SiliCon takes public safety seriously
Cosplayers are used to donning masks as part of creating their characters, but they’ll have to figure out how to incorporate face coverings that block the coronavirus into their costumes for SiliCon with Adam Savage.
The con is being held in the San Jose McEnery Convention Center as per usual, but organizers are taking steps to help ensure that the event, set for this coming weekend, doesn’t become a superspreader.
Face coverings are required to attend, and “cosplay masks, neck gators or bandanas will not be acceptable.”
Masks with fun faces on them will be available for purchase at the event, and Savage will be signing a limited number of masks as giveaways.
To further reduce the risk of spreading the virus, fewer tickets are being sold to SiliCon than in years past, and advanced purchase is encouraged. Attendees will have their temperatures screened before entering the event, and hallways throughout the exhibitor floor will be widened from the traditional 8 feet to 12 feet to help with physical distancing.
All concessions within the convention center will be cashless, and, yes, hand sanitizer will be provided throughout the building.
Once inside, attendees can get help with their look from makers skilled in creating
costumes, hair, makeup and props.
Cosplay tends to lend itself to photo ops, and folks who’ve worked on various aspects of some beloved TV shows in the sci-fi and fantasy genres are scheduled to be at SiliCon to pose with fans willing to pay for the privilege. William Shatner, aka Captain Kirk from the original “Star Trek” series, will be on hand Aug. 29; the 90-year-old actor had a notable turn at the 2017 Silicon Valley Comic Con as the sleepy moderator of a “Star Trek: The Next Generation” reunion panel.
Fans of the original series no doubt remember “The Trouble with Tribbles,” an episode that left Shatner’s Kirk covered in the furry, fast-breeding creatures. Author David Gerrold, who wrote the episode, is another guest at SiliCon; no word on whether any tribbles will be available for photo ops.
Two generations of another iconic sci-fi show will be represented at SiliCon: Actor Dirk Benedict, who created the role of Starbuck on the original “Battlestar Galactica” in the late 1970s, and Mark Sheppard, who had a recurring role as lawyer Romo Lampkin on HBO’s “Battlestar” reboot in the mid2000s.
The latter series gained some insider knowledge from planetary physicist Kevin Grazier, who worked as a science adviser on some episodes. Grazier will no doubt have copies of the “Hollyweird Science” series of books he co-authors available at SiliCon; the books explore the depiction of science, scientists, and the culture of science in TV.
SiliCon with Adam Savage is 10 a.m.7 p.m. on Aug. 28, and 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. on Aug. 29, at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, 150 W. San Carlos St., San Jose.