Professor John Tenuto, a sociology professor at the College of Lake County, Illinois will present “Pictures of the Future: Rare Photos from the Making of Star Trek II and VI”. Professor Tenuto, College of Lake County, Illinois, will share rare, behind-the-scenes images, including the only known pictures of William Shatner and Ricardo Montalban together on stage, from the making of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Based on four years of research by Tenuto and his wife, fellow sociology professor Maria Jose Tenuto, the images are culled from the University of Iowa's Nicholas Meyer Paper Collection. The presentation will also share behind-the-scenes stories of the contributions of the artists who helped make these films among the most popular of the Star Trek franchise. The Tenutos work on these photos was recently featured on Film Score Monthly's CD release of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

 

Artist Craig Skaggs will present “A Designer’s Journey: Creating Star Trek Collectibles”. Mr. Skaggs will discuss his work as a designer of Star Trek models for The Bradford Exchange as well as other design projects, from toys to the jet shoes depicted in Spy Kids II. He will describe his creative process and share his drawings.

 

2 p.m.
Professor Tenuto will again take the podium to present, “A Celebration of Fans: The History of the Official Star Trek Fan Club”. Before the Internet, the Official Star Trek Fan Club was an information lifeline for fans through its publication, the Star Trek Communicator. Professor Tenuto has extensively researched the magazine’s archives and found rare photos, including the only known photo of Gene Roddenberry and George Lucas together. The presentation will also include many other wonderful behind-the-scenes photos from the making of the Star Trek television shows and films. Also included is a fun look at 45 years of Star Trek collectibles. Learn about the special place that Star Trek has in McDonald's Happy Meal history. Enjoy photos and stories of some of the most unusual collectibles ever made (like the Kraft Star Trek marshmallow dispenser!) and take a retro trip through categories of collecting such as food items, action figures, books, playsets and video games. Both casual and serious collectors alike will enjoy the nostalgic and sociological discussion of Star Trek memorabilia from Star Trek: The Original Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Enterprise, and the Star Trek movies.

 

All lectures are free to the public and will be held in the Science Center’s May Hall. During the day there will be drawings for Star Trek posters and for the opportunity to have a front-row seat on Friday, April 6 when writer David Gerrold (“The Trouble with Tribbles”) describes his experiences writing for the original series.