Kent Cordray has been attending SF and comic conventions since the 1970s. In that time he has run cons and collector's events, owned a pop-culture nostalgia shop, curated the film and video programming for Denver's MileHighCon for a decade, was the projectionist for hundreds of screenings of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, and been tossed out of a few events for being obnoxious. He has chugged pints with Sylvester McCoy and shelled peanuts with Tiny Tim. His current collecting obsessions include vintage paperbacks, Philip K. Dick, Doctor Who, vintage funny books, and old pulp magazines. He is currently enjoying his retirement by hawking weird crap on eBay.
What if the most outrageous claims of the “ancient aliens” crowd were only the beginning? This playful panel imagines extraterrestrial involvement in everything from Stonehenge to the Channel Tunnel. Participants invent absurd explanations for famous human achievements supposedly guided by alien technology. Come celebrate wild speculation and see just how far the joke can go.
What would the world of fandom look like if Star Trek had never appeared on television? Without “Wagon Train to the Stars,” science-fiction culture might have taken very different paths. This panel imagines an alternate pop-culture history where other series, films, or genres filled that gap. Which stories might have inspired the same generation of fans and shaped conventions as we know them today?