Convention Afterglow

Back in the day when I was attending conventions that featured DeForest Kelley, the days afterward were  like the days after Christmas when I was a kid: the packages had all been opened, there were no more impending surprises, and so there was a sort of letdown after a great deal of excitement.

 

I mean, after spending quality time with De on stage, off stage, and with his fans, what did “real life” (the status quo) have that could compete? So there was a convention afterglow of sorts (as I wrote down my experiences), but it wasn’t what I’d call a luminous afterglow. More like dying embers that I’d keep blowing on to resurrect a flame until even those efforts wouldn’t do the job anymore.

 

I don’t know if it’s because I’m older, or because I didn’t really mingle at the Emerald City Comic Con, but I don’t feel any letdown during this convention afterglow.

 

Maybe it’s because I went there to offer a blessing, instead of to receive one. (Although I experienced both.)

 

I went to the Emerald City Comic Con to let Karl Urban, the new Dr. McCoy, know that the original one would have loved his portrayal, and to give him a scarf of De’s that I figured he would treasure. Mission accomplished!

 

So the convention afterglow I’m feeling now is one of deep satisfaction.

 

Karl Urban could have declined meeting with me. He didn’t. I don’t know what his expectations were, nor did I have any real expectations–just a fond hope that a few precious moments could happen and that I could thank him in some small way for taking Dr. McCoy to heart in the way he obviously did–and does.

 

I didn’t expect to find him as endearing or gracious as De was. I hoped, of course, but hey! I’ve hoped that a lot of times when meeting actors, and I’ve never met one since who managed to come across as genuinely considerate, attentive, and gracious as De was.  Until this past Friday.

 

And I wish De were still here to meet Karl, embrace him, and let him know, personally, that he feels great about McCoy’s continuing legacy being in very good hands…

 

The other actors in the reboot are good. But none of them caught the same lightning in a bottle in the way Karl Urban has, in my opinion. He “gets”, to the core of his being, who McCoy is.  His portrayal is no mere  parody or impersonation; it is the channeling of a unique individual who is not DeForest Kelley or Karl Urban. It is Doctor McCoy.

 

I have no idea on earth how he managed to do that, but no one is more grateful that he has.

 

I was in tears of joy (and relief!) the first time I saw him as McCoy. I was scheduled to give an interview about De four days after the first reboot movie premiered, and I was scared to death to see it, in case I’d be disappointed. I knew I’d be asked about the new Dr. McCoy and I didn’t want to have to lie, nor did I want to have to badmouth the actor who portrayed him.

 

So I was really white-knuckling it as I sat in the theater waiting for Karl’s Dr. McCoy.  I was praying I’d like him well enough to be able to give him a thumbs up, even if it was conditional.

 

And then it happened. I sat there, tears streaming, prayers answered, thinking “Yes! Oh my God, I wish De was here to see this!”

 

And every time since then, I’ve gone to watch Dr. McCoy strut his stuff. I’m not crazy about the reboots; they’re too fast, loud and frenetic to suit me. But I will never fail to go, as long as Karl Urban is Bones.

 

DeForest Kelley made TOS eminently watchable even when the sets were hokey (before remastering) and some of the stories were stinkers.  That’s what Karl does, too.  He’s always the one to watch for, the one to anticipate. When you see him, you know something magical is about to happen, no matter how few lines he has.  Like De, he takes those lines and makes them memorable, laughable, lovable and meme-worthy.

 

As far as I’m concerned, Karl Urban is every bit as much Dr. McCoy as DeForest Kelley was. And that’s saying a mouthful.

 

He’s also a genuinely nice fellow.  That matters to me, too.  I’d hate to have it any other way!

 

So I guess I’m officially a “Karl Urban groupie” now. I’ve spent the past month catching up on many of his portrayals (Almost Human, Pete’s Dragon, LOTR, Red, and others) and I can see he’s great at every role he tackles.

 

Wouldn’t it be great to see him tackle a biopic of DeForest Kelley?  Be still, my heart! I’d write it if he’d agree to star in it!

 

OK, that’s enough dreaming…