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Tim Russ and Ethan Phillips.

Mike Russ

After Kate there was a bit of a gap between guests. Bryan auctioned a few things (accompanied on stage by his rather sweet young daughter). I went and stretched my legs. When I came back the front seats had been reserved for Tim Russ's friends and family, but there were still some seats just behind. Before long the entourage arrived. Mike Russ I'd seen before in the dealer's room. My first thought on seeing him had been pretty much 'Hey, he's better looking than his brother'. Then I saw Tim in real life and took it back! (Tim minus the Tuvok hairstyling and in reality is very good looking, believe me). A woman I later confirmed was Jedda was there (though I never talked to her) and several others. Mike started filming the others, so I couldn't resist taking a few pictures. Though I did ask his permission before putting one up here! It wasn't long before Lolita came on stage to introduce Tim and Ethan.

Q: Have they got any souvenirs from the Voyager set?

E: 7 of 9. He's keeping her in his basement. In fact he's forgotten to feed her...

T: A bit of console. They were tearing it down even as they were shooting. He grabbed a bit.

E: Neelix's ladles from the mess hall. Picardo took Stage 8. It's a massive building.

Q: For Tim, what are you doing next?

I think he said 'Metal War'? Ethan is in it too.

At this point Ethan started hamming. If he looked at the big screen, then he couldn't see himself, because to look, he had to look away from the camera.... Reminded me of Max at Odyssey of course!

Q: To Tim about playing a Vulcan: did he watch Spock?

Yes. He was so central, if he didn't have some of his character, he would have been in hot water.

E: Tim was very adamant about adhering to the Vulcan culture.

T: It was all thanks to Ethan that we know about Talaxian culture.

E: 'Talaxian' sounds like a cross between cab drivers and Taxidermist. He decided that they are people who wake up in the morning and put rubber on their face.

T: All Talaxian's really look like (him? human?)

E: Neelix was a male model on Talax.

Q: Favourite episode?

E: 'Mortal Coil'. It has a wonderful message, and was well written.

T: His is not for such deep reasons. 'Future's End'. Simply because it was fun. They got to leave the set and shoot all over the city. He had a lot of laughs with Robert Duncan McNeill too.

Q: What was it like joining Star Trek?

T: Intellectually he knew what to expect but it hit home at the first convention.

E: They still don't know who he is (I think he was saying people don't recognise him without the makeup...). It's like a freight train, he's just hanging on.

At the start of Voyager Rick Berman gave the cast a lunch, including Bujold of course (I think it was Ethan who burped loudly at this point. I wouldn't like to accuse any one of doing it deliberately!) Ethan and Tim wandered away down an alley to look at the set, and also got talking and got to know each other (they had not met before). On the last day of filming the show they waited until everyone had gone and then walked down the alley together, in the other direction. (The audience broke into applause...)

Q: Why didn't Tim have the usual Vulcan hairstyle?

Because the style was for straight hair, and his is not straight. Tim did also say something about wanting to wear a wig. (Since he is now bald and goateed I think it's fair to say he didn't like the Tuvok cut!)

Q: Is Ethan going to do another cook book?

E: No. He has no more recipes. That's it.

Tim made sure that everyone in the audience knew that it's a real book, with real recipes.

E: Some terrific recipes and some bad ones.

At this point something happened that has to happen at every event... someone asked for happy birthday... And they obliged.

Q: If you could be anyone else, who would you be?

E: (Joking) You! (More seriously) Probably 7 of 9. Because, well, think about it.

T: He could fondle himself.

E: Or Odo. To be able to melt down and come back up again anywhere you want... that really appeals. Or Yoko Ono. But she was not on the show.

T: Don't know.

E: Neelix was arguably the greatest character too...

T: Yeah, yeah.

Q: What is their favourite food?

E: Talked about a Scotish pie with peas. He wasn't sure what it was called, and neither am I!

T: Pizza.

E: Favourite colour is purple, and...

T: Shut up.

Q: What was the stuff to eat on the set, and was it nice?

T: It looked bad, and it tasted bad.

E: Usually things that are easy to swallow if they were eating it on camera. The stuff that was cooked was pasta etc. Stuff that was laid out for the camera they got from ethnic markets, then 'aliened' it up. The little pots around the set were real food, but they were there for 7 years. All the guest stars had to be warned not to eat the food! In 'Fair Trade' (or was that 'Fair Haven?') one guy improvised and popped one in his mouth. They had to shut down while he recovered!

Q: How did Tim feel about playing Tuvix?

He didn't play it! Initially he thought he would play it. It would have been a hell of a job. It was a brainstorm to get a neutral person to play it. It was the right approach. If he'd played it he would automatically have been biased towards the Tuvok side.

E: ....did a great job.

T: A great job! Intense. About dialogue change… You cannot change one word without the producer's permission. It's a rude awakening for guest stars. For example you have to say 'the' instead of 'thee'.

Q: Has Tim been approached to do Book 3 in the Genesis series?

T: No, he hasn't been approached. But he could still: it happens fast.

Q: To Ethan, could he be working in England?

He could conceivably work in the UK as the spouse of his wife. Right now he's stopped from doing so by our quarantine laws, as he wouldn't be able to bring his 2 dogs (westies apparently)

T: He's very close to his dogs.

E: I had 3 children, but I asked them to leave to make way for the dogs.

Q: Will Enterprise deal with the values of Trek?

I don't have in my notes who answered this question, but I think it was Tim.

He watched a bit of the filming, otherwise he doesn't know much. He likes the prequel idea. It means the characters are self contained, not carrying on from the other series. Also, the look of the ship interior is not clean and sleek. It pre-dates Federation rules, so it will allow for an exploration of right and wrongs (how those rules might have developed).

Q: There were a lot of condescending attitudes shown to Neelix. Did Ethan ever feel it to himself?

The attitude to Neelix as a buffoon... also from Robert Beltran's character. He used to tease Robert about it. And Tuvok's dismissal... The Captain embraced him. He was a good character. He didn't deserve it. Neelix was annoying... but he had a big heart.

Homestead (spoilers...) was a wonderful moment. Tuvok was the first to greet Neelix. So the circle was closed. Grudgingly all the characters came to respect him.

Q: Just a quick question. I love the characters - but what made both of them play their characters like sissy, feminine, girlies?

Apparently there was this actor on the show when they first started... They made out they weren't quite sure who he thought he was….

T: We wanted to do like R. Duncan McNeal.

E: The Tom Paris actor... So pretty!

(in case you haven't guessed by now...) RDM: It's not Thee Tom Paris, it's Mr Tom Paris.

Ethan and Tim start calling him 'Thee Mr Tom Paris actor...'

E: So pretty. So Girly...

I don't think it really comes across on paper, but for me this was a pretty amazing moment. They were totally laying into each other, yet it was all in fun. I found myself getting tear in my eye, not just because I was laughing, but because suddenly I realised that I was seeing not just one of the people who's show I'd loved, but a whole group of them relaxing and having fun together. It certainly must have been mad on that set at times...

Q: Do they see the other actors?

T: He and Ethan went paragliding.

E: A short-lived hobby. In the magazine the Obit section was longer than the articles. Tim had a bad landing. It's a problem because you can't limp on Trek. If you had a limp in the 24th century the Doctor would fix it up.

T: They don't socialise very much. Everyone is very busy.

E: They saw each other so much on the set...

T: he sleeps with his doll sometimes...

Q: For some reason the episode 'Blood Fever' came up. But I didn't quite catch the reference, and I think maybe they didn't either! Anyway, the rest of the question was about if it is different being directed by someone who is a cast member, compared to a full time director.

T: It's more relaxed with actors. They know the routine.

E: There are lots of shortcuts. Like with LeVar... no bullshit.

T: Speaking the same language.

Q: About Homestead (spoilers) Why was there a colony of Talaxians so far from Talax?

E: After the cascade, the group left, then they kept getting booted out and kept going further and further.

T: Don't want to bring Ethan any more... (Cracks up)

Ethan announced that there would be an auction later, including 1 of 12 hairs from Robert Picardo's head.

Ethan and Tim then performed a 'lost script' for us. It was set on the Star ship Voyeur (sounds familiar...) and featured characters such as 'Two Socks', 'Mr Kleenex', 'Mr Bare-ass' and 'The Pornographic Doctor'. Apparently it was written by Tim. I don't think it was as good as 'The Ferengi Family Hour', though perhaps it's not fair to compare a full performance to a brief reading... but it was fun. As often happens though the funniest part was when things went wrong and one of them totally fluffed his lines and then kept fluffing them... he commented 'I feel like Robert Beltran!'

Q: Funniest thing on Voyager?

E: Casting Tim... (More seriously) Tim's dream scene.

Tim talked a little about this. He said the cast held it together about 5 seconds when he came in. He also indicated the size of the prop, putting his hand just under his knee.

E: The scene in 'Tatoo' when Chakotay has his back to the camera. TPTB realised that they had a PG rated show, and that they were showing someone's butt crack. So they erased it. Then they realised that looked silly. So they had to put it back in artificially!

Ethan also cited Tourette syndrome as the reason for showing his butt crack.

Q: About Jennifer Lien leaving the show...

T: The show started with her. The hardest was the show where she leaves. It was very tough. She's a marvellous actress. She had other things she wanted to pursue and producers wanted to change the character.

E: Things change, evolve...

Q: (Spoilers for Homestead) About the characters going separate ways…

E: Addressed earlier... The end of Homestead was an astounding gift from a Vulcan. It gave Neelix the knowledge of Tuvok's respect and affection.

T: They had a lot of storylines together. It was a very fulfilling end. It was special because Neelix left before the end. (Because then he got individual attention, not being part of the final wind-up)

E: Neelix's feelings towards Tuvok were very (loving?). Never really defined. (Someone in the audience shouted out something...). In his mind he was shagging him. That's why Neelix was so knackered.

Jackie Edwards and Tim Gaskill

Next on the line-up was Patrick Stewart's personal assistant, Jackie Edwards. She introduced herself, then told us what she knew about the 10th Trek film (spoilers). There's only 2 things she knows about it: Janeway's in it, and Picard does not die.

Then she opened things up for questions... and there was a deathly silence. In fact she commented that it was going to be a very short Q&A if someone didn't ask something! Well, the rest of the weekend I was too busy writing my notes, but at that point I was free! So I got up, and couldn't decide which mike to go for since they had one either side of the hall, and I was in the middle! Finally I did the sensible thing and took the other option. That being the nearest mike: the one Jackie was holding. She held it down from the stage for me. I asked her, since it was a Voyager Con, and I'd heard she worked with some of the Voyager actors, had she got any stories about them she could tell us?

Bad picture...

Jackie said she had indeed worked with several of the Voyager actors: Roxann, Beltran, Robbie...

She said something about Robbie and dancing. She is not 'Grace'. (I'm not sure if Grace is actually her middle name, but she was saying that she is not graceful) Patrick had bought her a bicycle to ride about the Paramount lot. She fell off outside stage 8, loudly enough to ruin the take that was being filmed inside. Robbie came out and offered to kick the bike. Apparently its something he does for his kids.

Q: Does Patrick have any bad habits?

He bites his nails. So does Jackie.

Then Jackie remembers the ATM story (I think she was saying that Patrick can be a bit naive...) The first year doing the show he was driving around LA and stopped at an ATM to draw out some money. Of course he'd heard stories. A guy cruised by in his car... then cruised back again… and got out... He was a big, burly, scary looking black guy. Anyway, this guy comes up, and says 'I love LA! Only in LA would you see Captain Picard drawing money out!

She also mentioned the episode where Picard ages. It made her realise that she wouldn't want to work for Patrick when he's 85 - he really gets into a role!

But those are not really bad habits...

Q: Is it true Patrick loves football?

Yes. (Jackie didn't know the team though and had to be told it was Huddersfield).

Q: Would he be playing Doctor Xavier again in the next X-Men film?

Yes, he will be in it, but they don't have the script yet.

Q: Do scripts for him go through Jackie, and what is the most ridiculous one sent?

They get about 10 a week. They go to an assistant in the production company (Flying Freehold?). Some are passed on. The Western that Patrick was in was a script that was sent in.

Q: Is Patrick's cat still living with Jackie? (The pets question: anyone else beginning to think there were people going up to the mike asking the same question to every guest? Though to be fair, this one was more specific...)

Jackie told us about his cat Bella. Apparently she's jealous and hisses at people she doesn't like, so now Patrick is married she only gets to live with him on location, and with Jackie the rest of the time.

Sorry Jackie!

One time Patrick was going to have a big dinner party, and Jackie was supposed to get her looking good for it. Bella liked to drink from the pool, and when Jackie went to get her, she startled her and Bella fell in. She got out fine, but ran straight up on the roof and refused to come down. So when Patrick got home she was still there and looking very wet... Later at the party, Brent Spiner said 'I think she was pushed'.

Q: About the episode where he is interrogated: did he gear up for it in any way?

He always reads up. His big charity is Amnesty. So it was a sort of benefit show for that. Amnesty got a flood of response, as they had a by-line on the credits of the show.

Q: What was Patrick's reaction to getting a Knighthood?

He got an OBE. He was so excited. He never thought he would because he made more on American TV. He also just got an honorary doctorate from an American university. It was the best week of his life.

Jackie then gave us the contact details for Patrick. It's basically the same address as for all the actors...

Patrick Stewart 
C/O Paramount
5555 Melrose Place 
Los Angeles 
California 
90038

She said that they are currently backed up, and not to expect a reply until October. Also send a picture and stamps. And a reply envelope. If she can just stick it under Patrick's nose, then stick it in an envelope without having to address one, then you will get an answer much faster.

Q: How did Jackie get the job?

Tim Gaskill

Through luck. She worked with Gene in production (I think she said...). He called and said he needed help. A year later Patrick called her again.

99% of the time it's a great job. All jobs suck sometimes.

Q: How much time does she spend with Patrick?

It depends how much he is in LA. Usually she spends two weeks with him if he is on location, then she has to return to LA to keep things running there. If he does his own production, then she's there the whole time.

Q: Is he planning any appearances?

No, he's not free. Working in a play is very intensive and he likes his time off. (Jackie seemed quite apologetic saying this...) But he is planning a get together for his fan club members.

Tim Gaskill followed Jackie, but I had things to do. I stayed to get a couple of photos, and listened to the first question: he explained that StarTrek.com doesn't have more on 'Enterprise', because Paramount hasn't given it to them. It depends on them. I believe he was going to play a long 'Enterprise' promo, but I wasn't really too bothered about missing it. I know I'll give the show a try, so they don't need to advertise it to me!

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