Previously on Midlife Crisis Crossover:

Creation Entertainment, one of America’s longest-running convention companies, runs an annual Star Trek gala in Las Vegas that invites scores of Trek cast and crew members to mingle with fans at Vegas prices and at a considerable remove from more than a few states. As a sort of outreach to us faraway fans, in 2024 Creation has launched a “Trek Tour” comprising much smaller versions of that vaunted Vegas show on the other side of the Rockies. This past weekend it was Chicago’s turn. The location was convenient and the guest lineup included so many missing names on Anne’s Trek-actor checklist, we did something we haven’t done in ages: we attended all three days, from the opening minutes Friday morning to the very end of the final panel Sunday night.

“Star Trek to Chicago” (Creation’s official name for the show; official abbreviation “ST-CHI”) was our first hotel-based con in a good while. We understood Creation handles some con aspects rather differently than the other companies we’re used to seeing annually. For Anne’s purposes, that guest list was worth setting aside our mild concerns and giving it a shot. We’re happy and relieved to report the show far exceeded our hesitant expectations.

And now, the conclusion — yet another long day with too much fun from end to end. We had no more autographs or photo ops to pursue, just panels and more panels. Thanks to the limited square footage, the ubiquitous carpeting, and the complete lack of hours-long lines, this was our first multi-day convention in active memory not to leave our feet, legs, or backs sore and debilitated by the time we went home. We cherished the sensation of spending our final hours relaxed and not physically destroyed.

DAY THREE: Sunday, September 29, 2024.

Once again we arrived at the Hyatt early for parking’s sake but probably needn’t have bothered. We loitered a bit, then reentered the theater when the doors opened. I performed my morning routine of moving the chairs away from each other. When we attended our first panel Friday, everyone in our row showed up and we found the crew in charge of ballroom setup had placed all chairs right up against each other to maximize seating capacity, which is understandable from a profit perspective but would’ve worked better if the chairs had been larger or if all of Trek fandom had 32-inch waists. As it was, we spent much of Friday thigh-to-thigh with our neighbors, trying our best to get comfy without committing passive sexual harassment. Results on this were mixed and hopefully not actionable. So yesterday morning and today, as soon as we got in there, I spread all the nearest chairs farther apart in hopes of giving each of us a little more personal space.

Shortly after 10, once again actor/songstress Bonnie Gordon and The 7th Rule podcaster Ryan T. Husk came out for a brief opening segment to kick off the final day. As they chatted and commenced the raising of spirits for us early birds who weren’t hung over in their hotel rooms, Anne busied herself with her ongoing pet project, inspired by the three times we’ve been to Dragon Con. It’s the largest, most amazing event we’ve ever attended, and one of their fun traditions is badge ribbons. Panel moderators, cosplayers, or just generous fans will hand out ribbons with adhesive strips on the top front edge that can be affixed to your con badge. D*C attendees who really make the rounds on that extended weekend can wind up with several ribbons stuck to their badge in a long chain, sometimes reaching near the floor. We once saw a cosplayer make a dress entirely out of badge ribbons. They’re just a cute inter-geek perk, frilly pieces of flair.

Anne figured she’d give it a try. She picked one of the online companies that sells custom badge ribbons, ordered two batches on her own dime, brought them to this show, and handed them out to fans we chatted with, fans in line next to us, some of the cosplayers she photographed, our theater neighbors, and so on. By Sunday morning she had plenty left and ran around the theater, handing them out to other folks at random. We in turn met other fans likewise handing out li’l Trek knickknacks. Who doesn’t love freebies? Or showing kindness to other fans?

After the quick welcome, the first official event began, a mini-seminar by Katie Nickolaou, a meteorologist for WLNS in Lansing, Michigan. She’s also a storm-chaser (like Twisters but without Glen Powell following her around like a hunky puppy), a Trek fan, and the winner of the costume contest on Saturday. She gave an informative overview of various kinds of extreme weather, meteorological phenomena, and uses of same throughout various Trek episodes and movies — some more realistically than others.

Her presentation covered topics such as the Aurora Borealis, hurricanes, ball lightning, solar flares, solar winds, ion storms (a recurring troublemaker for many a starship), haboobs (I had to look that one up), the dust storms on Ceti Alpha V, acid rain (cf. the Prodigy episode “Terror Firma”), glass storms (Lower Decks‘ “The Inner Fight” and real-world case study Exoplanet HD 189733 b), and the dreaded “Dead Grandma lightning” from the Next Generation episode “Sub Rosa”. (You had to be there. But don’t go there.)

Fans asked her a lot of questions throughout. She also spoke about her anxiety issues and how she’s dealt with those throughout the years. At the end, she gave out Trek friendship bracelets she makes herself as a hobby — something to occupy the free hours in her weird sleep schedule, common to morning-news professionals.

Up next was the other panel Anne had been excitedly anticipating for weeks: once again, John de Lancie!

This was not a duplicate Q Q&A, nor another chance for that one guy to bug him about dinosaurs again. Rather, this was a separate monologue with a focused topic: a narrated slideshow of his 2015 journey on a sailboat to the Marquesas and French Polynesia. He previously gave this talk at Creation’s Vegas show, which promised “the amazing story of his battles and triumphs against epic storms, rogue waves and failing equipment 2000 miles from the nearest landmass in the adventure of a lifetime. Through words and pictures, John paints a portrait of one man’s search for his own true meaning against the backdrop of a vast ocean and a deep, starry night sky.” (He was also supposed to give it at their Nashville show two weeks earlier, but ended up canceling his appearance there.)

One critical snag: he forgot his laptop at home — the one containing all the photos, the prime storytelling material for this entire event.

We knew the pain of traveling to a faraway city only to realize too late that something deemed important had been left behind. A mere 27 hours earlier, we’d had to stop at Walgreens on our way to the Hyatt because Anne forgot to pack her hairbrush. That’s pretty cheap to replace, though. An entire laptop, not so much. An entire personal slideshow, not at all. He had some relevant pics on his phone, but was at a loss how to connect it to the theater’s two screens so we could see them without lining up behind his shoulder. I presume having his wife or an assistant Fed-Ex him his laptop was cost-prohibitive, or too nerve-wracking a prospect for fear of delivery damage, or was otherwise utterly unfeasible.

Nevertheless, the show must go on. He would at least tell some of his story, albeit with helpless allusions to the missing visual aids. He attempted to change up the format and achieve a different energy by inviting two fans onstage with him — two older ladies he’d met this weekend who’d had sailing experience themselves. By modifying the monologue into a dialogue, perhaps it would foster some engagement, not unlike what other actors had done with their time, such as Friday’s impromptu interview with the Andorian bird-watcher, or Saturday’s “What was your first Trek experience?” reverse-Q&A.

The two very nice ladies were game to play along, but they hadn’t expected this, prepared in any way, or otherwise brought extemporaneous talk-show skills to contribute a true round-table discussion. Mostly they sat and watched him speak, same as we were doing, except they had the best seats.

Tidbits:

• He began sailing at age 10 with his family, and maintained a love of it even after his father lost interest.
• On the first attempted launch for his big 2015 adventure, the sendoff party includes his wife, his agent, and Voyager‘s Robert Picardo.
• Jerry Hardin (one Voyager episode and three Next Generations, one of them as Mark Twain) once gave him a frozen 12-pound pork roast to take on a trip for ostensible provisions, but which required a saw for serving. (He has a photo! Alas.)
• His longest trip was 52 days, but with a stop in Hawaii for fuel.
• He has a long list of nitpicks for the Robert Redford one-man sailing drama All Is Lost.

Same as with his Saturday panel, Anne took extensive notes on everything. If anyone’s interested in her more in-depth rundown, by all means do let us know.

He ended on time and made way for our next guests: an inter-series “Women of Sci-Fi” panel! I’ve no idea why they didn’t call it “Women of Trek”. They’re all in Trek shows. None of them were on Galactica or Andromeda or Manimal. Also, it didn’t feature all the women on the guest list, just three of them. Perhaps everyone else had scheduling issues (e.g., Jeri Ryan was Saturday-only), or some personality conflicts that are none of our business, or they all had to draw straws and only the first three winners were invited.

So anyway, our next guests: an inter-series “Some Women of Trek” panel!

(I would’ve loved to take more pics for potential posting, but for only this panel my view of the stage was blocked a few rows up by a cosplayer in a giant witch’s hat, which of course had to be worn the entire time because costume integrity reasons, I guess.)

The “What Is It Like Being a Woman in Star Trek” discussion continued the ongoing theme of diversity that’s come up in every series in some fashion and was at the forefront of many of the weekend’s panels, from the subjects covered on stage to the questions and questioners at the mic. (Con safe-space levels can vary, but this one was absolutely a welcoming nexus for one and all.) The trio agreed Hollywood hasn’t necessarily achieved perfect parity on every imaginable level, but at least concerning Trek, things have improved since McFadden’s day, when the males on set would routinely disregard the actresses’ input and qualms by reason of “you’re just a girl,” whether verbalized or implied.

Tidbits:

• One mom asked for advice on how to tell her daughters, ages 7 and 9, why they can’t be YouTubers. Newsome had the best idea: anyone who cannot coherently explain the origin of the Panama Canal should be barred from YouTubing, period.
• When a young fan asked who they’d want on the bridge if they were captain: McFadden insists on an interior decorator and all her “space sons”, in that order; Hurd wants her original Picard ensemble back; and Newsome believes Beckett Mariner should never, ever be captain of anything.
• Much love was remembered for the late Annie Wersching, Picard‘s Borg Queen who was a joy to meet in person in 2022 and who passed away nine months later at age 45.
• “Describe your gender without using gendered terms” sounded more like a Twitter challenge than a congenial icebreaker and led more to unanimous bafflement than to deep insights or solutions to the riddle.

After a solid 2½ hours in our assigned seats, we broke for one last hotel coffee-shop lunch and then eagerly returned to them for the next must-see happening: old friends Marina Sirtis and Michael Dorn from The Next Generation, four movies, and season 3 of Picard!

The duo have a reputation for being hilariously delightful whenever they appear together at shows. This day was no exception. Their comedy rhythms complemented each other — Sirtis the more talkative and gregarious one; Dorn, the reserved straight man whose deadpan expressions and low-key tones served as punchlines in themselves to their exchanges, often more effective than mere quips.

Tidbits:

• Sirtis defended British food despite its countless innate flaws and loves her some fried fish ‘n’ chips.
• Despite being persuaded back for Picard, Dorn still intensely hates the lengthy makeup process and being trapped inside it for hours. In filming that last hurrah, sitting in a makeup chair in a massive Klingon wig and COVID-era face mask was not fun.
• Sirtis costarred in a Hallmark Movie last year (not her first one) called Love’s Greek to Me, starring some actress from Chicago Med and lots of Greeks.
• Dorn still dreams of one day starring in something where he’s #1 on the call sheet.
• Sirtis would love someday to see Tottenham Hotspur win a Premiere League title for the first time since she was 6. (I’ve read just enough Nick Hornby to have a foggy notion what she meant.)
• Some Next Generation episodes in the last two seasons were repurposed from rejected Deep Space Nine scripts, deemed not good enough by Paramount overlords who were focused on anointing that successor to the fullest extent.
• Feminist or not, if Sirtis is struggling to put her carry-on bag in the overhead compartment and notices an able-bodied man declining to volunteer assistance, she’s not too proud to glare at him and say, “Your mother would be ashamed of you!”
• A common message Sirtis hears whenever she’s landed a part: “You’ve got the job. Lose five pounds. Come up with an accent.”
• Regarding their own TV habits: Sirtis enjoys sports and overseas shows such as Sombras and Spiral; Dorn is a fan of Lupin, Call My Agent, and Extraordinary Attorney Woo.
• Both consider themselves semiretired from acting, and are happy not to have to deal with today’s far less personable TV execs. (Brandon Tartikoff once came to her house to congratulate her on her wedding.)
• The Next Generation cast keep their BFF circle cliquey and closed, but Sirtis has allowed only two exceptions: Nathan Fillion and Karl Urban. Dorn couldn’t help noting both are hot guys. Sirtis did not dispute this.
• Dorn enjoys the quiet flights home after an event, except when they’re interrupted by her distinct voice coming unexpectedly from behind: “Shall I tell you something…?”

…and there was more, more, more. Anne yet again took copious notes, which we’re more than happy to post as extras if demand warrants.

Up next was a short promotional segment with Lolita Fatjo on behalf of 455 Films, hosting sneak previews of three upcoming Trek-related documentaries:

• Cos & Effect, about the world of cosplayers.
• A new doc (not the first one ever) about Oscar-winning makeup artist Michael Westmore, whose alien faces graced four consecutive Trek series.
• The long-awaited To the Journey: Looking Back at Star Trek: Voyager, whose Indiegogo campaign ended over three years ago and which is finally seeing its world premiere November 7th at Hollywood’s Paramount Theater. Tickets are available for subsequent showings in NYC and London, if you’re in the neighborhood.

Our next panel was a sequel to Saturday’s “women of Strange New Worlds” Q&A — this time it was the men’s turn, Anson Mount and Ethan Peck!

We previously met them at Dragon Con, but skipped that panel because the SAG-AFTRA strike made convention Q&As annoyingly (if understandably) complicated. This time they could finally talk about their show and their characters. Tidbits:

• They have other talents! Peck can play the cello; Mount can play the mandolin and graduated from, and has taught at, clown college. (He’s quick to distinguish actual clowns from circus clowns. Not the same thing.) He’s also an associate professor at Columbia.
• Peck spent some downtime during the strike to attend race-car driving school.
• They agree with the ladies that Carol Kane is a pleasure to work with. She’s more prone to improv and alternate takes than the rest of them, but is also first to chastise herself for blowing her technobabbling lines.
• In musical tastes: Mount is currently enjoying Sturgill Simpson, Greensky Bluegrass, Brad Paisley (full disclosure: they’re friends), Tyler Childers and Billy Strings. Peck is into electronica and is digging the new album from Jamie xx, In Waves.
• If their characters had a retro game night, Spock would love Tetris and Pike might whip out Cards Against Humanity.

By 3:30 we’d now spent a cumulative 4½ hours in the same chairs in the same ballroom in the same day. We briefly ran over to the vendors’ room to make our final purchases of the weekend. After that, I had a radical idea: we walked outside into the fresh air and just sat on a bench for a while at the Hyatt’s main entrance, just on the other side of the windows from the show itself. The weather was the loveliest it’d been all weekend. The secondhand smoke from other attendees and hotel guests compromised the charm and health benefits a tad, but we really needed a break from walls and roofs and dim, depressing, anti-photogenic lighting.

We went back inside around 4:50, headed down the same hallway where we’d spent much of the weekend, passing by Anthony Rapp, who was power-walking the opposite direction. We threw him a fleeting greeting and a compliment for the Friday concert. “Thank you!” he shouted as he zoomed onward.

At 5:00 came the final event to end all events: “Trek Does D&D” — six cast members play Dungeons & Dragons, we watch, hilarity ensues.

I’ve never watched other people play D&D before, not even Critical Role, so this was a new experience for both of us. (Relevant episodes of Stranger Things and Community don’t count.) Some parts dragged a tad whenever players had to shuffle through their multi-page character sheets to review their inventory, spells, skills, attributes, and so forth. That part of game-play we knew well — every time we introduce a new board game to our monthly Family Game Nights, the roughest parts are whenever I have to flip through the rulebook to verify whether or not my son’s last move was by-the-book, and Anne starts getting sleepy because her next turn is taking forever to come.

The self-contained scenario ran two hours. Our Heroes were given a perfunctory intro setting up the locale, their creepy onetime employer, the MacGuffin, and their first major challenge: to jump over some water. Two of our five party members missed the mark and went down like clowns in a dunk tank. Stashwick relished performing all the NPCs in a variety of funny voices as he herded them along to the requisite evil lair. Traps were in evidence. Enemies abounded. Some withering killing blows were dealt. Gordon rolled a statistically improbable and totally frustrating number of 1s in a row, stymieing so many attempted actions. Modifiers were often helpful, but not always.

The funniest moment: the party encounters a robed figure muttering to itself in some unintelligible language. Gooding chooses to try talking to it. After shuffling through her sheets, she extends a greeting in Elvish, necessitating some dice-rolling. After a couple minutes’ sorting of mechanics, the figure apparently doesn’t understand Elvish and keeps doing what it was doing. This part of the scene seemed to go on for a bit.

After some “Okay, what now?” debate that also went on for a bit, one of her teammates simply walks up and says something normally. Stashwick, in a snide screech, responds on the figure’s behalf with a surprised awareness, “OHHH, YOU SPEAK ENGLISH!” Huge laugh all around as a fuming Gooding gets up, stomps around and probably considers flipping the table.

All told, this was not a dry, humorless episode of The Rings of Power. Stashwick kept the tone light and his game plan elastic enough that victory was achieved at precisely 7 p.m. CDT on the nose, when (I’m guessing) the con was contractually required to end. I’m reluctant to describe every scene because Stashwick could well run this again at other shows and I’d rather not spoil it, even if the odds of some future attendee reading this first are infinitesimal. In some regards, you really had to be there. Stashwick is on the guest list for Creation’s next Trek Tour stop in November in Secaucus, NJ, so if you’re in the area, you actually could be there if he runs this again.

To be concluded! Other chapters in this very special miniseries:

Part 1: The Stars in Our Galaxy
Part 2: Cosplay!
Part 3: Friday!
Part 4: Saturday!
Part 6: And the Rest!