Guest of Honor Tim Russ singing for CONduit goers on Sunday Morning.

CONduit’s Guest of Honor this year was Tim Russ.  The actor best know fro his role as Mr. Tuvok on Star Trek: Voyager.  Tim Russ is a very versatile actor with a keen mind and a wicked sense of humor.  In his life he has acted Shakespeare to modern Sci-Fi and released an album where he both sings and plays guitar.  He has made guess appearances on many regular tv series, voiced for children’s cartoons, taken on the directors hat and become infamous for a one line appearance in the Mel Brooks film Space Balls.

I was able to ask Mr. Russ 3 questions in my short time at his autograph table.

Q: Is there any Sci-Fi or Fantasy that inspired you as a child?

A: War of the Worlds and The Time Machine all that H.G. Wells stuff.

Q: What is your favorite Non Star Trek role?

A: a Scientist on Freddie’s Nightmares, because it was a blast.

Q: What is your favorite Voyager Episode?

A: Future’s End One and Two.

Shortly after my asking these questions Mr. Russ gave a commentary on the Voyager episode Living Witness which was his first chance to be the director.  The episode gives a prospective of revisionist history.  A social problem that we face today with the Native Americans.  The actors of Voyager enjoyed the episode as a chance to play with extremes and be a darker version of the characters that we all love so much.

Mr. Russ gave several presentations and addresses to the crowds at the convention most of them packed.  He told stories of practical jokes he set up during the 7 years he portrayed the stern Vulcan character.  He explained it as a release of his own emotions so he could better control them for the camera.  When setting up one of his pranks he would often not tell anyone but the camera man.  Trying to insure that the high jinx was caught on film.  Some of these pranks can now be found on the internet sight YouTube.

For those who came early Sunday it was possible to catch a short concert by Mr. Russ and later a series of shorts called Frame of Mind which were directed by Mr. Russ and stared by many actors from the various Star Trek series’s were screened for those who wished to see them.  I have now purchased a copy of his album Then and Now and at some point in the future plan on buying the shorts.

Those who were able to be there for Mr. Russ’s time at the convention all feel very grateful to have met him.

Lyda Mae Dameron with Tim Russ after getting Autographs.

More on the Costumes of CONduit 22 tomorrow.

From The Poet’s Mouth,

Lyda Mae Dameron