Today, Gabi and I visit ‘Destination Star Trek Europe’, Europe’s biggest Star Trek event to celebrate 50 years of the original television series.

Many actors of all the Star Trek series and films are here and you can book photos and autographs with them. One of them has just arrived (in the photo, barely visible): now 84 years old William Shatner, better known as Captain James T. Kirk who lead the Starship Enterprise on its mission to explore space.

My first photo is with him, on the bridge of the classic Enterprise. I’m wearing the uniform I sewed myself and which I only finished just in time for our departure to the UK. I’m litteraly wearing it for the first time complete with turtle neck shirt and belt. It’s the uniforms starfleet members wear during the classic movies no. II – VII.

Afterwards, we have some time to look around. On one wall, there’s a Borg alcoven where the Borg recharge. The Borg only appear in the second Star Trek series, The Next Generation, but I still get in in my classic uniform.

A bit further down the event hall, there’s a museum corner with original costumes from the series. The blue striped suit looks a lot like Neelix from Star Trek Voyager.

As soon as ‘Captain Kirk’ has finished his photoshoot, I queue to get my photo taken on the Captain’s chair. It’s great to watch the people in front of me while waiting. A father lifts his maybe 3 years old son from chair to chair as he’s a bit confused by all the orders he’s given, while his older son looks at the console in the background instead of at the camera. Directly in front of me, four ladies in their fifties, all wearing blue Star Trek t-shirts, really enjoy themselves switching positions until each one sat in the Captain’s chair. And we’re all shocked when a rather heavy guy sits down and we hear a very loud creaking noise. I’m glad nothing happened to the chair.

I now walk back to the car to get changed. For the next photoshoot, I need my other uniform from ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’, the second Star Trek series with Captain Picard. As you may remember, we’ve seen him respectively the actor Patrick Stewart last week at the theatre in London. It’s probably because of his theatre work that he couldn’t join the Star Trek event. Originally, I intended to wear this uniform on Sunday for a photoshoot with Commander Riker, but the actor Jonathan Frakes cancelled at the last minute. We therefore changed our plans and are here for one day only. And I’ve got something else planned for tomorrow.

Gabi and I take a picture together on the bridge of the Enterprise-D – that’s much better than with some actor. 🙂 We now also match as far as the uniform is concerned: Gabi is wearing a Next Generation uniform under her leather jacket.

Then, we have lunch: a Subway sandwich, before running to the George Takei talk. But somehow, we’re one hour early and get… Klingons! Help!

A photo in front of the NEC event hall in the ‘Next Generation’ uniform…

… and changed back to the classic movies uniform for the next photoshoots.

Now, it’s the right time for George Takei’s talk.

It’s a pure joy to listen to George Takei. He’s so eloquent, super positive and a bundle of energy – with his 79 years. He still knows every detail from the casting and the shooting of the series and loves to talk about it.

Right after the talk, I have my next photoshoot with him (he played Sulu) and Walter Koenig who played Chekov. Both of them sit in their seats from the original series while I take place in the Captain’s chair. What a great photo! George Takei admires my uniform and yells ‘O Captain, my Captain!’ as I leave. He’s just the best.

The next ordner of business is a world record attempt: the largest gathering of people dressed as characters from Star Trek. More and more people start to arrive and are eager to participate. I fill in a form too which is later used to verify all participants by the Guinness Book representatives. They only allow people who are completely dressed as a character from head to toe and take their task very serious. They send away people only wearing a t-shirt, a uniform jacket but with jeans, or people dressed as aliens that have not appeared in the series. After the first head count, we’re 63 people short. Thanks to a loudspeaker announcement, more people arrive and we achieve a new record with rougly 1,100 people dressed as characters from Star Trek. Wow!

There’s only one photoshoot remaining: Gabi with George Takei. Again, he’s a true sweetheart. In spite of the queue and organisers trying to rush people through, he has a kind word for everyone. We surround Gabi and do the vulcan greeting.

Always close by, we find George’s husband Brad. He’s enjoying himself in a canvas chair looking at the many fans and their joy when meeting George. He starts a conversation and we briefly talk to him. He’s such a lovely man as well and completely the guy we know from many documentaries about their life.

On the way out, I meet Mugato, an alien who bit Kirk in one of the episodes.

After a long but wunderful day, we arrive back at the hotel. Gabi asks me to take some pictures of my uniform. Turtleneck shirt:

And the uniform with open and closed flap. The flap is hold by magnets and the chain is only printed on the black ribbon (thanks, sister Claudia!). Many fans use a real chain and press buttons in-between which has never convinced me as the uniform gets really bulky and it’s a pain in the rear end to open and close the press buttons. My magnet version is far more elegant and easier to use, although it was really tricky to sew in the magnets. I think it was worth the effort! And I really enjoyed the compliments I got from other visitors. One of them even asked if she could take a picture with me!

We don’t want to leave the hotel again. I therefore ask for a take away meal at the hotel’s restaurant and get a box to fill at their buffet. Gabi has asked for a garlic bread and I also get her some pigs in blankets.