For those who don’t know, Icon 2004, The big annual sci-fi/fantasy/roleplaying/comics convention took place this week.
I have a lot of mixed emotions regarding it.
And also a lot to say in the subject, which i don’t feel like typing at the moment.
Icon used to be a fun place. It’s not AS fun oriented nowadays as it was when me and Lee were running the show.
First, they insist on changing it from Convention to Festival on one hand to get some municiple fundings, but on the other hand they choose an extremely depressing main theme, and put a lot of boring content in it. This year it was “Life and Death”.
Blah !
Icon used to be a sci-fi conventions. Times since changed and now all the other genres want their share of it. So instead of it being able to be with a good subject like “Robots and AI” or “Time Travels” or even “Superheroes” it’s about BORING stuff like “Death” or “Leadership” or … *yawn*… stuff like that…
Next, There was an issue with us getting our invitations to the convention like we usually do.
For some reason, the non profitable organizatoins that run Icon, think that the convention is all about profits, and that the’ll loose a lot of money if they give away some free invitations to some people who used to actually manage it in the past, and might do so in the future.
In the end, and not without making a big fuss, we got out free pass, and only after about 1/2 the convention was over.
Then again, Icon in past years, isn’t such a great place to come to, ever since it’s themes and content and guest of honors, were so poorly selected.
We mainly go to mingle. Meet old acquantances who also like sci-fi and come to be geeks.
It was odd that a few people who i though would be there, weren’t. One of which is Angel1.0 which i was shocked to find out didn’t even know Icon existed….
Two nice events in the conventions… i mean festival, were the screenings of “Earthlings – Ugly bags of mostly water” and “Trekkies 2”. two documentaries about Klingons, and well.. Trekkies.
The latter made me a bit proud to be a trekkie.
If only it was so easy being a real Trekkie in Israel’s sci-fi scene… With all the politics going around, it’s not easy.. and i don’t mean Israeli politics, i mean Sci-fi organization politics. Not enough that we live in a country where you can get killed by a suicide bomber just by walking down the street, you are also hated and prosecuted for being a trekkie, by your fellow sci-fi/fantasy man.
Hack ! I’m even made fun of when i say i like Star Wars ! and doubly so, when i mention Episode I or Jar-Jar binks.
It’s very sad and takes away all the fun of being a geek/nerd/trekkie.
I saw all those happy people in Trekkies 2 and i really envied them. Then again, maybe the movie didn’t really show all of what’s been going on behind the scenes of how things are done around the world, and the intrigues going on there. I hope for them, that the intruiges that revolve around running a star trek convention in other countries doesn’t compare to running one here.
oh and yes, and mosty defenently yes. I was a real Star Trek convention in Israel.
One where one of the stars comes as a guest.
I absolutly don’t want ANY other conventions who’s guest of honor is some sci-fi author. The only one I really wanted to meet or hear is dead by now. So it’s too late to bring him here…
I hope i’ll see you in a true star trek convention in Israel.
If not, I can always go to one of the conventions abroad…