Zombie flash mob kicks off Star Trek convention

Susie Vance, a librarian with a costuming hobby, checked one character off her bucket list Thursday when she portrayed a decaying corpse.

"I've done mangled and beaten before," said the 28-year-old California resident, "but never a zombie. I've always wanted to."

Vance was one of 30 friends who donned "Star Trek" outfits and makeup to perform a living dead flash mob during the first day of the "Star Trek" convention at the Rio. Most of the zombies wore red shirts and, if you know the significance of that, you are a true fan. For those who don't: Characters wearing red shirts had a high mortality rate.

The group, Unimatrix Collective 30, danced to Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and brought convention traffic at the registration desk to a halt.

Onlookers gaped and smiled and pointed their cellphones at the dancing zombies, something not usually seen at a "Star Trek" convention.

And that was the whole point of their performance, said Tony Kwan, 44, the flash mob organizer and lead zombie. The friends, all Trekkies who met at previous fan conventions, worked on their number for a year. Because they live in different states, they passed YouTube instructional videos around to learn their various parts.

"At the conventions, there's usually the hustle and bustle, and you don't get to see a lot that isn't scheduled," said Kwan, who is from California. "We wanted to give fans something they don't usually see at the convention, so they can go home and say, 'I got in line with a bunch of zombies.' "

Organizers expect about 20,000 attendees at the convention, which marks its 11th year in Las Vegas. It ends Sunday. Die-hard fans who pay for the privilege - between $20 and several hundred dollars - will get to meet actors from the five "Star Trek" television shows and 11 feature films. Collectibles, T-shirts, costumes and memorabilia will be displayed daily on the expo floor.

Saturday, a Guinness World Record attempt will be made to get the most people wearing "Star Trek" costumes in one room. The record, 1,040, was set at last year's convention.

The convention used to be an autograph and picture factory, said Anthony Pascale, an attendee and owner of TrekMovie.com. Fans still pay for autographs, an extra charge not included in admission. But during the past few years, organizers have added seminars and panels where fans can interact and talk about their favorite topic.

The first session of the convention was an attempt to name the top 10 best fight scenes in "Star Trek" history.

Several attendees, including some wearing science blue, command gold and engineering red costumes, were joined by at least one Klingon as they debated which fights were worthy of all-time great status and which were merely average.

"We can eliminate most of these," Klingon Lt. Cmdr. LaHom JorDe' vesti VamPyr said, referring to the fight scenes listed on an overhead screen. "If there is no Klingon in the fight, there is no fight."

VamPyr, whose human name is Alexander Jordan, made a good point; four of the final 10 on the list were Klingon fight scenes. Five included James T. Kirk, the original captain of the starship Enterprise.

The No. 1 best fight scene of all-time? A fight between Kirk and Spock, his Vulcan science officer, in the episode "Amok Time." It was, as one fan helpfully pointed out, the only fight Kirk ever won and lost. If you understand that, you're a true fan. If you don't, do you really need to?

The ultimate purpose of the convention, organizers said, is to bring fans together. It's a way for them to socialize and share their obsessions and interests with like-minded people.

"Star Trek" brings people together like few things do, said Cindy Bechtel, 37, and Robin Mock, 42.

The friends, who are both from the San Francisco area, participated in the zombie flash mob. They met a couple of years ago at a convention where they both dressed as Orion slave girls with green skin.

Since then, they have become fast friends, bonding through their love of "Star Trek" costumes. Mock, an environmental geologist, once helped Bechtel with her Orion costume. Paint had to be applied in places that are usually off-limits to casual friends, but "Star Trek" is all about boldly going where one has never gone before.

"When someone is painting you green, you get to really know them," Bechtel said, emphasis on "really." "You learn to really trust them."

Contact reporter Sonya Padgett at spadgett@review journal.com or 702-380-4564. Follow @StripSonya on Twitter.