Survive the turkey, then head to Indy with me!

If your fandom turf in the East Midwest or Northern South actually overlaps the Indianapolis area, then by all means and best available speed you MUST head over to the ever-booming StarBase Indy convention at the Indianapolis Marriott East next weekend, after Thanksgiving Thursday.

For me, THIS one is personal.

Not only will Trekland be there, but also Nikki "Ezri Dax" deBoer, Bob and JG— the Klingon Chancellor brothers in and out of makeup (or something like that) ... plus their makeup whiz John Palladin, Alexis Cruz of Stargate fame, and my old Trek Life Etc. artist buddy and Indy local David Reddick. And lots more, including NASA astronaut and native Dr. David Wolf.

See, I'd been a guest at Indy back in 2004 and 2005, when both this convention and Star Trek itself were sagging with doubt about the future. Enterprise's flame dimmed, and then did go out, with turnout and optimism plummeting about Trek for all but the hard-core. That's why, as I told Ron Hawkins of the suburban Reporter-Times for his great profile piece, that I've been so thrilled to see not only Starbase Indy but also all of Trek make a comeback of optimism, exuberance and direction (not to mention demographics—the whole "youth thing.")

Nay, it's been transformed into so many platforms of fun it's been incredible... and again, I mean both the con AND fandom: Geek culture, fangirls and the JJ renewal have all bloomed and boomed since then. For SBI, Kim Huff and her gang stay totally locally run and fan-run to boot. With THREE charities to benefit. And tracks and great panels on indie filmmaking, other media franchises, writers, costuming, art, gaming ... of course.

What a difference seven years makes. It's been such a kick to be invited back after this bounce back for Indy... and to even have them GIVE me space and schedule gridtime for our traditional CON OF WRATH Meetup/Fundraiser Party—my documentary about the most "glorious failure" in Trek and pop culture history  ... as well as all the other stuff. Here's the "known space" where I'll be:

FRIDAY:
7 p.m.—Meet and Greet with all guests, during Opening Ceremonies,

SATURDAY:

12 noon—Trekland: Between the Cracks: Our signature "slide show"-plus of in-jokes, info and archives.... updated for SBI, of course, with even some JJverse updates.

10:30 p.m.-1 a.m.—Our Meetup-Fundraiser for THE CON OF WRATH where, as always, $20 not only gets you your screen credit (as per any donor) but also two hours of prize trivia, rare Trek video, and new clips yet unseen from our shoots for THE CON OF WRATH. Can Indy outpace even Vegas and Comic-Con (at right) and the blast we had back home in OKC, and just recently in Austin? We'll see! (And this still leaves an hour for late-night Karaoke...)

SUNDAY:
1 p.m.— Star Trek: The State of the Franchise: Our patented past-present-future Trek discussion forum where, as we recover on Sunday, we provide floor mics and I kick off YOUR crosstalk and opinions, dear audience, to maybe send each others' Trek insight where it has not gone before.

AND of course I'll be no stranger at my TREKLAND table, with new CDs, photos, SECRET FUNDRAISERS, and cool stuff cleaned out of my closet like old scripts.  SBI enjoys the nighttime services of Barfleet party-givers, too, which seems like a natural watering hole as well. (I can't let the Chancellors outgun me, now can I?)

This will be the last con of 2012 for me, in what has become a groundbreaking one in many ways—and my, I can't wait to see how much little Starbase Indy has grown! If you are in the neighborhood, please stop by.

Kajun Klingons and me: Join us for BayouCon weekend!

Bumpy head or no—if you are anywhere from Houston to Nawlins and up to DFW or Shreveport this weekend ... consider heading down to Lake Charles and joining me for a scifi/gaming/anime weekend at BayouCon IV.

Or US, I should say— Bob O'Reilly and J.G. Hertzler will be in human guise and also made up as Gowron and Martok for grins and photo ops, courtesy of their makeup artist John Paladin. AND assistant director Mike DeMerritt will have some very cool insider talks and images on working the modern TV Treks...and some rare goodies at his table, too.

Of course, as per our convention stops this year, we appreciate any BC-goers to keep the human Trek history alive and head over for the BayouCon edition of our Meetup Fundraiser for THE CON OF WRATH —this one at 8:30-11 p.m. or so in the Film Festival room.  For your donation of $20 or more, you not only get the regular donor pack and screen credit but a shot at trivia prizes, some rare Trek videos and sneak peaks from the doc and outtakes, too.

Of course, we will be leading more fan trend talks, sharing archives in our latest Trekland: Between the Cracks show, and joining a couple other multi-bodied panels as well. Lots of regional authors and artists are on hand, too.


BayouCon IV is the second con this year in bustiling Lake Charles that's been kind enough to have me over, and is another fan-run effort—this one benefits the Southwest Louisiana Science Education Foundation.

STV: Spirit of Trek III: Robert O'Reilly & Gowron's Clerics Crisis

Church-state relations among Klingons?

Yep, TNG's "Rightful Heir" and Robert "Gowron" O'Reilly can only mean one thing: It's already time for a another monthly chapter of "Spirit of Star Trek," the free live screen-n-talk series for those in or near the Los Angeles area.

Next up it's Sunday, April 26 from 7-9 p.m., co-hosted by makeup guru Michael Westmore and Curtis Webster, pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Encino. But the evening is anything but "churchy," as you might guess—from the big-screen viewing of a relevant episode to the funny, probing or even personal dialogue among hosts. guests and audience on the spirituality, morals and yes great backstage stories of the various Star Treks, viewed through the alien lens. Here's Bob's take on it in a nice chat...


Before "Rightful Heir" aired late in TNG in 1993, we'd only seen Klingon warriors and the occasional spy or envoy—but clerics? And revered empire founder Kahless as a messianic figure vowing to "return"? And secular Gowron's deal to allow that cloned yet incredible "return" while holding on to the seat of power after all—any lessons for us as we grapple with the "separation of church and state" today? Those and more are sure to be topics for the night—a chat like no other you've seen at a convention, or Congress or church for that matter. A brief reception follows.

The event is free, but donations are welcome; the church is at 4963 Balboa, just south of the 101. Always best to RSVP: Call Amber at 818-788-1147.