Gates McFadden, John de Lancie, and Brent Spiner sat down with moderator and Trek Track director Garrett Wang Friday 2:30PM for a conversation with Star Trek fans in the Marriott Atrium Ballroom. This group of actors have long been known for their camaraderie, friendship, and sense of humor. All those elements were on display Friday.

The session began with one of the most common questions series actors receive: “what’s their favorite episode?” McFadden pointed out that it wasn’t so much a matter of a favorite episode but rather bits and pieces of episodes that carry meaning to her. She was particularly fond of those (rare) moments of comedic relief in the series as well as scenes in which the actors could explore interesting and human questions like “what is love?” De Lancie emphasized time; in his experience the work he remembered the most was that on which he spent the most time. Here he made a distinction between television and stage. With a long filmography of appearances in episodic television, de Lancie’s approach was (frankly) “when, what’s the material, and how much am I being paid?”  On stage, however, it is a different equation. There an actor knows that he is going to be doing it for a while and for him it is that investment of time that translates into his most memorable work.

A member on Discord asked McFadden about her sense of pride and place in a franchise that has inspired so many and shaped so many lives. She described Star Trek as a “role-model filled” franchise. Whether the cast inspired artists or scientists, counselors or officers, it was something she was quite proud of. Reacting to McFadden’s comments about the franchise and inspiration, Wang asked her about her famous action figure photos. Appearing on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, McFadden wanted to poke fun at the entire merchandising phenomenon by posting photos of her figure in various scenes and poses, including one or two described by Wang as “naughty.”  This gave Spiner his opening. Earlier in the hour Spiner pointed out that the name placards all guests have in front of them during these sessions had not only their names on the back but a warning to remember that they may well be live on Dragon Con TV. In response to Wang’s characterization of McFadden’s “naughtiness,” Spiner proceeded to wave his placard around and point out to her that they may be “live on Dragon Con TV.” The audience roared.

The conversation turned to reflections on Star Trek and its arc from the original series through today. De Lancie told the tale of being in a hotel somewhere and while looking for something to watch on television (by changing the dial!) he happened upon the original series’ season three premiere episode “Spock’s Brain.”  Considered one of the worst episodes in series history, de Lancie recalled a scene that he could best describe as incredibly “cheesy,” from premise to set. Amid that however was William Shatner. As he watched he found that Shatner was finding a way to make it work, an incredible feat under the circumstances. McFadden joined in, pointing out that she had always been incredibly impressed by the original series actors and their commitment to the work despite the working conditions and having no money to invest in the episodes. At the other end of the spectrum de Lancie loved the way the franchise was moving forward. The current crop of Star Trek, including Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Lower Decks, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, drew universal praise. Wang declared himself the “ultimate lower decker” and all cheered the creativity and genius of Star Trek: Strange New World’s “Subspace Rhapsody.”  The franchise has come a long, long way from “Spock’s Brain” and these actors (clearly) love having been a part of it.