Northern FanCon is honouring the tradition of pop-culture conventions with the first announcement of a celebrity special guest coming here next year.
With the root of these enthusiast exhibitions planted firmly in Star Trek, it is an intergalactic thrill to disclose that the Prince George event will welcome Commander Data himself, Brent Spiner, to the autograph tables and panel stages of Northern FanCon 2016.
Spiner was part of the Star Trek franchise for 15 years, and was one of the most beloved and discussed characters on the cast of The Next Generation. Data the android provided a successful parallel to the characteristics made famous by Dr. Spock in the inaugural Star Trek series. He was logical, dispassionate and inquisitive. He was also an endless font of stored information. These traits were almost endlessly helpful for Star Trek scripts when the series was rebooted under the command of Capt. Jean Luc Picard, alongside Counsellor Troi, Commander Riker, Dr. Beverly Crusher, security chief Tasha Yar, chief engineer Geordi La Forge, and Klingon Lt. Worf.
More than most cast members of that series, Spiner was able to springboard into a long and varied acting career beyond Star Trek. His most notable roles were in the Will Smith alien invasion movie Independence Day, and in the Howard Hughes biopic The Aviator with Leonardo DiCaprio, but also in character roles in myriad TV shows and movies - everything from Friends to SpongeBob SquarePants.
Last year he crossed over into the other scifi mega-franchise when he became the voice of Gall Trayvis in the animated series Star Wars Rebels. He has also had recurring roles in recent shows like Generator Rex, Warehouse 13, as himself in Fresh Hell, and he made an uncredited cameo on The Big Bang Theory.
He has a number of projects still in the final stages of work including the crime thriller film The Midnight Man and a sequel to Independence Day scheduled for release in 2016.
He has also done successful stints on Broadway, did a radioplay, and put out an album of pop tunes called Old Yellow Eyes Is Back as a comical homage to Frank Sinatra that referenced his android eye colour in Star Trek.
As a testament to what an appreciated guy Spiner is off-screen and behind the scenes to his fellow cast members, he was asked to be a groomsman at Marina Sirtis's wedding, served as best man at Patrick Stewart's wedding, and is godfather to Gates McFadden's son.
Northern FanCon, brought to the city by Northland Auto Group and Citizen Special Events, will take place May 13-15 in the CN Centre/Kin Centre complex. Many more celebrities and special features will be announced soon, but you got the Data early.
