Tuesday 2 February 2016

Destination Star Trek 2016: The Official Announcement


Here it is!

Less than a week ago we were given the news that the 50th anniversary would see a Star Trek event on UK shores. As of 12 noon today (2/2/16) we now know a little bit more about what to expect from the event. Below I've reproduced the official press release but let's break it down paragraph by paragraph...



LONDON, February 02, 2016Destination Star Trek Europe, the premier Star Trek fan event in Europe, will once again open its doors to thousands of Star Trek enthusiasts from across the universe for a three-day celebration of Star Trek’s 50th Anniversary. Set for October 7-9 at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham, England, Destination Star Trek Europe will pay tribute to the characters and stories that have inspired generations of fans, joining a year of celebrations in honour of this milestone year for the franchise.

No big shock on the venue since William Shatner announced it would be Birmingham in a tweet last week. The NEC is the obvious venue and offers a lot of space for the event. Good choice for the three days!

Destination Star Trek Europe, under license by CBS Consumer Products, will offer fans the opportunity to meet cast and crew, explore interactive exhibits, learn about Star Trek’s impact on science, space and technology, and enjoy parties fit for a golden anniversary. 

The legendary William Shatner (Captain Kirk), will headline the event and be joined by Christopher Lloyd (Commander Kruge), Walter Koenig (Chekov), Jonathan Frakes (William Riker), Marina Sirtis (Deanna Troi), Alexander Siddig (Dr. Julian Bashir), Terry Farrell (Jadzia Dax) and Nicole de Boer (Ezri Dax). Additional guests will be revealed in the coming months.

OK... so to the guests. We have The Original Series covered off by Shatner and Koenig (no doubt promo'ing Renegades too), The Next Generation represented by Frakes and Sirtis, Deep Space Nine by Siddig, Farrell (again a Renegades link) and de Boer as well as a special appearance by The Search for Spock guest star Lloyd  (what have they done to his eyes on the DST site?) - but no news on anyone SO FAR from Voyager or Enterprise. Note too we're getting double Dax for the event! Could those guests to be announced include another four captains perhaps? Maybe some behind the scenes guys such as Rick Sternbach and Mike Okuda? New series cast....???? Aside from Christopher Lloyd though it's nothing super unbelievable so far.

There will also be four stages -  Enterprise,  Excelsior,  Voyager and Enterprise-D hosting talks across the weekend including All Hail the 50 Year March of the Klingons and 50 Years Not Out: Celebrating Star Trek's Many Reinventions. 

In addition to autographs, photos and panels, fans will be able to take command of the bridge on the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 or NCC-1701-D, investigate a Borg hive, take charge of a Klingon Bird-of-Prey, explore a shuttlecraft, and see original props and costumes in the Destination Star Trek Museum.

WOW. That's some pretty cool attractions. I'm a sucker for sets and props so that's going to be awesome to experience. The shuttle is one I'm very interested in seeing - and which one will it be? I suspect that getting a pic on one of those mock-ups might cost a couple of quid so take some cash along for these and for those all-important cast shots and autographs.

Checking out the site there is going to be a themed Klingon zone along with a gaming area and two parties on the Friday and Saturday night for fans to attend. The museum is promising items seen previously at Destination Star Trek such as scripts, Borg drones and Odo face masks as well as some surprise new items.  

Tickets are now available at www.DestinationStarTrek.com

No brainer. Go and book. Tickets start from £29 for a single day through to the four packages of Lieutenant,  Commander, Captain and Admiral each offering a different set of increasingly impressive options. 

“For five decades, Star Trek has influenced the world around us through its voyages to the Final Frontier,” said event organiser, Mark Woollard. “Destination Star Trek Europe will honour the series’ impact and celebrate its legions of fans that are inspired to boldly go where no one has gone before.”

Star Trek celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2016. Born from the mind of Gene Roddenberry, the original Star Trek series debuted on September 8, 1966 and aired for three seasons -- a short run that belied the influence it would have for generations. Launching the careers of William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, the series also broke new ground in storytelling and cultural mores providing a progressive look at topics including race relations, global politics, the environment, and more. It spawned five more television series and 13 feature films spanning the course of half a century. 

Nice few cliches of the associated phrases and the like here. Bit of background for the uninitiated but for most readers we'll be skipping over the generic background looking for any further info on what to expect at this point in the release. No news on if this is going to have any links into Beyond and the JJ-verse or if we're going to be given any teasers for the upcoming TV series in 2017. Actually, it's pretty mute in regards to anything from 2009 onwards...

Beyond its impact on the entertainment landscape, Star Trek has also inspired some of the greatest minds steering the direction of our modern world and sparking the biggest technological advancements of our time such as the cell phone, universal translator, smart watch, tablet, sonogram, and countless other inventions. Those who cite Star Trek as an influence on their lives include Stephen Hawking, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Elon Musk, and countless others.

Yep, Star Trek had cultural impact! Few nice name drops but are any of them going to guest?! No news on that.

Destination Star Trek Europe is organised by Massive Events, in association with Showmasters and Media 10.

OK....not the biggest announcement. It confirms a few guests and a few of the attractions but nothing about what stands, businesses etc are going to be on show for us. Will Timelines be there? Can we expect to get hands on with some upcoming models from the Starships Collection? Are there going to be some exclusive screenings during the three day event?

The next few months will unquestionably keep seeing bits of information drip onto the event page which is now open to buy your tickets. Get to it!

What are you looking forward to at Destination Star Trek Europe? Which guests do you want to meet and what will you be heading for?


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