As my Day 1 of FanExpo Denver comes to a close, I can’t help but think about all the talent I was surrounded by today. Not just big name celebrities and voice actors, but I’m also talking about the artists in Artist’s Alley, the merch designers, the cosplayers, and all the brilliant logical minds that put it all together and make it run smoothly. It was an incredible Friday the 4th, albeit unconventional. My two highlights – the William Shatner and Jon Rhys-Davies panels. I know the title teases a potential return of a beloved 90’s era science fiction show, but you have to go with me in chronological order before we get there.
Up first was William Shatner’s panel named “To Boldly Go: Spotlight on William Shatner” in the Main Ballroom. This was a unique panel in that it had no moderator. It was him, on a couch, talking to the audience about whatever the heck he wanted to talk about. I’ll tell you one thing: he in no way acts, looks, or sounds his age. At an unbelievable 94, this man had all of us laughing, clapping, and awing at what he was saying.
We got to hear incredible stories about cruising with Neil DeGrasse Tyson and arguing with him on stage, just for fun. We also heard about him hitchhiking when he was 18 (which would have been 1949, folks, ok? Dude is getting up there). He hitchhiked from Montreal to Washington D.C., to San Francisco, to San Diego, to Vancouver, to Chicago, and back to Montreal. Hitchhiked the whole way! Even he realizes it was a miracle something bad didn’t happen to him.
He told us about the time a mechanic wanted to build a motorcycle for him. He was raising money for the American Legion and the motorcycle didn’t work, so he had to truck it all over the country instead of driving it. While these stories are fun to hear and I’m sure fun to tell, he was very adamant about his message for today, which was about the “Voyage of Discovery” for us: humans. He admittedly knows very little about space, but is in constant awe of the miracles around us. He said, “We live in a miracle! We just need to open our eyes to the voyage of discovery for our lives, our child’s lives, and our surroundings.” This 94-year-old man is telling a room full of people to open their eyes, enjoy the wonder of life, and realise that learning never stops.
When I say I walked out of there inspired, it’s a huge understatement. After about 45 mins of Mr. Shatner chatting with us, the room was open to fan questions. A lot of these revolved around Star Trek, which is when he had to admit he doesn’t watch much, and it was a job. Though that sounds harsh, it’s also telling of the times. It would have just been a job then. He said he was quite ignorant about the science of it because it was also 3 years of his career spanning… a lot longer than that. The “primitive effects” (his words) were hilariously cheap. The Transporter was filmed empty, with the light on underneath the floor. Then they filmed the plate of light with the character standing on it, and they faded them together with added sound effects.
The additional sound effects of a Transporter in the Original Series was apparently water being poured into a glass over the top of an Alka Seltzer tablet. The beam of light from the Enterprise was simply a flashlight on the side not seen by the camera. He mentioned the budget per hour of an episode back then was $180,000! OT was not allowed, and they worked from 7am to 6:10PM; the extra 10 minutes was to count towards the next day until they hit their allotted time. Fascinating!
After that panel, I was able to walk the floor and admire the talent. Then it was time for Jon Rhys-Davies in as very full Main Ballroom! This was a typical panel with a moderator, or as Mr. Rhys-Davies referred to him, his Chief Interrogator. If I thought William Shatner was fun, this one was right up there. Incredibly, they both spoke about similar topics in regards to the miracle the Earth is, but he was a little more quippy. When asked what his favorite movie was, his response was a simple “the next one!”
This host had fan questions already prepared, and one of them was perfect. The question was “What do you think Orcs smell like?” and his response was “cooking old cabbage.” I think that tracks. They had questions ranging from Indiana Jones to Sliders to Lord Of the Rings, which is where he spent the majority of his time. He quoted a lot of his more popular lines, and told us the “Not my beard” was actually full improv! He apparently tried really hard to read LoTR before being cast….and kept falling asleep. #relatable
But the biggest splash was made when he was asked about Sliders. He apparently got fired from that show, however, he has been thinking of a potential revitalisation and has the plan already thought out. He thinks they can get the original four actors, including himself, to begin traveling to different universes, pick out a few new people to join the crew and gauge the audience reaction. Then, they can move forward with a new team and new technologies. This idea makes it an Evergreen show, no? Or are we all sick of reboots? I’ll be looking forward to an announcement on that, and you can’t forget you heard it here on Couch Soup first.
With Day 2 coming up, a day I hope to be filled with Bruce Campbell, I can’t wait to see what else, and who else, awaits all attendees tomorrow. Make sure you stay up to date on our socials for real-time content coming out of FanExpo Denver in July 2025! Stay nerdy my friends!
