‘First in Support’ soldiers turn geek at Destination Star Trek Germany

Photo By Sgt. Maj. Alexander Burnett | Staff Sgt. Warren W. Wright, a public affairs noncommissioned officer assigned to the 21st Theater Sustainment Command and a native of Iron River, Mich., proudly displays his new Klingon Bird of Prey action figure during Destination Star Trek Germany in Frankfurt, Germany, Feb. 23.  

KAISERSLAUTERN, BW, GERMANY

02.23.2014

Story by Staff Sgt. Alexander Burnett 

21st Theater Sustainment Command

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany - On Feb. 21 Destination Star Trek Germany began at the Messe Convention Hall in Frankfurt, Germany. Two days later, on Feb. 23, my wife, Sarah, Staff Sgt. Warren W. Wright and I arrived to enjoy but one day of what is considered one of the better Star Trek conventions in the world.

As much as Warren and I hyped this thing up in our minds, it seemed difficult for the event to live up to our expectations. It did.

Walking in to the convention hall, I only knew half of what to expect from what I had seen in movies and on television. I expected to be greeted by a sea of costume-clad Trekkies all enjoying the wonder that was a Star Trek convention. Warren and I were greeted by a relatively empty, dimly lit auditorium filled only with merchants. We decided to hold judgment for a moment and head to our first event, a talk from Brent Spiner, the actor who played Data in "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

Data had been my childhood icon growing up. My mother got me watching "Star Trek: The Next Generation" at a young age, and Data’s character always amazed and fascinated me. The fact that I was going to see the actor who brought Data to life with my own eyes got me so excited I could barely contain myself as we walked into the seating area.

The seating section for Spiner’s talk was only half filled when he began speaking, so nearly everyone with a question got a turn to ask. My question would make no sense to someone unfamiliar with the Star Trek universe, but Spiner gave me a very in depth answer. I then asked him if I could get a high-five from him, to make up for the fact that I got beat up in elementary school for emulating him.

“A high five will make up for that? Are you sure you don’t need therapy?” Spiner said with a chuckle. “I’m kidding come on up here.”

When I went to the stage I felt myself shaking, I was going to get a high-five from Data! Spiner, a known germaphobe who normally fist-bumps his fans to avoid extended contact, did not just high-five me. He reached down and grasped my hand like I was his brother, that experience made my day.

After we left the talk, the auditorium had filled with exactly what Warren and I came to see. There were Klingons, Romulans, Andorians, Starfleet officers and Star Trek lookalikes as far as we could see. Throughout the day we both met and chatted with fellow Trekkies on why we loved the show so much.

The rest of the day was a rushed experience to be at each photo I had booked online. I took photos with LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Marina Sirtis, Spiner and Suzie Plakson. Each of the photos went very smoothly and I even got a “God Bless You” from Sirtis for being a soldier.

My Trekkie cohort Warren decided to shell out a little extra Euro and get his photo taken with William Shatner, who played Capt. James T. Kirk in the original series, and Karl Urban, who plays Doctor Leonard “Bones” McCoy in the J.J. Abrams reboot. He says each photo was well worth it.

“I got to meet and get a photo with Bill Shatner, the man who brought Kirk to life. Even though he looked tired from the weekend, it was still awesome,” Wright said. “I got my photo taken with Karl Urban, not because of Star Trek, but because he is Karl Urban. His roles in 'Dredd,' 'Almost Human' and 'Lord of the Rings' make him a legend in his own right.”

With the little bit of time I had in between photos I decided to try to get some autographs from my favorite Star Trek stars. I got autographs from Spiner and Burton from The Next Generation and from Dominic Keating and Connor Trinneer from Star Trek: Enterprise. It surprised me to see the price tag that came with each signature, they cost between 15 and 30 Euro each.

This was a shock to me, that something as simple as words on a page from someone famous would cost so much. I admit, I may have spent too much on autographs, but they were worth every Eurocent. The actors personalized each signature and took a few moments to talk to me after, they genuinely took an interest in their fans.

My wife, Warren and I departed Frankfurt in the early evening with bags of Star Trek goodies in our hands. While the experience cost a little more than I anticipated, it was well worth it. How can you put a price on bro-fiving your childhood icon.

• Date Taken: 02.23.2014
• Date Posted: 02.25.2014 03:11
• Story ID: 121086
• Location: KAISERSLAUTERN, BW, DE
• Hometown: ATLANTA, GA, US
• Hometown: IRON RIVER, MI, US