The Guests of Honour were Anthony Daniels (C3PO from “Star Wars”), Virginia Hey (from “Farscape”) and Brian Thompson (various characters in “X-Files”, etc.) While these were undoubtedly the public drawcard for many of the attendees, the convention also gave fans the opportunity to participate in a variety of fan-run panels and workshops that were worthwhile in their own right.
Spaced Out presented a fan discussion on “Sexuality in Science Fiction”
and our panellists presented various personal insights on a genre of literature
that proclaims itself as being progressive while actually remaining conservative.
Geoff served as ‘MC’ for the panel and introduced the topic within the
stereotypes of heterosexual gender roles in science fiction. Mirna spoke
on ‘slash’ fiction and the often-heterosexual audience that appears interested
in this form of gay literature. Addam questioned the need for gay/lesbian
invisibility in media science fiction, and Julie gave some compelling personal
revelations on transgender invisibility. Miriam spoke on cybersex and alien
sex. The audience participated in some challenging questions and answers,
and gave responses on the issues. Some suggested challenging possibilities
for future media SF shows, such as the upcoming new “Star Trek” series.
Others responded to our pamphlet on “Sexualities in Science Fiction” and
followed us up after the convention with suggestions for inclusions in
future editions of our pamphlet.
Overall, we felt that this panel was worthwhile and we thank the participants for giving so much of their time and energy.
Other fan panels were also worth checking out – Miriam spoke on Virtual Reality and participated in the “Stereotypical SF Costuming” panel. Kerry participated in the “Writer’s Day” stream of programming, while other local fans discussed their growth as scriptwriters, video producers or authors. It was inspiring to see a number of local fans who had used their years of fan-based activities to refine their skills to the point where they had been able to become professionals in their respective creative fields.
The Guests of Honour (GOHs) were certainly entertaining and, of course, remained the main attraction for the weekend. Indeed, the only disappointment at the convention for this reviewer was the audience itself, who were interested in the GOHs to the apparent exclusion of many other activities. Many fans avoided the fan-run panels and activities, so they missed out on the “heart” of the weekend. That disappointment most clearly defines the difference between fans as consumers and fans as creators. While Spaced Out and other SF clubs must obviously cater for the former type of fan, we might hopefully inspire people to become the latter – become personally involved in their hobby and make a difference. Viva la difference!