Edmonton, Alberta. A place we usually associate with big trucks, angry Oilers fans (and angrier Edmonton Elks fans), and near-unsurvivable winters. Some time ago, upon first arriving in Edmonton, William Shatner marveled at the bright sun and the cold air, “so crisp and clean and colorful,” and, after a minute or so, quickly retreated to his plane.
By all means, the conservative heartland of Canada is not known for its nerd culture. That is changing: the progressive youth is getting louder with every new year, and even if the Edmonton Expo is still considered pretty modest (“that’s a small group of people!” William quipped before his main event), the passion and the talent were there. After missing the previous two years due to COVID, it’s finally back. Well, it was back for the past three days. But how was it?
Even though COVID has defined our lives for the past two years, seeing hundreds of maskless people (safe for those numerous Mandalorians) wasn’t weird. It was as if those trying years didn’t happen (in 2021, the Expo had been first postponed and then reluctantly canceled for the second time). The air was thick with youthful enthusiasm, and the sizable halls were always filled with diverse characters. Nothing changed. Well, except for a few exceptions. There were a lot more Jinxes and Vis.
Headlining the event was William Shatner, who already graced Alberta with his presence this April when visiting Calgary (“don’t go to Calgary!” was Captain Kirk’s most applauded piece of advice on stage). The famous actor, director, producer, and the oldest man in space went on stage on Friday, where he spoke about everything and nothing, including his time onboard the RSS First Step (“you idiot!” he shouted at the fan who mistakenly asked him a question about his mission “aboard the Elon Musk’s ship.”)
“It was Blue Origin, his competitor!”
Not many fan questions were answered that day as the actor had a lot to say: he pondered about the fate of the Earth, voicing his fatalistic thoughts at an altitude of 107 km. Hearing a 91-year-old man pleading with the youth to stop “killing Gaia” was a bit funny since his inspired speech came soon after the clumsy attempt at promoting his NFT (“did NFT reach Edmonton yet?”). But overall, it was a familiar and highly emotional event. It’s hard, almost impossible, to believe that the man onstage was 91: Shatner was articulate, passionate, and witty, and he left a good impression, leaving people wanting for more than just an hour. The audience stayed captivated throughout the show, and really, what more can you ask for?
While William Shatner is an S-tier guest, he was hardly the only one worthy of our attention. Peculiarly, the other well-known guest was performing at the same time as Shatner (with a 15-minute difference); we’re talking about none other than Charles Martinet, the famous voice of Nintendo’s Mario. When I asked the organizers about the ludicrous schedule, they seemed genuinely surprised, as if no one had noticed it before I asked. I understand that Shatner is an attraction worthy of the main theater, but really, was there a reason to make people choose between Captain Kirk and Mario? I consider it a disrespect to the amazing voice actor and the biggest mishap of the Expo.
Other than that, the event went smoothly. It saw a lot of familiar guests: the original Hulk Lou Ferrigno, the ever-smiling Ashley Eckstein (the voice of Ahsoka Tano), David Hayter, Tomer Capone and Karen Fukuhara of Amazon’s The Boys, Jason Mewes, Brian O’Halloran, Jeff Anderson and Trevor Fehrman of The Clerks, and Mike Smith, Robb Wells, and John Paul Tremblay of Trailer Park Boys. And that’s only scratching the surface.
With no mask policy in place, the cosplayers could fully explore their new costumes. As usual, there were a lot of fantastic artists and performers, all happy to showcase their work. Various fandoms got a chance to shine on “the red carpet,” a way too good a name for a tiny area with cameras in the hallway right by the food court. With no way for people to comfortably see the cosplayers, it was a fiasco, especially considering just how much unused space there was left.
It all culminated with the Craftmanship Cup, where the best new and veteran cosplayers got to display their work. It was fun, with several amateur and professional cosplayers and dancers (yes). Some took it seriously; some didn’t.
We witnessed the most tragic scene right before the beginning when a person in an honestly phenomenal costume tried to get into the main theatre but struggled with the sheer size of the outfit. They had to win but, unfortunately, didn’t manage to apply in time. Heartbreaking.
Overall, we immensely enjoyed the three days at the Edmonton Comics & Entertainment Expo. It was great to be back among Edmonton’s talented, bright people, all united by their love of pop culture and creativity. The event was truly inclusive, and it left us wanting more. But please, plan the schedule better next time!