Star Trek 30: One Weekend On Earth - Sept. 7-8, 1996

On Saturday, September 7th and Sunday, September 8th, 1996, a very historic Star Trek convention took place in Hunstville, Alabama in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the franchise. Named "Star Trek 30: One Weekend On Earth", this was the only Star Trek convention ever to have been directly sponsored and produced by Paramount Pictures; and featured both cast and production crew members from all four Star Trek television series in attendance.

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A special two hour 30th Anniversary Tribute show was held on Saturday evening at the Von Braun Civic Center Arena, and this was the last time that the entire Original Series cast appeared together onstage. (Deforest Kelley, who portrayed the beloved Dr. McCoy in TOS; would pass away less than three years later in June of 1999.) In honor of Star Trek, the Mayor of Huntsville Steve Hettinger issued a special proclamation to temporarily change the name of the city to STAR TREK, Alabama.

Source and lots more photos at: Star Trek Prop, Costume & Auction Authority

Star Trek's Stars Trek

William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy Go on the Road and Back to the Future

Southern California neighbors, Shatner and his second wife, Marcy, and Nimoy and his second wife, Susan, socialize frequently. Onstage the guys ad-lib with the telepathic precision of a Vulcan mind meld. "I can see what he's up to, and I can get on the ride with him, says Nimoy, as the two hop a commuter flight to their next stardate, in San Mateo, Calif. Both even have the same taste in sandwiches (fried egg, toasted rye and "big slices of onion," says Shatner). And each is effusive in his praise of the other. "There's a toughness about him I envy," says Shatner of Nimoy.

"He's a very passionate guy," Nimoy responds. "He plunges into stuff. He's got his books [Shatner's TekWar series of sci-fi novels and his planned Trek memoirs, recently grabbed by HarperCollins for $750,000] and his horses [which he raises in Versailles, Ky]. I like to tease him: 'Bill, why don't you do something with your life?"

Nimoy is no slouch either. Among other projects, he is currently working on a screenplay about 19th-century Siamese twins Chang and Eng Bunker. Yet it's he and Shatner who seem joined at the hip. Believe, a novel (co-authored by Shatner and writer Michael Tobias) teaming escape artist Harry Houdini and Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, will be turned into a play with Shatner as Houdini and Nimoy as Conan Doyle. In Seattle, as part of their stage act, Shatner "offers" the role to his old Trekmate, and Nimoy appears to mull it over.

"Would you call me sir?" he asks Shatner.

"If that's what it takes, Leonard, then yes, I will."

"Good," replies Captain Kirk's former first officer, "because I've been calling you sir for 25 years."

Source: People

Star Trek Chicago ‘75

The film below comes from Star Trek Chicago ‘75, held at the Hilton Hotel in Chicago, August 22-24, 1975. 16,000 fans attended the event. The YouTube video (courtesy of broadbarn.com) was recently transferred from the original 8mm film. The short film features the appearances of William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, George Takei, Walter Koenig, James Doohan Nichelle Nichols (with quite the 70s fro), and Arlene Martel (T’Pring “Amok Time”), all appearing on a recreation of the USS Enterprise bridge. There is no sound, but Rich Portnoy, who shot the film, provides a narration.

The Star Trek Chicago ‘75 event was big news. You can read an original Time Magazine article about it from their September 8th 1975 issue, online at time.com. Here is an excerpt:

For the first time at a Trekkies’ convention, all the TV actors were in Chicago to represent such Enterprise stalwarts as Dr. Leonard McCoy, who in one episode contracted an incurable disease and fell in love with the green high priestess of a doomed planetoid; Chief Engineer Scott ("Scotty"), for whom "relaxation is a stack of technical journals"; Lieut. Uhura, the black female communications officer who sings soprano for relaxation; and Ensign Chekov, the Russian pilot. The stars were greeted by standing ovations.