3-day mission explores world of Star Trek fans
12.07.2007, 14:16
Capt. Kirk and Mr. Spock are beaming down here this weekend.
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Actors William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy are headlining Creation Entertainment's "Salute to Star Trek" convention this weekend at the Crowne Plaza Hotel here.
The stars will be on hand Sunday for pictures, autographs and to participate in a question-and-answer session with their hard-core fans.
Other actors and actresses from the popular series will be at the three-day convention, which began Friday.
Suzie Plakson played four different characters in three of the different "Star Trek" series. As a guest star in all of her roles, Plakson said she is best known for playing K'Ehleyr in "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Despite being a part of the "Star Trek" world for a short time, she feels she understands the Trekkies' obsession.
"Star Trek" fans "are very passionate, very loyal -- very sweet and very kind," Plakson said.
Plakson pays her own way to these conventions and is on her own to sell her merchandise and make a profit.
"It's a business thing," she said.
Like Plakson, countless "Star Trek" fans come to these conventions to sell their own memorabilia, posters, pictures and more from the show and other popular sci-fi shows like "Battlestar Gallactica" and "Dr. Who."
Some fans prefer to hoard, others have second thoughts.
"We started to take a few items home every week and just accumulated a bunch," Greg Kadlub said. "We got so much, that we just decided to sell them at shows."
Kadlub, who shares the collection of memorabilia with his wife, says he makes hundreds of dollars a day, and use median auction prices on eBay as a basis for determining the price of each item.