Creation Entertainment's 55-Year Mission Tour, commonly known by fans as Star Trek's Las Vegas Convention, has a lot going on this year. The convention will celebrate its 20th anniversary, the 90th birthday of William Shatner (as well as the deceased Leonard Nimoy's), and 100 years since the birth of the man who started the show, Gene Roddenberry. The convention will look to entertain as many fans as possible for these massive milestones but most importantly, aim to do it in the safest way possible.
I spoke to Creation Entertainment's co-founder Gary Berman ahead of the 55-Year Mission Tour and got the lowdown on some of the more exciting and exclusive events that will happen from August 11th-15th at the Rio All-Suites Hotel And Casino. Berman spoke to me about the many things occurring during the multi-day extravaganza, including William Shatner's 90th birthday celebration. Berman praised Shatner ahead of the appearance and teased some of the things convention-goers can expect from that event:
He's been an inspiration. I mean, how could he not be? By the time he gets to Vegas he'll have done 4 conventions in a month. He's just hilarious on stage. . . people go away from his presentation feeling great. One of the things that we did-we realized that his career is so vast- Star Trek, and even beyond Star Trek. We put together a 90th birthday documentary that covers his entire life and career. Bill narrated that for us and I've been watching it. He's talking about Judgement At Nurermburg, working with all these beautiful women in different movies, he covers Star Trek. You come away thinking 'This guy is just incredible.' So I think that world premiere of our documentary on him is going to be well-received.
William Shatner's birthday celebration is just one of the many things that attendees can enjoy at the 55-Year Mission Tour. A Saturday Night Gala will feature the Nevada Pops performing the best songs from across the entire Star Trek francise, and then there are the scores of panels with Star Trek actors, actresses, and producers, which can reveal all sorts of previously unknown information.
It's a can't-miss event, though with health concerns ramping up again in 2021, some Star Trek fans have decided to opt out of the convention this year. Gary Berman assured me that the utmost care will be taken in protecting the health and well being of attendees and celebrities as they seek to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 transmission:
People need to be vaccinated or they need to take a test within 72 hours of their arrival to the event. And then if they're attending five days we're going to re-test them. We're bringing self-administered test for people who couldn't get them on their own. We have a limited number but I think we got far more than we need. We're finding that everyone has been real supportive because it's public safety, everyone wants to be safe. Including our celebrity guests! We have to be responsible for them too. We're gonna do the best job to put on the greatest show we can, and with everyone's support we'll do just that.
The procedures may not be what attendees imagined for the 55-Year Mission Tour, but they're a small price to pay to enjoy one of the premier events celebrating the franchise on a yearly basis. Plus, this is the same place Patrick Stewart showed up to randomly to announce his return as Jean-Luc Picard, so big things can certainly happen. Gary Berman wasn't aware of any big reveals in the works but said one can never know what the talent will say when they arrive.
As mentioned, Creation Entertainment's 55-Year Mission Tour will take place in Las Vegas on August 11th-15th. Those unable to attend can stick around for more Star Trek updates that may come from the convention, and get excited for all the fun to come.
