Yesterday was amazing. Aron Eisenberg literally moved me to tears, Whoopi Goldberg was funny and charming, and Melanie Smith provided some wonderful insight into one of my favorite characters, Ziyal.
First, here's some pics from the last couple days:
^ Dominic Keating
^ Nicole deBoer
^ Connor Trinneer
^ Garrett Wang
^ Gary Lockwood and Sally Kellerman
^ Aron Eisenberg
^ Melanie Smith
^ Martha Hackett
Yesterday, we started out with Gary Lockwood and Sally Kellerman from 'Where No Man Has Gone Before.' Both of them were very funny and far more accomplished than I'd ever realized. They also couldn't have been more different. Where she was all class and utterly professional, he's that friend of your dad's that has multiple ex-wives and stopped giving a fuck a long time ago. I found him funny but didn't really like him up until the moment he started talking about his daughter with an intense pride.
Following that, Aron Eisenberg and Max Grodenchik came out in full Ferengi costume and makeup and delivered an incredible performance. It was both funny, as they riffed on what a great Ferengi Donald Trump would be, and moving, as Eisenberg talked about the fan support for his kidney transplant, as well as how moved he was by his character Nog's arc throughout the show.
As an aside, something I always loved about my favorite Star Trek show, Deep Space Nine, was how deep the cast was, in terms of both regulars and recurring, but that show really did lean on their recurring characters, and even devoted entire shows to them. I loved it so much.
Following that, we grabbed a quick bite and then took our youngest to the youth Star Trek trivia. He bounced out relatively quickly in all three rounds, which surprised me. He knows the super-deep hardcore trivia, but missed stuff like 'does Captain Picard like earl grey tea, hot?' I think he's cursed with my need to overthink everything.
After that, we watched some of the TOS cosplay group photos, and there was some amazing stuff.
And after that, we hurried back to the Nimoy Theatre for Whoopi Goldberg, which was immensely gratifying. One of my favorite things to hear about is how much it meant to her to see Nichelle Nichols on the bridge of the Enterprise when Whoopi was a child. She has an immense passion and humility that are wonderfully balanced, and it's so wonderful to hear about Star Trek from her perspective.
And we closed the day with a panel that I deeply loved, which was Guest Stars of Star Trek, and featured Martha Hackett, Hana Hatae, Natalia Nogulich, and Melania Smith. Each of them played a character that I greatly enjoyed, in particular, Melanie Smith.
To me, Ziyal was both the most tragic character in all of Star Trek, and the manifestation of Gene Roddenberry's vision. She was a child of two disparate worlds, and wanted so badly to just bring people together in peace and love. Her character's murder was one of the most gut-wrenching moments in all of Star Trek for me, and I believe actually had me in tears when it happened, as it was so sad. It also put Damar in the sights of the two most dangerous men in the Alpha Quadrant, Dukat and Garak.
So, it was really cool finally getting to see Melanie Smith talk about Ziyal. That was a really special moment for me.
And I apparently screwed the pooch and whiffed on Nichelle Nichols. Shit.
Well, we're getting ready to head out for day three! Talk to ya later!
-Blaine
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