Report by Chris

August 14, 2001

On August 11, a free Star Trek convention was held at the Broward Community College in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Never ones to pass up on something free, I attended it along with Lore and Tanya. I was unsure where the convention actually was, but my questions were answered when I saw a fat Klingon in a Hawaiian shirt. Inside, we found all sorts of people in costumes ranging from Klingon, to Starfleet uniform, to even a suit of armor for a 'Medieval Holodeck Simulation'. There was a dealers room with all sorts of Star Trek, Babylon 5, and Star Wars merchandise (surprisingly there were even a few Macross model kits). Aside from the dealer's room, there was a booth where you could meet people from some starship. Lore and I practically fell to the floor laughing when we saw an old man (pictured below) who was at a convention a few months ago talking about the inconsistency of Federation money. We also had a strange encounter with a Jedi Knight who used his 'Jedi mind trick' on Tanya and bonked Lore on the head with his lightsaber. In my best Watto voice I said to him "No Jedi mind trick work on me, only money." However, he kept bothering us and roped us into buying a raffle ticket because it was for a good cause.

Other features at the con included a game of 'Who Wants To Be A Star Trek Millionaire?', a game where obsessive fans use their extensive knowledge of Star Trek to win trinkets such as Star Trek kites. I knew many of the answers, but we left when a strange old lady was harassing us with her constant cursing and desire that they play 'The Weakest Link' instead. After walking around some more, we returned to watch an auction of rare items, and Lore bought several signed autographs and gift certificates. This is probably the weirdest auction I've ever seen. It's supposed to be for charity, but people were buying things for practically nothing, and one guy even tried to bid backwards on an item. Following the auction was the main event, guest speaker Robin Curtis (Lt. Saavik in Star Trek III: The Search For Spock and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home). She spoke for nearly an hour about a wide range of topics. They included trouble on the set when working with William Shatner, as well as Robin's reasons for leaving Hollywood and settling down. She was very friendly and answered questions from the audience. After she finished, we quickly left because the strange old lady returned and began harassing Tanya. Overall I'd say it was fun, but I was reminded yet again how eccentric Star Trek fans can be. Though I am a fan myself, I am quite glad that I am not like that. Now, check out some of the pictures we took!

Left: Spock memorabilia (note the teddy bear).
Right: Enterprises, shuttles, and Tribbles (oh my).



Left: A game of 'Who Wants To Be A Star Trek Millionaire?'
Right: The Federation money man in person! Ask him about latinum!

Left: fans examine expensive junk.
Right: Tanya poses with a Klingon warrior (who actually spoke to us in Klingon!).

Left: Lore and Chris look at some action figures. Though they are not visible, Macross model kits are to the right of Chris. Also, to the left of Lore are some Lore action figures.
Right: Guest speaker Robin Curtis on stage answering questions.

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