The Official Star Trek Convention is Taking Place Next Week in Vegas

by Drew Kaplan · Published July 24, 2017 · Updated July 24, 2017

Next week, thousands of Star Trek fans from around the world will be convening to celebrate their fandom. The world’s largest annual Star Trek Convention, with an estimated 15,000 fans, will be taking place in Las Vegas on August 2 – 6 at The Rio Suites Hotel.

This Official Star Trek Convention will be highlighted by special presentations, including:

Opening day attendees will be treated to a sneak-peek day of panels, presentations, and celebrity guests from the new CBS Star Trek series, Star Trek: Discovery, debuting this fall. Features will include the Star Trek: Discovery exhibit, where you can take a seat on the U.S.S. Discovery Captain’s Chair, see actual props and costumes straight from the set, along with the creature, ship, and concept art.
In-person stage appearances by three Star Trek Captains — William Shatner (classic Star Trek’s Captain Kirk, Saturday only); Sir Patrick Stewart (Star Trek: The Next Generation Captain Picard, Friday and Saturday only), and Kate Mulgrew (Star Trek: Voyager’s Captain Janeway, Saturday only).
A salute to the 30^th Anniversary of Star Trek: The Next Generation Reunion Panel with cast members (on Friday evening, separate ticket required for general admission.)
Three separate presentations honoring legendary Leonard Nimoy, the prolific actor/director, best known for playing Spock in the Star Trek franchise include: a special celebration of the life and legacy of Leonard Nimoy (by son, Adam); a documentary, “Remembering Leonard Nimoy”, an intimate journey into Nimoy’s personal life, produced and directed by his daughter Julie and son-in-law David Knight which will be premiered at the convention, and a special video presentation of Leonard Nimoy’s final convention appearance at Creation’s 2011 Chicago convention.

Other Starfleet-worthy celebrities set to appear include: from the latest Star Trek feature films, Karl Urban (Dr. McCoy, Saturday only); classic Star Trek’s George Takei (Sulu), Nichelle Nichols (Uhura, throughout the weekend at a vendor’s table) and Walter Koenig (Chekov, Thursday only); Dr. Mae Jemison (Ensign Palmer in Star Trek: The Next Generation and NASA astronaut), the first woman of color to go into space; and many more Star Trek celebrity guests.

In addition to celebrities, the non-stop theatrical show will include behind-the-scenes presentations, costume and trivia contests, no minimum bid auctions of unique collectibles and one-of-a-kind items, and special fan-made music videos. The exhibit hall will boast major companies and distributors selling and displaying Star Trek and sci-fi collectibles from across the universe.
Along with nighttime Star Trek themed parties, the Star Trek Saturday Evening Gala Celebration will return. This special night will be lead by Emmy and Grammy nominated composer, Ron Jones (who has composed music for television shows including Star Trek: The Next Generation, American Dad! and Family Guy) with his Influence Jazz Orchestra. Special guest performers will include Jimmy Darren, Robert Picardo, Tim Russ, Camille Saviola, Max Grodenchik, Chase Masterson, JG Hertzler, and Robert O’Reilly. The concert will take place Saturday, August 5 at 9:30 p.m. (a separate ticket required for general admission).

For cosplayers, Saturday is the day! The Costume Competition with celebrity judges, special on-stage costume panels, the annual Costume Parade throughout the convention, and a number of cosplayer meet ups are all scheduled. Garak’s Tailor and Repair will be returning to handle any emergency costume repairs for free throughout the weekend. Attendees can walk down the “Creation Promenade” and find talented craftspeople providing free souvenirs, as well as several surprising maximum-sized photo ops backdrops.

General admission tickets are available in advance or at the door and start at $65 for a single day. General admission tickets for the Friday Night Star Trek: The Next Generation Reunion Event are $30, and Saturday evening concert tickets are $40. Show hours are Wednesday and Thursday, 10:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m., Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m., Saturday, 8:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. (times are tentative).