The inaugural HawaiiCon is a week away and its iconic location, the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel, guarantees it will boldly go where no sci-fi/fantasy convention has gone before.
The convention is scheduled from Sept. 12 to 14, and in addition to the usual panels and workshops in the convention rooms, HawaiiCon also will provide those in attendance an opportunity to take tours, share a luau or go to the beach with their favorite stars.
“We want to create a unique event that will set us apart from other Cons, to give folks both the feeling of ohana and an inspirational experience that only can be found through the adventures that the Big Island offers,” said HawaiiCon founder GB Hajim.
Hajim, who lives in Hakalau, is a writer, animator and filmmaker who directed the 2012 animated sci-fi feature “Strange Frame: Love and Sax.” Two of HawaiiCon’s stars, Claudia Christian and Cree Summer, voiced characters for the critically acclaimed project.
“I’d never seen graphics like that before. It was visually very unique,” said Christian, who portrayed Commander Susan Ivanova in “Babylon 5.”
Christian, who only does a couple of conventions a year, said she’s looking forward to HawaiiCon.
“A lot of the fans are going to be flying in from all over the world and they’ll be snorkeling and doing other things with the celebrities,” she said. “That’s one of the nice things that GB is doing, having us not just sitting behind a table and signing autographs, but actually doing things with the fans.”
Christian said she spent some time on Maui in her early 20s and filmed an episode of “Jake and the Fatman” on the Big Island in 1989, but hasn’t returned to the islands since.
“I’m absolutely petrified of flying over water, so this is going to be interesting for me,” she explained. “I’m going to be with my dad. He’s been to Hawaii about 30 times. He knows the islands like the back of his hand.”
Describing herself as “more of a history buff” than sci-fi fan, Christian said she was immediately drawn to “Babylon 5” during her first reading.
“It was compelling writing and the characters were so well-drawn and interesting that I couldn’t resist it,” she said.
Christian said she’s working on her second book, “Lost Empire,” which should be published next year. Her first, “Babylon Confidential,” was published in 2011.
“It was a memoir with a scientific twist,” she said. “It was about treatment for alcoholism called the Sinclair Method. I’d done it for over five years and it really saved my life, so I wrote a book about it. I opened a nonprofit … called the C3 Foundation and I help people get their medication.”
The Sinclair Method employs an “opioid antagonist” drug called Naltrexone, and she is part of the lobbying effort to make it an over-the-counter medication.
“That’s pretty much what I do now. It’s my life’s work. I enjoy it as much as I enjoy acting.”
Noting that only two of her many credits are sci-fi — the other was the short-lived British series “Starhyke” — Christian said she’s “deeply appreciative” of the genre’s fans, who still recognize her and her work.
“The enduring legacy of science fiction is amazing. Your fans will love you until you’re 90,” she said. “And thanks to DVDs and streaming on Hulu and so forth, I have fans that are 3 years old. It’s phenomenal. It’s not like anything else I’ve ever experienced.”
HawaiiCon’s guest list is a who’s who in science fiction, science and fantasy. In addition to Christian and Summer, who’s billed as the convention’s “animation guest of honor,” it includes: Walter Koenig from the original “Star Trek;” Torri Higginson, Paul McGillion and Rainbow Sun Francks from “Stargate Atlantis;” Richard Hatch, Michael Hogan and Aaron Douglas from “Battlestar Galactica;” Patricia Tallman from “Babylon 5;” Esme Bianco from “Game of Thrones;” writers Brad Bell and Jane Espenson; cosplay icons Holly Conrad and BelleChere; comic book artists and writers Jeff Lemire and Sam Campos; NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineer Bobak Ferdowski; and astronomers and physicists Roy Gal, Phil Plait, Ramsey Lundock, Tim Slater and Stephanie Slater.
Day passes start at $50. There also are full convention passes, kamaaina packages and VIP events, including a gala birthday bash for Koenig, the original Chekov — who’ll turn 78 on HawaiiCon’s final day — emceed by Hatch.
Registration and other details, including a code of conduct for conventioneers, are available at the HawaiiCon website at hawaiicon.com.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
