Robert Duncan McNeill SpacCon SA 2024

I’ve had an unsigned photo of Robert Duncan McNeil for years.  He has been listed for several shows I’ve attended but cancelled. It happens. I admit to being skeptical this time too.

When I walked to his booth, I was excited to see him sitting there and chatting with people. Yeah! I quickly walked over before he could disappear.  I was fishing out my autograph ticket and photo as he looked up and said ‘hi’.  I know I had a big silly look on my face.

I apologized for not being ready. Normal chit chat as people try to get organized.  I handed over my ticket and then the photo.  He pulled over the photo and I told him to ‘hold it’. He looked up curiously.  I saw the ticket wasn’t scanned it in.  I didn’t want to rush the process.  I just said, I wanted to be sure the ticketed cleared. He wasn’t worried about that. He signed.

I told him I was carrying that photo for a long time waiting for this opportunity. It was good to get it signed.

I think he expected some Star Trek questions. Nope, I went straight to Resident Alien. I told him my dad loves the show and talked me into watching it. My question was about Alan Tudyk. I asked if he was hyper like Robin Williams and was it disruptive on set.  I think he’s already answered that question a few times.  He said Alan was amazing, like Robin, but not disruptive at all.  He was very focused on set. Great to work with.

Then I brought up something that is not PC.  I said my friends and I like that the females are not Hollywood glamorous. I know that sounds like an insult but it’s refreshing to have real people.  He admitted it was by design. It’s not what the show is about. The fans can follow the story and not get caught up in clothing or weight gain/loss.

Again, another great encounter.

AH

Mica Burton SpaceCon SA 2024

Hopefully, you understood I was excited about my last trip to San Antonio for Big Texas ComicCon. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I look forward to going again. While I got less autographs at SpaceCon San António (Only 2 weeks after Big Texas ComicCon, which makes for a LOT of driving.) I was looking forward to this show for a long time.

The first autograph I picked up was for Mica Burton. It was early evening on Friday. She was in a couple of episodes of Picard, along with her dad.  My autograph ticket was for Saturday but she was at her table and no one was around.  They let me hand over my photo. 

We chatted about my drive and how it was worth the toll charges just to avoid Austin.  She smiled and told me used to work in Austin.  Yes, my jaw might have dropped. So, we talked about her job and Austin. She said Austin traffic was worse than LA.   While I believe that, I think she was teasing me.

A great encounter and a great way to start the convention.

AH

Chris Pine Super Hero ComicCon San Antonio 2024

I really liked the photo.

I really like the full signature.

I really like the placement of the autograph.

I love the character name and the underline to emphasis it.

Chris Pine was the second autograph that I got in San Antonio. It was a smooth process. He smiled as he focused on what the handler and fans were telling him about placement and pen color for their objects.  My 8x10 was cake walk in comparison to uniforms, posters, phasers, models of the Enterprise he was signing.

I had a big smile as I left his booth. James T Kirk signed my photo.

AH

Todd Stashwick Star Trek Vegas 2023

While my buddy was stuck in a long line for another actor, I stood in line for Todd Stashwick. I was getting Todd for myself and my buddy. The line wasn’t slow but it was long and crossed paths with another line that made me wonder if I was in the correct line.

I worked my way to the front and I handed over the photos and let him sign. As he finished, I mentioned that The Wife and I had just binged Monk. I told him I saw him in an episode. With a sheepish smile, he mentioned that was not his best performance.  Afterward, I realized I should have mentioned Twelve Monkeys. I enjoyed that show and he became an important character.

Then I was on my way.

AH

Ed Speleers Star Trek Vegas 2023

It seems a lot of people know Ed Speleers from Downton Abby and Outlander. I’m shallower. I just know him from Star Trek.

He was friendly. He looked up to make eye contact. I found out my my buddy 'talked whiskey' with him. They exchanged a few sentences on that topic.

Me, I had nothing. So I passed along my pen. Our exchange was clumsy and the pen dropped. It splattered gold ink. Barely noticeable. Because of where he signed, it almost looks like a flourish to accentuate his signature.

AH

Penelope Mitchell Star Trek Vegas 2023

This signing was part of Creation’s attempt to get 4 signings done in one room at the same time. Penelope Mitchell joined the fray when 2 others were already signing. She took it in stride.  She had to borrow a blue sharpie from another table but dived in.

When I walked away, I noticed she didn’t include her last name. At first, I thought she was distracted by the goings on in the room. I did a check google search and it seems that is how she signs.

AH

Jin Maley Star Trek Vegas 2023

Just a quick signature from Jin Maley. Simple and polite.

AH

Terry Matalas Star Trek Vegas 2023

I did not know who Terry Matalas was until I got to the convention. He wasn’t on my laundry list of names.  However, after seeing just about every actor stop by his table to chat or give their regards, I decided to look him up.

Yeah, he should have been on my list. If for anything, it was the TV series Twelve Monkeys. Which I really enjoyed and a shame those actors aren’t on the convention circuit.

He was nice and between interruptions from people paying homage, very friendly.

I was glad I stopped by his table.

AH

Christina Chong Star Trek Vegas 2023

The last couple of years I have been using pen paints for some of the autographs. I have some successes and some failures. This was almost a failure.

When I finally got to the table for Christina Chong, I had shaken my pen, blotted it, and handed the pen and photo over.  I recapped the paint pen. The recapping was my mistake.

She needed a little more than a causal twist to remove the cap. It splattered. I was distracted with handing money to the handler. I didn't notice the splattering until she looked down at her white t-shirt. She was quickly checking for blue paint.  This was not good. I felt really bad. I know I can offer to clean or pay for the shirt but I expect it had some sentiment attached and the shirt would never be the same.

She comforted to me and the crowd that the white t-shirt survived untouched.  I apologized. blushed. Apologized again.  She smiled and told me not to worry and then signed. That was very kind of her. 

I walked away from the table with my photo but still chagrined. 

AH

Dan Jeannotte – Star Trek Vegas 2023

All the new Trek TV series have a balancing act of storytelling, exploring new plots, and those nagging little details from lots and lots of previous episodes. Continuity is a struggle.  There is a lot of debate about timelines and missing characters or events that may or may not have happened. Those missing details do bother me. At times, the shows are able to draw me in and make me forget the details are wrong.

Strange New Worlds is very good. The first season has made me cringe at times and other times, it has gotten a pass. Overall, I have enjoyed it. With that being said, I don’t envy Dan Jeannotte. He is playing James Kirks brother. 

The actor is funny and, in a panel, he had the audience laughing. At the signing, he was moving quickly because of the long line but he was still friendly.

AH

Adele Shepherd Star Trek Vegas 2023

Adele Shepherd was on my maybe list. Nothing personal. You prioritize names. Availability, cost, time, photo selection, and interaction all factor into it. I had made great progress on my list of signatures. She was at her table as I walked past. She glanced up and we exchange brief smiles. In that instance, I decided to stop.

She was friendly. We chatted and I got one of her table photos. I was happy.

A little later, I was chatting with some buddies that attended the show with me. One mentioned he also got her autograph. Adele was a dancer and had advice for his daughter who wanted to start dancing. At the end, he gave her some advice back. He told her she was under charging for her autograph. He suggested that she  increase her price to be more in line with other actors. She listened and took his advice.  Of course, I got her autograph AFTER she listened to him. I laughed when I heard that. The price was still fair.

I did toy with the idea of returning to her table full of mock indignation. While it might have been fun, I think it might have been too awkward and maybe not as fun for her. In this case, letting sleeping dogs lie was best.

AH

Elias Toufexis Star Trek Vegas 2023

I got Elais Toufexis’ autograph because he was in The Expanse and he has a re-occurring character in the upcoming season of Discovery. 

Because his character hasn’t had air time yet, no one as in his line. Fans didn’t know who he was. I walked over and he saw the photo I printed. He mentioned looking forward to people’s reactions.

Over the last year or so, I started adding brief notes about the actors on my laundry list of names I’m working on at a convention. Common places we lived or others shows I enjoyed.  Because I was brain dead at the time, I forgot to mention The Expanse. Again, he played a character where the public doesn’t see his face but he was part of that amazing series.

Autograph collecting, like life is a work in progress. Amble opportunities for improvement.

AH

Melissa Navia Star Trek Vegas 2023

If you know me, I really prefer to get the autographs in person. I make exceptions all the time but 98% of my autographs I collected by myself. There is a rush I get. It’s part of the addiction. And I do enjoy when I get the extra few seconds or minutes with the celebrity.

I was planning on standing in line to get Melissa Navia’s autograph. Her line was long. Very long. It was moving slowly. I think there was a vendor or reseller at the front that got a massive number of signatures. I had a constraint. I had diner plans with The Wife and friends.

Unfortunately, when you buy autographs in advance, you have no idea when the convention will schedule the signing. Creation does schedule a lot of signing that start around 5 PM or so. Frustrating when you want to do something outside of the convention.

So, I was stuck. Do I leave to do to diner? Or do I make The Wife and friends unhappy and wait. It was suggested that I offer to buy someone’s place in line. I toyed with that. However, I decided to ask for help. I’m not good at that. I just walked up to a person and told her I needed help. She did not shut me down. So, I explain the issues and what I wanted. She was worried about doing something wrong. I calmly answered her questions and her friend helped by nodding her head in agreement.

All I wanted was to give her my autograph ticket and photo. I told my Samaritan where I would stand and she would come to me when she was done.  About 20 minutes later she saw me and walked over. I thanked and tried to pass along some money for her effort. She looked confused and I told her this was a HUGE favorite and it got me out of a jam with The Wife. She turned down the money.

I want to give a tip of the cap to the unknown Sarmatian that helped me get Melissa’s autograph.

AH

Dawnn Lewis Star Trek Vegas 2023

I missed out on getting Dawn Lewis at last year’s convention. She was there on a day I wasn’t. I was happy she decided to come again this year.

I was toward the front of the line when she arrived. She and a few other had just finished some photo ops. While you know the actor will appear at some time, the waiting and the unknown of ‘when’ is the hardest part.  More often than not, the scheduled time is a suggestion. Also, communication from the convention staff/volunteers is already lacking or incorrect about delays or reschedules.

She asked if I was having a good time and I thanked her from coming to Vegas.

Then I was off to get another ‘graph.

AH

Hana Hatae Star Trek Vegas 2023

The photo I got signed from Hana Hatae came from Creation. I couldn’t find a photo I liked to print. While I don’t love the photo, it works.

Hana Hatae was nice. She was all smiles as people came to see her. Her signing was at the end of the day and they were trying to do 4 or 5 signings in the same room. Creation had us lined up in the corridor outside the room. We were sent into the room based which actor was present. Not the most coordinated signing. But not the worst either.

The good thing was the actors didn’t see the confusion. They might have heard some of it but I‘m sure it wasn’t the first time they experience some chaos at a convention.

AH

Linda Park Star Trek Las Vegas 2023

While not as old school as Star Trek, Enterprise is old school compared to Picard or Lower Decks. Then it’s also old school as its’ timeline predates Kirk and Spock.

Linda Park was one of the few remaining autographs I need from that series.

Her line was long and she was signing quickly. After she signed, I thanked her in Korena…or so I thought. She knew what I meant and politely corrected me. The Korean I learned was from karate and with a Jersey accent. I’m sure my pronunciation is askew. At least she didn’t slap me.

AH

Star Trek Las Vegas 2023 – Classic Trek alumni

Yes, once again I went to Creations’ Star Trek Las Vegas Convention. And yes, it was a few weeks ago. I'm behind on my posts.

And once again I had a good time. While I have some negative feelings about Creation, to be fair, they do bring in an impressive lineup of actors.

I know everyone gets excited about the celebs from the new series, I get excited about the actors that appeared in one episode from the original series. I have watched those episodes so many times that any one of them is an old friend.

This year there were 4 actors I focused on.

Michael Dante was in Friday’s Child. He was friendly. He worried that I’d put my photo away too quickly. He must know me. I do that too often. One thing I did not realize as I stood in line, was how many roles he had over the years. 

I have crossed paths with Bobby Clark a few times. I didn’t get his autograph because I thought I already had it. He was nice. He was very willing to chat. He also gave out $100 Gorn bills when you got the autograph. He did not believe me that green was the perfect color for his signature. He was thinking a silver or yellow.  I was insistent. Even after signing, he was skeptical. I love it. I bet you agree with me.

Beverly Washburn was sweet and friendly. She signed and was willing to chat. Her role was short in Deadly Years. She was the sacrificial lamb so we knew how deadly the issue was.

I must admit I was very excited about France Nuyen. Not my favorite episode but it is the one what showed Kirk loving the ship more than anyone. The signature did not work out. She signed with her black pen and it looked good for the person in front of me. Then she signed my photo and it instantly died. I planned on getting back to her. By the time I did, she was gone for the show.

Regardless, I was just as excited to see these 4 as the others I met over the weekend. It was a good convention.

AH

Paul Wesley Comicpalooza 2023

I was happy to get Paul Wesley’s autograph in Houston. While I never watched Vampire Dairies, I know he is a fairly big name. I’m happy he crossed over to Star Trek universe so can get a photo signed.

He was nice and shared a few sentences with every fan. I mentioned I was planning on going to the Star Trek Vegas convention. Paul said he never been to that. I told him he would enjoy it. He has done a bunch of Creation Conventions but this is just bigger. I’ll probably see him on a panel there.

AH

Jack Quaid Comicpalooza 2023

It was a toss up if I got something from Star Trek: Lower Decks or The Boys signed by Jack Quaid. I chose the Boys and was happy with that. I like the show more AND I’m a Billy Joel fan. I love the quote he added to the photo.

Jack knew the two people in from of me. I’m assuming they were Uber Fans. He had no issue with seeing them and he seemed very happy they were in line. He came out from behind the table and they hugged and chatted. One of the fans wanted his wrist signed. He was going to get it tattooed, so it was permanent.

Jack signed the wrist but wasn’t happy with that. the signature smears and the ink bled. He got a sheet of paper and signed that; which was a better signature. He said the tattoo artist could use the paper as a stencil.

I’ve seen autographs signed on skin before to get a tattoo made. I liked the idea of a stencil. It seems like it would look better. I guess you can consider that a Hint From Heloise for everyone wanting to do that.

AH

Kate Mulgrew Star Trek Vegas 2022

Nana Visitor and Kate Mulgrew were the reasons I decided to come back to this convention. While they do some conventions, our paths haven’t crossed.

What I really wanted to have her sign was something from Remo Williams. I couldn’t find anything worth printing. And to be truthful, I couldn’t find a great photo from Voyager either.

She was very professional in her signing. She tried to give everyone a few seconds.  When I mentioned Remo Williams. She paused. She said Fred just passed away. Her co-star did pass away. But I was thinking more about how fun of a movie it was.

Then I said my thanks and took my photo.

AH