Spacecon a geriatric adventure

 For months I watched online with great anticipation as Spacecon San Antonio slowly revealed its lineup of celebrity guests for the show held Oct. 24-26. 

It was, in my estimation, one of the finest comic con guest lists to be assembled in Texas in a long time. Announced headliners included Elizabeth Olsen, Billy Dee Williams, Brie Larson, Jeremy Renner, Hailee Steinfeld, Ian McDiarmid, Paul Bettany, Jonathan Frakes, Michael Ironside, George Takei, cast members of the reimagined “Battlestar Galactica,” Gil Gerard, Erin Gray, David Duchovny, Karen Gillan, Sam Witwer, Lindsay Wagner, Clark Gregg, Cloe Bennet, Bruce Greenwood and many others. What really had me excited was the “Battlestar Galactica” cast, including Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Grace Park, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, and Tricia Helfer. 

As inevitably happens, the cancelations started. Frakes, Greenwood, Gillan, Witwer, McDonnell, Helfer and a few others dropped out for various reasons. I was bummed but still excited to go. Some of them I had seen before and others I waited years to see. 

Since I cannot afford to pay for autographs and photo opportunities, I am usually content to stroll through the autograph room and see the celebrities at their tables. Photos are not allowed in the autograph area, but you’re allowed to snap them while they are holding their panel discussions. 

When I looked at the panel schedule, I saw that the ones I most wanted to see were presenting on Friday. That was perfect! I was only going to be able to go for one day and Fridays are less crowded, and celebrity access is generally much better.  

When I arrived, I wandered around for a while before I found a schedule and realized that most of the major headliners were only there on Saturday. Well, that sucked. Still, I spent a lot of time in the Galaxy Theater where I got to see and photograph Daniel Logan (who played the young Boba Fett in “Attack of the Clones”) Gil Gerard and Erin Gray from “Buck Rogers in the 25^th Century,” Lindsay Wagner from “The Bionic Woman,” and the “Battlestar Galactica” cast. 

Throughout the day I became increasingly aware of the passage of time. I was jolted to reality when someone said that “Battlestar Galactica” aired 20 years ago. I keep thinking of it as a new show that was on TV just a few years back. Buck Rogers ended in 1981, more than 40 years ago. Gil Gerard, who played Rogers, is 82 and had a hard time getting around. Erin Gray, who played Col. Wilma Deering, is still stunning for a woman of 75, as is Lindsay Wagner at 76. 

The interesting thing is, had they not been guests on stage I doubt I would have recognized any of them if they walked up and introduced themselves. Though the years have been kind to them, none of the actors are the young, athletic, dashing heroes they were back in the day. 

Although Logan is a youthful 38 years old, I still think of him as the kid in the Star Wars movie. Funny story, he said that grimace he gives Obi-Wan Kenobi when they meet was not scripted. Actor Ewan McGregor used a little-known Jedi trick to elicit the response – he farted. 

Wagner and Gray both shared stories of what it was like for them to portray strong, intelligent female leaders at a time when women were not portrayed that way in film. 

“If I was going to do this show I didn't want to go out there and be a guy in a skirt,” Wagner said. “So we had a lot of collaboration in the episodes and the way she was presented and how she solved problems. Instead of just ‘boop, I'm stronger, I win,’ which is kind of what it’s been … there was a lot of effort put into making this character, the letting her be a woman and also be strong, and learn about the balance of strength, inner strength and physical strength, and that you can be strong and sensitive at the same time.”

The “Battlestar Galactica” panel was most interesting to me. Except for Olmos, the cast members are younger than me and, even after 20 years, still look like they did when the show was on the air. Most of the guys admitted they had a difficult time acting when Tricia Helfer was on set because they couldn’t take their eyes off her. Olmos said James Callis was the most difficult person to work with because his facial expressions kept cracking him up. 

As the day began to wind down, I realized that most of the actors I was interested in seeing were getting long in the tooth. So am I. As I made the drive home from my geriatric adventure, I asked myself how much longer I want to play these comic con games. They are fun, but tiring. I started thinking about which celebrities I’d still like to see in person and if any of them are important enough for me to spend my time or even shell out my hard-earned cash to get an autograph or a photo.  

My answers were in the affirmative. I still enjoy comic cons. And if Bob Wills, the show’s CEO, is reading this, I’d like to recommend Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Lynda Carter as my top choices for next year, followed by “Land of the Lost” actors Wesley Eure, Kathy Coleman, and Phillip Paley. Even some of the Harry Potter actors would be exciting.

In the meantime, I’ll be watching for news of next year’s show, which is scheduled for June 12-14.