A puzzle

[rhionnach]

Satellite 2 is tomorrow. http://www.satellite2.org.uk/?page=home I'm looking forward to it but I have come up against a puzzling response from a Star Trek fan who said that they had read up on last year's event (I assume they mean Satellite 1 - two years ago), that it looked far too serious for them and that it was more for people heavily into the space programe and the serious science writers. They said it didn't appear to be like cons they had previously been to and so wouldn't be going.

Huh?

How do you get around a misconception like that? I know that when I began going to conventions there appeared to be more of a bias against Star Trek fans attending general SF cons. That sort of attitude made me more determined to keep turning up, in costume (see icon), with Tribbles, out of sheer bloodymindedness. I recall certain booksellers telling me to keep it up, that some people were taken aback that here was a Star Trek fan who read books (and not just Star Trek ones) and who could converse intelligently! That attitude seems to have largely gone away (correct me if I'm wrong) and yet I'm still finding Star Trek fans and Dr Who fans who feel they can't go to general SF cons.

I believe we still have a sizeable fan base in the Glasgow area. We used to have 500+ regulars who would attend the Away Team sessions in Glasgow. Where have they gone? How do we get them to return?

Comments

[brisingamen.livejournal.com]

here was a Star Trek fan who read books (and not just Star Trek ones) and who could converse intelligently!

In my early days in fandom (very early 1980s), it was understood in my part of the forest that whatever one felt about media fans in costume then, the Star Trek fans were exceedingly well-read in science fiction and always interesting to talk to.

[rhionnach.livejournal.com]

I have been going to con since 1977 but have come across the attitude that Star Trek fans wouldn't know a book if they fell over one.

[brisingamen.livejournal.com]

I've come across that attitude too, and was always delighted to refute it whenever possible.

[psychochicken.livejournal.com]

I said it about last year and this year's the same: on the face of it it's a very serious, quite high brow programme. Now I *know* some of the people involved and therefore suspect anarchy and silliness will never be far away, but I can totally understand how someone would think that.

Having said that, if my idea of a convention was watching a lot of TV shows, it's hard to imagine me finding much of interest in Sat2's programme of events.

[rhionnach.livejournal.com]

That's the puzzle. The Away Team did watch a lot of the various series, mainly because of the delay in them coming over here. However, Star Trek cons I have been to have had a lot of talks, games, and assorted activities so I think there's some kind of perception problem and i'm not sure how to get around that.

[dalg.livejournal.com]

If you're expecting highbrow with me on the committee then you may be dissapointed !!! Come to my quiz and see how highbrow it gets :-D

[psychochicken.livejournal.com]

*I* know that, *you* know that and *Rhionnach* knows that, but it doesn't come across that way in the programme, so I'm just saying I can understand how the person Rhionnach spoke to could get the wrong idea.

Just as long as you've all got your dancing moonboots on on Saturday night!