Sci Fi Convention

I tried posting this entry yesterday, but in the process of uploading a picture
the post got lost :( Well yesterday I went to a Sci Fi convention at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre down on Front Street. I would have to say the very first thing I expected when my friend proposed to me that we go was that we would see a lot of people dressed up in Star Trek/Star Wars/Other addictive sci fi costumes. To tell you the truth I was really hoping for it, as it's quite an interesting sight to see! Much to my disappointment, there was a paucity of costumed people there. The few people I did see dressed up in costume were either dressed up as Star Wars or Final Fantasy characters, with one guy breaking with this convention by dressing up as a Dragon Ball Z character and a small group of people dressed up as Counter-Strike characters.

This is sub-culture for you. Hordes of people who would normally be indistinguishable from the rest of us, all coming out into the open as the Sci-Fi devotees they are! I find the whole obsession people have with the unreal to be very fascinating. I would call it (as would the person who I went to the convention with) an attempt to bring spirituality to an otherwise dull and mundane life. Some people might call this an unhealthy obsession, but what would you have these people do? Find meaninglessness in the societally prescribed ways of searching for happiness? For meaningfulness?

We all have to find our own paths in life. Sometimes we choose to conform to what our parents want out of us. Sometimes we choose to conform to what friends want, lovers want, society wants, etc. The question is: does your method of finding meaning work? Are you really happy? Are you ruining your life through your happiness? If you don't have G-d or some other deity defining this for you then you have to figure this out for yourself, and not blindly follow what other people prescribe for you.

Anyway, to get back to the convention, I got to meet Marina Sirtis, Diana Troy from Star Trek! It was pretty exciting, but I found myself at a loss about what to say to her. Luckily my friend wasn't as shy as I was. She got a picture of Marina Sirtis, obtained a signature from her, and chatted with her a bit. Then we got some pictures together. I don't know whether I blushed or not when asked to take a picture with Diana Troy, but it would be hard to imagine not blushing!!

I really liked Star Trek: The Next Generation. It was a Sci Fi show with good acting, plots and dialogue. On reflection, I find the gender roles on that series to be quite stereotyped. Diana Troy - who we'll use because she is so fresh in memory :D - was a character with some very typical traits of a woman with a job to match. She was a humanoid life form from a planed called Betazoid with an intrinsic ability to determine what other people were feeling by concentrating on them. On the show the word for this was a person who is an "Empath". Her qualities as an Empath made her perfect for the position of Ship's counselor on the Star Ship Enterprise. I don't know how to verify a stereotype, but on discussing this with my friend I confirmed that there is a stereotype about women that they are typically more empathic than men. In addition to this I know that women have been traditionally relegated to the helping professions, maintaining their subservient status even in the work force. It is true that this has changed considerably over the past half century, but it is still an issue.

Other than Diana Troy, you can also note that both Beverley Crusher and Tasha Yar were put into positions that befitted their stature. One was a doctor, but the other was quite anomalous. Reading up on Tasha Yar's Biography from the Star Trek Site, we find that

The original security chief under Captain Jean-Luc Picard on the U.S.S. Enterprise led a tragic yet heroic life until her death in the line of duty in 2364

. I guess someone had problems with a short haired female in some position of authority on the Enterprise. This is why I said that even she was put into a position that befitted her stature. Instead of staying on as Chief of Security, she was killed; to be replaced by the hyper-masculine, war-like Warf!

Critical analysis aside, Marina Sirtis seemed like a very nice woman. She mentioned that she will soon be going to England to look for acting work!

Another notable occurrence at the Sci Fi convention was a piece of artwork I got! Observe:



I liked the art work of this particular artist. A lot of his stuff was noticeably different from most other stuff I have seen. The character concepts he made (of which mine is one) are very original and imaginative. Two other notable pictures he drew were: a "Worm Regent", a very muscular human with a spikey snake's tale for a bottom half of his body, and some really well dressed, strong woman - who did not have big lips and boobs!

I would really like to post this artist's website, but it didn't seem to be up when I tried it. Maybe I'll post the address for it later.

All in all it was an interesting time!

Until next experience,

- Inkhorn