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Catching up with Jeff Lang.

Posted by Michael on June 28, 2016
Posted in: Personal. Leave a comment

Some time ago I had an awful time at work. I won’t bore you with the details but suffice to say that it was one of those days where everything felt like it was going wrong, that no matter what I did it wasn’t good enough and I allowed my frustrations and paranoia to come out. The best thing I could do was to get out of work and walk away from everything that had annoyed me.  It would still be there the next day and then I could fix it.

Why am I telling you this? Well, after one of the worst days I’ve had at work recently, meeting up with one of my good friends was exactly what I needed! My friend and Star Trek author Jeff Lang was in London for a few days and I was able to join him for a few drinks.  Jeff had recently had his latest Star Trek book released; it’s called Force and Motion and is a Deep Space Nine story. I was really excited for this story since I had a very small role in its development and Jeff was kind enough to acknowledge that role and to make me a character within the story. To be honest I really can’t describe my feelings about finding myself in a Star Trek story, it’s such an honour and something that I’m going to treasure always.  Of course Jeff was kind enough to sigh a copy of the book for me.

The evening with Jeff was really enjoyable. While we hadn’t caught up with each other in person for over a year, it felt really good that we were able to jump straight back into our conversations.  We spoke about anything and everything and while I’m not going to go into details Jeff did give me some wonderful advice and it’s something I’m going to take on board sooner rather than later.  The evening ended far too quickly and I’m hoping Jeff will be able to visit the UK again very soon.

Before I go I need to say that Star Trek: Force and Motion is a really enjoyable story. It moves at a great pace but is also a good character story. Take a look and let me know what you thought of the story.

You can find the book here: Star Trek: Force and Motion

My signed copy of Force and Motion.
My signed copy of Force and Motion.
With Jeff, not my best smile...lol
With Jeff, not my best smile…lol
Take 22....lol
Take 22….lol
Jeff signing my book.
Jeff signing my book.

More from The Ultimates 2016….

Posted by Michael on June 25, 2016
Posted in: Personal. 2 Comments

Over the weekend of the 10th – 12th June 2016 I attended The Ultimates convention in Blackpool. Along with my friends Dominique and Jon we met stars from Gotham, Arrow, Agents of S.H.I.E.LD and Agent Carter.

Below are some photos from the weekend. Each were taken by Dominique and show some of the guests at this amazing event.

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Matt Ryan, Manu Bennett and Paul Blackthorne during the Arrow panel.

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Hayley Atwell, Bridget Regan and Enver Gjokaj at the Agent Carter panel.

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Hayley Atwell in deep thought. 

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Dichen Lachman who stole my heart…lol

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Robin Lord Tayor, Camren Bicondova and Drew Powell at the Gotham panel.

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Enver Gjokaj and Brett Dalton fooling around…

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Visionary Trek goes to Blackpool.

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Jon and I exploring Blackpool.

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Star Trek’s coming to Blackpool.

The Ultimates 2016

Posted by Michael on June 14, 2016
Posted in: Personal. Leave a comment

Over the weekend of the 10th – 12th June 2016 I attended The Ultimates convention in Blackpool. Along with my friends Dominique and Jon we met stars from Gotham, Arrow, Agents of S.H.I.E.LD and Agent Carter.  As you know I’m a big comic book fan and after City of Heroes; this was going to be another chance to “geek out” over some of my favourite TV shows.

The guests included Hayley Atwell (Agent Carter), Robin Lord Taylor (Gotham), Brett Dalton (Agents of S.H.I.E.LD , Bridget Regan (Agent Carter) and many more….

The Ultimates was run by Starfury and this was my third time attending one of their events. I had previously been to two Vampire Balls. I knew what to expect from one of their events however, this time Dominique and I would be attending as gold ticket holders so that would be something new to experience.

Before I talk about the event let me first discuss the venue. The event was held at the Norbreck Castle Hotel along the seafront in Blackpool. I can imagine that in the hotels “hey day” it was an incredible place to see and stay in but time has not been kind to the Norbreck. The hotel is in need of renovation, it is outdated and apparently some of the rooms were in a bad state. The room Dominique and I stayed in had filthy windows, the bathroom wasn’t great, and parts of the hotel were in disrepair. Along our corridor there was a ceiling tile missing and there was a leak so the carpet was quite soaked. I have to question how the rooms are cleaned with fresh towels and bed sheets simply dumped on the floor until the staff appear to attend to the rooms.  The hotel staff however, were friendly and very helpful which softened some of the disappointment we had with the venue but not by much.

Some repairs are needed..lol
Some repairs are needed..lol
Our hotel....
Our hotel….
Fresh bedding and towels are always available..
Fresh bedding and towels are always available..

I should say however, for the event itself the hotel was ideally suited for The Ultimates. The hotel is a large complex and there were enough large rooms to house the autographs, the photo shoots and the panels as well as enough areas for us to relax, catch up with our friends and of course party.  I can see why Starfury would use this venue and why they would continue to.

The event began Friday afternoon with Matt Ryan from Constantine signing autographs and then in the evening was the opening ceremony.  Part of the gold ticket package is a meet and greet with all the guests which takes place just before the Friday night party.  I was really excited about this part of the event especially with Hayley Atwell in attendance however, due to arriving late it was felt that Hayley should rest so did not attend the meet and greet. I am not going to lie; I was so disappointed that Hayley couldn’t make it. Apart from a talk and signing two autographs I didn’t have any other interactions with Hayley over the weekend.

The meet and greet was still a really enjoyable experience. Over the course of a couple of hours each guest came over, spoke to us for a few minutes and then moved onto the next table. Robin Lord Taylor, Dichen Lachman, Paul Blackthorne and Bridget Regan really stood out for me and for Dominique, Manu Bennett and Robin Lord Taylor were her favourites.  I would definitely want to go gold for the meet and greet again if it meant seeing some of the stars from my favourite shows.

Over the weekend there were three parties, one on each night. We only attended the Saturday night party but to be honest, the parties are pretty much the same every night (and every event) with the traditional convention songs played at the same time each night. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with that but personally it would be nice to do something different. On the Saturday, Dominique, Jon and I explored Blackpool. We visited some of the local sites including two of the three piers and found out where the Star Trek Exhibition was going to be held later this month. The parties are a big part of the weekend and for the convention / Starfury community it was nice seeing those attending having so much fun.

Saturday and Sunday involved collecting our autographs and for Jon and Dominique; photo shoots as well. For this event I believe the process was changed for autographs due to the number of attendees but I’m hoping lessons will be learned for next time.  My frustrations did show at the weekend over how the autographs were handled and at times it did seem being gold meant nothing but by the end of the weekend everyone had been able to collect all their autographs. There were some questionable decisions involved with the Enver Gjokaj and Bridget Regan queues on Sunday which defied all logic but thanks to some quick thinking from the steward’s matters were soon resolved. Something I think also needs to be looked at is how the steward’s pick up their autographs. They do a  great job and while collecting their autographs it’s okay they jump the front of the queue but when five come all at once, then I think a better system is needed. Why can’t they collect them before the session begins?

All ready for the event.
All ready for the event.
My Gotham poster.
My Gotham poster.
Hayley signed my blu-ray & poster.
Hayley signed my blu-ray & poster.
My autograph from Dichen Lachman
My autograph from Dichen Lachman
My autograph from Paul. Blackthorne.
My autograph from Paul. Blackthorne.
My autograph from Manu Bennett.
My autograph from Manu Bennett.

Taking out the processes, hotels and queues it was really great meeting these wonderful actors.  Those who stood out for me were Hayley Atwell, Robin Lord Taylor, Drew Powell and Camren Bicondova. Each were really funny in their perspective talks and you can see how much they enjoy playing their characters but also how much they love interacting with the fans. For Camren it was her first time in the UK and she loved every minute of it, she spoke of her love of English tea and how seeing fans Cosplay as her Catwoman was fun to see and rewarding. I met Dichen Lachman for the first time and I have to say I was slightly smitten by her; Dichen was funny, so down to earth and was a pleasure to speak to on the Saturday evening.

As well as meeting all the guests it was nice to catch up with some familiar friends from the convention circuit.  A few beers were had, quite a lot of fish and chips and so many laughs over the course of the weekend.  I really do enjoy the weekend events compared to the signing events since you have more time to meet the guests, spend time with your friends and make something special out of the weekend.

Overall I had a really good time at Ultimate’s, it was great spending time with Dominique and Jon and meeting some wonderful stars. As I mentioned I was slightly disappointed with the way the autographs were organised and at times it felt that being gold meant nothing but I’m looking forward to the possibility of coming back next year if the guests are right. Having gone gold I would try to do so again depending upon my budget but I would hope that the benefits of being gold are worth it. Of course if Hayley returns you can expect me to be right behind her on the way to Blackpool….

With Dominique
With Dominique
Jon and Dominique
Jon and Dominique
Here's the gang...
Here’s the gang…
On the beach..
On the beach..
With Dominique.
With Dominique.
With Jon.
With Jon.
On the beach with Dominique.
On the beach with Dominique.
Messing about on the beach.
Messing about on the beach.

Visiting MCM London

Posted by Michael on May 30, 2016
Posted in: Personal. Leave a comment

MCM-London-Comic-Con-UKOn Sunday 29th May I attended my first MCM convention in London.  Over the last three years I’ve been attending quite a few events however, for reasons that have escaped me I had never considered attending MCM. Over the last few years the event has had some guests that would have interested me including some of the cast of Warehouse 13 and other shows that I enjoy. I’ve been told in the past that MCM is a crazy event, it’s really busy, the queues go on forever and you need to have a lot of patience when attending. This year I decided that I was going to give it a go and see what it’s all about….

MCM London took place over the weekend of Friday 27th – Sunday 29th May at the London Excel. The guests included stars from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Arrow, Gotham, and NCIS: Los Angeles, The Big Bang Theory, Being Human and many more. The guests that interested me were Erin Richards from Gotham, Katrina Law from Arrow and Daniela Ruah from NCIS: LA.  I would be collecting autographs from the three but if I wasn’t trying to save money for “The Ultimate’s” in June I would’ve have also collected autographs from Eric Christian Olsen (NCIS: LA), Elizabeth Henstridge (S.H.I.E.L.D) and had photo shoots with Katrina Law and Olsen and Ruah. I’m hoping that in the future I will be able to meet these guests again.

I have to say I was really glad to have purchased the “Sunday Priority Entry” tickets for myself and my friend. After hearing about all the queuing issues I was really pleased that we arrived just after 9.30 and were able to get straight into the event.  The next step was to collect the “smileys”, these are used to pay for autographs rather than pay at the desk like many other events do.  Of course this involved more queuing but again we must have been lucky since it only took 30 minutes for us to reach the front and collect ours. I first encountered this system at Fedcon and then later at Destination Star Trek London. I think overall it works well and I didn’t encounter any problems while queuing for my autographs.  Most probably attending the event on Sunday helped and the next time I attend this event I would do the same since I can imagine the Saturday was manic and I have no interest in attending something too hectic.

After collecting our autographs we then spent the next couple of hours exploring the event. MCM had pretty much taken over the Excel so there were lots to look at. Like most events there were loads upon loads of mechanise to look at however, I did see a lot of new products of which I had not seen before including some brilliant prints, t-shirts and much more. I’m not a big fan of Manga but you could certainly see its influence at the event and of course there was a large number of Cosplayers. People were dressed as everything from Green Arrow to Star Trek to Star Wars to Lara Croft, in fact there were so many costumes that I didn’t recognise, these were from either games or were Manga related or so I’m told.

Overall it was a really good day and if the guests are right I would certainly want to return later in the year.

My Gotham poster
My Gotham poster
A close up of Erin Richards autograph
A close up of Erin Richards autograph
Daniela Ruah's autograph
Daniela Ruah’s autograph
Katrina Law's autograph.
Katrina Law’s autograph.
Some prints from MCM
Some prints from MCM

The Original TiT’s Season 2 TNG review

Posted by Michael on May 21, 2015
Posted in: Personal. Leave a comment

Trekkie Girls

So, I embarked on my TNG Season 2 quest with marked trepidation. My head had been filled with somewhat negative thoughts (“Dr Crusher isn’t in it”; “just get through it – it gets WAY better mid-Season 3”), so my expectations admittedly weren’t very high. At least it’s only a short season of just 22 episodes I thought to myself (thanks to a writer’s strike I’m reliably informed). Well, I have to say I was quite pleasantly surprised…

Right, first things first, let’s just get this one out of the way: Pulaski. The Star Trek equivalent of Marmite.

Pulaski

I have to admit, I disliked her immensely from the very beginning (hate is a strong word), and although I had somewhat warmed to her by the time we got to the likes of “Pen Pals” and “Samaritan Snare” (where she had begun to show an iota of compassion), I just couldn’t gel…

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For Your Hugo Consideration…

Posted by Michael on February 13, 2015
Posted in: Personal. Leave a comment

For Your Hugo Consideration: New Life and New Civilizations: Exploring Star Trek Comics

33full500New Life and New Civilizations: Exploring Star Trek Comics, released in 2014, is an anthology of critical essays which examine various aspects of the 48-year history of Star Trek in the four-color realm. It features essays from notable Trek scribes like Robert Greenberger, Keith R.A. DeCandido, Dayton Ward, Kevin Dilmore, Scott Tipton, David A. McIntee, and Hugo- and Nebula Award winner David Gerrold, as well as many others (click the link above for a complete list).

It is eligible for a Hugo Award nomination in the Best Related Work category, which states: “Any work related to the field of science fiction, fantasy, or fandom, appearing for the first time during the previous calendar year or which has been substantially modified during the previous calendar year, and which is either non-fiction or, if fictional, is noteworthy primarily for aspects other than the fictional text, and which is not eligible…

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Michael Goes To Glasgow Photo Album 2014

Posted by Michael on September 14, 2014
Posted in: Personal. Leave a comment

I visited Glasgow between Thursday 21st-25th August 2014. As well as attending Collectormania,I also spent time with my friend Roslyn  who was kind and patient enough to show me around Glasgow on the Friday. We had a really fun time on the bus tour as Roz showed me the city, introduced me to Iron Bru and haggis. I also met Fiv  but alas didn’t get a picture of the three of us (that’s on the list for next time).

For me the highlights of the tour was the Transport Museum and Glasgow University. The University blew me away and I couldn’t help but think of Harry Potter. How could you not be inspired to learn when you see this incredible place every day.

I didn’t see any Zombies (which was most probably a good thing) but I did find a time machine and most of all I found Glasgow to be a wonderful city. I can’t wait to go back….

You can see more of my adventures in Glasgow on my Facebook page.

 

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I knew I left her somewhere, if only I could find the key… I want one of these.

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Keys found, I am going back to the future…

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The Commonwealth games had just recently been held in Glasgow. This was taken in George Square.

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Glasgow City Chambers.

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I saw this on Clyde Street and Dunlop street, next to St Andrews Cathedral. These images were created by Rogue-One.

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The Glenlee in dock at the Transport Museum.

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Aboard the Glenlee

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This is Glasgow University where Roz studied and graduated. My jaw dropped when I saw the university.

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What a beautiful building. Glasgow University

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With Roz on the tour bus.

 

Visionary Trek – A Trip to Quarks Bar

Posted by Michael on September 14, 2014
Posted in: Conventions, Star Trek, Visionary Trek. Leave a comment

VisionaryTrek-Banner-MIdde-1000-x-236After visiting Glasgow Collectormania, Roz and I discussed our time at the event on Visionary Trek along with Bunny who had recently been to Sheffield.  While at Glasgow Roz and I were lucky enough to interview Armin Shimerman and Kitty Swink for Visionary Trek.

You can find the show here: Visionary Trek – A Trip to Quarks Bar

Enjoy….

Glasgow Collectormania 2014 Photo Album

Posted by Michael on September 14, 2014
Posted in: Conventions, Star Trek. 2 Comments

Over the weekend of Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th of August I attended Glasgow Collectormania with Roslyn Scoular. This was my first time to this event and for Roz it was her first convention. I was Roz’s guide (hopefully I did well) and over the course of the weekend we met Armin Shimerman, Kitty Swink, Chase Masterson from Star Trek DS9. We also attended panels from Games of Thrones, Doctor Who and a talk with Burn Gorman.

It was a great couple of days and I am already looking forward to attending next year. Here are a few pictures from the event but you can visit Visionary Trek to see more of the Trek talk pictures or you can visit my Facebook page.

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We were lucky enough to get Press Passes. Many thanks to Showmasters.

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Roz and I at Glasgow Collectormania.

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Glasgow Collectormania was held at the Braehead Arena. This was early on Saturday morning.

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Game Of Thrones panel with – Julian Glover, Finn Jones, Kristian Nairn and Ian Hanmore

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Armin, Chase and Kitty posing for pictures before the panel began.

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Meeting Darth Vader.

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Roz gets to meet Darth Vader

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My autograph from Kitty Swink. It was great meeting Kitty who was kind enough to give Roz and I an interview for Visionary Trek.

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My autograph from Armin Shimerman. Armin was such a great person. He made time for everyone who spoke to him and also gave Roz and I an interview.

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Armin was kind enough to give me a table photo .

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My photo shoot with Armin.

One Holiday, Two Events….

Posted by Michael on July 21, 2014
Posted in: Conventions, Events, Personal, Star Trek. 3 Comments

I am writing this after returning from Southport where with Bunny, I attended the Mersey-Sci Fantom Weekend.  Today is the last day of my holiday which like most holidays has flown by. I have had a total of eleven days off but within that time I have managed to attend two events. I am not looking forward to the holiday blues beginning tomorrow.

The first was the London Film and Comic Convention at Earls Court and as mentioned above the Mersey-Sci Fantom Weekend. I am not going to go into too much detail about these events since I am going to write separate posts for both but I have to say you could not get two events that were so far apart in terms of guests, atmosphere and most of all enjoyment. I really liked the fact that I had a convention at the beginning and end of my holiday but I have to say it’s not that much fun for my bank balance.

FileOver the two events I have managed to meet, have an autograph or photo shoot with Stan Lee, Edwards James Olmos, Jamie Bamber, Terry Farrell, Glen Morshower, Stephanie Leonidas, Chase Masterson, Dominic Keating, Max Grodenchik, Lolita Fajo, Eric Menyuk and Ron B. Moore. It was amazing meeting all of these wonderful actors and not only did I meet the last five guests on the list above I was able to host their guest panels along with Bunny. That was an incredible experience and a big opportunity for Visionary Trek.

The other main reason I like going to all these events is catching up with old friends and meeting news ones. Over the course of the two events I have managed to do this which has made this a really nice holiday.

Over the coming months I will be attending more conventions including Glasgow Collectormania, The Vampire Ball (yes, you heard that right…Vampires!), Destination Star Trek London, The Winter London Film and Comic Convention and a few more. It’s going to be a busy few months but a lot of fun and I can’t wait to attend all these events.

Away from events all is well at Visionary Trek. On the main show Visionary Trek; we will soon be starting our second theme looking at the different races within the Star Trek universe. On The Holodeck; Bunny and I will be continuing our review of IDW’s ongoing Star Trek series, reviewing episodes of Star Trek: The Animated Series and interviewing some of the most talented writers and comic artists within the industry. Over at The Captains’ Table; Roslyn and I will be continuing our reviews of the ongoing Star Trek Voyager book series and will be interviewing authors such as Jeffrey Lang and Scott Pearson over the coming weeks.

Star-Trek-Ongoing-35-Page-26As well as that The Holodeck was proud to have helped the Ongoing Star Trek comic launch its new letters page: “Open Channels” in issue 35 of the series. Bunny and I interviewed Mike Johnson (writer), Tony Shasteen (artist) and Sarah Gaydos (editor) about the ongoing series.  My review of “These Are The Voyages Season Two” was posted on the publishers website and Eric Gator and the Holodeck podcast have been given a preview copy of “New Life and New Civilizations: Exploring Star Trek Comics” edited by Joseph F. Berenato which looks at the history of Star Trek in comics. With Bunny’s convention experience we have been covering more events and as mentioned already we were able to host the guest panels at the weekend.  I want to thank all those who listen and support Visionary Trek, we are still growing but we are going from strength to strength.

I am about to start a rewatch of 24. Over the years I have seen most of the seasons but with the new series “Live Another Day” just finishing I need to watch season eight before I can watch that. Bunny noticed recently on Amazon the whole series of 24 at a bargain price so now it’s time to go back, catch up and get back into the crazy world of Jack Bauer.

I may be going back to work tomorrow but at least the past eleven days have been a lot of fun.

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Lonely Planet, Crowded Car

An indecisive family go on a gap year

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