Make It So

The Comic Expo has become a yearly tradition for my dad and I. We first attended back in 2010 when we heard that Leonard Nimoy was making an appearance. Knowing full well that this could easily be one of the last cons for Nimoy, my dad and I set out to meet one of the actors that we both thought was pretty awesome. This was the same year that Brent Spinner was attending as well so seeing as we are Trekkies, this worked in our favour. Never being to the expo before it was really intense with the amounts of crowds and the waiting... so ... much... waiting. There was waiting in lines to meet people, there was waiting in lines to use to the bathroom, to buy something to eat to buy merch. There was waiting. One of the booths I had wanted to visit sold out of the books I wanted to purchase in the first 3 hours of the event and had no more in stock. I found this out after I waited 30 mins to get to the front of the line. The event wasn't really well planned out as they would cut off the amount of people seeing a particular celebrity at a certain time so one would wait in line all day long to get a chance to meet them first. We met Spinner first and he was really nice and pleasant to talk to and we felt we were off to a good start. However after standing in line for a good what seemed like (and probably not far off of) 6 hours for Nimoy, when he finally arrived the line went fast. Not only were we not allowed to take photos, he didn't seem to want to talk either. There wasn't even an exchange of eye contact. We paid our money, said hello, got a signature and then moved along .. like cattle. Needless to say we weren't all that impressed and learned what to do for next time, if there was going to be a next time at all.

Fast forward to 2011 Comic Expo where none other than William Shatner was staring as the guest of honour. To keep the Star Trek theme going Johnathan Frakes was there too. This time, my dad and I came prepared. We brought lunches complete with sandwiches and juice boxes and protein snacks to keep us going. We brought mini fold up chairs that were easy to carry and allowed us to seat anywhere we wanted without worry about getting back up from the ground. We brought our umbrella as the weather in April is iffy and last time it rained (this was was no exception). The 2011 expo was held in a larger part of the building allowing for more room to walk and was much better organized as they had time slots to meet the stars and limited amount of space. You purchased your ticket and then went in line when your time was and that was it. We were ready! Armed with things to get signed, we started with Johnathan Frake. The line didn't go by too slowly and before we knew it here we were not only talking with Riker himself but also getting a photograph taken with him. He was so personable and kind and genuinely happy to be there that all of our skepticism melted away. It was a real treat and to see my dad smile the way he did was so worth it. After meeting Frakes, we went and sat (remember, we had the chairs? ohhhhh yeeeeeah!) in line for Shatner. We had purchased the earliest meeting time so we were ahead of a lot of other people. Once Shatner arrived, the line went REALLY fast. He was not taking photos with people so that's why it went at a good pace. However, unlike Nimoy from the previous year, Shatner was really funny and nice and kind. My dad got his signature and talked with him and Shatner not only made eye contact with us but thanked us for coming and the for the 30 seconds we got to chat to him, was really pleasant. This expo was so much better by far due to much better event planning as well as friendly guests and our own thinking on subject such as food and chairs. We left in good spirits and had our umbrellas ready for the rain.  

So when I learned that the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation was reuniting in Calgary at the Comic Expo this year in April, I was really excited. Okay... SUPER excited! Not only have the cast not reunited in quite some time, but they decided to come to Calgary. Okay, then there's the fact that it's Star Trek and my dad and I are totally going! We learned from the first two years what to expect and what to do and this year is going to be awesome. Seeing as we've already met Frakes and Spinner, we don't technically have to meet them again, although, we might just. If we don't get the chance to though, it gives us time to meet Sir Patrick Stewart, Marin Sirtis, Michael Dorn , LeVar Burton, Gates McFadden, Wil Wheaton and Denise Crosby. Not only are there Trekkies but there is also going to be Adam West guest staring and Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger) and Stan Lee of all people! ha! There are of course many others, but the real big thing is TNG cast. I'm especially excited to meet Sir Patrick Stewart. I hope he's nice. 

I went ahead and crocheted some cute little Star Trek crew members (Riker and Data) of the ones we met previously and I'm toying with the idea of making the rest of the crew. Ah... why not. :p hahaha. Here are some photos:

Well... as we patiently await the expo, I hope it turns out awesome. I'll be bringing the lunch and power bars as well as the chairs. Oh.. and don't forget the umbrella.