Mariette Hartley – DIFF 2016

I have been working a lot. While I was able to get Diego Luna at DIFF, I did not expect to return to the film festival to get any more autographs. Then at the last minute I heard that Mariette Hartley was going to be on the Red Carpet.  Ugh.  I HAD to get her.  She played Zarabeth in a Star Trek episode. 

My buddy, knowing I didn’t have much time, found some photos that I might like from that episode.  So all I had to do was print a photo and show up at the event. Which I did, just as she finished walking off the Red Carpet.  Good timing on my part.  I borrowed a blue paint pen and went to meet her.  I stood next to her husband (Jerry Sroka).

She came over and I asked if she would sign.  She said yes and saw the photo I had.  She turned to the hubby and said she just got done talking to a ‘nerdy girl’ reporter.  She further explained (and I continued to eavesdrop) that the reporter asked one of the ‘those questions’ the one like: If you could be any tree what tree would you be? But the reporter asked: if you could be in Star Trek or Star Wars which would you pick?

Well, it seems the girl was skeptical about Ms Hartley’s resume.  I was asked if the photo could be borrowed and then Mariette wondered through the crowd to find the reporter. Along the way, Mariette showed the photo to Barry Bostwick and several others.  My photo was making the rounds.

Meanwhile, Jerry Sroka and I are chatting. I didn’t have anything for him to sign but we talked. We kept each other company. He told me about the time he was in a Trek episode.  I furrowed my eyebrows. He said he showed up at the studios and said he was to work on Star Trek. The guard asked which one. He didn’t have an answer.  He had no idea there was more than one.  From that I knew he was talking the ‘new’ stuff.   Then he mentioned an actor and I narrowed it down the series (Voyager).  That helped him realize I was really a Trekkie and not some guy that wanted a photo of his wife when she was half naked.

Mariette came back and signed.  I thanked her and then I thanked Jerry for keeping me company. I think he was happy for the company too.

For the record, if I could be any tree, I would want to be an Ent. Then, after a considerable pause to think things over, I would tell you to not waste time with a silly sophomoric question that should never be asked after graduating high school.

AH