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They even have the version with the skirt!

Creation Entertainment have announced that Walter Koening can no longer attend STLV this year. Below is the message attached to the announcement.

It was 1979, and we had been producing Creation events for eight years. Although we dabbled a bit in talent from filmed science fiction and fantasy, our focus was still primarily (as it had been from the beginning) on comic books.

That didn’t mean that we weren’t HUGE sci fi TV and film fans, and of course, Star Trek fanatics. We finally decided to book a Star Trek guest for one of our shows, and as history has it, that was Walter Koenig. Then, as now, he came off as ebullient, witty, erudite, and charmingly handsome. 

Chekov, of course, was the iconic character that made him famous. Did Gene Roddenberry envision him as a “Davy Jones of the Monkees” eye candy for the casting? Chekov was typically the foil for comic relief, often taking the fall, getting maimed (this extended into the films, by the way), or generally being trivialized, even though we were ALWAYS on his side.

But he also represented something more important: remember this was America in the '60s during the Cold War. The fact that a Russian worked alongside other crew members (and aliens) and there was no conflict echoed Gene’s determination that the future was politics-free, at least on Earth.

Chekov's son, Anton Chekov, did rise to the role of President in Star Trek: Picard, in a touching tribute that also honored the late Anton Yelchin (a much-loved doppelgänger for Koenig’s canon).

Walter, on the other hand, is an insightful, talented actor, but so much more. He is sharp as a writer, contributing scripts for Land of the Lost and other TV series, and writing a candid and humorous memoir, “Warped Factors,” that offered behind-the-scenes stories from Trek and Hollywood. Beyond that, he is much loved as the notorious Psi Cop Alfred Bester on Babylon 5, one of television's great sci-fi antagonists.

Over the 47-year run of Walter’s appearances at our shows, he:

• ALWAYS entertained our audiences with hysterical stories, energized stage antics, perhaps a little dance, and always a positive attitude.

• Tried to push out into performance material, including several performances with the great actor Mark Leonard (he who played Sarek, Spock’s father). Their two-man play The Boys In Autumnfeaturing the exploits of Tom Sawyer (Walter) and Huckleberry Finn (Mark) delighted our audiences. We still remember the climactic moment when the two of them rolled out on stage in a 1912 Model T roadster!

• Was honest about the challenges in his career, how he had hoped his famous character would grow, and his relationships with the members of Hollywood (the producers, writers, and actors)

We regret that circumstances won't allow Walter to appear at the show next week. He will be SORELY missed on this 60th Anniversary Celebration! But we are GRATEFUL for 47 years of wonderful appearances and the friendship we share with this self-effacing Hollywood legend whom we all love.

If you purchased Walter's photo ops, duo with George Takei and/or his autographs, you can exchange them for other available tickets at the Information & Photo/Auto station. If you want a refund, you don't need to do anything; you'll receive it AFTER the convention.

Thanks,

Gary and Adam and the whole crew at Creation Entertainment

Text from social media announcement (email announcement was lacking):

It is our pleasure to announce that Rod Roddenberry and his company, Roddenberry Entertainment, are coming to ST:LV Trek to Vegas 60th Celebration!

Not only is Rod an executive producer on a variety of Star Trek projects, but he also produced and starred in the critically acclaimed "Trek Nation" documentary and founded The Roddenberry Foundation, among so many other achievements.

Roddenberry Entertainment is also building some great programming on multiple stages for this year's enormous Trek to Vegas, including "Roddenberry's 60th Anniversary Star Trek Showrunners' Showcase" on Saturday. The panel features several high-profile showrunners and stewards of Star Trek’s 60 years.

And thanks to Roddenberry Entertainment, we are excited to announce that Michelle Paradise (showrunner of Discovery), Mike McMahan (showrunner of Lower Decks), and Dan & Kevin Hageman (co-showrunners of Prodigy) are coming to Las Vegas to be part of Saturday’s Showrunners’ Showcase on the main stage!

We also have one more guest to announce today: THE legendary 33-inch USS Enterprise model will be joining the Roddenberry team at STLV! This priceless original 1964 proof-of-concept was showcased throughout the opening credits of The Original Series. Built by Richard Datin for the pilot episode "The Cage," it went missing for decades after being loaned out in 1979, but was miraculously recovered in 2024. Now, the Roddenberry family is dedicated to sharing this historic artifact with Trek fans around the world.

STLV 2026 is next month, and it is going to be spectacular. Copper Weekend Admission Packages, autographs, photo ops, and special events are still available online!

Get tickets: http://bit.ly/STLV2026

So first things first:

1. Rod Roddenberry and his company Roddenberry Entertainment will be present at STLV.
2. He is traveling to Las Vegas with the 33-inch Enterprise model.
3. You can get a photo with Rod and the Enterprise.
4. The DIS, LD and PRO showrunners will be present for what sounds like a panel featuring all four people.

EDIT: I updated the bit.ly link. This was posted on Facebook and the link doesn’t seem to otherwise. It’s just a link to the Creation Entertainment website.

The Next Mission Begins!
Dear Hero Within Family,
It's been a while since you've heard from us, and I wanted to start by saying thank you.

Thank you for your patience, your encouragement, and for sticking with us over these past six months. We know we've been quieter than usual, and we truly appreciate everyone who has continued to support Hero Within.

Today, we're thrilled to finally share the news we've been waiting to announce...

We're back with Star Trek!
We're incredibly excited to announce that, in association with our friends at Factory Entertainment, Hero Within is once again officially licensed to create Star Trek jackets and apparel.

We're grateful to the entire team at Factory Entertainment for believing in us and giving us the opportunity to continue creating products for one of the greatest franchises ever made (and the best fanbase). We're looking forward to working together throughout the coming year and beyond.

Many of you have asked what our future plans were, and we've had to be intentionally vague. The licensing approval process took much longer than any of us anticipated, and we couldn't share details until everything was officially finalized. Thank you for your understanding while we navigated that process.

Now that we're cleared for launch, we're excited to announce that Hero Within will be making our return at San Diego Comic-Con at Booth #1943!

We'll be debuting our Star Trek Collection along with brand-new SDCC exclusives. Admittedly, we're a little behind our usual planning schedule because of the extended licensing process, but we're giving it everything we've got to make this year's convention a memorable one.

And that's especially important because this year marks a major milestone for us...

10 Heroic Years
This San Diego Comic-Con kicks off the celebration of Hero Within's 10th anniversary! Over the past decade, you've helped turn a dream into a community, and we couldn't have reached this milestone without you.

To celebrate, we'll have some special heroic anniversary swag available to commemorate the occasion. We can't wait to celebrate with everyone in person.

As a sublicense of Factory Entertainment, there will be a few changes to how Hero Within operates going forward. I'll be sharing more details about those changes in another email later this week.

We'll also be sending a dedicated San Diego Comic-Con email with a full look at our exclusives, convention schedule, and special events so you won't miss any of the fun.

Finally, thank you once again for your incredible patience over these past six months. We are beyond excited to be creating new Star Trek apparel for this amazing community once again.

One last favor—if you've enjoyed what Hero Within has created over the years, we'd love it if you would like, follow, and subscribe to Factory Entertainment on social media and send them a thank you. Their partnership has made this exciting new chapter possible, and we're incredibly grateful for their support.

We can't wait to see you at San Diego Comic-Con.

Live long and prosper,

Tony B Kim
Owner & Chief Nerd 
Hero Within 

I gotta wonder what it feels like to be a non-Trekkie at the Rio during STLV and hear that single Rod Stewart song the entire week.

This was difficult for me to watch without thinking of my grandfather. Probably the ad he saw that made him so excited for “Broken Bow”.

If you didn’t hear the announcement last Star Trek Day, Magic: The Gathering (published by Wizards of the Coast) will be releasing for the 60th anniversary in November a brand new Star Trek themed set. Today Creation Entertainment have announced a new sponsorship from Wizards of the Coast for STLV.

Official announcement text:

CREATION ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS STLV: TREK TO VEGAS SPONSORED BY MAGIC THE GATHERING

TM & © 2026 Wizards of the Coast LLC.

TREK TO VEGAS TO CELEBRATE 60 YEARS OF MAGICAL STAR TREK LORE

Las Vegas, NV – Rio Hotel in Las Vegas, August 5-9, 2026 – Creation Entertainment is proud to announce that Wizards of the Coast, publisher of Magic: The Gathering is sponsoring the 2026 STLV: Trek To Vegas convention. This sponsorship brings unprecedented opportunities to this year’s attendees, including; swag and giveaways, photo opps, a premiere panel, special guests with meet and greet opportunities, set previews, a chance to learn how to play Magic with game designers and fellow fans.

STLV will mark the first time fans can play with Magic: The Gathering | Star Trek™ Welcome Decks ahead of its release in November. In this brand-new set, your favorite characters from across the Star Trek galaxy come to life in exciting ways, with art that captures iconic moments and more. This set will be available for pre-order at the convention.

60 years has come and gone and this is the most exciting time to celebrate with your favorite actors, writers, directors, podcasters, historians, and fan favorites from the world of “Star Trek” including; William Shatner, George Takei, Walter Koenig, Kate Mulgrew, Celia Rose Gooding, Paul Giamatti, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, and Scott Bakula, 180 celebrity guests have signed on so far, with more to come.

Please join Creation Entertainment and Magic: The Gathering in Las Vegas, for the most incredible fan experience of 2026. This year’s event is expected to sell out; tickets are on sale now.

https://creationent.com/events/stlv-26/tickets

I’m not even a Magic player and I can’t wait to try out the Welcome Decks.

Directors Timour Gregory and Sasha Schneider are going to have a panel at STLV. I want them to sign my copy.