Meeting Marina!




The Starfleet Ball 9, February 2003

Marina's Panel

I have transcribed the best of Marina's Panels (her Q&A sessions) from both days, and you can find it on my interviews page. It is hilarious and also touching, Check it out now!

I attended on Saturday 8th February. An amazing day even though a 1 and a half hour trip took 3 and a half!! But totally worth it!

So, I arrived too late to get a ticket to have my photo taken with Marina! I went straight down to the opening ceremonies, very exciting. This is my favourite convention I have been too, as I learnt last year (I attended in 2002 to see Gates). Quite small still really, compared to others, very friendly and pleasant.

Every guest was introduced. Chase Masterson was there, didn't know that. And Robert Leeshock was a surprise guest, he was lovely last year!

George Takei had flu, aw! But that wouldn't stop him!

Marina modelling a T-Shirt given to her by a fan, printed with an image of her dancing at Pages Bar the year before!Marina was last to come on, and wow! Over in a flash, no pun intended there!!

Robin Curtis (Saavik in ST 3&4 and Talera in TNG - "Gambit") is very nice, I really enjoyed her talk.
I stayed to see George Takei, he is a very interesting man. Robert Leeshock and Von Flores were on together, quite a somber mood but I liked it. Robert is VERY sexy!

Marina's PanelI stayed put in my seat quite close to the front for a long time so I'd be there for Marina's talk. I absolutely love her, as I can tell all the crowd did! She moved the chairs ands table on stage so she'd have lots of space to move about!! She is SO the convention queen, rightly so. I hadn't seen one of her panels before, even though I'd met her twice before. It was fantastic. It's hard to remember most of it! I could listen to Marina talk for hours, and not know it. She has so much energy, is so much fun and has the best sense of humour! Usual questions were asked, (e.g. favourite film, women drivers...) but it it seems just like the first time Marina was telling it! I officially love her!

Marina said she'll sign any personal items with a limit up to 5, at the end of her panel. The SF Ball's organisers obviously didn't agree with that, they put up a notice saying 1 item each! Marina's too kind for her own good. She is very fast at signing and was whizzing through as much as she could. So wasn't chatting really, a pleasure as always though, she signed the photo of herself and I that was taken last year (below).

Click to Enlarge. From Shirl's Conventions Site, Click on the Link on the left for more!My Photos aren't great but they're here cos they're mine! Links below for better ones!

Photo Links: http://gsunley.tripod.com/sfballweb/
http://groups.msn.com/ShirlsConventions/sfball.msnw

Convention Website: http://www.starfleet-ball.com/



Autographica - Saturday May 18th 2002

(This is the whole day's report because I don't have anywhere else to talk about meeting Denise and Maud as well!)

I met Marina on 18th of May 2002 at Autographica in Northampton, UK!

Marina and meThere was a Star Trek room with Marina, Denise Crosby, Grace Lee Whitney, Richard Herd etc. It came upon me so fast, being there with Marina and was over in a flash, no pun intended! (Camera flash!) Right, just seeing her is such a big thing, like before the queue gets up there!

Marina looked fabulous!

The man in front was like a sweet old man, he went to have his photo taken with Marina and he couldn't crouch down next to her (his knees!) so Marina stood up!

I had my own photo to get signed by Marina, and she asked my name to personalise it. "To James, all the best, Marina Sirtis"!!

I gave her my special letter I had put together, decorated with stars and colour, just on the envelope. I had a letter from me, a picture I'd drawn of Troi and a letter from Steph inside. Said about how I love her website, made some good friends there. She asked who I was on here? Or haven't I joined the offical part? I said I hadn't yet... Marina said "You don't have to!" lol!
I said I do want to! I then said about "You know D.Destiny, right?" And that D had sent me a letter and bracelet but it didn't arrive in time.

Then I asked if I could get my photo taken, sure! Went and crouched down and my Mum took it! I thanked her VERY MUCH then we moved on!

I was nervous, too much, but it was okay! Actually left the Star Trek room, without thinking, but put my autographed pic in my folder. Got a drink then went to queue for the Star Trek room again, for Denise!


Denise has a bit longer hair now, and looks great. She was really friendly, I got the Season 1 video cover with her on signed. And, got my photo taken with her, she was glad to do that, put her arm round me. "Enjoy your day!" she said.

A bit later in the day we queued for the James Bond room. Maud Adams was the guest I was REALLY interested in in there!
She looked great. By the way, she was the title character in "Octopussy" and Andrea Anders in "The Man with the Golden Gun". My favourite Bond girl, the only one to have starring roles in two films, as seperate characters.

It was amazing just hearing Maud's voice, so distinctive and lovely. She speaks 5 languages too!
I was the second person to see Maud after she'd come back from lunch. The man in front had at least 10 trading cards from both of her James Bond films, and she said she didn't realise there were so many with her on!
I had the same design of letter for her too and she personalised a pic to me and I had my photo taken with her!
She asked if I did the design on the big envelope for her, "yeah" and she said she'd take a look at it later. "Bye!"

Event Website: http://www.autographica.co.uk/



Galaxion '99

After this Convention I began a kind of diary, because I wanted to record about this day! This is what I put:

Today was the day I had been waiting for for ages and when it finally did come it didn't seem real! Of course the main reason I went was to see Marina Sirtis, but I also did want to see Michael Dorn and all the people from Star Wars. When I got there I just wanted to have a quick look around to see where everything was but soon after we went to join the autograph queue for Marina. The queue was long enough 2 hours before she was due there, so we had to join.

The Panel I couldn't AttendWhen she was due on at 1:15, the suspense was so high and I just couldn't wait to catcha glimpse of her! She didn't get there until 1:45! She was wearing a black dress and she looked a lot more greek than she does in pictures or in Star Trek. This is probably because she was wearing a black dress and her hair is now black and straight. She walked in with Michael Dorn and they did have security guards around them! She signed my Season 5 large postcard of Troi and the 1.4 video cover. I bought another black and white picture of her as Troi, which she also signed. When I got up to her I said "Hi" and put two pics down that she signed because I thought it might be a bit rude to ask her to sign three things but she saw me holding it and said "Would you like me to sign that as well?" So I said "Yes please!" That was thoughtful of her because it means so much to me! I said "Thanks very much!" and went off to put all those in my folder.

All of the above is what I wrote back in October 1999, I am writing this text now, in February 2002. I didn't realise how much I was missing at Galaxion '99, no photo session and I had to leave before Marina and Michael were on stage together. I just enjoyed it, seeing them briefly and getting their autographs was fantastic for me then!