announcement two of four (collect them all!)
Last week, I mentioned one of those "so cool I can't talk about it" projects. Today, I can go ahead and reveal what it was: I composed that post about an hour before I put on pointy sideburns and a space suit, brought Lieutenant Commander Wesley Crusher back to life as the Assistant Chief Engineer of the USS Titan.
Before I tell you why, I would like to point out that it was particularly gratifying to see that his rank, considering this, from Dancing Barefoot:
“One time, when we were renegotiating our contracts, we were all asking for raises.
“We all felt a salary increase was appropriate, because The Next Generation was a hit. It was making gobs of money for Paramount,” (I like that word – gobs) “and we felt that we should share in that bounty.
“Of course, Paramount felt otherwise, so a long and annoying negotiation process began.
“During that process, the producers’ first counteroffer was that, in lieu of a raise, they would give my character a promotion, to lieutenant.”
I pause, and look around. I wrinkle my brow, and gaze upward.
“What? Were they serious?”
A fan hollers, “Yeah! Lieutenant Crusher! Woo!”
I smile back at him.
“My agent asked me what I wanted to do. I told him to call them back and remind them that Star Trek is just a television show.”
Okay, that was risky to say. It's pretty much the opposite of just a television show to these people, but I've gotten the audience back, and they giggle.
“I imagined this phone call to the bank,” I mime a phone, and hold it to my ear. “Hi . . . Uh, I'm not going to be able to make my house payment this month, but don't worry! I am a lieutenant now.” I pause, listening to the voice on the other end.
“Where? Oh, on the Starship Enterprise.”
I pause.
“Enterprise D, yeah, the new one. Feel free to drop by Ten Forward for lunch someday. We'll put it on my officer's tab!”
It's for Star Trek: The Tour, which starts in Long Beach on January 17th, where it's going to live for about a month before it goes on a national tour later this year.
In addition to the encounter thing that I'm in, there are some really cool things for Trekkies on this tour, including full-size recreations of the NCC-1701 and NCC-1701-D bridges (where you can trade some of your gold-pressed latinum for the opportunity to sit in the captain's chair and pose for a picture) corridors you can walk through, and more costumes and props than you could feed a Targ. Sadly, there is no Ten Forward where we can all have a drink on my officer's tab, but there is a killer app that I can't wait to try out: There is this thing where you step into a blue screen environment, and through the magic of teleprompters, multiple camera angles, and creative editing, perform in a mini episode of the original series, where you'll get to act with Kirk and Spock. I'm hoping that I can improvise some dialog with Kirk about his, uh, luxurious maine of carefully-styled hair.
Two down, two to go! Be sure to drink your Ovaltine!
SO SO SO excited!!!! Does this mean you will be coming to Montreal? (with the tour, I mean)
Posted by: starshine_diva | January 08, 2008 at 04:36 PM
I'm not traveling with the tour, though I've considered talking to book stores about doing some appearances in San Francisco and Seattle when the tour gets there, because they're close to me and it would probably lend itself to some easy cross promotion.
Posted by: Wil | January 08, 2008 at 04:42 PM
That is so fucking awesome.
Posted by: Annika | January 08, 2008 at 04:43 PM
Wow, it's coming through Houston. I may have to get my geek on and go check it out.
Posted by: Chuck | January 08, 2008 at 04:44 PM
Super cool, Mr. Wheaton. We are still Demanding you in Atlanta. Perhaps this will give you some impetus to pop our way when the time comes.
And put the links in you tweets, please.
Posted by: butchhoward | January 08, 2008 at 04:46 PM
Nice! My buddy called me today at lunch an asked if I wanted to go to the new Star Trek Tour down in Long Beach in a few weeks. I hope you're there so I can get my HDOOL signed. Do you have a schedule yet?
Posted by: swordman69 | January 08, 2008 at 04:50 PM
Kickass! It'll be great to see you as Wesley again. I've been wondering for a while, though...what happened to his cosmic time/space traveling powers? Is he just taking a break or something?
Posted by: beelkay | January 08, 2008 at 04:59 PM
Wow, congrats! That is so awesome. I can't wait to checkit out when the tour hits Houston!
Posted by: The Blot | January 08, 2008 at 05:14 PM
Wait a second ... Wesley can't be a Lieutenant Commander! He's off gallivanting around the universe with The Traveler! What's going on here?!?
Posted by: Kage | January 08, 2008 at 05:18 PM
Hey Wil,
This sounds really cool! Woot! It'll be fun to see you in a performance like that.
So...will you know when the tour gets fleshed out more? Their web site "schedule" doesn't have...well...a schedule. It's apparently going to be in Long Beach for 2 months, and that's all. Are they just going to decide when and where to go next based on the response they get in each city? That just seems odd to me; I assumed that the schedules for tours like this are planned years in advance (I assume this is roughly equivalent to the "Star Wars" travelling exhibit that's currently at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago).
Wil; do you happen to know if there is a more detailed schedule available anywhere?
Thanks, dude. I hope to be able to see it!
Craig Steffen
Posted by: Craig Steffen | January 08, 2008 at 05:24 PM
This is really cool news; even though you won't be traveling with the tour. But it will be coming to my city which is HUGE since cool things usually pass us by!
Posted by: Starr01 | January 08, 2008 at 05:34 PM
No fair!! Tells us there's gonna be a Star Trek: The Tour, and there's gonna be a national tour, but then kills us with, "I'm not traveling with the tour..." Bastard. You suck, Wheaton.
So are there going to be videos/DVDs of the stops in which you participate? Where do I sign up to buy some?
Posted by: kristinalead | January 08, 2008 at 05:35 PM
Holy crap, it's coming to Vancouver! I'm so there. Now if only they'd say when tickets went on sale for the rest of the tour. hmm.
Those were two pretty big anouncements, not sure how you can trump those. Will have to stay tuned.
Posted by: CarolP | January 08, 2008 at 06:02 PM
Congratulations, Wil!
Wesley is avenged!
Posted by: Arachne Jericho | January 08, 2008 at 06:18 PM
Wait. Isn't Wesley still some kind of magical space elf or something? How can he be a Starfleet officer if he's off being some kind of weird outer-space shaman-type thingy?
Sorry. I snort-laughed and it fogged my goggles. I need to remember to stop typing when that happens.
Still more great news! Can't wait to read the rest!
Posted by: ChrisW | January 08, 2008 at 06:29 PM
Woah, that is so cool! I'll definitely be hitting one of the Arizona stops. So awesome!
Posted by: JennyW | January 08, 2008 at 06:34 PM
Are you near Phoenix, JennyW? If you are, you'll really like announcement three.
Posted by: Wil | January 08, 2008 at 06:37 PM
THERES A CHARLOTTE LISTING!!!!!
W00T!!!!!
Okay so Im a little (really. just a little. Srsly. :( )disappointed that you wont be traveling with it.
But thats okay. Ive been waiting for years to attend a Trek thing or three.
2 down. 2 to go. Have fun!
Posted by: SandieK | January 08, 2008 at 06:47 PM
heh. Magical Space Elf. I like that. I pondered that whole thing during ST: Nemesis, so this time Im not going to bother with it.
Posted by: SandieK | January 08, 2008 at 06:49 PM
Dude! That's so awesome! :) w000000t.
Hm, my little fan fiction mind is already coming up with a good way Wesley could go from Traveler to Star Fleet officer again... Mmm.... :)
That's just neat!
Posted by: angie k | January 08, 2008 at 06:52 PM
Wil, I hope you get your chance to do your improv soon.
(As I typed the above I got this nasty idea. This wonderfully nasty idea. The current day Bill Shatner standing in for a certain disreputable junk dealer in scenes from "The Trouble With Tribbles". (Kirk always did strike me as the sort to take up a career as a "tramp steamer" captain once he retired from the service.))
Posted by: mythusmage | January 08, 2008 at 06:59 PM
I can't even express how ridiculously excited I am that Vancouver BC made it on the list. They mentioned at Comic-Con that it would but, well, one can never be totally sure with American tours and Canadian cities.
And then of course there was the highly dignified running-around-and-squealing-with-hereditary-nerdly-glee portion of the evening. ;)
Any idea when the order for the cities is going to be finalised? Or is it up somewhere I didn't notice? Ticketmaster.ca doesn't show any dates for the tour after February of '08.
Posted by: chandrimac | January 08, 2008 at 07:07 PM
My inner Trekker did a little Wheeee! just then... hooray the tour is coming to San Fran.
The last bit reminds me of what they (used to?) have at one of the Orlando theme parks (MGM maybe?), when I was there in 1991 -- at age 10 -- my parents and I acted with Kirk, Spock, Scotty, Roddenberry (!), and some Klingons. I still have the VHS... it rocks.
Posted by: Earth2Kim | January 08, 2008 at 08:01 PM
Yah! wilw has links in tweets!
Posted by: butchhoward | January 08, 2008 at 08:12 PM
"Ovaltine? A crummy commercial? Son of a bitch!"
Had to be said. ;)
Posted by: ChuckEye | January 08, 2008 at 08:19 PM