In an announcement that will turn Tampa, FL into a place of dread and infamy for some, a whirlpool of horror for some — and a much-desired destination for others — this weekend’s Vulcan Events Convention in Tampa, Fl will attempt to se a world record for Most people wearing ear cuffs in one place Largest gathering of people dressed as Star Trek Character in one place.
Now the existing record for the most Trekkies in one spot was set just this February in London, England, but there were a mere 99 Romulans, Bajorans and Mugatu gathered in one place — so given a spurt of enthusiasm, setting a new record seems within grasp.
Also, you might think it is a simple thing, but there ARE rules, which are as follows:
#1 All participants must be wearing costumes representing characters from the Star Trek universe and extended canon.
#2. Characters or alien races that have not appeared in official Star Trek canon releases (including television series, motion pictures, novels and comic books) are not permitted.
So basically, dressing up as Arex or M’ress, that’s fine — but dressing up as the character from your zine, Mary Sue Ibonkedspock is NOT okay.
We’d dearly love to see this event unfold in all its natural majesty and beauty, and also to note how Next Gen costumes are faring in the Star Trek popularity race; adherents of the Rick Berman Trek-i-verse seems to have been steadily dwindling away, but that’s definitely an outsiders opinion.
Heidi MacDonald is the founder and editor in chief of The Beat. In the past, she worked for Disney, DC Comics, Fox and Publishers Weekly. She can be heard regularly on the More To Come Podcast. She likes coffee, cats and noble struggle.
Okay… I think I’ll print up some “I bonked Spock” buttons…
I think you can wear your Starfleet uniform, and secretly be Marai Soo, the naughty Pacific island engineer who hacks the Guardian of Forever with Borg tech (resistance is futile). (If that redhead is canon, point me to Memory Alpha!)
If you want to keep it simple, then try Gary Seven or Robert Lincoln or Abraham Lincoln. Or Nazi Kirk. Or Plato Kirk (if you’ve got the abs).
Bonus points to the giel dressed as the Enterprise Shuttlecraft.
I now expect someone to come to Metropolis, IL next month as the 70’s JLA satilite.
Not to Trek out or… okay, totally to Trek out, but by my count the characters shown are:
Gaila (Trek Reboot)
Crusher (TNG)
Worf and Dax in Wedding Gear (DS9)
and an AU Girl!Mirror!Kirk (TOS)
Which seems like a pretty even split.
Yet another proof why STAR TREK fandom is much cooler than the STAR WARS one: infinitely more diversified and infinitely more interesting costumes combinations than what you’d find at a SW meetup!
Give me an Orion ensign anyday than yet ANOTHER Slave Leia— cause for every one of those you see, you know there’s a fat giant slug holding her chain nearby. And I’d rather see someone dressed up as the Galileo instead of yet another Stormtropper [yawn]—really, dressing up as the Empire’s shock troops? (Yes they’re Space Nazis, but fetishising those uniforms? Oo.)
There’s a lot of fascist undertones in Star Wars, while Star Trek offers a militaristic socialism.
Personally, I think it would have been cool had Jango Fett been female… thus making most stormtroopers female…since we never see a ST unmasked…
I’m sure if there were full body armor characters in Trek like you see in SW, you’d see more of them in fandom. It’s an easier costume, and more forgiving than spandex.