[Chat] Farpoint

[Emil Volcheck]

Kathleen and I went to the Farpoint science fiction convention
this afternoon.  It was a lot of fun as usual.  We attended
panel discussions on "Stargate SG-1" and Harry Potter.  The highlight
was an hour of Q&A with Armin Shimerman, probably best known for
playing the Ferengi bartender on "Star Trek: Deep Space 9."  He
also has played roles on "Buffy: The Vampire Slayer", "The Practice",
and many other shows.  He's also served as a national board member
of the Screen Actors' Guild (SAG) and did a lot of contract negotiations
for the union.

Shimerman is a well-spoken and thoughtful actor who got
his start in classical acting, mostly Shakespeare.
A few interesting items:

    He never got a single souvenir or piece of the set from DS9
    because he couldn't bear to go near the sets when they were
    being torn down at series end, he was so sad about it.

    His favorite part of playing Quark was when he got to make
    comments on the human race, following in the footsteps of Spock.

    His brief role on "Charmed" was so unpleasant, he politely
    refused to talk about it.

    He loved his role on "Stargate: SG-1" but won't work for them
    anymore as they are a non-SAG production.

    He's great friends with Rene Auberjonois, and they have stayed
    in touch since the end of DS9.

The afternoon had a series of Sci-Fi comedy skits put on
by the "Luna-C" troupe.  In the evening, they showed a trailer
for the fan-produced film "Star Wars: Revelations" now in production.

There was also the costume contest this evening ("Masquerade")
which was about average.  The best in show was a woman who dressed
as a Nazgul (from the Lord of the Rings).  There was also a couple
who dressed up as characters from Alien Nation (the husband was
pregnant, and the wife was putting in too many hours at the office).
There was also a fellow with a very authentic looking Jango Fett
suit of armor.

Baltimore is blessed with great fan-run conventions: Farpoint in
Winter, Balticon in Spring, Shore Leave in Summer, DarkoverCon
in Fall.  If you have any interest in SciFi and Fantasy media or
literature, you should visit one of these conventions.  The people
are nice, and the events just bubble with creativity.

--Emil