T5 Trek Convention
Sat June 4, 2005

This was an idea my friends and I had back when we ran the Arena in 2003. The moment we saw the Sky Lounge, we thought it would be perfect for an awards reception or Trekkie convention. People in the City Places group at the time, as well as the Party Line, now know why we repeatedly pushed for correcting object capability: so we could have dealer tables and a stage. We could drop objects but they were not visible. There were two major occasions when the Mayor's offices funded events, and both times we regretfully passed the concept of a convention up. There was subsequent talk of another Cytonian planning such a thing, but we never heard anything about how it turned out.

Doc & Toryn in Convention Staff shirts set the stage - literally

When my boss Toryn informed me in December 2004 of the hood's impending 5th anniversary, the concept of a Trek Convention presented itself, with a wide choice of venues allowing us to establish the setting for 3D participants.

Thinking of the sorts of events one may liken to a typical Star Trek convention, we planned the itinerary with pacing in mind (it was decided that a Trek Avatar Contest would not work out, since for the most part people would just be picking them off websites. For a brief moment I had visions of presenting an "Underdog Lady" trophy, a concept which perhaps escapes anyone who has never attended a northeast convention). A traditional style Convention Flyer was designed as well.

Left: Vika (BL TNG) hosts Trekkie Tribond.   Right: Caladria (BL DS9) gives out free gifts. Toryn
and I made seven trinkets for guests, and our staff took turns standing behind the dealer table.

We even had guest "celebs." Naturally these were Cytonians whose personae were patterned after Star Trek characters, and questions were addressed to them as those characters. I portrayed Voyager's Doctor, something I've done in some way, shape, or form since 2000.

The Borg Queen (BL of The Borg Collective) takes questions from the audience.

We arranged it so a staffer from our hood would be on hand each hour to give away something else to attendees. These items included various mounted combadges, rank pips, a collectors plate, and a set of pointy ears. Contests included Transporter Malfunction, Trekkie Tribond, and a quick paced Guess the Series. We even held two Auctions, hosting my very first after avoiding them for almost three years.

A biobed up for auction to fund future events.   Juniper8's pieces are still revered.   Bro assists.

Sci-Fi BINGO - a Sci-Fi Colony tradition for well over a year now - was even held at the convention center, with card patterns designed after Trekkie things. After auctioning off the stage (made by Toryn) and the dealer table (made by the two of us), it was time for the Closing Ceremonies.

Our Guest speakers: Stone, Colony Leader of Sci-Fi Borg7, Colony Leader of Hi-Tek

In addition to various speakers saying their part, including not one, but TWO Colony Leaders, we announced the winner of a Trekkie object creation contest. It was a close race between a warp core, a Borg assimilation ride, and a runabout - all brilliant pieces. The latter won.

Attendees hang around while Toryn announces the object contest winner.

In preparation, we made a lot of unique Trek items, many avatars of Starfleet and conventiongoers, I designed a logo, and I made CT history for my hood and colony by having negotiated with the controlling corporation IVN for banner time. In the end we put on what we hoped was a memorable 12 hours, and people we don't see often enough came out to join the event and be a part of the fun. It was a LOT of work, but the result was worth every moment of effort.