Way of life
Star Trek FedCon 2016: On to new galaxies
1966 Star Trek flickered for the first time in the United States on the TV screens. Half a century later, the series has lost none of its fascination. We have investigated the phenomenon of Star Trek on the fan meeting “FedCon”.
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“Beam me Scotty up,”
On 8. September 1966 to. Star Trek for the first Time on American television screens. In Germany, it was then on 27. May 1972 so far. At the time the series was revolutionary: The space ship had a Russian crew member on Board, although the USA and Russia were in the Cold war and an African-American woman occupied a leadership position.
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Humanist View Of The World
Star Trek takes place in a utopian future, in which humanity is a huge social and technical progress has made. Most of today’s problems, such as war, racism or social injustice are overcome. Creator Gene Roddenberry had his humanistic Beliefs in his works and hoped, to the solution of real social problems.
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A large Fanbase
In the United States, the first fan meeting took place from the 1970s. Germany moved to the beginning of the 1990s: a quarter of A century ago, the first FedCon met in Augsburg’s hotel tower. The first guest star Walter Koeing, alias Navigator, Pavel Chekov, who is also invited to this year’s. To see here gram hour while the car in the Bonn Maritim Hotel.
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FedCon limitless
Originally a pure Star Trek Convention are now represented more fan communities of Star Wars over Stargate, up to the time-travel series Doctor Who. Thus, one encounters the Klingons and the Star Wars princesses pose happily together for a photo. Over the years, the FedCon would go with around 5,000 visitors to the largest Star Trek and Science Fiction event in Europe.
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A Kind Of Family Reunion
Many visitors will see in the FedCon especially the Chance to meet like-Minded people and a fascination for Science Fiction to live out – especially in the Workshops and parties, but also through the purchase of memorabilia. At the invitation of the organizers Laurent Gonel arrived with his companion, all the way from Colmar, Alsace, to sell his Star Trek watercolors.
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Elaborately designed costumes
Week the Fans sometimes sit on their costumes. The cousins Ramona (left) and Silke (R) from southern Germany to wear every day of the four days of FedCon a different Outfit. Today, they are as “Redshirts” showed up. “These are the mooks who die in the foreign missions directly,” says Silke, laughing. Alone for your “neck wound” made of plexiglass and Latex, you took an hour.
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The Star Guests
In the past 25 years, everything in the Star Trek universe, rank and name was present at least once on a FedCon, has answered the questions of the Fans and signed autographs. This year, many Fans look forward to William Shatner, alias Captain Kirk, and George Takei, alias Lieutenant Sulu, who played in the most episodes of the series.
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Unique Memories
An autograph of their Stars, the Fans can also cost quite a bit: William Shatner, with a 100 Euro the nose in front, George Takei is 60 euros cheaper. Often the Stars have their autographs to pay. Gudrun Paul’s from Norderney designed their autograph cards themselves, to take a truly unique Souvenir to take home.
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He was a “Sulu” George Takei
The snake at the table of George Takei is a long one. The news website “mashable.com” titled the 79-Year-old as “the most influential Person on Facebook”: His page has 9.5 million Likes. Recently, he starred in the Broadway Musical “Allegiance”, which tells the story of Japanese Americans who were inside the camps during the II world war in internment – Takei had to experience as a child.
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By Fans, for Fans
FedCon is an event made by Fans for Fans. The organizers and the volunteers, one notices the enthusiasm: “at one point. This is like a family reunion!”, as nurse Melanie. “You meet over the years, resulting in friendships,” agreed her colleague Dagmar. The FedCon in 2016 will be held until 16. May in the Bonn Maritim Hotel.
-
“Beam me Scotty up,”
On 8. September 1966 to. Star Trek for the first Time on American television screens. In Germany, it was then on 27. May 1972 so far. At the time the series was revolutionary: The space ship had a Russian crew member on Board, although the USA and Russia were in the Cold war and an African-American woman occupied a leadership position.
-
Humanist View Of The World
Star Trek takes place in a utopian future, in which humanity is a huge social and technical progress has made. Most of today’s problems, such as war, racism or social injustice are overcome. Creator Gene Roddenberry had his humanistic Beliefs in his works and hoped, to the solution of real social problems.
-
A large Fanbase
In the United States, the first fan meeting took place from the 1970s. Germany moved to the beginning of the 1990s: a quarter of A century ago, the first FedCon met in Augsburg’s hotel tower. The first guest star Walter Koeing, alias Navigator, Pavel Chekov, who is also invited to this year’s. To see here gram hour while the car in the Bonn Maritim Hotel.
-
FedCon limitless
Originally a pure Star Trek Convention are now represented more fan communities of Star Wars over Stargate, up to the time-travel series Doctor Who. Thus, one encounters the Klingons and the Star Wars princesses pose happily together for a photo. Over the years, the FedCon would go with around 5,000 visitors to the largest Star Trek and Science Fiction event in Europe.
-
A Kind Of Family Reunion
Many visitors will see in the FedCon especially the Chance to meet like-Minded people and a fascination for Science Fiction to live out – especially in the Workshops and parties, but also through the purchase of memorabilia. At the invitation of the organizers Laurent Gonel arrived with his companion, all the way from Colmar, Alsace, to sell his Star Trek watercolors.
-
Elaborately designed costumes
Week the Fans sometimes sit on their costumes. The cousins Ramona (left) and Silke (R) from southern Germany to wear every day of the four days of FedCon a different Outfit. Today, they are as “Redshirts” showed up. “These are the mooks who die in the foreign missions directly,” says Silke, laughing. Alone for your “neck wound” made of plexiglass and Latex, you took an hour.
-
The Star Guests
In the past 25 years, everything in the Star Trek universe, rank and name was present at least once on a FedCon, has answered the questions of the Fans and signed autographs. This year, many Fans look forward to William Shatner, alias Captain Kirk, and George Takei, alias Lieutenant Sulu, who played in the most episodes of the series.
-
Unique Memories
An autograph of their Stars, the Fans can also cost quite a bit: William Shatner, with a 100 Euro the nose in front, George Takei is 60 euros cheaper. Often the Stars have their autographs to pay. Gudrun Paul’s from Norderney designed their autograph cards themselves, to take a truly unique Souvenir to take home.
-
He was a “Sulu” George Takei
The snake at the table of George Takei is a long one. The news website “mashable.com” titled the 79-Year-old as “the most influential Person on Facebook”: His page has 9.5 million Likes. Recently, he starred in the Broadway Musical “Allegiance”, which tells the story of Japanese Americans who were inside the camps during the II world war in internment – Takei had to experience as a child.
-
By Fans, for Fans
FedCon is an event made by Fans for Fans. The organizers and the volunteers, one notices the enthusiasm: “at one point. This is like a family reunion!”, as nurse Melanie. “You meet over the years, resulting in friendships,” agreed her colleague Dagmar. The FedCon in 2016 will be held until 16. May in the Bonn Maritim Hotel.
In the prudish United States of the 1960s, Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek series certainly had something Revolutionary: not only that an African-American woman in a managerial Position on the Deck of the Enterprise, there was also a Russian – America and Russia were at this time in the Cold war – and an Asian member of the crew. Roddenberry described in his series of a utopian future in which humanity has grown peaceful, global unity, and many of the social problems such as social injustice, war, or racism has been overcome. The screenwriter left his humanistic Convictions in his works and hoped, to the solution of real social problems.
In the course of the last 50 years, a number of offshoot series, movies and Comics of the Star Trek universe. The principle, however, remained the same: In the center of the action guide are officers and other members of the crew, leave aboard the starships Enterprise, Voyager or Defiant, to new galaxies.
The fascination of the series is unbroken
Also, the Fanbase has grown over the years: Alone to the German “FedCon” (Federation Convention), which this year celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, came up to 5000 “Trekkies”. Trekkies are die-hard Fans of the Kuultserie. You can share information about alien galaxies and all their Stars make. Also talks about the Star Trek universe like to be visited: one of the Speakers is in at this year Science-Fiction connoisseur Rebecca’s hair.
Deutsche Welle: wife hair, you for the first Time at FedCon, and hold two presentations. What is it about?
Rebecca hair: a lecture about “Holodeck” (The term refers to spaces, simulations, and virtual worlds by means of holographic projection create, note d. Red.) in combination with virtual reality and how this is perceived. And whether this technique could one day be available, especially in the Form as it is in Star Trek.
And the other presentation comes to androids so humanoid robots, especially in the case of “The next century”. (Original title: “Star Trek: The Next Generation”, in the United States from 1987 to 1994 broadcast, note d. Red.). There’s a whole series that all have different character traits, and I’m going with the question, what is a Android: What are the stages of development, there are mainly? And what are the consequences of this has also in dealing with the machine?
This all sounds very specifically – how to deal with such a topic?
Specifically this issue with the Holodeck and virtual reality is also the subject of my Dissertation. If it deals with virtual realities, artificial life in the sense of Simulation, robots and not androids drum. As I’ve watched Star Trek, I found most of the androids which is actually the most exciting. They didn’t look like real people, but it was. Accordingly, they do not belong to the human community, but were also not entirely foreign.
The utopian character of the st series mainly Gene Roddenberry, the Creator of the Star Trek universe, to ascribe, took a very humanistic view of the world. Have you also deals with his philosophy?
In part. Star Trek, the phenomenon itself is so large and has so many different series and movies, that you can’t deal with this topic at all exhaustive enough. One finds again and again new aspects that are really exciting, especially in terms of, let’s call it, ‘a laboratory for the future’, the try out, which can actually come in or happen. Or specifically back to the topic of the Holodeck: the future of media? What media there is, as you establish yourself? Where do they come from, as the are accepted?
The Urbesatzung the Enterprise
The utopian character of the fascination for Star Trek?
I think this is simply a must. Star Trek apart is the fact that it is one of the few series that brings the urge to explore in the foreground and everything positive, but also issues of justice. Because the there are quite. The focus is always on this philosophical view of the world or even on this first Directive, which States that you should never intervene when it is necessary; that the peoples themselves to develop. This is a very open views, and quite a lot of other series are very much darker and dystopian. Not with this positive ‘We go where no man has gone before’.
If you are so concerned with Star Trek, you are certainly a Fan?
Real Fans want to look like their idols
Yes. I just can’t say when it exactly started. I watched this as a child totally happy. In principle, I found everything with space exciting. Star Trek as a model of thinking is something that has accompanied me for a long time and which also allows a different view of the world, because you look at some of the stuff is also much more open. If, for example, Black holes were treated, I wanted to know the background and I read these things. Just my interest for virtual reality will probably come from this direction.
And what is your impression of the FedCon?
Great, exciting! The people are totally interested. It is really fascinating how many people are still there and how many links the. I once thought about what other series or movies that go back for so long. And apart from Dr. Who and James Bond can’t think of anything really, what is it already so long and what has such a long lasting fan base. This is totally fascinating.
The Interview was conducted by Annabelle Steffes.