Reunion 4 Celebrates 40 Years Of Trek
Source SciFi Pulse
14 September 2006
Not many events went down here in the UK that celebrated the 40th Anniversary of Star Trek. However one of the few was held over the 8th and 10 of September and fell on the exact date of Star Trek’s Premier on television back in 1966 on NBC. This was not lost on those who attended Reunion 4 in the picturesque setting of Coventry in England.
Although Reunion 4 was not strictly just a Star Trek Convention it did have many fans of the Sci Fi Genre who shared in the mutual delight of having 5 very special guests helping them celebrate all that is good about Science Fiction. Along for the ride were Erin Grey, Caroline Munro, Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant and the sole Star Trek guest was Nicole de Boer who had enough energy and personality to have took the place of several Star Trek guests.
Reunion 4 was a small gathering, which consisted of a little over 100 attendees and all proceeds from the event went to The Rainbows Children's Hospice.
The event was also made that extra bit special thanks to a special announcement made by Former DS9 Actress Nicole de Boer who revealed that she was four months pregnant, however the actress didn’t let her pregnancy deter her from answering questions and joining in with the fun and family feel of the event.
When speaking about ‘The Dead Zone’ De Boer revealed that she had shot seasons 4 and 5 back to back and she feels it unlikely that she will return as a regular on the show. She added that the show has been picked up for a 6th season and that it would likely be taking on a different direction with Johnny Hitchhiking across the US helping people along the way in his travels. She does feel that there is always a chance for the Bannermans to return as guest stars though.
When talking about her roles in Genre shows she said that her role in Star Trek remains her favourite and that she would love to reprise the role of Ezri Dax in a movie or a TV project. When talking about the present state of the franchise the actress revealed that she feels that they should rest the TV side of things for about 10 years in order to generate that same level of excitement which she witnessed as a 15 year old girl when Star Trek: The Next Generation came out. She also added that if they wait 10 years she would be older enough to portray Captain Ezri Dax.
Nicole de Boers two talks were both high energy and very entertaining. The actress excelled in her playful bantering with the audience and it was evident that both she and the audience enjoyed the interaction.
Caroline Munro’s talks were somewhat calmer than those of De Boer but just as entertaining in a far more laid-back way. The actress who is best known for her roles in the Hammer movies Captain Kronos and Dracula AD as well as the Bond movie ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ was more than happy to talk about her career and shared many anecdotes about her time in the business.
The actress waxed lyrical about having worked with David Hasselhoff on the 1979 B movie Starcrash and revealed that he was a very comedic and irreverent man.
When speaking about the Hammer movies Munro stated that Ingrid Pitt who she is a friend with had written several screenplays and has been endeavouring to bring Hammer movies back in some form or other. She added that it was sad that such a chapter in British Cinema had to end. Overall Munro was engaging and encouraged much interaction from the audience.
Erin Grey who many know for her role in the 1970’s TV series Buck Rogers was also a very engaging guest. During her talks she spoke about how the producers and the network had to fight to get her in the role of Wilma.
She also talked about how TaiChi had helped her through many of life’s challenges and even did a TaiChi workshop with many of the convention attendees, which was very well attended, and much enjoyed by all who took part.
The actress revealed that her introduction to conventions was via one time Star Trek guest star Barbara Luna who had made her go to a US Convention. Grey revealed that she was shocked that so many people remembered her from Buck Rogers. She also added that it was her introduction to Conventions that gave her the idea of opening her own agency. When asked what talent she had on her books Grey reeled off a short list of names which included former bond girls Barbara Bach and Tanya Roberts as well as Battlestar Galactica actor Jamie Bamber and a few cast members of the cancelled SF Show Firefly.
I found Grey to be a very engaging guest but also kind of deep in the sense that she liked the harder questions that the fans had to offer.
Sunday Afternoon was graced with a guest talk with former Doctor Who star Colin Baker and his assistant Nicola Bryant who played the role of Peri. These two guests surprised many people with their talk when they revealed themselves to be as much fans as the members of the audience.
Baker was fast to point out that he recognised reunion attendees had varied interest and appreciated the fact. Both Baker and Bryant fielded many questions from the fans and when asked about the kind of story he’d have liked to have told during his tenure of Doctor Who he confided that he would have liked to have done an episode where The Doctor and The Master trade bodies and the Doctor while in the Masters body would have to convince Peri that he was really the Doctor.
Both Bryant and Baker were very complimentary of the new series.
To sum up this event while only attended by about 100 people was quite special and unique. A change in venue and issues with getting contracts signed had caused some difficulties in getting the event off the ground but those that attended enjoyed it immensely.
Unlike the more commercial events like creation, Reunion encourages guest and fans to interact and maintains the spirit of the conventions which started back in the 1970’s when it was the fans who organised such events and not the corporate entities that do today.
In fact a dissatisfied customer of Creations 40th Anniversary Event flew in all the way from Chicago to see Nicole de Boer, and he provided many of the UK fans with valuable insights about his bad Creation experience and how he felt that Reunion truly embodied the spirit of what a Sci Fi Convention should be about. He went on to add that he enjoyed many of the British events due to the fact that our events continue well into the night.
If you’re new to conventions and looking to get your feet wet then I’d recommend you try a Reunion Event. All the organisers are friendly and accommodating and it is a very friendly crowd that attends. These events do not have the cattle market feel of many of the others. The celebrities actually join in the fun and are more than willing to share in the party experience.
My congratulations and thanks go out to Anne Lindup and her team of able staff that put on a fantastic event that is well worth going too.
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