Star Trek Las Vegas Con Preview (including TrekMovie Panels) + Watch Panels Streaming Live

This Thursday the annual big Star Trek convention kicks off at a new location with an impressive line-up of celebrities, events and more, including a number or TrekMovie.com fan panels. See below for a convention preview, plus details on how you can watch many of the big panels panels live over the web.

Huge Star Trek Vegas Con for 2011 w/ amazing guest line-up

For the 45th anniversary of Star Trek, Creation Entertainment has arranged an impressive line up for the big Vegas Con, being held at a new location: The Rio Suites Hotel and Suites. The con starts on Wednesday August 11th and runs through Sunday August 14th. Celebrities lined up include a ton or series regulars and recurring actors:

In addition there are many more guest actors and Star Trek luminaries lined up: Eugene Roddenberry, Yvonene Craig, Lee Meriwether, David Gerrold, Beverly Washburn, Jack Donner, Lee Delano, Charles Dierkop, Bobby Clark, Roger Perry, Barry Jenner, Mariette Hartley, Celeste Yarnall, Richard Herd, Garth Pillsbury, Arlene Martel, Musetta Vander, Don Marshall, Sean Kenny, Michael Forest, Eric Menyuk, Olivia D’Abo, Charlie Brill, Luise Sorel, Steven Marlo, Joseph Ruskin, Robert Brown, William Shallert, Clint Howard, Tania Lemani, Alan Scarfe, Daniel Stewart, Lawrence Montaigne, Melvin Caesar Belli, Lois Jewell, Felix Silla, Kitty Swink, Don Marshall, Natalija Nogulich

The stars will be doing panel discussions as well as doing autographs and many doing photographs as well. More details at www.creationent.com/cal/stlv. 

Special events + costume record attempt + Star Trek themed drinking

In addition to panels, photographs and autographs, many of the Trek celebrities will also be appearing at various breakfast, lunch and evening party events. There will also be some additional fun events including (some of which have extra fee):

• Concert with James Darren
• Rat Pack live show with Max Grodenchik, Vaughn Armstron, Jeffrey Combs, Casey Biggs and Armin Shimerman
• Leonard Nimoy Photography Seminar
• "The Captains" screening
• David Gerrold writing seminar
• Jeffrey Combs in "Nevermore" performance
• Poems and Prose with Rene Auberjonois and Nana Visitor
• John Paladin make-up workshop

Once again Creation will try to recapture the title of largest gathering of Star Trek fans in costume, a record they set last summer has since been bested by DragonCon and FedCon (attempt will be at 2pm Saturday).

And even though the event is no longer held at the Hilton (former home of Star Trek: The Experience), McFadden’s Pub in the Rio will be mixing up Star Trek themed drinks like you used to get at Quark’s Bar.

TrekMovie.com fan panels & events

Last year the TrekMovie.com panel was a success so this year Creation asked TrekMovie.com to put together a series of fan-oriented panels, with one on each day. All the events will be held in the secondary ballroom (DeForest Kelley Theater). Here is the full schedule.

• Thursday 6:00 PM: Star Trek Geek Girls
  Star Trek Geek Girls Star Trek is attracting more women and young people than ever. Join TrekMovie’s Kayla Iacovino, Trekcast’s Brandi Clark, DVD Geeks’ Mary Czerwinski and costumer Susie Vance as they will explore social media, podcasting, blogging and JJ Abram’s influence on Star Trek fandom and the changing demographic of Star Trek.
• Friday 5:15 pm: Star Trek Captain Smackdown
  Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway, or Archer? A perennial debate amongst Trek fans is: Who is the best captain? TrekMovie’s panel of captain advocates including Anthony Pascale, Larry Nemecek, John Champion and Alex Peters will lead a fun audience-participation discussion and debate to work out and vote on who is the ultimate Trek captain.
• Saturday 9:00 am: Glue Guns and Phasers – Star Trek Crafting
  TrekMovie’s new monthly crafting columnists, Mary Czerwinski and Brandi Clark, will show fans how to make their very own Star Trek keepsake. This activity is free and open to convention attendees. Supplies will be provided. Kids ages 10 and up encouraged to attend. Arrive early supplies limited.
• Saturday 9:00 am:  Glue Guns and Phasers – Star Trek Crafting
  TrekMovie’s new monthly crafting columnists, Mary Czerwinski and Brandi Clark, will show fans how to make their very own Star Trek keepsake. This activity is free and open to convention attendees. Supplies will be provided. Kids ages 10 and up encouraged to attend. Arrive early supplies limited.
• Saturday 10 am – TrekMovie explores JJ Abrams’ Star Treks
  The biggest thing going on right now in Star Trek is JJ Abrams 2009 Star Trek movie and the planned 2012 sequel. TrekMovie.com editor Anthony Pascale will lead a discussion of the 2009 movie and give sequel updates.
• Sunday 5:40 Design the next Star Trek TV series
  Star Trek has been off the air since 2005, but many hope that it will someday (soon?) return to television. Join TrekMovie’s experts for a fan-participation event as we outline what the fans want for the next Star Trek TV show.

In addition to the fan panels, you will be able to find TrekMovie’s Anthony and Kayla, along with our friends from DVD Geeks and more at McFadden’s most of the night’s at the con. Keep track of @trekmovie on Twitter for impromptu meetups.

Tickets still available

Daily tickets for the Star Trek con are still available. More details and a full schedule at www.creationent.com/cal/stlv. 

Watch the con Live over the web

If you can’t make it Las Vegas, many of the big panels will be streaming live over the web at StarTrek.com. Each panel viewed costs $6.99.

Streaming schedule

Thursday, August 11


1:05 pm: Voyager’s Ensign Harry Kim – Garret Wang
1:55 pm: Return to the Sixties – Lee Meriwether, Yvonne Craig and Clint Howard
4:25 pm: Return to Enterprise – Dominic Keating and Connor Trinneer

Friday, August 12


9:15 am: Deep Space Nine Aliens – Jeffrey Combs, Nicole de Boer, Vaughn Armstrong, Casey Biggs, Max Grodenchik & Armin Shimerman
10:35 am: Mr. Chekov – Walter Koenig
11:30 am: Voyager’s Tuvok – Tim Russ
12:05 pm: Deep Space Nine’s Odo and Kira – Rene Auberjonis and Nana Visitor

Saturday, August 13

9:30 am: TNG Panel – Denise Crosby, Suzie Plakson and John Delancie
10:30 am: Klingon Empire Q&A – JG Hertzler, Robert O’Reilly, Barbara March and Gwynyth Walsh
11:00 am: Deep Space Nine’s Jadzia Daz – Terry Farrell
12:40 pm: Voyager’s Captain Janeway – Kate Mulgrew
2:35 pm: Mr. Spock – Leonard Nimoy
5:00 pm: Voyager’s Neelix – Ethan Phillips

Sunday, August 14


1:20 pm: The Three Captains – William Shatner, Patrick Stewart and Kate Mulgrew * $14.99

To access the live streaming at this weekend’s Star Trek Convention, visit www.StarTrek.com/Live, where there will be a panel schedule and the ability to purchase access codes through PayPal.
 

TrekMovie.com coverage

Look for live coverage of the event both here at TrekMovie.com and via both @trekmovie and @startrekcon on Twitter. We will also be full reports with photos and more. So stay tuned to TrekMovie.com for all your Star Trek con coverage this week.