COMMANDER'S LOG

Stardate 200806.27

STARFLEET Inernational Conference

Log June Stardate 200806.27 The big event this month was another Star Trek event. My websearches revealed that the International Meeting of STARFLEET, The International Association of Star Trek Fan Clubs, was meeting in Ithaca, NY this year. It happened that my daughter Irene had a summer job there as a carpenter for the Hangar Theater. So I could show off the car to some Trekkers and visit Irene at the same time. It was a great weekend. In addition to attending some of the events at the convention we visited Cornell University Plantations (a botanical garden), and took the Carl Sagan planetary walk, a scale model of the solar system that starts with the sun in the middle of Ithaca, and ends with Pluto at the Science Center about 2 miles away. (So on this scale, where would we put the nearest star?) We also took in a performance of a play that Irene had built part of the set for.

The convention itself was a bit different than the other Star Trek conventions I have been to, most of which are celebrity centered events. These were folk who were representing regions of clubs, and active in the organizational aspect of the group. So the average attendee was 20 years older and 30 pounds heavier than the convention crowd.

Much of the gathering was devoted to business, but there were some B movie showings, and a dinner where everyone came in their uniforms. Since there were a lot of Admirals, Rear admirals, fleet captains, plus all the brass of the STARFLEET Marine Corps with their military uniforms, it was quite an impressive show.

I ended up sharing a table with the actor J.G. Hertzler, who played Martok on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and who teaches theater at Cornell. He and Irene spent a lot of time talking theater.

Also at our table was a guy and his son from Westchester County. He is starting a chapter of STARFLEET, so when he found out where I was from he drafted me to be his executive officer. I was more than willing since I have tried twice before to join a Star Trek club in my area, but both times they were MIA, swallowed by a black hole, or lost in combat, nobody knows. So this gets me into a local club, soon to be known as the USS Abraham Lincoln, plus a promotion to Commander. Also, I think being executive officer means I get to do all the work, while the captain gets all the glory.

Left to right: Unknown Starfleet Marine; Captain Keith Shikowitz;
Captain's son, Jason; XO's daughter, Irene; XO's wife, Liz

The car was of course well received. The Commandant of STARFLEET, Fleet Admiral Sal Lizard even came by to have his picture taken in the shuttlecraft.

A photo of the car showed up in the issue of the STARFLEET Communique which covered the conference.

All in all a great weekend. Go to visit Irene, see sights, take in a play, join a Star Trek Club, and get promoted. The Captain gets to call me Number One. You may address me as Commander.