Starfest

Last weekend, Alison and I had the opportunity to attend one of the most spectacular events of all time. In brief, during the preceding week I became acquainted with the supreme commander of Denver's annual science fiction/video gaming/horror film convention aptly named Starfest. I've always been curious about this sort of thing so I asked for more information. He told me that if I came he would let me in for free. Needless to say, we went.

Before we get to the photos, I'll just give a brief description of the event. The main focus of the event seemed to be the intergalactic mingling of sci-fi enthusiasts. There were lots of other activities that we checked out though. You could engage in a Bat'leth battle, talk to someone about building a replica of R2D2, sing intergalactic karaoke, watch movies, play guitar hero, purchase some memorabilia, or get your picture taken with some people I've never heard of but who are apparently very cool in some circles. Basically it was (for the lack of a better term) a geek free-for-all.

The hotel where the convention was held had a big indoor courtyard surrounded by hotel rooms. Many of the participants got creative with their balconies and decorated them. As you can see, there were a few Star Wars fans in the house.

Not only were there Star Wars fans present, many of the actual Star Warriors decided to make an appearance. Darth Vader didn't cut us with his light saber, but I can only assume that it was because he was distracted by choking people in far away places using the dark side of the force.

We were also menaced by Boba Fett and a Storm Trooper.

I had to use the old Jedi mind trick to get out of this one.

Alison really wanted to buy the Data plate and I really liked the Captain Picard plate. Since we could really only justify buying one Star Trek plate and we couldn't agree on which one to get, we decided that we just wouldn't get any at all.

I also had the opportunity to hang with Skeletor for a few moments. He told me that he killed He-man, which was unfortunate. I asked him if he had also killed She-ra. He said that she had recently grown a beard and was in hiding. I think that he was lying about killing He-man though, because He-man holds the powers of Greyskull.

These fellows were having a creativity party. They made up their own science fiction-themed costumes on the spot and decided to have a basketball throwing war in the hallway. It was pretty awesome. You can tell how much fun it was by looking at the uncostumed man on the left. YES!

The moral of this post is that if you ever have the opportunity to witness one of these conventions, you should seize it. You may feel a little uncomfortable in your normal clothes, but it's worth the turn-the-table shame that these social outcasts make you feel. If nothing else, you'll have the chance to peer into a realm of fantasy beyond your wildest dreams.