@Gally was a great time—even for a Treklander

Gallifrey Friday night: Now THAT'S an opening ceremony!

Just wanted to take a note to say, of all the non-Trek-specific cons out there, you have to try to make Gallifrey One in its 24th edition next year here in L.A. My buddy Shaun Lyon and the whole board and staff really outdid themselves this year.

Now, this might be my first-ever mention of Whofandom here on TREKLAND. But they are truly blessed to have this con, which just boomed so much that it's now the biggest Who con in the world (3,183 they say). Wonderfully, though—and what's great for all fandom—is that Gallifrey remains a shining and increasingly rare example of a con that still maintains its fannish touch, even amid the growth and plethora of Who/Torchwood guest faces (many of which are crossovers, anyway: John de Lancie, I'm lookin' at you. Good to say hi again after so long.)  Gallifrey also proves that a "businesslike fan-run con" is not an oxymoron.

It also proves how a fandom can regenerate into the stratosphere if there's ACTIVE PRODUCTION on a WEEKLY SERIES. I'm just sayin'.

I just realized I don't have a photo of Shaun and I together, and will have to remedy that next year if not sooner! But we unwittingly go all the way back to the '90s when we both remotely had dealings with Pocket Books, and then I rediscover him years later after the westward move via not fandom but politics:  Small world, but a fun one.

I also want to give kudos to Dan, and Terry, and everyone else who even helped us find a place to shoot a subject for THE CON OF WRATH Friday night on-site, and also were so helpful to my family who attended the day I couldn't make it. We had a good group for my Between the Cracks show, too, and at least one new fan donor so far!

They all made us feel welcome in our little corner of Trekland amidst the Whovians ... including my buddy Terry Rioux, who sold a couple dozen at least of her DeForest Kelley biography "FROM SAWDUST TO STARDUST" from Pocket Books, in her first L.A. con showing of any stripe.

LA ALERT: Who's trekkin' to Gallifrey One with me?

For years I'd heard of this Who con in the Valley, and power to 'em.

But someone had to finally finally tell me a few years back, though, that amid the long Who hiatus Gallifrey One wasn't just about Gallifrey anymore. What's more, that the organizer was actually a colleague of mine, times two! (Trek AND politics—who knew, Shaun?... Oh, I guess you did.)

So, after a one-year lapse—I'll be back at the LAX Marriott Friday big time, lesser on Saturday and Sunday—holding up the Trekland banner, even despite the biggest Who guest line-up and panel content in years... and the biggest registration for GO in years. (Amazing what having a SERIES in ACTIVE PRODUCTION will do to ramp up the fanbase, eh, CBS/Paramount?)


Crossover fandom is still the rage—and after all, we do have THIS popping out of the replicator in a couple months ...

At Gallifrey, we'll also be letting you know what's up with things on The Con of Wrath—we are filming this week around L.A., too—as well as some new news out of Trekland, if I am able to talk about it by then (even before you read about it here.)

So, if it's a hop cross-country it might be a little late to make it ... but if you find yourself in SoCal and call yourself a fan, better hitch on over to Century and Airport for this shindig. Make sure and say hi—my DP and game designer/author Neal Hallford will be around if I am, and I'm be co-tabling with DeForest Kelley biographer Terry Rioux. Good times! Pun intended!