Now that I've had some time to reflect on everything that happened at the Las Vegas Creation Con, I did want to talk about some of the events and experiences from that week. Naturally, there was much joy in seeing old friends and making new ones, of seeing stars for both the first time and again but perhaps in a new light. There was the joy of being present at the first Roddenberry Revolution Party, and as a casual musician myself, I found a great deal of joy in the many musical happenings throughout the week.

One particular bright spot for me was going to the Roddenberry Productions panel, where we heard about the current and new projects Rod and company are developing, and where we saw not only Rod and his business partner Trevor Roth on stage, but also the First Lady of Star Trek, Majel. While there was a bit of sorrow in seeing her using a wheelchair at times during the convention, there was joy in seeing her walk on stage and interact with Rod and the fans who asked questions. During the panel, Rod gave us information on “Rod and Barry” and “Gene's Journal” and where they might go in the future, and gave us an update on the happenings with the Dive Club. A highlight of the panel was to finally see a trailer for Trek Nation, and get an update on when we can expect to see the finished product (the current goal is next year). There was also an announcement of a new project, Roddenberry Sci-Fi Network, which will be a new way for fans to connect (stay tuned to the website for more info in the coming weeks).

Naturally, for most of us, the sorrow comes with the closing of Star Trek: The Experience. Dennis and I attended what would be the last Creation Con party at the Experience, and while it was enjoyed by all, you could feel the sadness in this last event. Quark's was standing room only for the dinner and entertainment, both of which were top-notch. I particularly enjoyed hearing Chase Masterson sing, as while I have heard her CDs before, I had not heard her in person. The last thing we did for the evening was ride the last ride of the night for the Klingon Encounter. As we left, we made one final pass by the walls where fan comments have been posted, many of them begging that the Experience not be closed. Everyone we talked to agreed that the evening, while sad, was wonderful as well, something we would long remember.

The musical performances were not confined to the parties and the Gala Celebration. While I was not able to attend all the stars on-stage appearances, I was very glad to squeeze in the time to see Nana Visitor. As I hoped, she did grace us with her beautiful voice, including one of my favorites, “Someone to Watch Over Me”. Nana also favored us with a filk she has written. The original song is entitled “I'm Still Here”, and was made famous by Elaine Stritch in the Stephen Sondheim musical “Follies”. Nana has re-written the lyrics to fit Major Kira, and not only is it a pleasure to hear her sing it, the words she wrote are absolutely perfect for the character.

Fans know the music of Star Trek intimately, but after attending both last year's and this year's Gala Celebration concerts, I have to say that it is even more special to hear it performed live, conducted by someone who truly cares for the pieces, and surrounded by other audience members who share a love for the music. It was especially nice to hear Ron Jones share some of his memories and stories from working on Star Trek. During many of the pieces, appropriate video clips were played on the front screens, making the experience all the more special. I think one piece from the concert was especially fitting...one of the segments of the “Star Trek: The Next Generation Suite” included music from the episode “Skin of Evil”, specifically the scene when the crew is playing Tasha's holographic farewell. That reminded me again that we were bidding farewell to the Experience.

One of Sunday's panels held quite a bit of joy for me, but also some frustration for all of us. With assistance from Leonard Nimoy, Cryptic Studios made a long awaited announcement – Star Trek Online is once again moving forward! You can see the whole 40+ minute webcast just as we saw it in Las Vegas at www.startrekonline.com, as well as view the gameplay trailer and screenshots, read the latest news about the game, and even join the forums and start to form Fleets (similar to guilds in other MMO games) with friends and other future players. For those who don't have time to watch the whole video, here are some tidbits that got my attention. While the game is set in the future from where Trek left off after the end of the last movie, everything we have experienced in the Trek Universe is part of the history of the game. The designers have included not only TV and movies for the background, but also novels and comic books, to bring in even more of this rich universe. When you create your character, you will start as the CO of a small ship and progress from there. When the game has it's first release, players will choose to play either members of Starfleet or of the Klingon Empire, however they are planning to add more choices later. Gameplay will be set in space, on ships, and on planets, and there will be a great deal of player control. There will be extensive customization, including character race and appearance, and the interior and exterior of your ship. There will not only be combat, but also exploration, and the system will be able to create NEW planets for players to discover. For those interested, there will be player-versus-player available in the game, and there will be “tours of duty” and “missions” that are similar to “quests” in other MMO games. They plan to have “dynamic events” that change from time to time (similar to concepts in other games where holidays or world events are celebrated), and some missions will require players to team up with other players in the game (such as fellow Fleet members) to successfully complete the mission. As for the frustration I mentioned, they did have bad news for some future players...the first release of the game will not be available for Mac or Linux users. However, the real frustration came when they refused to give even a target date of release...the best they can tell us at this point is it will be less than 4 years, and they are hoping for less than 3 years. (I heard reports that at a panel I was unable to attend, a CBS representative announced that the game is set for release in 2009, but that is unconfirmed. I hope it is true, but even if that is a target they have, they may not be able to meet that goal.) After seeing the wonderful gameplay trailer they showed, it is hard to have to wait on what looks to be a wonderful addition to how we can all enjoy Trek. It is the hope of Cryptic Studios that this is indeed the future of Trek, with the fans/players setting the new direction for the universe.

Everywhere we turned and in everything we did, there was so much joy in all of the experiences of the week. Fortunately, the sorrow underlying the event did not overwhelm us, and while we are still disappointed about the closing of the Experience, and wondering what will happen with the convention in the future, we can take joy in the fact that we had one last visit, and wonderful memories that will last forever.

Photos:  Creationent.com, Wikipedia.org 

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