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Chicago TARDIS 2023. Photo: Marielle Bokor For some, the holiday season kicks off with Halloween - ghosts and goblins, candy and pumpkins. For others, it's Thanksgiving. Turkey and all the trimmings, travel and family. Chicago TARDIS. Photo: Marielle Bokor Then there's us Whovians here in the Chicago area. For us, there's an oft-treacherous trek to the suburb of Lombard, a comfy room at the Westin Chicago Lombard, and a host of amazing cast and fans from the BBC's most storied, internationally beloved sci-fi series, Doctor Who. Sylvester McCoy at a Children's panel, Chicago TARDIS. Photo: Marielle Bokor For years, it's been the second largest Who convention in the country, and a real tradition for many of us who've ever loved the Doctor in one incarnation or another. We come to cheer on the competitors in the masquerade, have tea with The Master, stay up all night watching episodes in the viewing room, marvel at the array of Daleks in Dalek alley, and, as always, soak up all the goodness that comes from having the likes of Frazier Hines, Carole Ann Ford, Jo Martin and, a huge get for 2025, Chris Eccleston. That's hardly a full list of activities and the charm of Chicago TARDIS lies in the exploration - it's a classic convention that's an annual tradition for local Whovians, after all, some of whom actually show up pre-Thanksgiving and center their entire holidays around the franchise. Masquerade contestants at Chicago TARDIS. Photo: Marielle Bokor Absorb yourselves in tales from the shows or audio drama, join the parade - craft a popsicle stick Dalek, or hit the dance party in your sci-fi finest - this convention is the definition of familial, cozy and welcoming and it's something we genuinely look forward to every single year There's a storm brewing over this weekend, for sure, but with the Doctor and his companions by our side, we're sure we'll be alright. If you want to join us, check out this link for more information .

Todd Stashwick at ST-CHI Trek to Chicago with Nick Sarantos, host of Chicago History's DIBS podcast. Photo: Marielle Bokor We kicked off Day Two of ST-CHI with none other than our favorite “dipshit from Chicago” Todd Stashwick, who Trekkers my know as Captain Liam Shaw from Picard ’s Season 3. In case you didn't know, he comes by that moniker honestly, as Stashwick is a genuine Chicago dipshit. This panel was full of hometown love, as it was also a live taping of   Chicago History’s podcast DIBS hosted by Nick Sarantos, who deftly steered the ship between Stashwick's storied roles and hometown tales. Stashwick comes onto stage singing “Sweet Home Chicago,” full from days of pizza eating. Right away the rules were set: no questions about Stashwick’s portrayal of Paladin in the upcoming MCU series Visionquest , and no questions about Star Trek: Legacy, which seems all but dead to us outside observers. The pair did get to talk about Stashwick as Paladin, and how he got both that and his infamous hometown captain role: “Terry Matalas, who was the showrunning of 12 Monkeys , and also the showrunning of Season 3 of Picard , and he created the role of Shaw (Season 3 Picard) for me, which is super humbling. When he called me and said, “hey do you want to want to be (in Picard )? I’m writing a Starfleet captain for you. I said ‘I can’t wait to get to see who plays it because I know how Los Angeles works and when roles are created for you, the studio goes, ‘yeah, but we were thinking of Pedro Pascal.” Apparently Kevin Feige, the head of the MCU, is also a huge Star Trek fan and loved season 3 of Picard . That led to Feige and Matalas having a conversation and Matals getting the job on Visionquest . Terry invited Stashwick to play the role of the bounty hunter Paladin, of which he says, “it’s all still in my wheelhouse. It’s like they’re all variants between Deacon (Stashwick’s 12 Monkeys character) Shaw and Paladin.” Todd Stashwick at a live taping of Chicago History's DIBS with host Nick Sarantos at ST-CHI: Trek to Chicago. Photo: Marielle Bokor From that point on, there was surprisingly little discussed about Star Trek , but lots and lots of discussion on Dungeons and Dragons . It turns out Stashwick is a huge fan, having played Dungeons and Dragons when he was younger, but it took a 30 year hiatus for him to return to the game and he hasn’t looked back since. Stashwick credits his improv background for being a good dungeon master, a pedigree that includes a stint in Second City with the likes of Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Steve Carrell, Stephen Colbert and other household comedy names. Stashwick later quipped, “I hope things work out for them. Fingers crossed.” Todd Stashwick is a comedian, but he’s finding himself in a lot of genre work, which he loves. “Outside of doing comedy–Dharma and Greg, Will and Grace–I also love doing genre. I love doing Supernatural, I love doing Buffy  ( The Vampire Slayer), I love doing Law and Order , I like doing The Riches .” He continues, “(When I was a kid) I was as much of a Sci-Fi nerd as I was a Sci-Fi/Fantasy nerd, and so you know, I spent a lot of my life just as I’ve said before: either trying to be Han Solo or Peter Venkman (from Ghostbusters) . So I either want to be Bill Murray playing  Han Solo or Harrison Ford playing Peter Venkman” with Sarantos joking “let’s do t he rest of the interview with you as Bill Murray.” Chicago is lucky to have Todd Stashwick representing us. He’s not just any dipshit from Chicago, he’s our dipshit.

UPDATE: We checked out these earbuds earlier this month, and we absolutely loved them. We ALSO just found out they’re on sale during the Black Friday/Cyber Monday round of sales, so now is a great time to grab these great earbuds on a deep discount. Photo via Status. I’m not usually an earbuds guy, especially when it comes to active noise cancellation. Sometimes, it barely works, and with others, earbud noise cancellation can be so aggressive and tinny. And why would you want something in your ears when you can have pillowy soft over-ear headphone cups? The Pro X ear buds by Status have actually changed my view on earbuds in a few drastic ways. In fact, I’ve been using the Pro X earbuds as my main audio device over the last few weeks, and I don’t see that changing. To start with, the Pro X earbuds have a premium look and feel, and the case really sets the tone. The Status Pro X’s case feels premium quality–just as you’d expect. It has a bright LED status light strip that you can see when the case is opened and closed. The case can charge wirelessly or wired, and while it's not perfect on my fast charger, it’s not as compact as other earbud cases. Photo via Status. My only other gripe with the case comes with stowing the earbuds. Inserting the earbuds into the case to charge can be a bit annoying, as they have to fit in a particular way. Even after I’ve become familiar with them, I sometimes still momentarily struggle to get them into the case.  The earbuds themselves look and feel very premium. They can be a bit boxy looking, which isn’t my favorite–and that boxiness is what makes them persnickety to put into their case. Wearing them in your ear, though, the charge points face forward and it almost looks like they should be sporting little LED lights. I’m only mentioning this because it’s quite prominent when the earbuds are worn a certain way. But they are extremely comfortable, and I can wear them in my ears for hours without thinking about them being there. That's because, these are some comfortable earbuds. Included with the Pro X kit are three different size ear cups. My ear canal is towards the smaller size, and as others with that problem may know, it’s hard to find an earbud I can wear for any extended amount of time. The smallest size on the Status Pro X does the trick, and I can wear them for hours without any physical discomfort. That’s something very few ear buds can boast. And the sound quality–which is the most important part–is fantastic.  Let’s look at the advertised features: (These are coming straight from the manufacturer) Hybrid Triple Driver Acoustic System 12mm Dynamic Driver Dual Knowles Balanced Armature Drivers Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation Adjustable Transparency (“ambient-aware”) Mode AI-Powered Voiceloom Speech Enhancement for Clear Phone Calls Bluetooth 5.3 with Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast Support SBC, AAC, LDAC, and LC3 codec support High Res Wireless Audio Certified by the Japan Audio Society Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair Support  Multipoint Connectivity IP55 Water and Dust Resistance 8 hours of continuous playback + 24 additional hours with the charging case Photo via Status. The Pro X earbuds sound fantastic , overall, though I still have to caveat that by saying “for being earbuds.” I would love to hear a pair of earbuds that will replace my over ear headphones, but I don’t think the technology is here yet. Still, Status' Pro X comes pretty damn close. They have a rich sound with great bass. The high end is clear and rich, and combined with the bass excels in that natural listening feel. I swear I can almost feel the bass in my chest. The midrange gets lost in all of this, however. It’s not great, it’s not bad, it’s… fine. With the right equalizer tweaks you can get some really great sounds out of these bad boys.  And even so, I found myself using the factory premade EQ settings. I usually just ignore the factory defaults after I do a little bit of testing and tweaking, but I actually ended up settling on one of the premade settings. I didn’t just use the earbuds to listen to music: Their podcast EQ setting eliminated some annoying mouth sounds and breathing noises from my audiobooks. It’s meant to  make listening to lower quality audio podcasts easier, but it surprisingly does a ton to spruce up even my Audible listening experience.  Taking and receiving calls on the earbuds is easy, with voice clarity never a concern on either side of the conversation.  I’ve been using the earbuds extensively, and with all the prolonged use I'm happy to say they live up to their advertised battery life. I was never the biggest fan of active noise canceling in earbuds, but the Pro X earbuds are starting to change my mind. When I first got them, the noise cancellation was aggressive, but there was a software update that tweaked the ANC to the perfect range to drown out unwanted outside noise while not making it feel like I had white noise being shoved through my skull.  While the earbuds themselves are fantastic, the app experience is a bit of a mixed bag. The app can be frustratingly slow to update sometimes. When it works well, it’s great. But often my phone will know my earbuds are paired and the app will have trouble finding them. I’ve also had instances of active noise cancellation just turning off on its own. However, Status' app is easy to use, and the latest updates have made it somewhat faster–and it's definitely behaved better with my phone.  As for customization of your listening experience, there are also plenty of optionswith the Pro X earbuds. You can turn on and off touch controls, enable different forms of audio feedback when manipulating earbud settings, and more. You can use the app to customize how the touch controls, work, too, assigning actions like Volume Up and Volume Down to single tap, double taps, triple taps, and a tap and hold. There are also physical buttons on the earbuds that are mapped to commands like noise canceling on and off, enabling voice assistant, and manual power off. Sadly, you can’t customize the physical buttons. Status an its products were not really on my radar before the Pro X earbuds, but I’ll definitely be checking out more of their products in the future. I went from feeling like earbuds were an occasional necessary inconvenience to an alternative that I eagerly use.  For more information on the Status Pro X earbuds, visit the manufacturer's site here.

Jeri Ryan and Tim Russ at ST-CHI: Trek to Chicago 2025. Photo: Marielle Bokor Day One's final panel at ST-CHI was definitely worth the wait, as Tim Russ and Jeri Ryan took the stage to talk about Voyager and do a little bit of impromptu request performances from the audience. I just want to say: If you’re ever at one of these conventions, please don’t ask the actors to perform for you. It just creates an awkward situation for everyone, especially if the actors feel compelled to continue fulfilling requests after agreeing to an initial request. Seriously. It started with one fan asking Tim Russ to say his famous (and only) line from Spaceballs! It even extended to Jeri Ryan doing a spot-on Voyager era Seven of Nine voice saying “The fun will now commence!”  It turns out this is Tim Russ’s first time in Chicago. I’m not sure if he meant for a Star Trek convention or EVER (!) but it’s absolutely a treat to be able to finally see the actor who portrayed one of my favorite Vulcans. His very first question revealed that Russ had previous acting experience with Leonard Nimoy, long before he knew he’d be playing a Vulcan on Voyager . He also had the chance to work with LeVar Burton, Avery Brooks, and Kathryn Mulgrew, all before they ended up on Star Trek .  Jeri Ryan and Tim Russ at ST-CHI: Trek to Chicago. Photo Marielle Bokor On Voyager, there were lots of on set shenanigans. Ethan Phillips, who played the Talaxian Neelix on Voyager , would famously try to ruffle Russ’s feathers right as the cameras would start rolling. Russ himself isn’t against pulling any pranks though, and he told a story about a particularly raunchy trick he pulled. There was a scene in which Tuvok is to appear naked–a dream sequence. To augment this, Russ went to Matt to have a “prosthetic” assembled for the occasion. I have no idea who Matt is, but Ryan chimed in with “of course Matt would do this” so apparently Matt is known for his antics, as well. “You have to make me an appendage” Russ had said to Matt, as the crowd erupted into laughter at this. “I want to attach it to my shorts, so that it hangs down below them.” And he managed to get the entire cast’s reaction to Russ’s appendage, “I opened my robe, I swung it around. Oh, they tried to hold (in their laughter).” Russ concludes the story by saying “I think they ended up using that take, because that reaction is what they wanted.”  Tim Russ clearly has some comedic timing, and he has one of the most iconic lines in Mel Brooks’ Sci-Fi satire Spaceballs . When asked whether he will be returning for the sequel Russ said that he hasn’t been contacted yet, but he remains optimistic. His exact words were “I would gamble on it,” meaning he expects to be called up to film another “we ain’t found shit!” for the upcoming sequel. Jeri Ryan at ST-CHI: Trek to Chicago. Photo: Marielle Bokor One question by the audience clearly made Jeri Ryan uncomfortable, but she managed through an answer despite the apparent strain in her voice. The question was whether Ryan was aware of the sex appeal angle they were planning on taking with Seven of Nine as her character progressed towards being human again. Ryan was indeed aware of this, as it was the chance to “break Star Trek into the mainstream.” She briefly mentioned the famous rift between her and Kate Mulgrew after Ryan was brought onto the show, which seems to have been resolved after some time together on a Star Trek cruise. Ryan knew from the beginning that Seven was being brought in as a sex symbol, but she admired the character for her depth. Seven, despite her form-hugging cat suit was one of Trek’s most compelling characters, and that’s because Ryan did such a good job bringing that humanity forth. Ryan’s performance transcended the catsuit and made Ryan a symbol for those who felt like they were struggling to find acceptance in the world, like those in the LGBTQ+ or even those who may be neurodivergent. That's a lasting legacy that doesn't fade with time. and certainly one of the biggest feathers in Voyager's cap - alongside Russ' fantastic performances, of course.

Anthony Rapp and Doug Jones at ST-CHI: Trek to Chicago. Photo: Marielle Bokor We got to sit in on the lovely and unusually gangly Doug Jones and the equally lovely and unusually pale Anthony Rapp, known to Star Trek fans for their time on  Discovery , but were famous before they ever put on a Starfleet uniform. Doug Jones is known for his portrayal of creatures in many films including Pan’s Labyrinth and Hellboy , to name just a few of his multitude of roles from advertisements, tv and film. And Anthony Rapp was known for his role as Mark Cohen in Rent on stage and in film–but I knew him as Daryl Coopersmith in the almost forgotten classic, Adventures in Babysitting .  The last time I saw Doug Jones it was an absolute love fest–he’s definitely the celebrity I’ve seen hug the most people. He’s also the celebrity I think of when I think of creature effects and heavy prosthetics use. When a fan asked Jones what his mental process was like and how he’s able to survive sitting in the makeup chair for hours. Jones replied, “Unlike most people, I don't have to be doing something all the time. Many people ask me, like, what do you do during those hours? It’s like: nothin’. And I mean if I was alone at home I could stare at a wall and drool on myself and be completely content. So I’m kind of built for the makeup process. The longest thing I ever did was for the Hellboy movies, seven hours a day, that was. That sounds like a full work day, and I was like, fine, they’re doing all the work and I’m just sitting here,” he then mimics sitting contentedly while getting makeup applied, and he continues, “But then the hard part is wearing it for the rest of the day and performing in it and keeping your energy up while you’re hotter than everyone else, and heavier than everyone else. A little stickier than everyone else.” Anthony Rapp, on being left out of a musical episode of Trek. ST-CHI: Trek to Chicago. Photo: Marielle Bokor One of the funniest moments of the weekend happened when a fan came up to ask the panelists about the Strange New Worlds musical episode. The fan could not even finish their sentence before Anthony Rapp dramatically yelled, threw his mic and literally flipped over a chair in mock rage, with Jones quipping at the display “As you can see, he’s taking it well.” The fan finished “if your character had a song, what genre do you think the song would have been?” Rapp replied, “Did you ever play Mass Effect?  So, it’s like a bit of an Easter egg, and it’s not necessarily a spoiler, but there’s this character Mordin I always think of this when I’ve thought about it. Mordin sings Gilbert and Sullivan, so I always imagined that would be Stanmets, you know? I don’t think he’d do like a rock number. But on the other hand, maybe he would get totally emo. You know, as like a shift. You never know.” And Jones and Rapp went on to point out the irony that Rapp, a Broadway star, didn’t get to sing a single bar while Jones sang twice as his character Saru.  Anthony Rapp and Doug Jones at ST-CHI: Trek to Chicago When the two actors were asked about their favorite episode of Star Trek: Discovery , Anthony Rapp referenced his work with late actor Kenneth Mitchell, who sadly passed away from complications due to ALS in 2024. Of Mitchell Rapp said, “he was an amazing human being” who fought his battle with ALS with courage. Mitchell portrayed Klingons Kol and Tenavik, as well as human Aurelio in Star Trek Discovery .  When asked about Saru’s famous arm swinging gait, Jones had a very practical answer on his process: “How do you make this character different than all the ones I’ve made before, right? And I had played many aliens before Saru, so I’m like ‘how’s his posture, what shape is his spine in that’s different than everyone else? Well, when I got the shoes I was like ‘welp! There we are. It’s a high heel boot–it’s like a hoof, like a land animal with no heel.' And when I saw that design I was like ‘Oh, that’s going to be a problem. And the producers said, ‘oh, Lady Gaga wears shoes on stage like that all the time. And I said, ‘Well, if Gaga can do it!' So they had a cobbler–a shoe maker–up in Toronto put these together. And the first time I had them on it was like ‘okay, here goes!. And he said, ‘when you stand up, just put the your hips a little bit forward so the weight goes on the ball of the foot where your base is. You have no heel. Don’t rely on the heel.’” At this point Jones stands up, mimicking trying on these shoes for the first time. “Whoa, that’s no so bad. I’m at this posture, and I'm walking around with full length mirrors in the room and I was like OH!” as he demonstrates the arm swing, “it was that fast. And no one told me to stop doing it.” As we've seen with every other instance of Rapp and Jones together, they bring the fun, the chaos, and the heart to the Trek world in panels just as much as they do in the shows we all love so much.

LeVar Burton as Geordi La Forge, Brent Spiner as Data, Gates McFadden as Dr. Beverly Crusher, Michael Dorn as Worf, Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi and Jonathan Frakes as Will Riker in "The Last Generation" Episode 310, Star Trek: Picard on Paramount+. Photo Credit: Trae Patton/Paramount+. ©2021 Viacom, International Inc. All Rights Reserved. I’ve probably been to at least 50 conventions over the years I’ve been covering arts and culture in the Chicagloand area. I’ve personally been to at least four Star Trek conventions, and have seen hundreds of panels. To say that the Brent Spiner and Gates McFadden panel started rough is a bit of an understatement. I even have the note scrawled across the top: “Second worst panel.” (The worst panel I’ve ever been to, if you’re curious, is a Haunted Chicago panel put on by the Windy City Ghostbusters. Sorry, guys.) I have to say: I’m a huge fan of both of the guests, Gates McFadden and Brent Spiner. They both portrayed iconic characters on their run in Star Trek in both The Next Generation and Picard – Doctor Beverly Crusher and Data, respectively. When Spiner took the stage he was “dun dunning” along to the them from  The Next Generation and McFadden jumped in with some vocalized percussion. Which was fine, and exactly what I would have expected from the impish Spiner and ebullient McFadden. But then the interaction quickly devolved into calls for light changes, different chairs, and Spiner introducing the audience to a game called “three degrees of Brent Spiner” which he promptly failed. (To be fair, he did connect himself to Jessel within 4 degrees near the end of the panel.) Brent Spiner as Data in Star Trek: Picard on Paramount+. Photo Cr: Sarah Coulter/Paramount+. © 2023 CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved. But it’s all common in live entertainment, and everything started to come together very quickly as the two old friends took questions from the audience–who continued to yell suggestions for Spiner’s ongoing game of Three Degrees of Brent Spiner. Someone in the audience mentioned Ronald Reagan and he told the story of when Reagan came to the Paramount lot to meet the crew of Star Trek –something that Spiner says is also recounted in his book. “Everyone ready my book, right?” He asked the crowd in an intentionally sheepish way.  Spiner and Gates then got into a conversation about how you don’t really know people, even if you’ve been watching them portray characters for years. And that goes for them, too, as fans of various TV shows. When they get a chance to meet actors from shows they’ve watched–either incidentally or personally–these people are often different than they expect. “We don’t know each other until we actually are one-on-one and really present. Talk  with each other. So I think that’s really interesting,” shared Gates. Gates then brought up Pee-Wee Hermann with Spiner interjecting, “I related to him.” and went on to say, “(Pee-Wee Herman) is more similar to Data than he is to Captain Picard.” Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher in Star Trek: Picard on Paramount+. Photo Cr: Sarah Coulter/Paramount+. © 2023 CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved. When asked which Muppet their characters (Data and Doctor Beverly Crusher) would get along with Spiner said “Elmo.” Though technically on Sesame Street , Elmo definitely counts. McFadden went with a more traditional answer with Kermit. I can definitely see Doctor Crusher getting along with Kermit, but I don’t think Miss Piggy would like that very much. When a fan asked the guests if they thought Star Trek would still be around in 100 years, they both thought it would. Spiner said, “I’d be willing to say, that I do think that there will be some Star Trek on the air, some new Star Trek ,” he continued, “It’s the Great American epic, and I think it goes on and on and on, and so there will always be (new Star Trek).” McFadden interjected to say, “We might be holding conventions, like, up in space, right?” and over the cheers of the crowd she said, “but that would be very pricey! So start saving now.” Not to be outdone, Spiner concluded the thought “(we could) beam right into your living room. That would be really expensive.”

Actress Gabrielle Ruiz, aka T'Lyn on Star Trek: Lower Decks. Photo via imdb. The first panel we got to sit in on during ST: Chi was focused on Gabrielle Ruiz, best known to Star Trek Lower Decks fans as T’Lyn. You might not know it, but T’Lyn was always a special character because when she became a series regular in Lower Decks season 4, she was the first novel Vulcan main character in 23 years. She also filled in as more of a “straight man” to the other Lower Decks characters and their antics. So it was definitely a thrill to get a chance to see the actor who brought T’Lyn to life at this year’s con.  You might know Gabrielle Ruiz as Valencia Perez from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, but she’s been everywhere from Broadway to film. A talented singer, Ruiz was asked by a fan whether she would participate in next year’s “Broadway to the Stars 3.” Ruiz said, “I would love to be a part of that, is what I can say.” She was a part of this year’s event, so I anticipate an announcement in the future adding Ruiz to next year’s ST: Vegas.  With Lower Decks ending with Season 5, it’s too bad we didn’t get more T’Lyn. Ruiz had the perfect stoic delivery. But it was probably harder to get into character as T’Lyn than most might expect, since Ruiz recorded her voice lines without interacting with her fellow castmasts, or even really having a chance to meet them in person. Ruiz said “Luckily I knew Eugene (Cordero, Rutherford on Lower Decks) before Lower Decks. He guested on a show I was a series regular for–a live action TV show called Crazy Ex- Girlfriend .” she went on to say that she also met Tawny Newsome (Beckett Mariner   on Lower Decks) on Zoom, and series creator Mike McMahan. Since voice over work is done in solitude Ruiz says “It’s a lot of imagination.” she went on to say that “I, personally, as an actor take those little chunks of lines and offer it four kind of different ways for them–the directors, the producers–-to later match up with (the rest of the cast.” One fan question asked whether T’Lyn found her way out in Ruiz’s everyday life. Ruiz said, “I do now have ‘I concur’ in my vocabulary I use in everyday life. Oh, well, also ‘curious.’ I do say ‘curious’ in (my own) voice. Or like a text, ‘Curious, do you think we could move this date to this day?’”  Another fan asked Ruiz if T’Lyn sang, and Ruiz confirmed that T’Lyn does indeed sing. And she even demonstrated what that might sound like when she sang Happy Birthday in Vulcan to a young lucky audience member. You really can’t appreciate Happy Birthday until you hear it sung in Vulcan.

You wouldn't think that the holidays and conventions go together. I mean, there's con traffic, some of which kept us from The Breakfast Club even hours before the floor opened, then there's "late November weekend holiday shopping/events" traffic, and never shall the two converge. Not to mention, conventions are a big spend (especially in the merch halls) and we've all got LOTS of shopping to do for the holidays in our very near future. BUT. Sometimes, these things do collide. And in fact, one of our favorite things happens to be small winter conventions. Hear us out : a break from family stress and tensions (unless you bring the fam, and even still - a little staycation!) with events contained indoors, unique gifts you can't get anywhere else, and the stars of some of your favorite things from...well, ever. Trekkies are the lucky fandom this weekend, with ST-CHI: Trek to Chicago officially kicking off tomorrow. This is a small but mighty event held at the Westin O'Hare in Rosemont. If you're someone who's never attended a hotel size convention and always opts for the four-day six-mile walk type, treat yourself to something different. Star Trek conventions and conventions in general got their start on a much smaller scale where it was easier to make friends, meet celebs, and geek out about one specific thing instead of a million different things. Creation Entertainment does a great job of keeping it community focused with plenty of guests and special events that can be unforgettable to fans. Some of those are organized, ticketed events like dinner with Cirroc Lofton or Todd Stashwick or a PJ Party with Chase Masterson, but some of our favorite memories are of bumping into Klingons in the elevator, casual conversations with Trek celebs out at the merch tables, or simply having a real shot at asking them questions in the panels. Not to mention, narrowed down conventions like ST-CHI let you really fly your fandom flag - and give you an instant conversation starter. This weekend's event features a hugely impressive lineup of guests that any Trekkie can appreciate - from Shatner himself, to some favorites we've previously seen like Todd Stashwick, the self proclaimed 'dipshit from Chicago' who makes us damn proud to share a hometown, Anthony Rapp, which...start with RENT and then go on ahead and don't love him in Discovery, Bonnie Gordon of Prodigy notoriety, who is every bit as wonderful as you'd hope she was,, and reps Prodigy in the best way, Chase Masterson, a charitable, funny and absolutely indomitable presence, Gates McFadden, a dancing, directing, hilarious, warmhearted wonder, and Doug Jones, who will teach you how to move like an alien and then give you a hug. There's also Nana Visitor, who we saw at another small convention in Chicago years ago with the late great Rene Auberjonois , and who is funny, witty, energetic and every bit as fierce as Kira Nerys, and Jeri Ryan, who's another icon in the world of Trek women, possessing amazing strength and perseverance in and out of her role that make her top of our "to see list." Then there's Cirroc Lofton, who we've not been privileged to see at any convention in Chicago just yet, and are so psyched for, the amazing, funny and trailblazing Data (Brent Spiner) and even some Lower Decks reppin' with Gabrielle Ruiz who played T'Lyn, making an appearance, and all of whom are making our must list for this con. Tim Russ, an incredible person whose wisdom and wit can't be denied, will be making an appearance, and Sandy Gimpel, a star from the original series who played the iconic Talosian from 'The Cage" will also be on site. That means everyone in the fandom from TOS to Starfleet: Academy has someone to go see, and this is where you do it. We'd love to do a choose your own adventure, but at a convention like this....If you like Star Trek, dive in. Meet other Trekkies. Go to panels you don't know anything about. Go see The Lower Decks anniversary at 11 am on Saturday and stick around for Doug Jones and Anthony Rapp. Get your phasers set to sign. Beam into special events if you've got the latinum. Conventions like this are where you'll find that feeling you belong, that bat'leth for your anniversary, that skant for your next away mission, and hopefully, a lot of friends who want to share it all with you. We'll beam down tomorrow and be on the floor for both days with plenty of updates from the Westin for you. LLAP. The Culture Combine Crew

“You know, they’re dad rock now,” my brother joked to me as we walked down Clark Street on Saturday, November 15 th . The air was brisk but I still had a little bit of sweat dripping down my face after spending the last few hours crammed shoulder to shoulder inside the Metro for Minus the Bear’s first of two sold out shows that weekend. I felt old  – my nephew was turning 13 later in the week – and a little cold, but light, the way you feel after spending a long night reminiscing with friends you’ve known for a few decades. Minus the Bear at the Metro in Chicago on November 15th. Photo by Aaron Cynic. After a seven-year retirement, Minus the Bear hit the road again to celebrate the 20 th  anniversary of the release of their seminal album Menos el Oso . While the last two decades have felt like a dozen or more lifetimes, they took the stage with the joy and energy as if they were still touring as 20somethings. There are little moments over the years, core memories, as my brother reminded me on Saturday night after the show, that Minus the Bear has sprinkled throughout almost the last half of my life: A mutual friend in college made a mix tape for us that had a few tracks from Highly Refined Pirates and various EPs that we dubbed again so we each had a copy and managed to wear out both over the years. Listening to the warm waves of Pachuca Sunrise wash over me with little slivers of sunlight peeking through the curtains while nursing a hangover. Dancing in a shower that fit half a dozen people to My Time . Singing Absinthe Party at the Fly Honey Warehouse at the top of my lungs while driving through endless rural roads on a tour. Minus the Bear at the Metro in Chicago on November 15th. Photo by Aaron Cynic. Since they said farewell in 2018, I didn’t know when or even if I’d get the chance to unlock any of those core memories again, but I got most and more from the moment Minus the Bear hit the stage. The crowd beamed smiles at the band that were beamed right back as they launched into a full, flawless and heartfelt playthrough of Menos el Oso . This wasn’t simply a reunion tour or anniversary celebration, but a reunion of chosen family celebrating songs interwoven through their lives like perfectly played notes tapped into a guitar neck. All photos by Aaron Cynic While full album playthroughs are pretty common these days, the band wasn’t content with just giving us that record and maybe an encore or two. We were treated to a menagerie of tracks from the length of the band’s storied carrier for almost as long as their playthrough of Menos , including some deeper cuts like Lemurs, Man, and Lemurs and Spritz!!! Spritz!!!. We’ve all aged quite a bit in the last couple decades, but both Menos el Oso and Minus the Bear have aged like a very fine wine. One I hope we’ll get to drink more of again eventually. Minus the Bear at Metro Chicago on November 15th. Photo by Aaron Cynic.

Screenshot: Moonlighter 2 I can’t believe it’s been seven years since the release of Moonligher , but here we are, right on the cusp of Moonligher 2 ’s Early Access release. There have been a few games that have used a Moonligher -ish game loop, with Dredge and Dave the Diver being the first to come to mind. But questing in a fantasy world and bringing back loot to sell has been a dream of mine since I first heard of MMOs with player-run economies–back when I couldn't find the time to undertake such an endeavor.  And while the first Moonlighter looked like it would be my perfect game in theory, it never really hooked me. But Moonlighter 2 might finally be the game I’ve been dreaming about for all of these years. Screenshot: Moonlighter 2 Moonlighter 2 is a an action roleplaying game with roguelike elements, a shopkeeping system, and a world bubbling over with charm. Moonlighter 2 has made a lot of changes and updates to the formula from the first game. The scope is certainly a lot bigger, with Moonlighter 2 looking to be a more ambitious game than the first in nearly every way.  One of the first noticeable changes is the change to the game’s art style between the first and second. Gone is the gorgeous pixel-art imagery, instead replaced with a charming 3D isometric perspective full of lovingly rendered characters. I can’t say the visual style is an upgrade–I’m a sucker for good pixel art–but it’s definitely bright and charming.  Screenshot: Moonlighter 2 I wish I knew what happened at the end of Moonlighter because by Moonlighter 2 you’re in a new town with a new shop, starting all over again. Apparently there’s a dude named Moloch who took over your previous town, and he seems like a real piece of work, that guy. So he’ll need an ousting. But to do that you’ll need to go through the old loop of fight, collect loot, and then sell it at your shop. Add to that an ancient artifact called the “Endless Vault” to challenge your mettle as a shopkeeper, and there’s a whole lot of potential progression. I mean, you can’t really call something an “Endless Vault” and not deliver on content.  New everything means new town, a new shop, and a lot of new faces. While combat takes up a huge portion of most roguelike games, talking to townspeople and shopkeeping takes up almost as much time in Moonlighter 2 . And if you’re a fan of the shopkeeping mechanics from the first game, they’re improved and expanded for the sequel.  Screenshot: Moonlighter 2 Opening up the shop for customers is its own type of action, as you have to gauge customers’ responses to your prices and make changes–but there’s also bonuses that pop up during the shopping day that can make your customer’s purchases put more money and other goodies into your pocket. Valued customers with specific demands might come in, and if you appease them they can grant you some fun bonuses, too.  I’m not a huge fan of the shopkeeping portion for a few reasons. I don’t usually like to lay heavy criticism on an early access title, but since the shop system as it is seems like an integral part of the developer’s vision for the game I thought I’d chime in about it because it’s mostly a “me” problem.  See, when I had my fantasy shopkeeping video game in my head, I would be selling items that I could also use–not relics that aren’t worth much to me. Instead, I would set prices based on how well that piece of gear performs and sell it to other would-be adventurer types. Alas, that is not the case here. But if you don’t care about that, don’t let that dampen your mood. Screenshot: Moonlighter 2 Combat in Moonlighter 2 is more robust than its predecessor. I sunk a few hours into Moonlighter 2  just unlocking the four weapon types and testing them out. Each weapon type has its own strengths, weaknesses, special attacks and quirks with enough variety there should be a weapon type for everyone to enjoy. Enemies are also challenging and diverse, with an appropriate array of ranged and melee enemies to keep you on your toes. There are three biomes available for Early Access launch but I only found my way into two of them, and what I’ve seen I really like.  Each biome has a new set of enemies, bosses, and each even sports a unique way to travel between “rooms” as you choose your branching path through Moonlighter 2’s  randomly generated dungeons.  Screenshot: Moonlighter 2 Since Moonligher 2 is releasing into Early Access, that means it’s not a finished game. Even though it’s launching in a very polished state, Moonlighter 2 will spend a leisurely jaunt in Early Access as developer Digital Sun makes it the best game it can be. According to the Early Access section on its Steam store page, the developer has no end date in mind for Moonlighter 2’s Early Access period. And hopefully that means better game when it hits 1.0.  Moonlighter 2 is definitely an ambitious follow-up to the original 2018 game. And it has high bar to pass, because its gameplay loop involves so many parts that if even one of them doesn’t feel fun it might sour the whole experience. I have high expectations for Moonlighter 2 ’s progress based on its weighty Early Access release, and I can’t wait to see developer Digital Sun pull it off.

Photo via Status. I’m not usually an earbuds guy, especially when it comes to active noise cancellation. Sometimes, it barely works, and with others, earbud noise cancellation can be so aggressive and tinny. And why would you want something in your ears when you can have pillowy soft over-ear headphone cups? The Pro X ear buds by Status have actually changed my view on earbuds in a few drastic ways. In fact, I’ve been using the Pro X earbuds as my main audio device over the last few weeks, and I don’t see that changing. Photo via Status. To start with, the Pro X earbuds have a premium look and feel, and the case really sets the tone. The Status Pro X’s case feels premium quality–just as you’d expect. It has a bright LED status light strip that you can see when the case is opened and closed. The case can charge wirelessly or wired, and while it's not perfect on my fast charger, it’s not as compact as other earbud cases. Photo via Status. My only other gripe with the case comes with stowing the earbuds. Inserting the earbuds into the case to charge can be a bit annoying, as they have to fit in a particular way. Even after I’ve become familiar with them, I sometimes still momentarily struggle to get them into the case.  The earbuds themselves look and feel very premium. They can be a bit boxy looking, which isn’t my favorite–and that boxiness is what makes them persnickety to put into their case. Wearing them in your ear, though, the charge points face forward and it almost looks like they should be sporting little LED lights. I’m only mentioning this because it’s quite prominent when the earbuds are worn a certain way. But they are extremely comfortable, and I can wear them in my ears for hours without thinking about them being there. That's because, these are some comfortable earbuds. Included with the Pro X kit are three different size ear cups. My ear canal is towards the smaller size, and as others with that problem may know, it’s hard to find an earbud I can wear for any extended amount of time. The smallest size on the Status Pro X does the trick, and I can wear them for hours without any physical discomfort. That’s something very few ear buds can boast. And the sound quality–which is the most important part–is fantastic.  Photo via Status. Let’s look at the advertised features: (These are coming straight from the manufacturer) Hybrid Triple Driver Acoustic System 12mm Dynamic Driver Dual Knowles Balanced Armature Drivers Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation Adjustable Transparency (“ambient-aware”) Mode AI-Powered Voiceloom Speech Enhancement for Clear Phone Calls Bluetooth 5.3 with Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast Support SBC, AAC, LDAC, and LC3 codec support High Res Wireless Audio Certified by the Japan Audio Society Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair Support  Multipoint Connectivity IP55 Water and Dust Resistance 8 hours of continuous playback + 24 additional hours with the charging case Photo via Status. The Pro X earbuds sound fantastic , overall, though I still have to caveat that by saying “for being earbuds.” I would love to hear a pair of earbuds that will replace my over ear headphones, but I don’t think the technology is here yet. Still, Status' Pro X comes pretty damn close. They have a rich sound with great bass. The high end is clear and rich, and combined with the bass excels in that natural listening feel. I swear I can almost feel the bass in my chest. The midrange gets lost in all of this, however. It’s not great, it’s not bad, it’s… fine. With the right equalizer tweaks you can get some really great sounds out of these bad boys.  And even so, I found myself using the factory premade EQ settings. I usually just ignore the factory defaults after I do a little bit of testing and tweaking, but I actually ended up settling on one of the premade settings. I didn’t just use the earbuds to listen to music: Their podcast EQ setting eliminated some annoying mouth sounds and breathing noises from my audiobooks. It’s meant to  make listening to lower quality audio podcasts easier, but it surprisingly does a ton to spruce up even my Audible listening experience.  Taking and receiving calls on the earbuds is easy, with voice clarity never a concern on either side of the conversation.  I’ve been using the earbuds extensively, and with all the prolonged use I'm happy to say they live up to their advertised battery life. Photo via Status. I was never the biggest fan of active noise canceling in earbuds, but the Pro X earbuds are starting to change my mind. When I first got them, the noise cancellation was aggressive, but there was a software update that tweaked the ANC to the perfect range to drown out unwanted outside noise while not making it feel like I had white noise being shoved through my skull.  While the earbuds themselves are fantastic, the app experience is a bit of a mixed bag. The app can be frustratingly slow to update sometimes. When it works well, it’s great. But often my phone will know my earbuds are paired and the app will have trouble finding them. I’ve also had instances of active noise cancellation just turning off on its own. However, Status' app is easy to use, and the latest updates have made it somewhat faster–and it's definitely behaved better with my phone.  As for customization of your listening experience, there are also plenty of optionswith the Pro X earbuds. You can turn on and off touch controls, enable different forms of audio feedback when manipulating earbud settings, and more. You can use the app to customize how the touch controls, work, too, assigning actions like Volume Up and Volume Down to single tap, double taps, triple taps, and a tap and hold. There are also physical buttons on the earbuds that are mapped to commands like noise canceling on and off, enabling voice assistant, and manual power off. Sadly, you can’t customize the physical buttons. Status an its products were not really on my radar before the Pro X earbuds, but I’ll definitely be checking out more of their products in the future. I went from feeling like earbuds were an occasional necessary inconvenience to an alternative that I eagerly use.  For more information on the Status Pro X earbuds, visit the manufacturer's site here.

You may have your costume covered, and your pumpkins carved. You may have both trick or treated and eaten all your candy. After all, there's one day left 'til Halloween and in a lot of places, they just don't respect that you should be on the street asking for candy ON THE DAY! All that aside, you probably have a little bit of party monster in you still, and here from the banks of Lake Michigan in beautiful and not actually a warzone Chicago comes a Halloween playlist put together with care by several of our staff members. It's rowdy, it's loud, and it's awesome. Just like our hometown. Stream you some great Halloween music, and really rock out with it. Our treat.