Richard Dean Anderson – Dallas ComicCon 2013

I was extremely excited to see Richard Dean Anderson’s name added to the Dallas ComicCon guest list. While I never watched MacGyver, I did watch Stargate SG1 when it started on Showtime.  It was one of the few good sci fi shows on TV at the time and it was a stop down for me when it aired.

Richard Dean Anderson seemed to always do conventions I didn’t attend and I was never able to get his autograph at SDCC.  I felt this was a nice coup by Dallas ComicCon.

I went to Dallas ComicCon Friday night after work. The crowds were light and I was able to work through a lot of people on my want list.  But every time I passed his the table, he was gone; either a break or photo ops or whatnot.

Near the end of the night, I just decided to wait. The line wasn’t long and he returned.  The wait was still long as he just chatted with everyone.  If you don’t know, much like Star Trek or Star Wars, Stargate has a big following of fans that join fan groups and dress up. It’s very personal to them and they attend shows together and do community service activities.  It’s a big part of their lives.

Many of these people were in line and the wanted/needed to make a connection with their Colonel.   So the line moved slowly. It seemed that he really wanted to know what they had to say and he didn’t mind listening to their tales.

When I got to the front I really didn’t have much to say.  I just asked if he’d been to Dallas before. I really don’t remember his answer.  He mentioned he was enjoying himself and that people were very friendly down here. Then he asked if that was a southern thing or a Dallas thing.  I had to tell him I was from Jersey originally but I think that is a Texas thing. Then he asked how I got done here.  I gave a 2 sentence answer only because I was embarrassed he seemed so interested. I’m sure we could have talked Stargate or living in Dallas or anything I wanted; which left me with a nice warm fuzzy.

He took my photo; looked for the right Sharpie, gave a beautiful signature, thanked me for coming out, and then shook my hand.  Yes, he impressed me.  It’s always nice to get a good vibe from someone that you were enjoyed watching over the years.

AH