After an hour of hopping from bus to bus, I finally arrived at my 
destination, the Regal Constellation Hotel... Toronto Trek 9. Following
the several con(short for convention) goers that were on the bus, I
drifted through the airy lobby of the hotel to the registration desk.
After I picked up my con membership, program and a pocket schedule(a
definite must!), I walked down the sun-lit corridor and entered my first
Toronto Trek convention. The hallway in front of the Dealer's Room was
bustling with activity. Interspersed among the crowd were Klingons, Star
Fleet personnel of all ranks, Vulcans, Bajorans, Cardassians and a Trill
or two. And these are only the races from Star Trek! Also among the crowd
were an incarnation of Dr Who with the trademark red question marks on his
shirt collar, some Babylon 5 people, a couple of Centauri(also from the
show Babylon 5), several other types of aliens to which I could not put a
name and assorted vampires(also known as Knighties- fans of the show
Forever Knight).


     Dazzled by the vast array of costumes, I wandered into the Dealer's
Room. The Dealer's Room was set up in the ballroom and it was filled with
a wide spectrum of items, enough to make a collector's heart skip a beat.
They ranged from the weird(a full sized Alien mask from the film of the
same name), to the rare(Star Wars figures and vehicles in varying conditions
and prices), to the totally out of place(a Dukes Of Hazzard figure?). After
losing several hours in the Dealer's Room, I finally tore myself away from
the interesting trinkets like a pin which says "Set phasers on pun" or a
twenty-fifth anniversary twelve-pack of Daleks(Dr Who's nemesis).


     After I escaped from the Dealer's Room, I found my way to a discussion
room on Klingon Culture and Society. It turned out that Klingon Society is
a melding between feudal Japan and an extended family. It was a very
informal session where the Klingons who ran the discussion talked for a bit
and then answered questions from the audience. After the session ended, a
friend and I started to talk to a Klingon about nuances from the original
Star Trek and Klingon metabolism. Other Klingons were collecting names for
a petition against the death of Lursa and B'Etor in Star Trek Generations
and to call for their roles to return.


     Not long after the Klingon Culture and Society discussion, I came
across the art exhibit. The art varied from a crystal Klingon sword to
cartoon spoofs of television shows like The X-Files[The (Se)X-Files]. There
was also a wide selection of fantasy art(i.e. dragons, elves, and other
things), and several models and sculptures. The models came from a variety
of sources in the science fiction world. Among these models I saw a Star
Destroyer (Star Wars), K9(a robotic dog who was a companion for the fourth
Dr. Who) and several ships from the Star Trek universe. Also on display was
a life size shuttlecraft model from Star Trek The Next Generation. The model
was very detailed and skillfully recreated from the show by a fan club.


     On the last day of the con, I went about the task of collecting
autographs from the stars who appeared at Toronto Trek 9. I thought that
this task would be monumental considering that I wanted the autographs of
Tim Russ(Tuvok on Star Trek Voyager, Mira Furlan(Ambassador Delenn from
Babylon 5), Majel Barrett Roddenbury(Nurse Chapel from Star Trek, Lwaxana
Troi from Star Trek The Next Generation and Star Trek Deep Space 9), Timothy
Zahn(author of a Star Wars trilogy) and Edward Burrell, who worked on the
make-up for the series Babylon 5. Amazingly enough, the lines moved quicker
than I imagined. In roughly an hour and a half, I had gotten all the
autographs that I wanted. I also managed to catch Majel Barrett
Roddenberry's talk. Her talk was funny and very interesting. She shared
stories about her life and career. She also entertained questions from the
audience on her experiences and what the future held for her character on
Star Trek, and for her own career. After receiving her autograph, I chanced
upon the table where a new Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy magazine
called Parsec was being launched. This magazine features interviews with
people in the movie and television industries as well as science fiction
stories. 


     Overall, I definitely enjoyed Toronto Trek 9. It was a great way to
spend a weekend. I definitely recommend going to Toronto Trek 10, which is
all ready in the works. Even if you can only go for the day, it is
definitely worth your while!




Tips For Conning


1) Go to the con with your friends. As the saying goes, "the more the 
   merrier".


2) If possible, stay at the hotel where the con is. Either split a room
   with your friends(there is usually a discount if you mention the con
   when making your reservations), or volunteer to work at the con. This
   year at Toronto Trek 9, if you volunteered eight hours of work, you
   were allowed access to the Crash Space(a room set aside for people to
   sleep in). The eight hours could easily be spread over the weekend.
   Staying at the hotel allows more access to the events going on at the
   con.


3) When you register at the con, you receive an event schedule. READ IT!
   A definite must! Take five minutes to look it over before you plunge
   into the exciting world of the con. You might(and probably will) find
   things that you really want to see.


4) Talk to other conners! All of the conners I spoke to were quite friendly
   and interesting. You will hear great stories and groan at the terrible
   puns- all you have to do is say hello.


5) Enjoy. You are entering a realm where the unusual is commonplace, puns
   roam free and people share their visions of worlds past, present and
   future.

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