It’s the magic that brings fantasy television like star trek to life.
“Without it, it would be like going to Disneyland and not seeing Mickey mouse,” makeup artist John Paladin says.
Makeup has been Paladin’s passion for 15 years, turning people like Jaymz Smith from super fans into Klingons.
“It’s always more interesting when you’re walking down the street with a family and they say oh look at that Klingon or look at the VulCON”
Superfan Jaymz Smith is getting his makeup done as he gears up for the weekend’s convention. “I get absolutely excited when I hear the date is coming up and I make sure all my uniforms are in good shape and are clean”.
It was once space, but in this case, the final frontier is Vulcan, Alberta. The town shares a name with the birth place of Mr. Spock and has become the official meeting place for Star Trek fans every year.
Catherine Pooley of Vulcan Tourism says this is the biggest event for the town. “We get 2000 to 5000 people come to town for the weekend and it’s so great for our town and for people to hear that we’re still here.”
These days the Enterprise is parked, so Trekkies make the voyage here, sometimes from overseas, to pay homage to the series and the values they feel the show represents.
“It’s the ideals that Star Trek brought to air,” Smith says, “There was basically a vision that in the 23rd century there was no hunger on planet earth and it was basically one big global village.”
Pooley hopes that camaraderie will keep Trekkies returning to Vulcan for years to come.
“At this point there is no end in sight for what we can achieve… It’s onwards and upwards.”
As for Smith, he has one message for the town and conventioneers this weekend.
“I wish Vulcan and the convention KAPLA, which is Klingon for success”.
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