Star Trek Fan Day
Join us for a look at the world of Star Trek fan-dom.
11 a.m.
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.
1 p.m.
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.
Star Trek First Fridays
Plan to Attend Star Trek First Fridays!
Each Star Trek First Friday will feature a special activity; on Friday, February 3, meet special guest, Star Trek: Voyager actor Robert Picardo!
At 8pm, Picardo will talk about life as a Star Trek actor and take questions. Then at 10pm, he’ll introduce 2 Voyager episodes in the OMNIMAX® Theater.
You can enter to win lunch with Robert Picardo. Enter the drawing Friday evening. 5 winners will be selected by random draw at 9:45. Lunch will be served on Saturday at the Science Center.
Must be present to win. 18 and older only. Only the person whose name is drawn wins the lunch, no guests.
More First Friday Details:
Put on your Spock ears and come to the Science Center on the first Friday evening of each month during the run of Star Trek: The Exhibition! In addition to touring the exhibition for a special evening rate, you can participate in a Public Telescope Viewing outside the Planetarium and see the new Star Trek-inspired Planetarium show. Learn more about how science fiction has inspired scientific endeavors by going on a Star Trek Scavenger Hunt throughout the Science Center’s galleries. Along the way, take the human vs. android challenge in the Cyberville Gallery, learn about real-word space medicine in the Life Science Lab, and experiment with Einstein’s theory of space time with an interactive gravity well. At 9 pm, gather in the Fizz Factory for music and then, at 10 pm head to the OMNIMAX® theater to view a Star Trek film. The 10 pm Star Trek movie will change each month; stay tuned for the schedule!
Star Trek: The Exhibition will be available for a special evening rate for non-Members. Prices are as follows:
- Non-Member Adult/Senior - $14
- Non-Member Child 5-12 - $12
Parking will be FREE for Star Trek First Friday evenings.
Star Trek First Fridays’ Program: 6 to 10 pm and will feature:
- Star Trek: The Exhibition
- Space-themed OMNIMAX® films
- Public Telescope Viewing
- New Space Show: Seeking New Earths
- Music in the Fizz Factory (9 to 10 pm)
- Star Trek movie (10 pm)
Special activities and demonstrations throughout the building
Mark these Star Trek First Fridays in your Captain’s Log!
- Friday, November 4 – Star Trek Costume Contest
- Friday, December 2 – Special Guest: Emmy®-nominated Star Trek make-up artist, Jeff Lewis
- Friday, January 6 – Star Trek Trivia Contest
- Friday, February 3 – Special Guest: Star Trek: Voyager actor, Robert Picardo
- Friday, March 2 – Special Program: Journey to Mars
- Friday, April 6 – Special Guest: Star Trek writer, David Gerrold (The Trouble with Tribbles)
- Friday, May 4 – Star Trek Costume Contest
May First Friday
6 to 10 p.m. Star Trek: The Exhibition
7:30-10 p.m. - Public Telescope Viewing on the Archery Field outside the James S. McDonnell Planetarium (weather permitting)
6-8 p.m. - Star Trek Costume Contest
Judging will take place in the 1st floor concession area from 6 to 8 p.m. Photos will also be taken in this area. Categories will be Human and Non-Human with first, second, and crowd favorite prizes in each. Winners will be announced at approximately 9:30 p.m. in the Fizz Factory on the 2nd floor. Contestants from the November contest are invited to participate, but the winners from November will need a different costume in order to be eligible for prizes.
Please abide by our costume contest rules.
OMNIMAX® films at the special evening rate of $6:
- 6:30 p.m.: To The Arctic
- 7:30 p.m.: Space Junk
- 8:30 p.m.: Walking on the Moon
Space Shows:
- 8 p.m.: The Sky Tonight
- 9 p.m.: Seeking New Earths
- Music in the Fizz Factory from 9 to 10 p.m.
- Star Trek movie at 10 p.m.
By popular demand, we'll conclude our Star Trek film series with Star Trek: Generations. Tickets will be available at the box office, starting at 6 p.m. Tickets may be reserved ahead of time only with purchase of tickets to Star Trek: The Exhibition. Please note that the film is not in IMAX format and will not wrap around the full dome screen.
Special activities and demonstrations throughout the building.
Star Trek Lecture Series
Cost: Presentation is FREE but reservations are recommended due to limited seating
Location: Saint Louis Science Center May Hall
Program Length: Approximately 1 hour
Age Group: Recommended for Adults
To find out more information or to make reservations, please contact: Reservations Department, 314.289.4424.
Why NASA and DARPA Are Reaching for the Stars
The U.S. Government’s premier research and development organizations, NASA and DARPA, are currently sponsoring a ‘100 Year Starship StudyTM’ exploring the disciplines needed to make long-distance space travel practicable and feasible. Find out how using ambitious stretch goals like these keep NASA and DARPA on the leading edge of technology and innovation from one NASA’s most interesting innovators, Dr. S. ‘Pete” Worden.
Presenter: Dr. S. Pete Worden, NASA Ames Research Center
Date and Time: Thursday, March 8, 2012 at 7pm
Special Guest: Star Trek writer, David Gerrold (The Trouble with Tribbles)
Put on your Spock ears and come to the Science Center on the first Friday evening of each month during the run of Star Trek: The Exhibition! In addition to touring the exhibition for a special evening rate, you can participate in a Public Telescope Viewing outside the Planetarium and see the new Star Trek-inspired Planetarium show. Learn more about how science fiction has inspired scientific endeavors by going on a Star Trek Scavenger Hunt throughout the Science Center’s galleries. Along the way, take the human vs. android challenge in the Cyberville Gallery, learn about real-word space medicine in the Life Science Lab, and experiment with Einstein’s theory of space time with an interactive gravity well. At 9 pm, gather in the Fizz Factory for music and then, at 10 pm head to the OMNIMAX® theater to view a Star Trek film. The 10pm Star Trek movie will change each month; stay tuned for the schedule!
Each Star Trek First Friday will feature a special activity; on Friday, November 4, participate in a Star Trek costume contest!
Star Trek: The Exhibition will be available for a special evening rate for non-Members. Prices are as follows:
- Non-Member Adult/Senior - $14
- Non-Member Child 5-12 - $12
Parking will be FREE for Star Trek First Friday evenings.
Star Trek First Fridays’ Program: 6 to 10 pm and will feature:
- Star Trek: The Exhibition
- Space-themed OMNIMAX® films
- Public Telescope Viewing
- New Space Show: Seeking New Earths
- Music in the Fizz Factory (9 to 10 pm)
- Star Trek movie (10 pm)
There will be special activities and demonstrations throughout the building.
Star Trek Lecture Series
Cost: Presentation is FREE but reservations are recommended due to limited seating
Location: Saint Louis Science Center May Hall
Program Length: Approximately 1 hour
Age Group: Recommended for Adults
To find out more information or to make reservations, please contact: Reservations Department, 314.289.4424.
The Immersive Virtual Reality Environment: Today’s Holodeck?
The holodeck is everyone’s favorite futuristic technology. Like magic, it creates artificial worlds that seem real even though they are in an empty room. Rachael Brady, the founder of the DiVE (Duke immersive Virtual Environment) will talk about virtual reality past and present. She will reveal exciting new advances in 3D virtual reality and immersive environments and discuss how close we have come to realizing the Holodeck. Ms. Brady is the founder and director of the DiVE, a six-sided CAVE-like VR environment.
Presenter: Rachael Brady, Director, Visualization Technology Group, Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University
Date and Time: Thursday, April 12, 2012 at 7pm
Star Trek Costume Contest
Put on your Spock ears and come to the Science Center on the first Friday evening of each month during the run of Star Trek: The Exhibition! In addition to touring the exhibition for a special evening rate, you can participate in a Public Telescope Viewing outside the Planetarium and see the new Star Trek-inspired Planetarium show. Learn more about how science fiction has inspired scientific endeavors by going on a Star Trek Scavenger Hunt throughout the Science Center’s galleries. Along the way, take the human vs. android challenge in the Cyberville Gallery, learn about real-word space medicine in the Life Science Lab, and experiment with Einstein’s theory of space time with an interactive gravity well. At 9 pm, gather in the Fizz Factory for music and then, at 10 pm head to the OMNIMAX® theater to view a Star Trek film. The 10 pm Star Trek movie will change each month; stay tuned for the schedule!
Each Star Trek First Friday will feature a special activity; on Friday, November 4, participate in a Star Trek costume contest!
Star Trek: The Exhibition will be available for a special evening rate for non-Members. Prices are as follows:
- Non-Member Adult/Senior - $14
- Non-Member Child 5-12 - $12
Parking will be FREE for Star Trek First Friday evenings.
Star Trek First Fridays’ Program: 6 to 10 pm and will feature:
- Star Trek: The Exhibition
- Space-themed OMNIMAX® films
- Public Telescope Viewing
- New Space Show: Seeking New Earths
- Music in the Fizz Factory (9 to 10 pm)
- Star Trek movie (10 pm)
There will be special activities and demonstrations throughout the building.
Star Trek Lecture Series
Cost: Presentation is FREE but reservations are recommended due to limited seating
Location: Saint Louis Science Center May Hall
Program Length: Approximately 1 hour
Age Group: Recommended for Adults
To find out more information or to make reservations, please contact: Reservations Department, 314.289.4424.
To Boldly Go: The New Horizons Mission to Pluto
The New Horizons mission to Pluto and the Kuiper belt is set to explore “strange new worlds.” The spacecraft’s design and instrumentation are exciting means of doing new science at Pluto, its family of moons (4 and counting), and even more mysterious bodies in deep space. Learn more as Dr. McKinnon compares far-reaching missions like New Horizons to the imagined science in Star Trek. Find out what is being done now to push space exploration to places it has never gone before!
Presenter: Dr. Bill McKinnon, Professor of Planetary Geophysics and Dynamics, Washington University in St. Louis
Date and Time: Thursday, May 10, 2012 at 7pm
Star Trek : The IMAX Experience
Cost
$9 ADULT, $8 CHILD/SENIOR,
MEMBERS MAY USE THEIR VOUCHERS FOR DISCOUNTED TICKETS
Day/Time
SATURDAY, FIRST FRIDAY: 4pm
Description
The latest adventure in the Star Trek franchise is a trip back to the beginning. The blockbuster 2009 theatrical release, Star Trek, reintroduces the Enterprise crew: Kirk, Spock, Uhura, Scotty, McCoy and Chekov. The Science Center will show the IMAX® version of Star Trek in the OMNIMAX® Theater every Saturday from now until the end of May. Now's your chance to see it again, this time, on the biggest screen around.
More Info/Reservations
Discounts available for groups of 10 or more. For more information, please contact: Reservations Department: 314.289.4424.
Seeking New Earths – NEW Space Show in the James S. McDonnell Planetarium
Cost
$5 ADULT, $4 CHILD/SENIOR,
FREE FOR CERTAIN SCIENCE CENTER MEMBERSHIP LEVELS
Location
Planetarium StarBay
Description
In the classic science fiction TV show Star Trek, the ship and crew visited many fictional worlds with intelligent life. In this new Space Show we explore what is known about planets orbiting other stars, where we are in our search for these planets and the possibility of life elsewhere in the Universe.
More Info/Reservations
For more information, please contact: Reservations Department, 314.289.4424.
Star Trek Scavenger Hunt
Day/Time
Self-Guided during SLSC hours of operation
Location
PICK UP PAPER VERSIONS OF THE SCAVENGER HUNT IN THE SCIENCE CENTER MAIN LOBBY, THEN EXPLORE THE ENTIRE CENTER.
Description
Boldly Go Explore the Science Center! A Scavenger (And SCVNGR!) Hunt
Go on a fun adventure and seek out Star Trek connections throughout the Saint Louis Science Center. Using either a pen and paper or a smart phone (or both!), explore how current scientific research compares to science fiction. When you complete your mission, you will receive a Star Trek-themed prize!
More Info/Reservations
For more information, please contact: Reservations Department, 314.289.4424.
Light Speed Ahead – All New AMAZING SCIENCE DEMONSTRATION
Day/Time
MONDAY-SATURDAY: 11:10pm, 11:30pm | Sunday: 3:10pm, 3:30pm*
Description
Holograms and laser demonstrations illustrate the fascinating properties and behavior of light. Learn more about light and how we use this knowledge to observe distant objects in space!
More Info/Reservations
For more information, please contact: Sarah Schoenlaub, 314.286.4652. *NOTE: Times subject to change.
Alien Adaptations
Day/Time
Daily: when staffing is available
Location
Saint Louis Science Center Ecology and Environment Gallery
Description
Aliens come in all shapes and sizes. Each alien has adapted, or changed, to better survive on different planets. What adaptations would an alien from an ice planet need to survive? A super hot planet with active volcanoes? Choose a planet and design your own alien to survive. What adaptations can you create to help your alien to survive?
More Info/Reservations
For more information, please contact: Ecology and Environment Staff, 314.286.4601.
Life Science in Space
Day/Time
Thursday: 10:30am-12:00pm
Location
Life Science Lab Atrium
Description
What do we know about life in space? What life science research has been conducted by astronauts in space? How does living in space affect all forms of life? Explore these topics and more through fun, FREE, hands-on activities.
More Info/Reservations
For more information, please contact: Life Science Lab, 314.286.4643.
SHIELDS UP – SCIENCE FICTION OR SCIENCE POSSIBLE: AN EXPLORATION OF ELECTROMAGNETISM
Location
Planetarium Lobby Demo Area
Description
Are protective shields possible for space ships as Star Trek implies? Yes they are. By the exploration of electromagnetism, we will see how deflector shields and propulsion technology could work. After exploring how electromagnetism works, we will relate those principles to current research involving the same mechanisms designed for real world applications.
More Info/Reservations
For more information, please contact: James S. McDonnell Planetarium Staff, 314.286.4695.
Free Activities in Cyberville
Day/Time
Daily: 11:00am-2:00pm
Location
Saint Louis Science Center Cyberville Gallery
Description
Beam Me Up!
Come play a game using the special number system a computer uses, and learn how computer advances might allow us to instantly “beam” to another location.
Human vs. Android
Compete against a Cyberville computer in a game of skill. Who will prevail?!
The Science of Secret Messages
Come try to create a secret message that even a Starfleet Commander could not break!
More Info/Reservations
For more information, please contact: Cyberville Staff, 314.286.4659.
