First, the good news.
I had an excellent long weekend in Las Vegas at ST:LV, the annual Star Trek convention that celebrated the 57th year of the franchise. My buddy and I have been attending for a number of years now and truly enjoy hobnobbing with other fans; I cannot emphasize how genuinely fantastic the people are that we meet each year, folks who truly embody the spirit of the show Gene Roddenberry created back in the 1960s.
This year was probably the most unique year we’ve ever experienced, though, and that is saying something given just how out there (pun intended) the franchise is. With both SAG-AFTRA and the WGA on strike, the vast majority of the stars and production personnel who attended the convention were barred from actually talking about the very show we were all there to celebrate. While we did know about this a few weeks out, I have to admit to having been a bit nervous about showing up at the Rio All-Suites Resort only to find the entire guest list had cancelled out. Fortunately, they didn’t — and instead treated us to an amazing long weekend of truly interesting conversation, providing extremely unique insights into the people who bring to life the show we care so much about.
(If you will allow me a momentary digression, I’d like to talk a bit about the Hollywood strike. As a reader of my works, you’re likely not surprised that I fully support both of the unions in question and have been taking note of the difficult task they are facing in representing the interests of their members. I’m not an actor, so I can’t speak to the concerns those folks have with the offer the studios made to them other than to be rather appalled by the digital likeness provisions. As a writer, though, I have an acute interest in the working conditions of those who fuel what the studios make — and an abject terror at the possibility any of them could be replaced by some version of ChatGPT. Wherever you stand on the issue of fair labor, please do your part and stay informed about the matters being discussed — and know that the vast majority of those represented by the two unions make far, far less annually than the $26,000 minimum required to be eligible for healthcare. We can do better.)
While there were all sorts of major highlights to the weekend — the Next Generation reunion panel, Star Trek legos, eating at Guy Fieri’s — I think the photo below represents the completion of one small dream that I was beginning to think was never going to happen.
At our first convention back in 2015 (or 2016, they are starting to blend for me now), we had a chance to see the master makeup artist Michael Westmore in action. Hailing from true Hollywood royalty, Mr. Westmore is the grandson of the scion of the family who essentially created the entire concept of movie makeup. Brought on to Star Trek in the late 1980s, he did all of the creatures for every show and movie in the franchise until the final film, Nemesis — something like eighteen(!) years of artistic creativity. My buddy and I watched in amazement at Mr. Westmore created in under 45 minutes the makeup for a character on one of the series — then saw him do it again a year later; I bought his autobiography as soon as I got home, and then promised myself I’d get it signed the very next time I was at the conference.
Between Mr. Westmore not appearing for a stretch and then the COVID pandemic, this turned out to be the first year that all of the stars aligned and I was finally able to get the book signed. Mr. Westmore was incredibly amazing to meet in person. I have to admit to floating on air for a few hours after the session, and may or may not have kept pulling the book out of my backpack to convince myself I’d actually seen him for real.
That, of course, brings me back to the photo at the top of this entry. As you have probably already guessed, I picked up a bonus souvenir from my trip — one that crushed me for a few days once I returned to Arizona. After avoiding COVID for three and half years, one unguarded (and unmasked) weekend in Las Vegas undid all of that hard work. Thankfully, the vaccines (and boosters) did their thing and kept the worst of it at bay — but not before I managed to infect a few people around me. It was a stark reminder that while the pandemic might be officially over, it hasn’t actually left the building. I’ll be far more careful in my upcoming trips this fall, and will anxiously await getting the next booster once I become eligible.
Now that I’m home, and now that I’m finally on the back end of this COVID infection, it’s time to complete the last sections of Solitude. With luck I’ll wrap it up before September, allowing me to clear the decks and beginning planning my next novel. Stay tuned for updates.