Trekkies Guide To San Diego Comic Con 2009

This weekend (kicking off with a preview tonight) is the annual San Diego Comic Con. Although there are no major Star Trek panels, Trek will still have a big presence at the show from the Paramount Home Entertainment Booth, to the other licensees (including some selling exclusives). There are also Trek celebrities showing up at booths and panels. We have all the details below.

 
Paramount Home Entertainment Booth Celebrates Star Trek
The biggest Trek presence will be at the Paramount Home Entertainment Booth (#3535), which is promoting the upcoming releases of the JJ Abrams Star Trek movie on DVD and Blu-ray, as well as many catalog releases (Star Trek Season 2 on Blu-ray, TNG Movies Collection & more). There will be a Diamond Select life-sized Star Trek TOS captain’s chair on display, which will be given away during the show. Paramount is also giving out Star Trek foam Vulcan-salute hands and tribbles — being handed out by Orion ‘green girls’.

Star Trek licensses & merchandisers
Many of the Star Trek licensees and merchandisers have booths on the show floor and many will have exclusive items for sale or be debuting or showing off future items.

Diamond Select – Booth 2607
Star Trek toys and figures
SDCC Preview: TWOK communicator & Enterprise B toy  

Film Score Monthly / Screen Archives – Booth 429
SDCC Debut: Star Trek II: TWOK Extended Soundtrack

Funko – Booth 4829
Star Trek bobbleheads & vinyl figures.
SDCC Exclusive: ‘beaming’ Kirk & Spock bobbleheads

Genki – Booth 3149
Star Trek fragrances – booth will feature girls in Star Trek outfits.
SDCC Exclusive: Khaaann cologne
NOTE: Due to airborne regulations, Genki may not be able to display their fragrances

Hallmark – at LucasFilm Pavilion
Star Trek ornaments, cards & party supplies
SDCC Exclusive: Gold uniform Uhura ornament

IDW – Booth 1929
Star Trek comic books
SDCC Exclusive: Special edition of Countdown #1
Booth Event: Signing with Tim Jones & Mike Johnson Saturday 1:00 PM

Lightspeed Fine Art – 3745
Star Trek Fine art prints
Booth Events: Trek vets signing all weekend long (including Brent Spiner, Nicole de Boer, Bob Picardo, and Garrett Wang)
 

Mattel – Booth 3029
Star Trek board games, Hot Wheels & Tyco RC toys.
SDCC Exclusive: Hot Wheels Star Trek 2009 Enterprise in dock  

Pocket Books – Booth 1017
Star Trek books
 

QMx – at Sideshow Collectibles Booth 1929
Star Trek 2009 replicas
SDCC Debut: USS Enterprise Studio-scale replica

Roddenberry.com – Booth 2374
Star Trek replicas, prints, shirts, etc
SDCC Debut: 3-D lenticular prints

Rubies Costumes – Booth 3649
Star Trek costumes
 

TokyoPop – Booth 2400
Star Trek manga comics
 

Wizard Entertainment – Booth 2643
Booth Event: Nichelle Nichols will be signing collector’s edition Cabonauts posters at Booth on Fri-Sat 10am-1pm and 3pm-6pm & Sun 10am-2pm

Panels – Trek related
There are no official Star Trek panels this year, but there is one panel discussing the "Anthropology of Star Trek" and one of Star Trek’s licensees (IDW) has a panel that will discuss future titles, that could include Trek. There is also a panel discussion arranged by Mark Altman (Free Enterprise) covering of the films of 1979, including TMP, that will probably also cover the new Star Trek movie.

Thursday 6:30-7:30
The Anthropology of Star Trek
Daryl Frazetti (Department of Anthropology, Lake Tahoe Community College), Ian Morris (UCSB student), John Stivers, Jacob Hurd, and Kanan Miller (Lake Tahoe Community College students) discuss the anthropological themes in the Star Trek universe. Select themes include such topics as politics, religion, identity, technology, the cultural role of the individual, and the anthropological concept of "race." A brief discussion on the subculture of fandom is also included, along with the cultural impact of Trek. Audience participation is encouraged. This presentation spans the franchise and explores the relationship between Star Trek and society throughout the past four decades. Room 30AB
 

Thursday 11:00-12:00
IDW Publishing: The Evolution of Comics
Through the lens of IDW’s tenth anniversary, founder Ted Adams and IDW editors and creators, including Ashley Wood (Zombies vs. Robots), and Steve Niles (30 Days of Night), discuss the evolution of the company and look ahead at the future of comics, complete with special announcements of upcoming IDW projects. Room 10.

Sunday 1:00-2:00
It Was 30 Years Ago Today: The Kicks and Kitsch of the Year Sci-Fi Struck Back (or: It Was No 1982)
Go back to the thrilling days of yesteryear as the disco era said its final good-byes and the bad hair of the ’80s prepared to make its emergence. A group of professional geeksters guides your look back at some of 1979’s crowning achievements, kitsch, and crap. Join them as they beam aboard Star Trek: The Motion Picture as the human adventure just begins (and possibly give their three cents on the new Trek movie as well), go bidi-bidi-bidi over Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, get sucked into The Black Hole, rip on Jack the Ripper in Time After Time, make Moonraker eyes over Lois Chiles, and listen fruitlessly for screaming in space in Alien. Starring Jeff Bond (Geek Monthly editor), Robert Meyer Burnett (Free Enterprise, The Hills Run Red), Steve Melching (The Clone Wars), Dr. Theopolis, and some special guests and exclusive video treats. Moderated by Mark A. Altman (Free Enterprise, DOA: Dead Or Alive). Room 4

Panels – Trek vets
A number of Trek vets from in front and behind the camera will be at Comic Con for panels related to other stuff. Here is the breakdown.

THURSDAY, July 23

12:00-1:00 Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey
Key production personnel and cast members discuss the making of Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey, the 3D, CGI Large Format film that combines beautiful animated sequences with actual space imagery captured during seven ongoing NASA and NASA/ESA space missions. Featuring a stellar voice cast that includes Neil Armstrong, Chris Pine, Samuel L. Jackson, Hayden Christensen, Amanda Peet, Robert Picardo, Jason Alexander, Tom Kenny, Sandra Oh, Brent Spiner, James Earl Jones, Williams Shatner, Mark Hamill, Doug Jones, Abigail Breslin and Gary Graham, Quantum Quest has been endorsed by the X Prize Organization, the International Space University, Challenge Center for Space Science Education, and the Young Astronauts Council. Producer, screenwriter, and co-director Dr. Harry Kloor, whose writing credits include Star Trek: Voyager, the animated series Godzilla, and Earth: Final Conflict, is joined by co-director Daniel St. Pierre (co-director, Everyone’s Hero, production designer, A
Shark’s Tale, art director, Tarzan), space scientists, and key cast members (including Robert Picardo and Chris Pine via phone . The panel will offer new work-in-progress clips and an in-depth exploration of the science behind the film. Ballroom 20.

1:15-2:15 Entertainment Weekly: Wonder Women: Female Power Icons in Pop Culture
EW moderates a conversation with Sigourney Weaver (Avatar), Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost), and Zoe Saldana (Avatar) about the actresses who have redefined the rules, and the female characters that have shattered the glass ceiling for all women. Basically, a discussion with women who kick ass. Ballroom 20.

12:30-1:30 Richard Hatch: Battlestar Retrospective
Moderated by actor/author Richard Hatch (Tom Zarek, Capt Apollo, author: So Say We All), with Bear McCreary (Battlestar, Eureka, Caprica composer), Michael Tayler (Battlestar, Caprica, Star Trek writer/producer), Kevin Grazier (Battlestar, Eureka, science consultant) and special guests, this panel provides a review, discussion and Q&A of Battlestar’s past four seasons and dramatic ending. Includes the new BG 30th trailer. Room 6A

4:45-5:45 Legend of the Seeker
A sneak peek at the highly anticipated second season of the action-adventure series Legend of the Seeker from executive producers Ken Biller (Star Trek: Voyager), Sam Raimi (Spider-Man), Rob Tapert (Xena), Ned Nalle (Hercules), and Josh Donen (Drag Me to Hell) and starring Craig Horner, Bridget Regan and Bruce Spence. Inspired by Terry Goodkind’s bestselling epic fantasy series The Sword of Truth, Richard, Kahlan and Zedd will soon discover that after defeating Darken Rahl, they inadvertently opened a rift into the underworld. Premiering in November, join a few of the executive producers, cast members, and Terry Goodkind for this moderated interview and audience Q&A session! Room 6DE

FRIDAY JULY 24

11:45-12:45 Caprica/Battlestar Galactica: The Plan
The present meets the past as the makers of Battlestar Galactica deliver the highly anticipated Syfy original series, Caprica and the 2-hour event, Battlestar Galactica: The Plan, directed by Edward James Olmos. This is your chance to get the inside scoop on these exciting projects and see two generations of Adamas on stage together for the first time. Executive producers Ronald D. Moore, David Eick, and Jane Espenson sit down with Caprica star Esai Morales (Joseph Adama) and Battlestar Galactica’s Edward James Olmos (Admiral William Adama), director of The Plan, to reveal the truth about these two new chapters in the mythology of BSG. Ballroom 20

11:45-12:45 FlashForward
Be among the first to see exclusive, never-before-seen footage and scenes from upcoming episodes of ABC’s new show FlashForward presented by David S. Goyer (Batman Begins), Brannon Braga (24), and Marc Guggenheim (Eli Stone). Joining them on the panel are cast members including Joseph Fiennes (Shakespeare in Love) and John Cho (Star Trek). And look for a surprise guest that you won’t want to miss! Room 6A

2:00-3:00 The Design Process for Film and Television
The making of a film or television show is a collaborative process. The director enlists the talents of his/her key collaborators—the costume designer, the production illustrator, and the production designer—right from the start of a production. Costume illustrators and concept & storyboard artists, brought on to productions to develop images under the guidance of the designers, serve a key position in the web of communication that is essential to filmmaking. This panel gives a glimpse into the fundamental importance of illustration, as well as the seamless creativity between the key conceptual departments on favorite feature films and television productions. Moderator William David Hogan, director and storyboard artist (The Orphan), hosts costume illustrators from CDG, Local 892: Robin Richesson (Iron Man), Phillip Boutte, Jr. (Jonah Hex), Felipe Sanchez (Green Hornet), Christian Cordella (GI Joe), and Brain Valenzuela (Star Trek 2009), as well as illustrators and artists from
Local 800: Dawn Brown (Star Trek 2009), Josh Nizzi (Transformers Revenge of the Fallen), and James Rothwell (Iron Man 2). Room 32AB

4:30-5:30 Production Designers
Today, more than ever, motion pictures and television routinely transport us to worlds that beggar the imagination, which must be designed and created from scratch. A multitude of skilled artists is necessary to accomplish such spectacles filled with such endless detail. The person who initially collaborates with the director to conceive the world of the film—and then lays out the plan, assembles the team, supervises that multitude, and tries to bring it all in on budget—is the Production Designer. Here’s a chance for the Comic-Con audience to hear some of Hollywood’s finest designers discuss the unique nature of their craft and even answer a few questions. This year’s extraordinary panel includes Stuart Blatt (Dollhouse), Scott Chambliss (Star Trek), Rick Heinrichs (Pirates of the Caribbean), and Bo Welch (Batman Returns). Moderating the panel is John Muto (Terminator 2—3D). Room 30AB
 

SATURDAY JULY 25

3:15-4:15 Heroes: Exclusive First Look at "Redemption" and Q&A with Tim Kring and Castmembers
Fasten your seatbelts and get ready for an amazing roller coaster ride as Heroes debuts a trailer for "Volume 5: Redemption." Participate in a Q&A session with creator Tim Kring and some of the cast (including Zachary Quinto). Indigo Ballroom / Hilton Bayfront

3:30-4:30 The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day
In the sequel to the cult classic The Boondock Saints, Director Troy Duffy brings back Sean Patrick Flanery (Suicide Kings, Powder), Norman Reedus (American Gangster, Blade 2), and Billy Connolly (The Last Samurai) and introduces Clifton Collins JR (Star Trek, Crank 2) as a new partner in crime and Julie Benz (Rambo, Punisher 2, Saw) as the sexy F.B.I. operative who is hot on their trail. Please join Troy and the cast for a panel discussion about the new film and the world premiere of the trailer. Room 6DE
 

4:00-5:00 Fringe Screening and Q&A
Fringe cast members Anna Torv (upcoming The Pacific), Josh Jackson (Shutter), and John Noble (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King) appear with consulting producers Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen) and executive producers Jeff Pinkner (Lost) and J. H. Wyman (Keen Eddie) for a Q&A with fans and an exclusive video presentation. Join the discussion of this critically acclaimed thriller, which explores the ever-blurring line between science fiction and reality, where hybrid monsters tear through sewers, thieves walk through walls and portals open to worlds unknown. From Bad Robot Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, Fringe airs Thursdays at 9:00 PM ET/PT this fall on FOX, premiering September 17. Fringe: The Complete First Season will be released on DVD and Blu-ray Hi Def September 8. Ballroom 20

5:30-6:30 Archaia: New Titles
Come hear about the great titles Archaia has in store, including Awakening (with writer Nick Tapalansky and artist Alex Eckman-Lawn), The Killer (with writer Matz), and The God Machine (with creator Chandra Free). Then: You’ve watched him for three seasons on NBC’s Heroes playing Sylar and on the big screen as Spock in the new Star Trek movie, but what do actor Zachary Quinto and his colleagues at media production company Before the Door Pictures have to do with Archaia? Find out exclusively at this panel, which will feature Quinto, Corey Moosa and Neal Dodson of Before the Door Pictures, plus appearances by top-secret special guests with additional announcements! Room 5AB

6:30-7:30 Bridging Cultures Through Popular Media
While movies, games, and comic books are a great source of entertainment, the transformational power of story can also be used to break down misunderstandings between cultures, races, and genders. Learn how the panelists are using popular forms of media to provide a new form of diplomatic dialogue and open up channels of communication that have yet to be fully explored. Actor Faran Tahir (Star Trek, Iron Man), game designer Neal Hallford (Betrayal at Krondor, Dungeon Siege, X-Life: Driven), animated series executive producer Subniv Babuta (The 99), and comics and animated series script editor Stan Berkowitz (The 99, Justice League, Batman Beyond) talk about how popular culture can play a key role in saving the world. Moderated by Joseph D. Di Lella. Room 4