Fans Celebrate 50 Years at Star Trek Las Vegas

Star Trek Las Vegas kicked off on Wednesday, as thousands of fans flocked to the Rio Suites for the mega gathering celebrating Star Trek's landmark 50th anniversary. StarTrek.com hit the ground running in order to cover every aspect of the event, and we're pleased to share what were calling a photo essay of the proceedings.

For starters, fans of every stripe got in on the fun. There were adults in their 70s and 80s, who watched The Original Series when it first aired on NBC, and a handful of them attended the earliest conventions. There were entire families, folks who'd passed their love of Trek down from one generation to the next. And we spied more than a few toddlers and infants decked out in Trek garb and looking too cute for words.

Of course, many, many fans cosplayed. A few went with basic Starfleet uniforms, but we glimpsed Klingons, Starfleet cheerleaders, zombie red shirts, a great Harry Mudd, lots of Klingons, a few Ferengi, several Andorrans, a couple of Vinas, Dr. Gillian Taylor, a whole bunch of Vulcans, an elaborate Borg and on and on. Fans admired each other's handiwork and posed with each for photos, with their smiles speaking volumes about the shared experience and their love of Star Trek.

The dealers' room was bustling from the get-go, with every imaginable Trek item available. Trek shirts, costumes, photos, books and games? Check. Posters, toys, Tribbles and more. Check again. There were valuable vintage collectibles to be had, as well as brand-new items. And several Trek actors had tables in the room and were signing for fans.

And, after its wildly successful debut at Comic-Con a couple of weeks back, M-A-C Cosmetics wowed STLV attendees with their massive, sectioned, spherical station that boasts an interactive transporter area, a Ten Forward section and an engineering warp core.

Fans soaked in the experience, from the scripted sequences featuring actors/models performing as Uhura, Vina, Seven of Nine, Deanna Troi, Spock, Data and a group of red shirts, to enjoying the handiwork of M-A-C's 40 makeup artists, who did Terran touch ups as well as full-on alien transformations for visitors.

Products from the upcoming M-A-C Trek line are available for purchase at the station, and those products won't be available to the general public for another month.

Just off the promenade, fans ventured into the Star Trek: 50 Artists. 50 Years. art exhibit created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Star Trek. Shining a spotlight on original, Trek-inspired pieces by 50 artists from around the globe, the exhibit appeals to Trek aficionados and art lovers both casual and professional. The exhibit is free of charge, and several of the artists will be available throughout the weekend to sign autographs; keep an eye on our Twitter feed for details about signings.

Spread throughout the convention space, everyone clearly enjoyed the photo op areas that include a transporter, the Guardian of Forever, an Enterprise bridge, several Borg regeneration chambers and more. Fans also took a moment to reflect and add personal condolences to a large banner honoring the late Anton Yelchin.

New this year is an autograph signing room, with dozens of Trek actors, writers and other behind-the-scenes figures offering autographs to their fans.

And then there was the main programming, with people filling both the massive Leonard Nimoy Theatre and also the more intimate DeForest Kelly Theatre.

Robin Curtis and Eric Menyuk had the honor of starting off the day. They emerged to cheers and put on funny hats and glasses before flashing sheets of paper, all choreographed to music. Phrases on the sheets included "live long and prosper" and "The Final Frontier." They also silently paid tribute to the Trek actors we've lost over the years.

Curtis and Menyuk then removed the hats and glasses, settled into chairs and answered questions posed to them by fans. Saavik's pregnancy storyline was cut from The Voyage Home, Curtis said, adding, "It died on Vulcan."

Menyuk shared his amazement at how much fans read into his TNG appearances as the Traveler. "People really think about that show," he said. "I love that." He also recalled an early bit of advice from Patrick Stewart, who told him, "You're quite good, but you should do... less."

Next, Enterprise veterans Connor Trinneer, Dominic Keating, John Billingsley and Gary Graham teamed up for a laugh-filled panel.

Billingsley, asked if he'd want to make an encore as Phlox on Discovery, replied, "Not with the makeup!"

Graham remembered a conversation with Enterprise producer Rick Berman. "I showed up and Rick said, 'You look like a Vulcan.'"

Keating admitted, "I'm so not an Internet person, but back then I did read what those chat boards said." 

Several of The Original Series' most-beloved female guest stars -- Celeste Yarnall, Sherry Jackson, Tania Lemani, BarBara Luna and Sabrina Scharf -- shared a stage, much to the joy of longtime fans.

Luna summed up the moment, saying, "Happy anniversary, everyone."

Yarnall brought people to tears by sharing her cancer recovery story and noting that fans are no longer fans, "but family now."

Scharf recounted riding motorcycles with William Shatner and revealed that these days she's a lawyer.

Lemani danced as Kara and still dances today, and she dated William Shatner for a short while.

And Jackson talked at length about making the transition from child actress to a more mature, older actress.

TNG guest stars Hallie Todd, Suzie Plakson and Carolyn Seymour were up next.

"Everyone kept telling me Star Trek is the gift that keeps on giving," Lal actress Todd noted, adding that she's learned to discover that's very, very true.

How did Seymour land her role as Subcommander Taris? "Auditions," she replied simply. "We went on auditions."

Plakson addressed the challenges of being a guest star, saying, "Any show you guest star on is like a freight train You hop on and hop off." 

Elinor Donahue and Gregory Itzin were paired up for their informative panel. Donahue had shot all her scenes as Hedford in " Metamorphosis" when she got called back for reshoots a week or so later. But she'd been sick and lost several pounds, which made her look visibly different. "That's where the scarf came in," she said to cheers.

Itzin played multiple alien characters in his Treks, prompting him to comment, "You carry yourself a different way than you do in regular life." And fans marveled as Donahue discussed the unlikely connection she shared with Jane Wyatt, who played her screen mom on Father Knows Best and Spock's mother in TOS and ST IV.

"That was so important to her," Donahue said. "She wasn't a bragging person, but she bragged that she was Leonard's mother. She loved Leonard. They just hit if off, and he was very good to her. It was a delight to know we had that little connection."

A special treat for attendees old and new was the panel featuring the early fans who helped keep Star Trek alive. These included Sue Kott, one of Trek's very first vendors; Richard Arnold, who would later become Gene Roddenberry's right hand man; and fan legends Bjo and John Trimble, whose letter-writing campaign convinced NBC to renew TOS for a third season following the network's announcement of its cancellation.

After graciously acknowledging a standing ovation, Bjo joked that "she's the housewife who spoke up." John touched on how and why, even though he and Bjo spearheaded the Save Trek campaign together, she receives the bulk of the credit.

"If one person is John and the other Bjo... whose name are YOU going to remember?" And John got a chuckle when he pointed out, "We may have been responsible for season three, but we were not responsible for 'Spock's Brain,'" the much-maligned episode that launched season three in a less than stellar manner.

And the main programming for the day concluded with a memorable appearance by J.G. Hertzler, Gwynyth Walsh and Robert O'Reilly in costume and mostly in character as Martok, B'Etor and Gowron.  The jokes were off-color, they playfully teased each other and fans who dared to asked questions, and Walsh and O'Reilly sang, "I'm So Pretty."

Sitting on the couch with Walsh while O'Reilly commandeered the chair behind a desk, Hertzler accurately stated, "This is like a Klingon talk show," which led to lots of amusing interplay between the actors.  

A fan asked what the actors felt about B'Elanna Torres, and Walsh, in character, screamed, "She was a traitor,"

And as the session -- and this portion of the day -- ended, Hertzler, Walsh and O'Reilly invited all the Klingons in the audience to join them on stage, after which everyone assembled sang, with gusto, The Warrior's Anthem. 

Of course, the fun didn't completely end there. Quark's offered a happy hour and entertainment by Chase Masterson, and the Commander's Evening Dinner Party at the Rio's Voodoo Lounge featured the comedy stylings of John Billingsley and music by Gary Graham and his band, Sons of Kirk. 

Visit StarTrek.com again tomorrow for a recap of Day Two's activities and highlights from Star Trek Las Vegas.  

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Eaglemoss Reveals New Starships

Eaglemoss has revealed the next six ships in their Official Star Trek Starships Collection, taking fans from issue 85 to 90.

Issue 85 is the Federation Holoship from Star Trek Insurrection. This unusual ship, designed by John Eaves, is effectively a massive room filled with holoprojectors.

The next issue is a ship that was mentioned in The Original Series, but not seen until the show was remastered for the Blu-ray release – the Gorn ship. This will be your first chance to get a good look at the model, which was small and moving at speed when it appeared on screen. Its designer, Mike Okuda, helped flesh out the details, settling on the final color scheme.

Issue 87 is a timeship from the future – the UTS Aeon, which featured in the two-part Voyager episode "Future's End." The ship, designed by Rick Sternbach, has an unusual black and blue color scheme and hints at some amazing futuristic technology.

We head to the other end of the timeline for the next issue – another of the Vulcan ships from Enterprise, the Vahklas, the civilian transport that was used by the renegade Vulcans in Fusion.

Issue 89 is the last of the Enterprises (so far) – the Enterprise-J – a ship from the far future that made a fleeting appearance on Enterprise. Its designer, Doug Drexler, was a great help making this model and he contributed advice about details that couldn't be seen on screen.

Finally, issue 90 is that rare thing – a ship from TNG. The Romulan scout ship appeared in one of the first episodes written by Ronald D. Moore – The Defector – and was designed by Rick Sternbach. It has been completely rebuilt in CG using rare photographs of the original studio model so that it could become part of the collection.

Keep an eye on StarTrek.com for additional information about upcoming releases and for detailed looks at each ship as it is released.

If you haven't subscribed to the Eaglemoss collection, you can still start from the beginning. Sign up at www.st-starships.com.

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The Birth of FanSets

Since I was 14 years old I have been a Star Trek fan. I grew up with The Original Series but have loved every incarnation of Gene Roddenberry's vision of the future. Collecting Star Trek has also been a passion of mine since I was a kid. So it's no surprise that when I was given the opportunity from Gene Roddenberry and Paramount Pictures to launch the first-ever Official Star Trek Fan Club back in the early 80's, one of the first things I did was add a merchandise section to our Official Star Trek Fan Club newsletter. There was no such thing as too many Star Trek collectibles to add to my collection. As it grew over the years, the newsletter evolved into the Official Star Trek Communicator magazine and I was fortunate to add hundreds of Trek collectibles to our catalog and my collection! Not only did we create our own exclusive products, but we offered all the licensed Star Trek collectibles, too. So I've been around the block a few times when it comes to collecting Star Trek.

About four years ago, I was approached by two fellow collector/friends, Lew Halboth and John Garrison, who had an idea. Lew's sister-in-law, Loretta, worked for me for many years as my personal assistant at The Official Star Trek Fan Club, until she retired years ago. Both Lew and John are collectors extraordinaire and have been so, like me, since they were kids. Everything from Star Trek and Star Wars to comics, cards and action figures – you name it -- these guys know what makes fans' hearts race because they love it, too. Lew's basement looks like a museum of all the greatest toys, collectibles and video games ever made throughout the years. It's like walking down memory lane.

But now, John and Lew had an idea to create some amazing collectibles that they had always dreamed of owning. John and Lew knew that the collectible space was very tight. They regularly walked up and down toy aisles looking at product after product, knowing that if they could find the niche, that I could get their idea through the licensing process. They just needed the right product. John was driving on the interstate when the idea of creating collector's pins came to him. He quickly shared the idea with Lew and they brainstormed all the possibilities. Excited by the idea, they wrote the first draft of a business plan.

That's when they reached out to me. As a collector myself, and with my years of experience in the collectibles/licensing business, they wanted to pitch their idea to me and see if I was interested in coming onboard as a partner. Not only was their idea for collectible pins and pin sets extremely creative, unique and cutting edge, but their enthusiasm was contagious. Their initial designs had me very excited and I knew that one way or another I was going to have to own those pins. We discussed creating pins (and limited edition pins) featuring Star Trek ships, characters, actor autographs, sound effects and music as well as cutting-edge Augmented Reality (AR) technology, which absolutely blew me away. The AR pins are an entirely new (and just massively cool) way to experience fan memorabilia with 3-D images that can be viewed through a special Smartphone and tablet app. The app for each pin will feature VFX and sound effects.

After diving into the different pin concepts and refining the plan, FanSets was officially born and we were raising our first round of funding to launch our new business. In June of this year, we officially launched FanSets with our first license for Star Trek – just in time for the 50th anniversary. After years of hard work, countless hours of planning, creative meetings on pin designs and manufacturing, FanSets transitioned from dream to reality. Run by fans for fans, this was the perfect  continuation for me of my many years running the Official Star Trek Fan Club and publishing the Star Trek Communicator magazine. For John and Lew it is the culmination of years of dreaming, planning and working to turn their vision into a business. Star Trek has played such an important role in all our lives that it is profoundly significant to launch our business with it at the helm. We collectively launched FanSets with the hope it would appeal to both casual and serious collectors of Star Trek memorabilia with affordable price points that would allow everyone to enjoy and collect.

As anyone who has seen our pins can attest, quality is our number-one priority. We are creating collectibles you can wear or display proudly, and we want them to last. FanSets is creating pins for all the incarnations of Star Trek during what is arguably the most-important year in Star Trek's history. We launched in June with our character-based MicroCrew collector pins – we currently have over 60 different Star Trek pins in design or available for purchase featuring characters you don't see on merchandise very often. Characters like Lt. M'Ress from The Animated Series or a Tellarite from TOS. Because we're die-hard Star Trek fans, we're pulling out all the stops on finding seldom-seen but popular characters and alien races from the Star Trek archives.

Lew, as a collector of the Playmates Series (he has 2 complete sets of the 1701 Characters), wanted to have a great selection of pins featuring a wide variety of characters, each recognizably represented. Master lists have been created from brainstorm sessions between the FanSets founders. Favorite characters, unusual characters and bits of trivia from a lifetime of being Star Trek fans all go into creating the list. Then the list is sorted and picked through to try and bring about a balance of characters from all the shows and movies. Every character on the list will eventually get made, but efforts are being made to not just produce the most well-known characters or to overbalance on characters from any one show or movie.

One of my favorite series of pins is our gorgeous MicroFleet Collectors pins featuring the ships of Star Trek from all the different series and films. These beautifully designed pins are 2 ¼" and highlight ships we would expect to see – the Enterprise and Voyager, etc. – but also lesser known ships such as the U.S.S. Bonaventure from TAS or the Calypso, the Captain's Yacht from the Enterprise E.

FanSets is making its first convention appearance this week at Creation's Las Vegas Star Trek 50th Anniversary Convention. We'll have our stunning new FanSets booth (B13) and over 90 new, quality, detailed Star Trek pins to offer fans. We can't wait to unveil our products in-person for the first time to our fellow Star Trek fans. We hope you'll stop by and say hi to Lew, John and me, and check out our beautiful new Star Trek collectible pins.

If you can't make it to the con, you can find our pins on our official website at www.fansets.com. It's taken over four years to get to this point, and we can't wait to introduce you to the efforts of three fans to create the ultimate collectible Star Trek pins.

Dan Madsen is the former founder, president and publisher of the Official Star Trek Fan Club and Official Star Trek Communicator Magazine. He is a partner in the new collectibles company, FanSets, LLC and is the publicist for actress Ashley Eckstein's company,  Her Universe, which produces fashionable, female-focused apparel for Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who and other Sci-Fi properties.

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Building Star Trek Doc to Premiere at Mission New York

Star Trek: Mission New York has just added two additional events to it programming for the upcoming event. First, on Saturday, September 3 at 2 pm, Mission New York will host a special advance screening of Building Star Trek, the upcoming Smithsonian Channel documentary. And, Mission New York has confirmed that author and producer Mark A. Altman will appear on stage (day and time TBA).

Building Star Trek features a star-studded Who's Who of astronauts, engineers, writers, innovators and actors who celebrate the 50th anniversary of the show that inspired the space age. Mission New York attendees will get to see the documentary the day before it airs on the Smithsonian Channel.

Mission New York, a three-day event, presented by CBS Consumer Products and ReedPop, will take place September 2-4 in Manhattan. ST:MNY will offer fans a mix of celebrity guests, real-world science figures, presentations, interactive exhibits, screenings, exclusive merchandise and more. Trek guests announced so far include William Shatner, Peter Weller, Alice Eve, Karl Urban, Brannon Braga, Walter Koenig, Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis, LeVar Burton, Terry Farrell, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Bruce Greenwood, Nana Visitor, Rene Auberjonois, Armin Shimerman, Cirroc Lofton, Anthony Montgomery, Connor Trinneer, John Billingsley, Dominic Keating, Robin Curtis, Brannon Braga, Eugene "Rod" Roddenberry, Trevor Roth, Dan Werthimer and Phil "The Bad Astronomer" Plait. They will all be on hand for talks, autographs and photo opportunities.

Werthimer is one of the real-world science guests, following Jeff Volosin (NASA TESS Project Manager at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center) and Matt Ritsko (NASA TESS Deputy Project Manager for Resources at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center). Also on tap, as previously revealed: Hallmark will showcase their exhibitor exclusives and the FanBros, a/k/a the voice of the urban geek, will be in the house.

Adult and kids tickets are available now at pre-show prices, and they'll be sold by day and as part of a three-day specially priced package. Further information about ST:MNY – including additional guest announcements, hotel information and exhibitors – will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Keep an eye on StarTrek.com for ongoing coverage, and also be sure to visit http://ift.tt/1ZZtShj and the Star Trek: Mission New York social media pages (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram).

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Rare STII Collectible -- Khan Trading Cards

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan premiered on June 4, 1982, and in its opening weekend earned $14,347,221 – then the biggest opening weekend in movie history. It is fascinating to consider that despite the positive reviews and reactions from journalists and fans alike, what it meant to be a Star Trek blockbuster more than 30 years ago is different than today, especially in terms of merchandising and collectibles. Despite The Wrath of Khan being an unqualified success, there was surprisingly little for collectors to purchase themed around the film. In fact, The Wrath of Khan wouldn't get a proper and extensive action figure line until 25 years after its release -- from Diamond Select Toys. There were of, course, some collectibles available: soundtracks, novelizations, collector's magazines, cups, pendants, hats,, and the like, but many more items became available after the film's premiere than when it first captured its place as one the best science fiction films of all time.

One collectible that was available at the same time Wrath of Khan was in theaters was the PPC/Movie Players, Inc. playing card set. Easily one of the best examples of this subset of the trading card collectible world, the set featured 54 playing cards, each with a different image from the film. The quality of the images was impressive, with some of the cards featuring publicity stills and other cards featuring moments from the film itself. At the time, many of those publicity images had not been seen except for the PPC set, and some remain rare even today.

There are many deleted scenes/alternative takes never released for The Wrath of Khan, including hints at romance between David Marcus and Saavik, an extended Kirk/McCoy interaction about his birthday glasses, in which the good doctor explains how to use them, and a more vigorous fight sequence between Kirk and son in the Genesis Cave - all of which were filmed. The PPC set did provide fans during 1982 a glimpse at another extended sequence in whcich Chekov attempts to leave sickbay a bit too early for Dr. McCoy's liking, the scene of which as presented in the finished film is reduced to a quick cut-a-way to sickbay during the end battle.

Another important aspect of the cards is that they played a role in helping to launch the Official Star Trek Fan Club under the presidency and publishing of Dan Madsen. The club became the lifeline of exclusive information and direct fan access to producers/writers/actors for almost 20 years. Dan had been publishing, as a labor of love, a professional-looking and quality unofficial fan newsletter in the late 1970s and early 1980s when he was asked by PPC to provide an endorsement for the card set. It was that endorsement, used in advertisements, that brought Dan to the attention of Paramount executives. Gene Roddenberry, already familiar with Dan's great work, recommended him to be the fan club president and publisher.

While there may not have been a "Khan-lectible" smorgasbord available for fans during 1982, the limited amount that was available made those item that much more special, including a fondly remembered playing card set.

Advertising image: source Starlog Magazine, Issue 62.

Maria Jose and John Tenuto are both sociology professors at the College of Lake County in Grayslake, Illinois, specializing in popular culture and subculture studies. The Tenutos have conducted extensive research on the history of Star Trek, and have presented at venues such as Creation Conventions and the St. Louis Science Center. They have written for the official Star Trek Magazine and their extensive collection of Star Trek items has been featured in SFX Magazine. Their theory about the "20-Year Nostalgia Cycle" and research on Star Trek fans has been featured on WGN News, BBC Radio, and in the documentary The Force Among Us. They recently researched all known paperwork from the making of the classic episode "Space Seed" and are excited to be sharing some previously unreported information about Khan's first adventure with fellow fans. Contact the Tenutos at jtenuto@clcillinois.edu or mjtenuto@clcillinois.edu.

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Star Trek Las Vegas 2016 Preview

Star Trek Las Vegas will kick off on Wednesday, and fans from all around the world will descend upon the Rio Suites Hotel to join tens of thousands of their fellow Trekkers for five full days of celebrating the 50th anniversary of Star Trek. Produced by Creation Entertainment, Star Trek Las Vegas will offer wall-to-wall fun, from Trek celebrities appearing on stage, signing autographs and posing for photos to informative panels; from detailed set re-creations to parties and concerts; and from unique dining/drinking opportunities (we're looking at you, Quarks!) to costume contests and much, much more.

StarTrek.com will be in Vegas for the entire event and will cover the event via social media, including Twitter and Instagram, as well as with daily recaps here on the StarTrek.com main page. In the meantime, check out some of the scheduled highlights:

CELEBRITY GUESTS

Celebrity guests will include William Shatner, Kate Mulgrew, Scott Bakula, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, Walter Koenig, Whoopi Goldberg, Kirstie Alley, Michael Dorn, Marina Sirtis, Brent Spiner, Gates McFadden, Jonathan Frakes, Elinor Donahue, Jay Chattaway, Robert Picardo, Nana Visitor, Tim Russ, Garrett Wang, Robert Duncan McNeill, Terry Farrell, Armin Shimerman, Rene Auberjonois, Dominic Keating, John Billingsley, Anthony Montgomery, Connor Trinneer, Michael Westmore, John de Lancie, Bjo and John Trimble, Herman Zimmerman, Naren Shankar, Jeffrey Combs, Mike and Denise Okuda, Doug Drexler, Robert Blackman, Ronald D. Moore, Brannon Braga, Rod Roddenberry and many, many more.

50 ARTISTS. 50 YEARS. EXHIBIT

Created to commemorate Star Trek's 50th anniversary, 50 Artists. 50 Years. features Star Trek-inspired works by 50 artists from around the globe, including the last piece created by Leonard Nimoy, a renowned photographer in his own right. The exhibit will include original 2D and 3D pieces by the artists, who selected a variety of mediums -- illustrations, photographs, sculptures, paintings, graphics and more -- to express their love of the franchise and the inspiration gained from it. Fans are invited to tour the art exhibit for free throughout the weekend, and many of the artists will be signing 50 Artists. 50 Years. books and posters throughout the event.

M-A-C COSMETICS

MAC and Star Trek have joined forces to deliver fans exclusive early access to the cosmic new makeup collaboration inspired by the women of Star Trek, specifically Uhura, Deanna Troi, Vina and Seven of Nine. All throughout STLV, fans can jump aboard the transporter, located in the Amazon Ballroom, to explore strange new worlds for photo ops and to shop the 25-piece collection, ranging from lipstick to nail polish to eye shadows, and to enjoy professionally done makeover -- all a month prior to the Sept. 1 counter date for stores. Fans also can expect giveaways and photo ops, as well as performances on the set with a cast of talent including representational models of Uhura, Seven of Nine, Deanna Troi and Vina, as well as an Away Team of redshirts. Share using #MACStarTrek.

And get ready for the following M-A-C/Star Trek panels -- 

Three Eras of Beauty:  The Women of Star Trek

Without any disruption to the space time continuum, M·A·C takes you through three eras of iconic beauties – Lieutenant Uhura and her 60's inspired liner; Counselor Deanna Troi and her 90's supermodel style; and Seven of Nine with her modern less-is-more beauty. Learn the backstage secrets of how M·A·C recreated these iconic characters for their new M·A·C Star Trek collection; and how you can look as fabulous as these icons no matter what galaxy you reside in. (Thursday at 1:45 p.m. in the Leonard Nimoy Theatre)

The Ultimate Illusion:  Mastering the Art of Body Painting

If the Talosians aren't there to create the illusions and deceptions of color, character and creation, how do you achieve the perfected skin tones and textures of all the various species throughout the Federation (and beyond!)? Star Trek was known for its acceptance of beauty across all species – and many required as much as 10-12 hours in makeup. Learn how you can achieve a perfect illusion in the face and/or body from the experts who helped recreate Vina for the new M·A·C Star Trek collection. (Saturday at 3:25 p.m. in the Leonard Nimoy Theatre)

STARTREK.COM PANELS & PRESENTATIONS

As always, StarTrek.com will offer a variety of entertaining and informative panels. The panels are designed to celebrate 50 years of Star Trek, to get fans talking and debating, and to introduce them to Trek things to come. Here are the scheduled StarTrek.com panels:

One Trek Mind

StarTrek.com's popular commentator Jordan Hoffman -- who also hosts Engage: The Official Star Trek Podcast -- will once again moderate two sure-to-be-fun panels that let the fans debate and come up with several Best-Of lists. This year's topics will include Top 10 Worst Star Trek Episodes (Friday at 10 a.m. in the Deforest Kelley Theatre) and Top 10 Best Star Trek Episodes (Saturday at 11 a.m. in the DeForest Kelley Theatre)

Iconic Ornaments

The Hallmark/Star Trek connection celebrates 25 years. Hallmark invites fans to take a journey into Christmas pasts and revisit some of the most iconic Keepsake Ornaments, first introduced in 199. Join legendary Hallmark ship ornament sculptor Lynn Norton as well as Hallmark's Christine Taylor and Kevin Dilmore as they share insight on the selection process, the creation and the success of these annual fan favorites. (Thursday at 12 noon in the DeForest Kelley Theatre)

The Star Trek Encyclopedia Revised Edition

Authors Mike and Denise Okuda will give fans a sneak peek at the upcoming Star Trek Encyclopedia, Revised and Expanded Edition: A Reference Guide to the Future. The two-volume encyclopedia features a completely new design, stunning new full-color photographs and illustrations, and 300 pages of new entries, packaged in a specially designed and shrink-wrapped deluxe slipcase. (Thursday at 6:10 p.m. in the Deforest Kelley Theatre)

Star Trek: The Missing Footage Revealed

On September 8, 1966 a new television series premiered with a basic mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before. Little did anyone expect Star Trek to become one of the most-adored and influential entertainment icons of the last half-century. Fans have watched and re-watched episodes over and over. But what if there were another scene or a different version of a scene? What impact would it have on the episode as we know it now? Join Roger Lay, Mike and Denise Okuda, Rod Roddenberry and others as they reveal never-seen-before clips and photos from some of Star Trek's most-famous episodes. (Friday at 10:30 a.m. in the Leonard Nimoy Theatre)

Publishing the Star Trek Universe

The Star Trek universe is one that is constantly expanding and developing. Authors Robb Pearlman, Dayton Ward and Paula Block & Terry Erdmann share what it's like to publish the Trek books, providing insight into what it's like to be a redshirt (Star Trek: Redshirt's Little Book of Doom, by Pearlman), providing a travel guide for your next visit to Vulcan (Hidden Universe Travel Guide: Star Trek: Vulcan, by Ward), and offering a look at five decades of fashion (Star Trek: Costumes - Five Decades of Fashion from the Final Frontier, by Block and Erdmann). (Friday at 6:10 p.m. in the DeForest Kelly Theatre)

Trek Treasures: Beaming Beyond 50 Years

John Van Citters of CBS Consumer Products will give fans a look at current products and news from the Star Trek world, and also offer a sneak peek at what's ahead in Trek's 50th anniversary year. (Saturday at 12:50 p.m. in the Leonard Nimoy Theatre)

Storytelling in the Final Frontier

Join a panel of Star Trek authors -- including Kevin Dilmore, Dayton Ward, Paula Block and Terry Erdmann -- as they share their experiences working on some of the New York Times bestselling Star Trek novels. The authors will discuss their storytelling approaches and creative processes, and address what the future holds when it comes to novel that take place in space... the final frontier. (Sunday at 11 a.m. in the DeForest Kelley Theatre)

NEVADA POPS

Creation Entertainment welcomes the triumphant return of the Nevada Pops Orchestra, conducted by noted Star Trek fan Richard McGee. They'll be performing the television and movie soundtrack music from across five decades of Star Trek on Saturday. Come dressed to the "nines" or just come to relax, and listen as the orchestra performs compositions not yet experienced at the Vegas event as well as perennial favorites. Creation is especially thrilled to announce that their special guest conductor will be Jay Chattaway, the film and TV composer best known for his work on TNG, DS9, Voyager and Enterprise. His beautiful music for the classic TNG episode "The Inner Light" is truly a fan favorite.

This is a must see highlight of the four-day weekend available on a complimentary basis for our Gold, Captains Chair, Commander's Seat and Copper Package Weekend patrons. In fact, as a special benefit, you get to keep the same great seats you had during the day. 

CREATION ENTERTAINMENT EXCLUSIVE 50th ANNIVERSARY PRODUCTS

Creation Entertainment, in addition to being the producer of the sold out The Official Star Trek 50th Anniversary Convention, has been a licensee of official Star Trek souvenirs since 1991. Creation will premiere a variety of exclusive Star Trek Las Vegas/Trek 50th Anniversary merchandise at the convention. Check out the photos below, and go to www.Creationent.com for additional details.

Visit www.creationent.com for the full slate of events and times. And keep an eye on StarTrek.com and our social media pages for recaps, photos and news. Follow along using #STLV50.

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Check Out This Trekked-Out House

If you're blessed with time, money, creativity and a love of Star Trek, you might just want to follow in the footsteps of Marc Bell. The financier, at a cost of $1.5 million, transformed his home into a living, breathing shrine to Star Trek. He's got a bridge, doors that operate like turbolifts, a Borg regeneration chamber, captain's chairs and more, much more, including a tricked-out (or is that Trekked-out?) home theater and a million dollars worth of Star Trek memorabila (including pairs of Leonard Nimoy's Spock ears).

"Everything you see in the room is custom, down to the little architectural details," the 48-year-old Bell told the Wall Street Journal in a recent profile about him and his unique abode in Boca Raton, Florida. He became a Trek fan at the age of 10, after catching a 24-hour Trek marathon. "I was fascinated with the show," he said, "and it has set off a chain of events throughout my whole life."

According to the WSJ article, Bell's wife Jennifer considers his obsession "cute," he said. "As long as I don't wear Nimoy's ears around the house, we're good." And his three kids profess no real interest in the house or Trek, "but they like the reclining seats."

And, yes, he's excited for Star Trek Beyond, which will beam into theaters on July 22. However, the WSJ noted, he won't be watching it on his home screen. Rather, he'll continue a 25-year-long tradition of renting out a local movie theater for each Star Trek big-screen release and inviting his employees, friends and their kids to opening night. "Our theater only holds 11 people," he said. "The next one will be bigger."

via Star Trek Latest News