Starfest

Starfest Denver is an annual multimedia/science fiction convention held in Denver, Colorado during the spring. Started in 1977 as Starcon Denver, Starfest Denver is one of the longest running fan-produced conventions in the country.

History

Starcon Denver was first held on May 7–8, 1977 at the Denver Regency Hotel. KathE Walker had attended several conventions in New York City and liked them so much that she gathered several friends including her sister, Karolyn, to put on the first Starcon Denver. The first convention guests included: Writer David Gerrold, Actor Mark Lenard, and Actress Grace Lee Whitney. Stephen Walker joined the convention staff after the fifth convention. About that time Starcon Denver gained enough popularity that it spawned a second convention. For many years Starcon Denver was held in September every year and Starfest Denver was held in April. After more than twenty years of running in parallel, both Starcon Denver and Starfest Denver featuring big name science fiction guests, in 2002 they went back to one convention a year, Starfest Denver in April. Through it all, Kevin Atkins has acted as Master of Ceremonies since the beginning.

Convention highlights

In 1977, attendees were the first in the country to see a preview of a soon-to-be released science fiction film, Star Wars.

In 1988, Patrick Stewart Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the new TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation made Starfest his first convention appearance. When the show went off the air, he came back to Starfest to "end it, where it all began."

In 1989, William Shatner made his first convention appearance to promote Star Trek V: The Final Frontier his first directorial effort. He has since been a guest at Starfest three times, the latest being in 2005.

In 1994, Tom Cruise came to the convention to help promote his upcoming movie Interview with the Vampire.

In 2000, John Travolta entertained convention attendees with clips and insight from his upcoming movie Battlefield Earth.

In 2007, Leonard Nimoy was a guest.

In 2008, Zachary Quinto was a guest. Then starring as 'Sylar' on Heroes, he would later be the new 'Mr. Spock' in the Star Trek movie that was released in May 2009. Also appearing was Nichelle Nichols, Lt. Uhura from the original Star Trek series. She spoke about meeting Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the words of encouragement he gave her and how important her character was to Black women everywhere.

In 2009, Brent Spiner was a guest. Brent talked to convention attendees about his fictional story on Twitter and how some fans thought it was based on his life when in fact, it was just a running improvisation. Katee Sackhoff - Kara Thrace from Battlestar Galactica fame — also was a giest sharing several stories from the now defunct series. A surprise guest was William Katt, the hero from The Greatest American Hero fame.

In 2009, Comicfest became part of the Starfest weekend. Guests included local comic book writers and artists. Some of the more notable were Stan Yan, who runs [squidworks.com squidworks.com] a "home for self-published comic artists that are based in the Colorado area". In a recent article in the Denver Post writer Douglas Brown gave an overview of who and what to expect from this new addition to the Starfest family.

In 2010, Starfest paid tribute to the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey by hosting one of the original stars Gary Lockwood. Actress Summer Glau made a rare convention appearance as did Stargate SG1 star Christopher Judge. Star Trek's Marina Sirtis, Garrett Wang and Star Wars Admiral Ackbar (Tim Rose) were also on hand. Attendees also enjoyed a live performance by the Castle Rock Orchestra.

In 2011, Starfest welcomed actress Morena Baccarin, who plays the Supreme Commander of the TV series "V" and Firefly. Actor Mark Sheppard appeared as well playing recurring characters in Doctor Who, Supernatural, Leverage, and Dollhouse. LeVar Burton Geordi LaForge from Star Trek: The Next Generation made a first time appearance at the convention, replacing Jonathan Frakes. Other guests included Peter Mayhew, Chewbacca from Star Wars, and Jeffrey Combs from Re-Animator. This year Robotfest celebrated their 5th Anniversary at the convention and brought robots from LOST IN SPACE, STAR WARS and more. Comicfest was back and celebrated its 3rd year with guests including Steve Niles, JT Krul and Amy Reader.

In 2012, Starfest hosted Actor and Director Jonathan Frakes who plays Commander Will Riker. Jewel Staite from Firefly and well as David Prowse, Darth Vader from Star Wars were also guests. Probably one of the most unusual guests attending Starfest had to be John Noble, Walter from Fringe and Lord of the Rings. Mr Noble shared many stories from his long and distinguished acting career. Robert O'Reilly and J. G. Hertzler well known Klingons were also in attendance wearing their Klingon uniforms and attitudes for all to enjoy. Having an opportunity to get your picture with a Klingon was definitely a highlight for many attending. Actress Dee Wallace Mother from E.T. rounded out another exciting and fun weekend.

Starfest 2013 Welcomed actor Avery Brooks, best known for his role as Captain Sisko on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as well as Actor Ben Browder from Farscape and most recently Stargate. Walking Dead's Melissa McBride became the first Walking Dead guest at StarFest. Deep Roy, whose credits include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Flash Gordon was on hand to share stories from his career. Seth Gabel from Fringe was there as was Cirroc Lofton (Captain Sisko's son) from the series. Writer Jeffrey Riddick and artist Mark Grove were alo guests. This year Petries Family Games made available lots of Science Fiction board games that were enjoyed by everyone. StarFest keeps growing each year and accommodating Denver Science Fiction fans with a wide variety of guests, activities, panels, dealers, and much more.

2014 - Guests: Amanda Tapping, Tim Russ, Sam Witwer, Billy Dee Williams, Nichelle Nichols, and Giancarlo Esposito. Held May 2–4, there was a big May the Fourth Be With You theme and Celebration. New this year: Dr. WhoFest and GameFest.

2016- Starfest is changed to the Crowne Plaza DIA hotel due to the DTC Marriott Hotel renovations. Theme for the year was to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Star Trek.

2017- Starfest will be celebrating the convention's 40th anniversary and returning to the Denver Tech Center Marriott Hotel.

Over the past 39 plus years, Starfest has hosted a virtual "who's who" of Hollywood. Directors: Tim Burton (1988), Francis Ford Coppola (1992), Dean Devlin, etc. Actors: Jeff Goldblum, Leonard Nimoy, Sean Astin, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew.

Convention activities

The panels and other activities are also a very important part of the convention. Starfest offers several different rooms of programming. A model show for displaying creations or learn to build one from one of the many kits offered. An art show, original artwork and sculptures from Science Fiction.

There is also an interactive entertainment company called Mischief Managed Entertainment. They produce a Harry Potter inspired show called "Tales From Avistrum". The non-profit company started at the convention in 2001 as a fan group called 'Hogwarts America'. They have since become a staple for the Starfest convention.

In 2012, Starfest included entire rooms dedicated to Steampunk, Dr. Who, Battlestar: Galactica, Stargate, Video Gaming, Board Gaming and Klingons.

In addition, past activities included media rooms for such things and Anime, rare episodes, SciFi movies, and foreign SciFi. For many years Saturday evenings ended with the latest Star Trek episode, a costume contest and a parody play, followed by a movie and a annual Federation ball which is a dance for con goers for a additional fee which continues today.

Resources

Green, Joshua (April 16, 2010). "Inbred Jed Returns!". The Atlantic Monthly. -->

External links

• Official website