THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 11, 1996 TAG: 9608110075
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ROY A. BAHLS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 74 lines
Stardate 9608.10.
With the shout of ``Officer on deck'' an honor guard of Klingons, Ferengis, StarFleet members and Trekkers stood at attention as William Shatner (Capt. James T. Kirk of the Starship Enterprise) took command of the stage at Norfolk Scope Saturday.
`` `Star Trek' is such a mixture of things,'' Shatner, 65, said during the hourlong address. ``The great mythological stories of the Greeks have been with us down through the ages because they hit universal feelings in mankind. I think `Star Trek' provides a mythology for us because it's about a group of people and their leader looking into the unknown.''
Welcome to the Trek-O-Rama Star Trek Convention, featuring its leader, costume contests, vendors, blooper videos and trivia contests.
Shatner joked with the more than 1,000 participants, answered questions and told stories about how it was in the early days of the original ``Star Trek'' TV series, which ran from 1966 to '69.
He also mentioned that another ``Star Trek'' movie, ``Star Trek: First Contact,'' (number eight) is in the works.
``I'm not in it,'' he said.
His character was killed off in the last feature film. But he doesn't rule out the possibility of Kirk showing up again in a movie or one of the many series spinoffs.
After all, out of the original series sprang ``Star Trek: The Next Generation,'' ``Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,'' ``Star Trek: Voyager,'' and seven movies.
If you happened to want a model of a Klingon cruiser, a phaser gun or a bumper sticker saying ``Kirk/Spock in '96,'' you were in the right place. Vendors offered Trek collectibles, including T-shirts, books, videos, patches, pins and toys.
Recent headlines have been announcing the possible existence of life elsewhere in the cosmos. Those visiting the convention certainly found many different types of strange life forms milling about.
Enter Kenneth Sanford, a 34-year-old Marine staff sergeant, made up as Lt. Worf from ``Star Trek: The Next Generation.''
``I love this stuff,'' he said. ``I've been watching `Star Trek' since the '60s. I've always liked how they always found solutions to their problems. It showed good old ingenuity.''
Sanford couldn't have really imagined himself wearing the thick makeup and costume to the event, but a friend talked him into it.
``I did it for the adventure,'' he said.
Also on hand were area StarFleet fan organizations, including the USS Powhatan and the USS Jamestown. There was also the Klingon-based ``Star Trek'' fan club hailing from the Imperial Klingon Vessel Hegh'Ta.
Such chapters can be found worldwide; they work to support their local communities through fund-raising events and pass along the ``Star Trek'' philosophy.
``We wish to spread the message of goodwill,'' said Roy Sesler, captain of the USS Powhatan association based in Chesapeake. ``We want a better world where people work together.''
Billy Woods is the chief engineer in the USS Jamestown association, based in Hampton.
``We are just normal people,'' he said. ``We have normal jobs and just enjoy the idea behind `Star Trek.' Which is that we can all live in peace.''
Shatner closed his address to the audience with more ``Star Trek'' philosophy.
``I believe that everybody needs a dream,'' he said. ``And I believe that you can achieve your dream with all hard work and luck - but that the having the dream, the journey, is everything. Not the achievement.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by CANDICE C. CUSIC, The Virginian-Pilot
William Shatner takes command of the Norfolk Scope stage.
Photo by CANDICE C. CUSIC, The Virginian-Pilot
Klingons and StarFleet officers heralded William Shatner's arrival
at Scope Saturday. Many of the costumed crew worked light security
for the captain, keeping curious fans at a safe distance. by CNB