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By the time I arrived at slightly after 4pm Pages was already buzzing. I caught up with a few people I'd met before, and found Piper and James from the ORB. They are both sweeties - and James is just as willing to talk about Chase in real life as he is on the board…. Even better, thanks to them, I got a seat! One thing I did notice was that there was a more noticeable security presence than at other events I have been to. Having said that, things did get quite wild as the evening progressed, and might have got out of hand without it.
First thing on the agenda of course was the photo session. I ended up near the back of the queue, but it moved fast, and it was not long before it was my turn. Marina was looking great in a strapless black dress and with her hair lose (she had it clipped back at the museum). Her eyes were chestnut brown - I guess the Troi black eyes were contact lenses. I did ask if she remembered me, and when I said where I think she did. I still don't know if she knew what the laughing was about though! For the photos Marina was not doing the 'hands round shoulders' bit, but maybe it shouldn't be a surprised. After all, as I've said before, I find putting arms around a total stranger on first meeting a little strange, and Marina is a fellow Brit. It is part of our culture to keep more physical space than many others. Any impression of stand-offish-ness was quickly dispelled though. The photographer pointed out that my bra strap was showing, and Marina very kindly tucked it in for me with a clucky 'There you go...' It was a lovely, relaxed gesture.
There was then a long wait until the Q and A at 7, during which Marina went off for a meal. As more people arrived the bar filled up, becoming quite a crush. I was feeling a little claustrophobic, so I went for a walk. The streets were quite empty: it's amazing how dead many parts of London can be at certain times. I made sure I got back in plenty of time though. There was time for a bit of a chat and to watch a few videos. Then Marina came in to rapturous applause. She posed for those who wanted to take photos for several minutes, then the Q and A started.
Marina is nothing like Troi. She talks a little like the character of Daphne in Frazier, but Marina is both wilder and sexier. She has a sarcastic sense of humour, is very down to earth, and handles drunken hecklers (of which there were quite a few) with the skill and style of an experienced barmaid. She's also, as I've said before, stunningly beautiful and has bags of class.
She started off by telling us how she was feeling rather too full after the meal she'd just had. She'd asked them to take her for fish and chips, and once at the shop, had ended up getting spam fritters, chips and mushy peas, followed by trifle… of course her weight was now mainly in her stomach. She also mentioned hearing about another actress who'd had nothing but steamed spinach for dinner. She clearly thought that was taking healthy eating a little too far!
She was in mourning for Spurs (the Tottenham team), who'd been beaten by Charlton Athletic earlier in the day. She said that a while back, when David Ginola had been for sale, she'd really wished she'd had the £3 million asking price!
She also said that if people shouted out nasty things then she might have to hit them. When someone commented that some people might enjoy that, she said that in that case she'd have to do (ominously) 'things that you won't enjoy'.
Then it was time for the first question: someone had heard she was going to appear on 'Casualty'? It was also time for the first heckle, as someone yelled out a question about having sex with Worf. Marina said 'There always has to be one doesn't there?' before confirming that she had indeed had a meeting about appearing on 'Casualty', and if it happens she'll be coming back to the UK in a couple of weeks. She seemed very enthusiastic about it. To my surprise she then answered the heckler, stating very firmly that she has never had sex with Michael Dorn, though not for want of him trying for years.
(After note: She has since dropped out of appearing at the Galaxy Ball, due to 'professional commitments'. The timing fits with the possible 'Casualty' job).
She noticed the model of the Enterprise hanging from the ceiling. Having a good look, she commented that it was 'our' Enterprise, the 'good' Enterprise.
Heckler: The one you crashed!
Marina: Yes, the one I crashed. (I think it was at this point that she
talked about how they never let her fly the ship when anybody important
was on it…)
Heckler: Woman driver!
Marina: That planet came out of nowhere! Honest!
Q: She's recently appeared on Earth: Final Conflict and Stargate SG1. Did she have to audition?
She didn't audition for EFC, but she did for Stargate. She was surprised she got it, as she had to do a Russian accent. She's been learning to do accents with her voice coach, but when she got to the audition she found there were lots of real Russians there. Then on the first day of filming they actually asked her if she could tone down the accent, as they couldn't understand what she was saying. Someone asked if she had learnt any Russian? She said no, except for 'Niet'… a few odd words.
Q: An inquiry about Troi's Southern Californian accent.
Troi was originally conceived of as vaguely foreign, and Marina wasn't as bitchy at the time… She digressed to talk about how apparently there are no French men with French accents in the 24th century. She reckons the Channel Tunnel is a plot to infiltrate France and wipe them out… they asked her to do a 'Betazed accent'(as if…), so she made one up. Of course, then they brought in Troi's mother and father, both of who were obviously from the American sector of Betazed… (looks pained), so she decided Troi would gradually get more American.
At this point she stopped to move the official video man. Apparently he was filming her in profile and she thinks her nose is too big! Personally I think her nose is elegant and perfectly fits her face, but I guess it's true what they say about nobody really believing they're beautiful.
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Q: What's the strangest thing she's ever had to act?
The amphibian in 'Genisis'. 'I may be called Marina, but I'm not Aqua Marina. I hate water.' Then there was the mud bath. Now most people would think of spa mud… (someone shouts out 'mud wrestling'), but, yes, she was pretty sure it was wrestling mud. What's more, she thought it was used wrestling mud… there were mysterious bits in it. She hates to think what was going on under that mud. It was disgusting.
Someone shouted out a suggestion that Troi mud-wrestle with Seven of Nine. Marina invited him to hold out his hand… and slapped it.
Q: Was she happy with how Troi had developed?
Yes, though there were some questions left unanswered, like what were here hobbies, what would her holo-program have been, and she'd of liked to have seen more of Betazed. She loved how Troi had become funny in the movies. She'd been trying to play her funny for years, and they kept telling her 'No, Marina, don't do that. Troi's not funny.' She also liked going back to the old Troi on Voyager. The only thing she had worried about was would the spacesuit still fit? Apparently her husband tried to reassure her by saying 'Don't worry Honey, they can always let it out.' (pained look - I think I'm right in saying she is actually slimmer these days…).
Q: What did she think about the Monica Lewinsky affair?
She got asked this question on the American show, 'Politically Incorrect'. She asked the interviewer if he thought Clinton was the most powerful man in the world? When he replied yes, she said 'Well, if the most powerful man in the world can't get a blow job when he wants, who can? It should be part of the job description'.
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Q: How is her dog? Is he still alive?
Yes, though he's 10 now and nearly blind. He's called Skilaki (Greek for 'dog'), and is a 5 pound miniature Yorkshire Terrier. But he thinks he's much bigger and attacks bigger dogs. She keeps trying to tell him his name means 'appetiser' in Rotweiler. She also mentioned that Brent once tried to microwave him.
(According to reports I've read from the Galaxy Ball, Dorn and Frakes claimed responsibility for the microwave incident, I guess either I missheard or maybe it was a group effort...)
Q: How would she rate her thespian abilities against Patrick Stewarts?
There is no comparison. On a scale of 1-10 he's a 15. He's had 15 years (I think?) with the Royal Shakespeare company, where as she's only worked with them a bit. But then she is a lot younger…
Q: About character development on Voyager…
There hasn't really been any because she's hardly been on it. Though she has done another episode that 'hasn't been shown yet' (I thought this was a reference to 'Lifeline', which had not yet been shown on TV in the UK at the time. However I have since heard a rumour that she's in a season 7 episode). She thinks her character wasn't really essential for the plot, and was brought on largely for ratings. Someone then shouts out something about her legs, which she obligingly displays.
Q: What was her most enjoyable episode?
'A Fistful of Datas'. They shot it at Warner Bros, as they didn't have cowboy sets at Paramount. Michael Dorn had to teach her how to hold a gun properly (mimes holding a gun like she's afraid of it). It was a lot of fun.
Q: Are there any series past present or future that she would like to be on?
'Law and Order', and 'Frasier'. Pauses to try and think of a past series… and decides on 'Coronation Street'. (Hmm… maybe someone should tell her 'Corrie' is still on…)
Q: Something about the movies…
The biggest part gets the biggest pay packet, and she's quite happy about that. She only had to come in for a couple of weeks, while Patrick was there the whole time. In fact she probably got paid more per word than he did.
Q: How does she feel about Internet porn, especially when people put peoples heads on nude bodies?
She doesn't have a computer at home, though her husband has one at work, and sometimes tells her what's going on. She finds it weird that anyone would want to do that, but doesn't really care. Some of the bodies are quite nice though…
Q: Is it true that she's going to be in series 5?
She hasn't heard anything (though she looks very interested!) She goes on to speculate that if she was in it she might get to be a captain. She always wanted to be the Captain. (At this point in my notes I have the phrase 'getting leg waxed'. I have no idea what that is meant to remind me of. I guess my notes are not perfect!) She also talked about 'The Throne' (captain's chair), and how at the start of the movies it had been really high up, but they'd managed to get it reduced by the end…
Q: Is she still trying to marry off Michael Dorn?
Yes, she is still taking applications. Qualifications required are cooking ability and big boobies. After a pause she adds that the person should also be female.
Q: Did she get in trouble for giving away the date of Patrick Stewarts wedding?
Not really. In fact she went to it a few weeks before. Patrick looked ridiculously happy. Dorn was heckling him.
Q: Was she glad to finally get a Starfleet uniform?
Yes she was! Did the audience know the history? (She rattled this off at a rate of knots, so my notes may have got confused) Well, first of all there was the cosmic cheerleader look with the hair band. That was actually her own hair before she got it straightened (this surprised me as I'd heard she wore a wig on the show, but I'd always thought that was the wig and the later straight hair was the real thing…). Then there was the ugly grey spacesuit and 'bun head' look. She was a stone heavier at the time, and it had a lighter band at the waist... Believe it or not, she was originally intended to be the brainy woman on the show. But then they lost Gates and Crosby. Suddenly she got a cleavage. And of course, you can't have a cleavage and a brain. So she started working out 'like Edina on Ab Fab'.
She also talked about the green dress with the crooked neckline. Apparently it was a pain as it was actually a leotard with a skirt sewn on, so she had to take the whole thing off to go to the bathroom. They also invented the 'Industrial Strength Starfleet Regulation Brassier' for her. Apparently other women would see her come on set as herself, then come out in costume and go 'I want one of them!' So now virtually every woman in Trek wears one.
Then they had the episode with Captain Jelicho. And they said to themselves 'hey, she looks good in that. We could have saved ourselves some money all these years.' Actually the uniform wasn't even made for her. It was one they had for extras. (Someone shouts out 'you might have got killed!'). 'No, it wasn't red…'
Q: Has she kept anything?
Yes, she has a few bits. She has the regular uniform and the lilac one, and the chair (like a director's one) with her name on it. She tried to take one of the chairs from observation (?), but they stopped her at the door with it.
Q: What was it like working with the Voyager crew?
She didn't really work with them except for the Doctor.
Q: Is it true she hated it when the show ended? What did she find attractive about it? Wasn't it gruelling?
She wanted the check! They laughed for seven years. Also, she got the show 6 months after she went to the States, so at the time she didn't know many people. The cast were like family. She kept hoping they'd call her back.
She went on to talk a little about 'Deep Sleep 9' (friendly boos from the audience…) which she admitted did get much better as it went on… I get the impression she liked the episodes with 'Dornie' in them. She also talked about Voyager (to more friendly boos!). Apparently she considers the Voyager crew 'Not the sharpest knives in the drawer.' (Heckler - 'Woman driver!') The Borg know how to get to the Alpha Quadrant right? She can't see they can't do what they did: program the Borg to fall asleep all at once, get a map off them and go home. And of course, they've go Seven of Nine now… (Note: I think Marina's comments about the other series were very much in the vein of 'My dad's bigger than your dad', and I think everyone in the audience took them that way. It's obvious that she's very fond of the Trek world in general).
Q: Does she miss England?
Yes, except yesterday. She'd got a travel card and was travelling around on it, but she forgot about the tube at 11pm (note: licensing laws mean that most pubs and bars close at 11, so that's when all the drunks head for public transport). There was a very large, scary woman near to her, so she was hiding her head behind a book and hoping no one talked to her. She'd have got a taxi if she'd remembered, but 'once you've got a travel card you want to make the most of it, don't you?'
Q: How did she avoid visible panty line in the tight costume?
She didn't wear any.
The conversation then turned back to Ginola and football. Someone called out 'what's it like supporting the 3rd best team in London? To which she replied 'Ask me at the end of the season'.
Q: Does empathy give Troi the ability to state the obvious?
'Take a ticket behind Patrick!' Now if she gets lines like 'I sense he's hiding something' then she refuses to say them and raises hell to get a re-write. One time in a scene where she had a line like that Patrick replied 'We know that, you stupid woman' then went and hid behind Brent. She told him 'I don't know what good you think hiding behind him's going to do. He hasn't got super-human strength in real life you know…'
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Q: Did she prepare for the role?
Yes she spoke to a psychologist, and found out that the way Troi worked meant she was a Freudian. She also subscribed to 'Psychology Today'. (It turned out this question was asked by a psychologist, who thought her portrayal was very good.)
Q: How's her relationship with her mother these days?
Her relationship with her mother is very like that between Troi and her mother. They both love their mothers very much, but get on better with them when they're on another planet.
Someone then asked a question about typecasting, which somehow led on to her telling us about a part she had in 'Murder She Wrote'. She played the murderer(Possible spoiler, select/highlight if you want to see it).
At this point one of the staff came up to wind up the Q and A and asked her what her favourite UK charity was (heckler - 'Tottenham!'). She said it would be an animal charity (heckler - 'Tottenham!'), going on to say either anti-vivisection or an animal sanctuary with a no-kill policy. They decided to work it out later; but they had a bust of Marina to auction later for whatever charity was decided on.
After the Q and A Marina didn't disappear, but stayed at her table, talking to some old friends. The security presence was making it quite clear that the area was off limits, but at the same time it was quite nice to see her relaxing and being natural. After a short break, it was time for signatures. I also got my picture. I couldn't help noticing that Marina was in pretty much the same pose in everyone's. Got to admire a woman who comes prepared! It was quite a wait for my turn… We didn't talk much, just briefly about doing this report. After the uproar on the Internet following Robert Beltran's PAs, I think I was more worried about it than she was! Marina was very 'real'. I'd have loved to talk to her more.
Next on the agenda was the drawing of the raffle (I didn't win again!) Marina also led the crowd in singing happy birthday to a young man, and also treated him to kisses on both cheeks. Then it was time to auction Marina's bust. (And yes, the hecklers did make something of that…) The bids rose rapidly, especially after Marina promised whoever won a kiss on the lips. Though she did add 'unless it's a woman'. I'll admit to being a little disappointed there (even though I wasn't in the bidding), but I guess it's her choice who she kisses. As long as she doesn't start putting down those who make a different choice, she's OK by me. On the other hand someone did comment 'where will she kiss them?'! Marina also added 'no tongues' after further thought! The bust sold for over £200, but I think the buyer was more interested in the kiss! I couldn't really see because everyone stood up to look, but it seemed to go on for a very long time, and I think he had to be told quite firmly to stop in the end!
Well, it was getting late by then, and though the organiser did say something vaguely about surprises later, it seemed the night was pretty much over. Marina stayed at her table with her mates, obviously enjoying herself. They had the usual very tacky music on, and a few people ended up dancing. There was more room for it, as people began to leave. Many of those people who left at this point must now be kicking themselves. They really missed something.
First sign of something happening was when the bar staff started to climb up on the bar. I think it caught everyone's attention though, when, escorted by her trusty security, Marina made her way to the bar, and after a little trouble finding a suitable stool, got hauled up there too, just as the Time Warp started. Yep, Marina Sirtis got on the bar and danced the Time Warp. A couple of people had climbed up on the stools behind what had been the photo table, and seeing a spare stool, I asked if they minded and duly got hauled across the (very unstable) table to join them. I found myself right opposite, and on a level with Marina. Well, you can't really do jumps and steps in that kind of situation (!), and the ceiling was about 2 inches above our heads, but I personally did my best at dancing like a total nutter. It was all totally unrehearsed, and wouldn't have won impressed any casual watcher, but it was great fun. In fact we stayed on and did YMCA as well. And I have to say, Marina was a lot better than me at the movements for that one!
Marina then very sensibly re-joined her mates for a rest. I did some circulating, doing some dancing, and trying to get various people to join in (some success, some failures, perhaps I should be subtle and not say who!) After a while Bohemian Rhapsody came on. Marina grabbed the mike and leant over the rail to lead the entire pub in what must be the most raucous sing-along of it ever. She knew every word by the look of it, though I can't really comment on her voice, as even with the mike she was pretty much drowned out by the crowd. I was down on the lower floor dancing by then, along with a group of blokes who were rather drunk and I think may have been responsible for a fair few of the heckles. By the end we were doing a group pogo, though I detached myself from them before the actual end. No objection to a little pogoing with arms round shoulders, but in my experience the end of the song would have led to requests for cuddles, and that was further than I was willing to go! Of course then I had to do something else instead… and went and copied someone who was doing air guitar (eek! What was I thinking of!) The song reached its climax with a few people doing the traditional Pages addition:
Nothing really matters
Anyone can see
EXCEPT GEORDIE
Nothing really matters To me…
(This relates to a bit in the spoof video that has been put together to go with the song: it shows Q, who has previously given Geordie sight, taking it away again. Marina looked a bit startled, but maybe someone explained it to her!)
We then went on to sing 'Thank You For The Music' (again Marina seemed to know all the words). Then it really was time for the party to end and everyone to head home. James managed to get a brief word with Marina over the rail, but then she was back behind the security guards again. How does he do it! Anyway, we all headed in our separate directions, though I travelled home with a young couple, and got plenty of opportunity to realise I had totally overdone the singing. I was squeaking.
What can I say? Though I did find the security presence off-putting, I think it probably was needed. And maybe it even allowed Marina to be herself. And she was definitely very down to earth and unpretentious. She knew her business, did everything with class, but didn't let it stop her enjoying herself. I get the impression she's not really a SF fan, but it's clear she loved working on the show, and loves entertaining the fans. It was a wonderful night.
Pages Plan: My own floorplan of the bar, if you want to see how it is laid out.
Pages Bar: Their website includes pictures of the bar for those who are interested.
This page is part of
The Borg
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