Please welcome Maeve Alpin back to the blog. I hope you are all enjoying Maeve’s event updates as much as I am!

The Voyager Crew Beams Down to Space City 
by Maeve Alpin

At Space City Con, three of the crew of Star Trek Voyager visited from the final frontier. When my son was about ten or eleven Voyager came out, delivering the perfect TV program for us to watch together. And we did…every episode. The show means a lot to me. As a single mom, I found the storyline of a female Capitan of a starship appealing and empowering. Over the years the gender, racial, and cultural barriers the Star Trek franchise helped break down is amazing. If we ever come across aliens I think we should play Star Trek shows for them, maybe they’ll think we really are that open, smart, and cooperative. It’s worth a try.  When it comes to Star Trek everyone has opinions but I always considered Voyager a great tribute and fitting continuation to the original series that came out when I was ten…a long time ago.

So when Robert Picardo – the doctor, Tim Russ – Lieutenant Tuvok, and Manu Intiraymi – Icheb, came to Space City Con in Houston last weekend, I made a special effort to attend their panel. Ladies, I have to say it’s been a few years since the show aired but all three Trek men still look good. Real good. They all have a great sense of humor and shared laugh-out-loud antidotes about the show and their acting careers.

When asked of their favorite memories Manu Intiraymi, just twenty years old when he first appeared on the show, Voyager launched his career, recalled being told he was one of three guest actors that rocked them. Robert Picardo remembered a lot of goofing off behind the set. As far as his time in front of the camera, Tinker, Taylor, Doctor, Spy, the episode of the doctor’s favorite fantasies, was Robert Picardo’s favorite episode.

One of the memories dear to Tim Russ was of him and Ethan Phillips (Neelix) arriving for a tour of the set and walking down a pathway together, talking about how cool the opportunity was and what they were looking forward to. Then the last day after they cleaned out their lockers, he and Ethan Phillips walked together down the same pathway as they talked about the seven years spent on the show and the wonderful times they had had.

When asked of their favorite prop failure moment, Manu Intiraymi remembers when he was dressed in the borg costume, all these little borg pieces kept falling off and people had to follow behind him to pick up the pieces. Robert Picardo recalls that all their costumes were so tight and one day when he bent over it resulted in a very long rip. Tim Russ recalls that two doors he needed to pass through malfunctioned once and once when he pulled out a phaser, it fell apart.

Some may not know that in the movie, Legend with Tom Cruise, Robert Picardo played the hump back water witch and at a request, he recited a line in that witchy voice for us, it was hilarious.  That brought up the question of what are they doing now. All three are working on a science fiction comedy “Unbelievable”, currently shooting in LA. In the film, giant plants come from space. So we can all look forward to that. Also, Robert Picardo is working on a web series, a take on Dr. Who. He said all the Victorian costumes are fun.

Here’s a quote from Star Trek Voyager:

“If you hear muffled screams, consider that a request for a beam out.” – Tom Paris

This is Maeve Alpin beaming out for now. One last word, forgive me for not getting a pic of Tim Russ, my view was blocked by the person sitting in front of me. If I’d had a phaser, I would have zapped that guy. Beaming out now…live long and prosper.

Maeve Alpin, who also writes as Cornelia Amiri, is the author of 18 published books, including four Steampunk Romances. She lives in Houston Texas with her son, granddaughter, and her cat, Severus.