If they're trying to appeal to a wider audience, they've missed the boat. The good collectors haven't come up from the States. The result is very Toys 'R Us. This weekend we were up against conventions in San Diego and St. Louis. I suspect vendor booths will triple next year, judging by the positive response we had from collectors.
Organizers hope to make the festival a yearly event.
Like any new event, it takes time to build and work out the kinks. Of course, not. The scientists will give talks on such topics as meteorites, the evolution of galaxies and the Hubble space telescope. Seems Shatner, who's got a piece of Tekwar, Trek novels and CD-ROMs, and is CEO of the FX house C.O.R.E., also owns FutureCall, the firm that sets up these events. Shatner set up one of these events with Patrick Stewart in '94.