This past weekend, Pasadena was home to AlienCon drawing thousands to the convention center to celebrate aliens, sci fi shows and the supernatural. AlienCon brings together all those seeking the truth about extraterrestrial existence throughout history, featuring thought-provoking original programming, celebrity appearances, exhibits, exclusive merchandise, fan competitions, and much more!
AlienCon at Pasadena featured special guests: Sean Astin (Stranger Things), David Duchovny (The X-Files), Mitch Pileggi (The X-Files), Jonathan Del Arco (Star Trek: The Next Generation), Gates McFadden (Star Trek: The Next Generation), Robert Picardo (Star Trek: Discovery), Mary McDonnell (Battlestar Galactica), Maxwell Jenkins (Netflix’s Lost In Space), Mina Sundwall (Netflix’s Lost in Space), Bill Mumy (Lost In Space), Angela Cartwright (Lost In Space), Mark Goddard (Lost In Space), Marta Kristen (Lost In Space), Giorgio A. Tsoukalos (Ancient Aliens), Erich von Daniken (Ancient Aliens) and more! The convention also featured sneak peeks of History’s “In Search Of” and “Project Blue Book.”
Sci Fi inspired artwork
The biggest surprise I saw this weekend was the extensive amount of alien and sci fi inspired artwork. There were booths with incredible artwork for sale, a booth with hand crafted metal figurines inspired by our film and TV favorites, and artists drawing jaw droppingly beautiful pictures out of chalk on the sidewalk leading into the convention center.
Panels
The heart of the convention was definitely the incredible panels. Panels included everything from alien abductions to government cover up theories to panels with cast members from the X-files to a sneak peek of upcoming History show titled “In Search Of” and so much more.
History’s “In Search Of”
We attended the sneak peek for History’s In Search Of and were left feeling so excited for this show. It was a brief sneak peek but just the right amount to leave us wanting more. The show is hosted by Zachary Quinto – obviously a great call – and I really like how unbiased he tries to remain with the topics he covers in the show. I don’t want to spoil too much, but I will say the sneak peek we saw included a young man who believes he has been abducted by aliens periodically since he was a child. He recounts the events and everything he remembers from them and requests a lie detector test in an effort to prove he’s telling the truth about what he saw. Quinto remains as neutral as possible but also conveys he can tell the young man truly believes in what he’s saying.
Lost In Space
The Lost In Space panel was a highlight for me, as I am a big fan of the new Netflix’s Lost In Space reboot. This panel featured cast and creators from both the 1965 original show and the new Netflix reboot.
Here are some tidbits we learned at the panel:
- Mina Sundwall likes to improvise her own lines, something the creators tease her about.
- Maxwell Jenkins literally grew up with the circus. His parents ran it. He is quick to point out that their circus did not involve any animals. They just have their two rescue pit bulls. Huge audience applause here.
- Mina doesn’t actually have her driver’s license yet, and sadly didn’t get to ride the chariot. To this she glares at the show runners.
- Angela Cartwright and Bill Mumy have published a novel about their experiences with the show. The novel is titled Lost (and Found) in Space.”
- “On purpose” is a new project (unclear whether this is a book or project) that wil be coming soon from Angela and Bill. It is 20 years in the making.
- Bill talks about how they have been connected for over a half a century, and his profound gratitude. He says he knows that 50 years from now Mina and Max will be at an event like this and will be bonded just like he and Angela are.
- Marta Kristen spoke about how much she loves the fans. They are what makes us. The foundation of the show is the same. The heart is about family. They struggle, but are not alone. This is why the classic show lives and the new show will do the same.
- Mark Goddard is so happy with the casting of the new Don West, Ignacio Serricchio (even if he can’t pronounce his last name – haha!) Mina jokes it’s just siracha.
- The moderator called Ignacio on the phone and put him on speaker phone so he could participate in the panel discussion. He is currently filming a new Clint Eastwood movie. And he is hilarious. The banter between he and Mark showed such a genuine bond.
- As for Season 2 tidbits, because the kids grow and that is not good for continuity, the show will pick up a couple months after where Season 1ended.
- Season 2 will premiere in about 18 months from now, though no official date has been released. This elicited some major grumbles from the audience because we don’t want to wait that long.
- The showrunners talked about the reason for the long wait and said the delay is like waiting for the next Star Wars, except that this is like a10 hour movie that must all be edited all at once, when you air on Netflix.
- An applause poll of the audience to see who was an original Lost In Space vs. Netflix Lost In Space fan showed the majority were here for the original show. Bill spoke about the longevity of the show and humbly talks about how this will change.
Autographs and Photographs
Part of the draw for the huge crowds here are the opportunities for fans to meet their idols, their sci fi heroes. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed access to take pictures of the autograph or photograph sessions with fans, but from what we saw, fans seemed very very delighted to meet the talent that were there. I would highly recommend participating in these add on experiences at your next convention!
Jealous that you had to miss out on all the festivities, East Coast? Don’t fret! AlienCon is coming to Baltimore on November 9-11, 2018. You can purchase tickets HERE!
Website: https://www.showclix.com/event/aliencon-2018-baltimore/tag/hp-feature
