William Shatner at ST-CHI: Trek to Chicago 2025. Photo: Marielle Bokor I think this panel writeup might need a preface: William Shatner is legendary, especially to the Star Trek fandom, because he was Captain James T. Kirk. THE Captain Kirk. One of the most iconic characters in our modern culture. William Shatner himself is a treasure, and I just need to clarify that we’re never laughing at the man. Okay, maybe a little bit. But it’s from a place of love. And he’s certainly g

Chase Masterson, Cirroc Lofton and Nana Visitor at ST-CHI: Trek to Chicago 2025. Photo: Marielle Bokor One thing is always apparent when you go to Star Trek conventions: fans think Deep Space Nine is the best Star Trek show. Seriously. There are fans that love the other shows better, sure, but when Deep Space Nine is brought up it’s referred to as “the best Trek” more often than any other of the shows. And there has been a lot of Trek . And that must say something about the c

Absorb yourselves in tales from the shows or audio drama, join the parade - craft a popsicle stick Dalek, or hit the dance party in your sci-fi finest - this convention is the definition of familial, cozy and welcoming and it's something we genuinely look forward to every single year

Stashwick continues, “(When I was a kid) I was as much of a Sci-Fi nerd as I was a Sci-Fi/Fantasy nerd, and so you know, I spent a lot of my life just as I’ve said before: either trying to be Han Solo or Peter Venkman (from Ghostbusters). So I either want to be Bill Murray playing  Han Solo or Harrison Ford playing Peter Venkman”

It turns out this is Tim Russ’s first time in Chicago. I’m not sure if he meant for a Star Trek convention or EVER (!) but it’s absolutely a treat to be able to finally see the actor who portrayed one of my favorite Vulcans. His very first question revealed that Russ had previous acting experience with Leonard Nimoy, long before he knew he’d be playing a Vulcan on Voyager. He also had the chance to work with LeVar Burton, Avery Brooks, and Kathryn Mulgrew, all before they end

We got to sit in on the lovely and unusually gangly Doug Jones and the equally lovely and unusually pale Anthony Rapp, known to Star Trek fans for their time on Discovery, but were famous before they ever put on a Starfleet uniform. Doug Jones is known for his portrayal of creatures in many films including Pan’s Labyrinth and Hellboy, to name just a few of his multitude of roles from advertisements, tv and film. And Anthony Rapp was known for his role as Mark Cohen in Rent on

T’Lyn was always a special character because when she became a series regular in Lower Decks season 4, she was the first novel Vulcan main character in 23 years. She also filled in as more of a “straight man” to the other Lower Decks characters and their antics. So it was definitely a thrill to get a chance to see the actor who brought T’Lyn to life at this year’s con. 

Christina Chong at ST-CHI Trek to Chicago 2025. Photo: Marielle Bokor The last panel we saw at ST-CHI was with the lovely Christina Chong. Last but definitely not least. As the only panelist that is on a currently running Star Trek , Chong plays La’an Noonien-Singh on Star Trek Strange New Worlds . Not only is Chong a talented actress and a great dancer, she’s also a talented singer with a few albums under her belt–the latest even featuring Ethan Peck.  Chong came onto the ST

You wouldn't think that the holidays and conventions go together. I mean, there's con traffic, some of which kept us from The Breakfast Club even hours before the floor opened, then there's "late November weekend holiday shopping/events" traffic, and never shall the two converge. Not to mention, conventions are a big spend (especially in the merch halls) and we've all got LOTS of shopping to do for the holidays in our very near future. BUT. Sometimes, these things do collide.

By the end of the panel, Cena had cemented himself as one of the most straightforward Hollywood/WWE superstars out there. From his modest start at the All State Arena with WWE to being in some of the biggest action and comic book IP on the planet, even if you weren’t initially a fan, he will make you a fan

No matter what day of the expo you attend there are some guarantees you should come to expect. Great atmosphere, fantastic entertainment...

Photo: Marielle Bokor Ok, so to start off - there was an inordinate amount of tea talk that actually happened in the panel we attended...

While there are 40 rules for the Schrute boys to follow, Wilson said the most important rule was to “be kind.” “Be like 20 percent nicer than you think you need to be,” he said. “Going out into the world, I’m a pretty decent, reasonable pretty nice person. Give that extra 20 percent. How’s that? And if you don’t you get eaten in your sleep.”

Fan Expo Chicago 2025 is FIRE. And not just because it's "hotter than we thought it would be" but also because, Chicago comes to (cos)play! Enjoy this gallery and come back tomorrow for more!

This past weekend in Chicago, we attended the Anime Central Convention, or ACen as it’s known to the fandom. It’s one of the biggest anime cons in the Midwest, and features the most cosplay we've seen at a single convention. But it's also noted as one of the friendliest cons out there, and its community has continued to grow.

The Anime Central Convention is one of the biggest conventions for cosplay in the midwest. Whether you’re into anime or not, this is where you go to show off your hard work in the cosplay space.

ACen or Anime Central is happening this weekend (May 16th through the 18th) at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, and we're psyched! Sandwiched between C2E2 and Nightmare Weekend, but ACen is its own special beast.

As cool as the T-1000 fighting Kyle Reese sounds to my inner child, it was a cringey display of small dick masculinity.

Fan Expo Chicago 2024 was packed with amazing cosplay - so much so that we have even more galleries full of awesome costumes to show off!

Kate Mulgrew was amazing at her Fan Expo Chicago panel, despite some rather unsavory questions she had to tackle.