You’re not alone if you’ve missed communing with your friends this past year. Everyone, everywhere is itching to get their Trek on. While it may not be quite the same as rubbing elbows in your best pair of Vulcan ears, an event this weekend is designed to help get you together with friends who love Star Trek just as much as you do. We heard about this weekend’s “To Boldly Stay At Home” event and contacted Penny Homer, its organizer, to find out what was going on!
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I’m Penny Homer, and when we’re not in the grip of a global pandemic, I’m a musician. A conductor, singer, and teacher, and if it’s about the voice, it’s my life. Obviously, that’s been seriously curtailed thanks to COVID-19. Almost everything that I’ve done in the last six months has been online, instead of traveling all around London, where I live.
How did you come up with this idea?
Around the year anniversary of Destination Star Trek: Birmingham 2019, a lot of fellow Trekkies were sharing their pictures from that event and saying how sad we were not to have Destination Star Trek: London this year.
I blithely tweeted about organizing an online social for that weekend, thinking it would be something small, say a one-off Zoom. Of course, the United Kingdom then went back into lockdown, changing everyone’s plans, and interest grew.
Then noted science fiction author Dr. Una McCormack, who was going to be a guest at this year’s Destination Star Trek, offered to do a talk, which was just so unbelievably exciting. I knew I had an event on my hands — #ToBoldlyStayAtHome was born!
How have people been when you approached them for this event?
The response has been so positive — I think all of us are really missing the chance to get together and share our love of all things Star Trek, so want to make the most of any opportunity!
What can fans expect?
This really is a weekend for the fans, by the fans — even as I email I’m in touch with a couple of people about gaming events and live podcasting! So if you want to host something or have an idea, get in touch with me either at @socialsoprano or [email protected]
When was your “first contact” with Star Trek?
I can barely remember when I wasn’t a Star Trek fan — I wanted to be an astronaut when I was a kid (still do!) and was really into Doctor Who, but it stopped airing when I was eight-years-old. The next year The Next Generation came along, and it just filled the sci-fi shaped hole in my young heart, and I never looked back (although I made space for new Who too)!
Is there a cost for this event?
“To Boldly Stay At Home” is a completely free online event! We’ll be using Zoom for most events and Teleparty for the episode watchalongs (although you’ll be able to access those on Zoom too if you don’t have Netflix).
Links will be posted on the website and on Twitter during the week — please note that the Teleparty watchalong links will be posted very close to the start time. Hence, it’s best to check the #ToBoldlyStayAtHome hashtag on Twitter for those!
To Boldly Stay At Home Event Listing
All times are Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Convert your local time to GMT.
FRIDAY, NOV. 13
8pm – Quark’s Bar. Online social to get the weekend started, including The Last Outpost drinking game!
SATURDAY, NOV. 14
All Day – Walk Like a Kelpien (Cosplay Edition). Shamelessly stolen from @Oliviaj_8 and @banquetfm, get dressed up in cosplay, film yourself doing your best Saru catwalk and share it with the world (Twitter, Instagram, TikTok) tag your posts #WalkLikeAKelpien and #ToBoldlyStayAtHome
2 p.m. – Quiplash (Trek Edition) – Join @BadSocialism in a battle of wits!
3 p.m. – Voyager Netflix Teleparty. Janeway did nothing wrong! Join us in watching and discussing what is possibly Voyager’s most controversial episode, Tuvix! Find out how to add the Teleparty extension to your Chrome browser.
4:30 p.m. – I Quit Star Trek Live Podcast. Join @Oliviaj_8, @BadSocialism and @TelTheTrekkie as they decide whether TNG “classic” Sub Rosa will make them abandon Starfleet ideals forever.
6 p.m. – Animal Crossing. @TelTheTrekkie leads a Star Trek-themed version of this popular Nintendo Switch game. Find him using friend code SW-6619-5996-6374.
8 p.m. – Star Trek Cocktail Hour. Join Penny Homer in mixing together some favorite Star Trek cocktails, using the new Star Trek Cocktails: A Stellar Compendium!
SUNDAY, NOV. 15
11 a.m. – Voyager Quiz. We continue our anniversary celebrations with a quiz about all things Delta Quadrant!
2 p.m. – Dr. Una McCormack in conversation. Join Penny Homer and best-selling author Dr. Una McCormack as they talk about her work in the Star Trek Universe!
4 p.m. – Discovery TeleParty. Watch and chat about this week’s episode.
5:30 p.m. – Farewell! A final online social to round up the weekend
NOTE: Times are subject to change. Please check the official To Boldly Stay At Home event site for up-to-the-minute changes.
