Howcome some Sci-Fi films warrant conventions and others do not?

[Symarip]

A serious question. Well, as serious as one can be about geeks dressing up and hanging out with each other in convention halls. Is it a popularity type of thing? 2001 was a very popular film. Same as say, Blade Runner or A Clockwork Orange. Neither, to my knowledge, have whole conventions based around them. Or is it based around franchised themes?

What makes you people do this?

[redqueen]

1. Depends on how fanatical the fans are.

I thought Blade Runner had some cons but I'm not sure.

If you're not into a show or movie enough to look for one, there very well may be some but you wouldn't know unless you went looking for it.

[TZ]

2. Well you have to remember that Star Trek is more than a movie

Actually, ST conventions sprang up in the seventies as a way to keep a cancelled but beloved series alive...And it just ballooned from there. Since ST has a gaggle of series, movies, books...etc they tend to get their own conventions...However there are plenty of generic sci-fi/fantasy conventions that feature alot of different stuff like 2001, Blade Runner..that sort of thing. Even at the so named Star Trek conventions though there is stuff about other series as well.

[Symarip]

3. They allow other series to invade?

Isn't that like heresy to you Trek-freaks?

[TZ]

5. Nope. Most of us are actually big Sci-Fi fans in general

So its fun to learn about other shows that we watch or go listen to authors we are reading. I've yet to meet a ST fan that wasn't a big fan of Sci-Fi in general..

[Symarip]

7. Learning occurs?

Do tell.

[TZ]

9. We learn about new and upcoming projects in the world of sci-fi

with the various actors and authors. Get to see previews of stuff. Hear about up coming books...I don't know if you heard but at one convention the fans thought they were going to see a showing of "The Wrath of Khan" but were treated to a sneak preview of the new JJ Abrams Star Trek movie...That was actually kind of cool in my book...

[Symarip]

12. So I suppose it's the same way I learn how the Swiffer works

From watching commercials.

[SacredCow]

13. I dunno....

in the WAY early days of the intertubes, my friends and I logged into a Star Trek chatroom (we were pretty drunk and very bored). We followed the conversations for a minute or two, then somehow thought it would be funny to start interspersing various comments that mixed ST with Battlestar Galactica (the Lorne Greene, Richard Hatch vintage). Such as: "Hey- remember that episode when Spock was captured by the Cylons and Apollo went to save him...." You get the idea....

You can imagine how well it went over. Granted, a lot were simply pissed at it being off-topic. But there was a LOT of disdain for BG, too.

I've grown up a little since then- I *might* not do something like that now! :silly:

[rcrush]

4. Havent been to a convention in years

It was the 90's last time I saw one come here. But back then they usually incorporate all kinds of sci fi into a Star Trek convention. Star Trek is the main event tho at the convention.

[Mojambo]

6. Sci-Fi fans NEED a reason to get out of the house or apartment, or more likely, the basement. n/t

[HopeHoops]

8. Have you ever seen the movie "Galaxie Quest"?

At first it seems dumber than fuck, but you have to realize that this is the intention. It is essentially "what should have happened to the cast of Star Trek". It is one of those movies you can watch over and over and STILL catch something subtle and funny that you had missed every other time. For example, the engineer is a stoner and while everyone else is having a serious discussion, he passes through and quietly mumbles "Wow, the floors are so clean." Part of why it seems dumb is because the "aliens" act like morons. It isn't that they are stupid, quite the opposite, but rather that they are naive. That isn't a spoiler, it just helps to appreciate the opening scenes.

I went to Balticon and Defcon back in the late 70's and these conventions are seriously weird. At one of the Balticon events, there was a woman wearing nothing but a python - a real one.

As for Star Trek, I think the biggest irony of all is the math. The Enterprise was on a five year mission that only lasted three TV seasons and created a seemingly timeless following and spin-off franchise.

[kentauros]

10. It would be the "franchised theme" as even Babylon 5

(an example of a sci-fi series with movies, yet a superior story and fictional universe) does not have conventions. It's likely the fans and how popular they make a show and subsequent movies. Star Wars turned into that, yet Batman didn't.

I also get the impression that the more you have to think about a movie or tv show, the less popular it is or the smaller the fan-base. Although Star Trek certainly has some episodes you had to think about, it didn't rely on a story arc that took 5 years to tell and all the complications you get with that over time. Almost all Star Trek shows were self-contained, all loose ends tied up neatly at the end and so on. There isn't much left to ponder after that.

[redqueen]

14. Um... there are Babylon 5 conventions. (nt)

[kentauros]

15. Okay, I'm not aware of them

plus, they likely don't get the press that Star Trek conventions get since those are usually the biggest and best known.

Then again, I'm not a convention-goer so I sually don't care ;)

[TK421]

11. Any Sci-Fi flick that involves toys in their marketing scheme....

I would guess, but how cool would it have been to have Clockwork Orange action figures? Complete with Korova Milk bar and nochy britva!

[Forkboy]

16. When there's 28 Bladerunner movies like there is Godzilla movies, it'll have one, too.

;)