weekend with a very full dance card, taking PORTAL 47 out for its first spin in public,  and well aware of the huge Trek turnout from the Utah/Idaho region at this otherwise multi-genre comic-con. I'll be at Booth 2254 at posted hours with a drawing for some rad real prizes —and gifts for PORTAL 47 on-site sign-ups.


I'm going to be doing everything from hosting Walter Koenig on stage to remembering Leonard Nimoy … and looking at the State of Trek was we barrell down into the big 5-0 anniversary.

Not to mention helping out with the WORLD PREMIERE of Star Trek Continues' Episode 5 and the panel afterward with Vic, Chris, Wyatt and Steve—and Lisa, and Daniel! 

And, of course, what's a convention on my guesting itinerary without a Dr. Trek crowdfunder night for The Con of Wrath—now into our wrap-up shooting year?

Doubly excited, as this will be the largest convention where PORTAL 47 is out in the open!  Thus, I'll have "On Speaker" CDs, my photos, and a drawing for three prizes at my table— two months of Portal 47 power, a TNG-era artifact from the Trekland Trunk, and a one-time Portal guest telebriefing jump-in, too (need not be present to win!). 

So if you are in SLC, be sure to come visit me at dear ol' Booth 2254 at the Salt Palace! Who knows—I may even do something radical and have an assistant this weekend.

The con sked for me is here … 

THURSDAY
2 pm, Rm 355 — All about the for-real Enterprise in Space.org 4 pm, Grand Ballroom — Moderating for the great Walter!

FRIDAY
5 pm, RM 255E — "Leonard Nimoy: A Retrospective"
6-7:30 pm, RM 355 — Star Trek Continues WORLD PREMIERE Ep. 5 screening/ panel
9-11 pm, Rm 151A: "Dr. Trek Show" crowdfunder event for The Con of Wrath

SATURDAY 
3 pm , RM 255E — "The State of Trek: Looking Ahead to Star Trek at 50" —Not my usual fan forum, but a panel leading and with Chris Doohan, John Eaves, Jonathan Croup

And there's a chance we will get to add one more for Thursday or Saturday.. stay tuned.

I was blown away by the depth of Trek fandom in Utah during the small but intense CONduit sci-fi con last spring… so this 

LA ALERT: FREE TOS/STC screening/writers Saturday

 

If you are in the LA area and love you some Original Series, plus Star Trek Continues' depiction of it... you have a don't-miss triple whammy this Saturday, July 12, 10 a.m.- 1 p.m. in Glendale.

 

And it's all free!

First up at the Glendale Central Library, 222 E. Harvard St., there's a stellar Star Trek panel with Walter Koenig (Chekov), Marc Cushman (award winning Star Trek author of These Are the Voyages TOS books), Mark Altman (writer/producer of Free Enterprise), John D.F. Black (sole surviving producer of Star Trek, TOS) and Scott Mantz of Access Hollywood.

After that, hang on for the screening of a clip from STC's most recent, "Fairest of Them All" (the mirror universe follow-up) -- and then a panel with director James Kerwin, assistant director Chris White, and actress Kipleigh Brown.

That's a knock-out, historic first panel—and if you have somehow not seen Marc's books yet, they are incredibly dense with TOS material. I know all those buds on the TOS side—as well as that lineup coming on afterward. I wish I could be there...but family calls, during my "rest" this month.

Yes, the day is free—plus get 3 hours' free parking (with validation from library) at the Market Place shopping center parking structure off Harvard Street.

Click in at the Facebook event page here.

STV: Tim "Tuvok" Russ is back for indie "Renegades"

So many great Kickstarter projects out there, as you know ... but STAR TREK: RENEGADES is not only an all-star follow-up to Tim Russ and Sky Conway's OF GODS AND MEN epic that you know, but it's on funding deadline and just went over bigtime.

"I am excited to see the fans of Trek pitching in to help us get this project off the ground," director/actor Tim told me today after the $200,000 goal was topped by $20,000 (congrats!). "We will do our best to deliver an exciting film."

I initially caught Tim for a vidchat (below) on the day he and Walter Koenig shot the trailer you can now see at the Kickstarter site ... where the toteboard as of this posting now shows three days left to get the new extra bonus goal of $250,000—by 7 A.M. Monday, Nov. 27. The extra raised will  be spent on boosting visual effects, sets, locations, or anything that had to be trimmed initially to make a do-able campaign budget.

In recent days, J.G. "Martok" Hertzler himself has signed aboard to play the main villain of the piece, and so many cast and crew veterans from "Of Gods and Men" are back, too. But wait—let's let Tim talk about it as you watch his Vulcanness dissolve right before your eyes ...

LA ALERT: Proud to help Walter's Walk of Fame Star events

UPDATE: Here's the latest on various tickets for the weekend:

We will continue to sell the weekend and Sunday passes online until Saturday evening. We will stop selling the Bester and Chekov package on Thursday [tonight] at 9 PM PST. We will have limited banquet tickets for sale on Saturday night and Sunday at the Beverly Garland.
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It's not often that you actually see history coming at you, so listen up.

It's only fitting that Walter Koenig finally receive his Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Sept. 10, making a complete tribute to the original Star Trek cast—and doubly fitting that a bevy of events mark the occasion next weekend.

I'm honored to be a part of those events—leading a "Trek the Walk of Fame" Star Trek star walk Saturday on Hollywood Boulevard with Walter and a Trek panel on Sunday with him.

Do you know about all the weekend screenings, panels, party AND banquet ? For my part, in short, after I co-lead our Walk of Fame Trek with Walter, I'll welcome folks to the historic Grauman's Egyptian Theatre  showing of Walter's Inalienable, "Spectre of the Gun" episode and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Con, with the Gary Graham Band playing at a party that night at the nearby Beverly Garland Hotel. Next day Sunday, the hotel hosts a series of panels across all of Walter's career, including his Bester days on Babylon 5, with actors and other guests on hand with autographs and photos. I'm again proud to lead Walter's appearance regarding his Star Trek career on Sunday at 3:30 p.m.. A gala banquet and roast of Walter follows Sunday night at 7:30.

Check out the full celebration weekend guest list and info here.

Again, for this generation of Star Trek and its fans, this truly is a moment to anticipate and celebrate—it won't come round again. Monday morning's public Star unveiling ceremony is set to include Leonard Nimoy, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, and J. Michael Straczynski, who is flying in just for the event.

Oh, and event-goers Saturday will also get a debut sneak peek at the brand-new teaser trailer featuring Walter for Star Trek: Renegades, the follow-up to the indie Star Trek saga, Of Gods and Men. In fact it is VERY new: teaser scenes with Walter and director Tim Russ were just shot this past week!

Just out: "Congrats, Walter" video has a distinguished "cast of thousands"

It's no secret now that after years of his fans putting in for the honor, there's a Hollywood Walk of Fame "star" finally being awarded to our own Walter "Chekov" Koenig next Sept. 10 as part of the "Class of 2012" notables announced last spring by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.

Personally, I'm looking forward to being a part of those taking part in  the looming celebration tribute weekend for Walter just ahead of his star ceremony, Sept. 8-9—which also happens to fall over Start Trek Birthday #46 ("missed it by THAT much").  Of course, it's also been great to have Walter as one of the early guest stars taking part in "The Con of Wrath," our documentary about the gloriously failed Ultimate Fantasy event back in 1982 Houston—where he became a key player in the "resurrection."

Most of all, buddy Ralph Miller (audio guru for Phase II fan films and famed for his Nixon "tribute") put together an incredible "congrats" video of Walter's fans, friends and yes co-stars—and I'm honored that my snippet he shot after lunch outside a NoHo eatery is a part of it all, too. The whole she-bang's a fitting tribute and loving valentine, with plenty of time to enjoy before the September fete... enjoy!

FINALLY!: Walter Koenig gets his Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame—and perhaps makes history?

Just today, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce finally righted a long-standing wrong—and made history, we think!— with the release of its 2011 honorees for a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. And so Walter Koenig finally completes the original TOS crew with the iconic honor, included in a list of music, TV and film stars released today.

About damn time. I'm so tempted to scream or throw in a Russian joke here, but I'll resist. Instead, I'll just sneak-peek a still here (right) from Walter's sit-down for our The Con of Wrath to celebrate—and remind everyone also of Walter's malevolent, multi-leveled Psi cop Bester on Babylon 5, to boot. The Star honor was long overdue ... and delayed, some say, by the late beloved  Hollywood chamber president Johnny Grant's disinterest in letting the complete Star Trek cast all be repped on the famous pavement. Fans have kept the campaign amped up ever since the early 2000s, though, and Walter even edited this poke-fun parody on the issue back in 2008, thanks to his New Voyages/Phase II reprise as Chekov:



Well, now it's all moot. Walter was among a class of 25 honorees today that also included Adam West of Batman TV fame!, and Treklander Malcolm "Dr. Soran" McDowell of Generations. Honorees have up to five years to organize and schedule their star ceremony, and we just can't wait for that one! The most recent Trek-related star unveiling we attended was the bash for MIcheal Westmore and his celebrated family of make-up mavens in 2009.

Again, congrats to Walter and congrats to classic Trek! How many other ensemble TV shows can brag of such an honor for their entire cast?

Sadness, and sending our strength to the Koenigs

A full day of everything, from all parts of my life ... already behind on my Trekland blogging and videos … and then I come home late Friday to hear this tragic ending to the disappearance:

Andrew Koenig Dead: 'Growing Pains' Actor's Body Found After Suicide

Our thoughts and prayers and virtual willing of strength to Walter and Judy go out in this time... and if there is any way to turn this kind of tragedy into something for the long-term good of anyone suffering silently out there, I trust the Koenigs are able to harness it.

The world refers to Andrew for his Growing Pains role, but of course for Treklanders it was in his own right as submissive Skreean co-husband Tumak in DS9's "Sanctuary."