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'Odyssey' at Heathrow, England, 4-7 May 2001

All photos and text in this report are copyright © Rowan Green. Please do not link to them or publish elsewhere in any form without permission. You are welcome to download for personal use, and to link to my main page.

End of the Saturday Q & A's!!!

Well, I finally staggered out of the main hall. Not sure what was more urgent: loo, coffee or food. Anyway, I finally met up with James in the lobby! We were both very relieved! From then on there were a few hours to kill before things got going again. I can't remember the exact ordering of events, but… We wandered round looking for a place to get proper coffee (apparently the coffee machine at McDonald's was dead). The polo lounge had bar stools with saddles on. Made me cringe, though I have to admit to also being tempted, as it is so long since I have ridden. Really must get round to going riding… Anyway, then we found out there was a convention buffet/canteen, so we got coffee and a sandwich there. James had to go join the autograph queue…I had a quick spin round the dealers room…got introduced by James to a dealer he knew…watched most of a Xena episode as well. I would have spent more time in the dealer's room, but they were packing up! Note to convention organisers: if there is going to be a lull in the program, it would be good for the dealer's room to be open. Kept going back too to check my own place in the autograph queue. There was a schedule for different groups for the two days, but, guess what, I was an orange, for which the schedule just said to 'listen for announcements'. In other words, might be called Saturday, might be Sunday… James wanted to get in early for 'The Family Hour' so we could get a front seat, so he was getting anxious. Finally, I was able to establish that even if my group was called, I'd be able to join a later group on Sunday if I wanted. That suited me, since I wanted to go to the Sunday photo session, so me and James could head upstairs.

We were first in the queue outside the main hall, though we were soon joined by another woman. It seemed that autographs were running late, so the play would be put back too. So after a while the doors were opened so those of us waiting could go in. Not without debate though: even as they let us in, the stewards were debating whether we should be kept outside. For a minute the small crowd waited just inside the entrance, then the three of us decided to get our table while we waited for the final verdict. We sat down at a table near to the one where various convention staff were sitting. We stayed there as the rest were ushered back out. We were sort of waiting to be asked to go out… but nobody said anything…and we might have lost our place in the queue if we'd gone. So we stayed…and still no-one asked us to leave. It was almost as if we were invisible, though James reckoned one of the stewards still at the hall door had looked at him and said something about him by name.

We chatted and I nearly got my script out to show James. We couldn't believe we were still there as the cast arrived one by one, walking straight past us. In fact we were getting quite uncomfortable…

'Maybe we should just go…'

'Nah…they'll tell us if they want to leave…'

As they started to rehearse part of the show…

'I don't like spoilers….'

'Well, you know how much I hate them…but this is just too good…'

It felt weird sitting there watching them. I offered again to get my script out for my tablemates to read as something to do besides sitting there. Then I realised we were ten feet away from Lolita Fatjo and there was no way getting my script out then was going to make me feel more comfortable…

Anyway, sorry but no dirt! Especially since we probably shouldn't have been there…and it was a very smooth rehearsal anyway! Chase did the whole run-through sitting at the edge of the stage as she got her make-up done (partly by herself and partly by an artist). The director (Armin's wife Kitty) gave a few stage directions…blah, blah, blah. It was amazing being there though, just like getting a set visit. It was great to see people who obviously understand each other very well, working as a team. I felt truly privileged to be there.

As time went by we could hear the sound of the crowd waiting outside getting louder, and our smugness increased. Finally people were let in, and it was time for 'The Ferengi Family Hour'. The dance floor had been put out in front of the tables, and they had people sit on the floor there. They were in front of us of course…but we'd decided to keep our front table.

The play about how the Ferengi family end up on present day earth visiting Disneyland, and goes on from there, with lots of songs along the way. I'd heard that they re-write it for each event, and sure enough, there were jokes about the Millennium Dome and mad cow disease ('It's not called mad cow disease now…it's foot and mouth.' Rom: 'That's OK, I've already got foot in mouth disease…) Since Cecily Adams (Moogie) didn't make it, Lolita took her part, and was rather good in it I have to say! Top marks for managing a part that is very much someone else's, and without the makeup! One song was about the absence of Quark, and played with a cardboard cut out.

Then they went on to do a bit of DS9. This was the bit we saw being rehearsed. Apparently it was some stuff that got filmed/nearly got filmed, but never made it onto the screen. In it Rom's ex/Nog's mother turns up (also played by Lolita of course…) Not only was it the 1st time 'The Family Hour' had been performed in Europe, it was also the first time Armin was at the same convention and able to take part. So we got to see Armin as Quark! He came on with a tray of glasses…and immediately started dropping them. And once he started, he ended up dropping them all! Of course, he'd had no problem in rehearsal….Anyway, it was excellent. Definitely something well worth seeing if you get the chance.

Afterwards James said he wanted to try and catch Chase. He'd said he'd introduce me, so I was really looking forward to this moment! I spotted her talking intently to someone on the stage, so we headed over. In fact she was talking so intently that apparently she didn't notice us… Anyway, James decided to be cheeky and got up on stage and hovered while I hovered at ground level. Finally he got his turn, and I got to turn into a dork as he introduced me… For one thing I felt weird down on the floor with them towering above me! I said so, and got up, and Chase said sorry! I mumbled something about having a website. Chase listened attentively, smiled, and was nice back, then she asked James about some stuff he had for her to sign, apparently continuing an earlier conversation. She told him to bring it to her soon. That was it: she went off to talk to someone else. I don't know what I really expected, but it was almost an anticlimax, she was just so relaxed and 'normal'.

The fancy dress was due to start, but by then it was getting late, and I had a long journey home. So I had to drag myself away just as it was starting. Outside the hall the contestants had formed a queue: a Bajoran Kia, an impressive Ferengi woman, a TOS era Klingon, plus various aliens from other series. It was very hard leaving…

The journey was quite fun. I was amused by a group of very friendly drunks and a man with a large loudspeaker who turned out to be a preacher. I have a suspicion that he probably was a recovering alcoholic or something. Certainly he seemed perfectly at ease with the company and told us we were all sinners in the nicest possible way. I arrived home, downloaded my photos, logged onto the Internet briefly. I don't know exactly when I got to bed, but I think it was about 2 am, and I had trouble getting to sleep, I was so hyped…

More pictures from 'The Ferengi Family Hour'.

Sunday

Next day, my alarm was set for 6.30 am so I could get to the event in time for the photo session. I was eager to be out, but not feeling my best, since it was actually not my first night lacking in sleep. I quickly typed and printed out my web/e-mail addresses…and then left them on the printer when I headed out the door. Sigh.

I was a bit late leaving, but I grabbed something to eat and did my makeup on the tube, arriving about 20 past nine. I bought my photo tickets at the desk and headed for the Buffy group session.

The Radison has a beautiful central courtyard. It's glassed over, and from the main court a series of balconies and terraces rise up the side of, and over, an artificial waterfall. The pictures were taken with everyone in front of this waterfall. While waiting everyone sat on chairs around the court, moving up every few seconds as people took their turn. They had quite a rhythm going:

'One, two, three, click…pause…one, two, three, click….

Well, until a couple of people ahead of me when someone got Tony giggling. Did I say that Tony is adorable when he giggles? Anyway, he was totally cracking up, and doubled up. I think there were suggestions of bottom touching…. Anyway, he was still having trouble keeping it together when I got there, but I am not complaining! I wanted to have him giggling in my picture! Anyway, they (Tony, Harry, Robin, and for this session, Armin) welcomed me into the group. The photographer felt it necessary to take it twice: I'm not sure why, but I just hoped that he chose the right one to print! I can't remember what exactly they said to me, but it was friendly and fun.

Then there was more wandering time, including another look around the dealer's room, before it was time for the Star Trek group session. I nearly bought a Janeway/Chakotay t-shirt. Not because I'm a J/Cer, but because it was funny. Sadly, the stall had packed up when I went back later. (I've since seen that the same artist is doing the t-shirt for the Voyager: The Return convention though). I met up with James again and we went looking for coffee. We ended up in the hotel breakfast room. And I ended up getting toast, jam, orange juice and coffee for free. Naughty, I know… James went off to his room while I went to the next photo session: he was going to have some more taken with Chase, but the individual sessions were scheduled after the group.

Another quick spin around the dealer's room, and then it was time for the Star Trek group session. Another session in the chairs. Now it turned out that they were doing individuals at the same time. I was a bit worried that James would miss it, then I saw that he had joined the queue at the back. Now I have to admit that the session wasn't wholly positive for me. Sure, they greeted me warmly enough, but then started talking among themselves. Chase put an arm around my shoulder, and leant into me, meanwhile talking out of the corner of her mouth to the others. Apparently someone had annoyed them by totally ignoring them while posing with them. At the end of my turn, as I walked away I added my own comment, that they should 'ignore them', but the irony was, I ended up feeling a little ignored myself. Looking back though I think I may have been a bit over sensitive. After all, while they may not have been looking at me while they were talking, and I missed the eye contact, they weren't looking at each other either. They were looking at the camera and posing. I guess it was really just another example of the ease they have with each other. You might even argue that it was a sign of openness that they talked like that in front of me. I don't think there was any intention to exclude me. Something to think about: or maybe we shouldn't be psychoanalysing their every move quite so much…Anyway, once more, the photographer took the picture twice…

It was soon time to head back to the main hall. James wasn't sure he wanted to go to something called 'The Business meeting'. To be honest, I'd assumed it was some other group the hotel had also booked into the hall… but we heard that something else had been rescheduled first, and decided to once more get a front seat by being there early. So we found ourselves in the business meeting after all, and I'm glad we did, because it turned out to be

PRETTY IMPORTANT STUFF

I'm not going to give a blow-by-blow account. Lets just say if you've done Student Union politics then you should have a pretty good idea. But I will try and give some of the background, and some of the issues raised for the future.

Twenty years or more ago, setting up a Trek convention was a very risky business. People needed to put money up front to book venues, guest etc. Guests wouldn't come without attendees, and attendees wouldn't come unless there were guests. And sometimes two cons would be scheduled at the same time, ending up in competition. Since it was private, ordinary people putting up the money, there were cases where people lost their houses when a con failed. So they set up a system where meetings would be held at conventions where people would be able to bid to hold a con on the popular bank holiday weekends. If there were more than one bid, then the organisers who lost the vote would agree not to hold their con within a month of the date. This voluntary system has been running quite successfully for many years. I've got to say, I was spellbound to hear of such wonderful co-operation! I even got up to the mike to say so, though it meant me looking ignorant for not having heard of it before!

Sadly, the system is showing signs of failing. There were no minutes from the last con, since that had been Hawaii 5 O(?) which had failed…and the minutes from the previous official con had disappeared. Then no bids were put forward for the weekends on offer… The chairman found himself having to propose that the system be closed down…

Anyway, the issue was further debated, and it was felt that there would have to be a new system for new times, though no one was quite sure what that would be. Issues were the growing number of cons for other shows, which might need to be included in some way (let's face it, though officially a Trek con, Odyssey had a lot of Buffy guests, and a lot of Buffy fans attending). There was also discussion of ways of communicating in a world in which the Internet was by far the easiest method, but not accessible to some people. One suggestion was that an independently run calendar be set up, to make sure that organisers could try and avoid clashes.

Another issue also discussed was a website to list guest's bookings (subject to work commitments of course), so avoiding the problem of people claiming to have booked guest when they actually haven't. Apparently several actors had been approached about it and were enthusiastic. After all, it's not good for their reputations if fans turn up to see them and are disappointed.

Finally it was decided to hold a further meeting to discuss the issues. This will probably be at 'Voyager: The Return', but is to be confirmed. As I remember it, Wolf, Supernova, Section 31 and Pages all agreed to advertise the meeting in various forms, including on websites and sending out e and snail mails. The meeting will be open to anyone to attend, including people not going to the con in question. Contact the organisers if you want to arrange to get in just for the meeting…

I for one hope that this wonderful and admirable system will be able to continue in some form.

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