Syfy Insider Exclusive

Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, sweepstakes, and more!

Sign Up For Free to View
SYFY WIRE Bad Astronomy

Come see my panels at Comic Con!

By Phil Plait
BadAstronomyHero

<Farnsworth>Good news, everyone!</Farnsworth> I'm going to San Diego Comic Con!

Better news: I'm doing two panels!

Better-than-that-news: I'm moderating one of them, and it will be awesome.

Comic Con, for those of you who have never watched Big Bang Theory, is one of the largest nerdfests in the world. It happens in San Diego every summer, and while terrifyingly huge and crowded is a lot of fun. I've been several times, but missed it last year. I swore I'd go this year, and even though my mom told me never to swear, it worked this time. I'm going.

The first panel I'm doing is The Science of Science Fiction: Canon Fodder -- and yes, of course I came up with that name. The panel is Thursday, July 12, at 6:00 in Room 25ABC in the convention center. I'll be moderating the panel of some of the biggest names in Hollywood and TV writing:

  • Zack Stentz and Ashley Miller (Writers â Thor, XâMen: First Class)
  • Jon Spaihts (Writer â Prometheus)
  • Jane Espenson (Producer/Writer â Battlestar Galactica, Caprica, Torchwood, Firefly)
  • Jaime Paglia (Producer/Writer â Eureka)
  • Dr. Kevin Grazier (Science Advisor â Battlestar Galactica, Defiance)

How about that? Like I said, awesome. I've known most of these folks a long time and consider them friends. We'll be talking about maintaining science continuity in ongoing series of movies and TV shows. When I was putting the panel together I was looking over the folks participating, and it seemed like a fun topic. It must be tough for a writer to have to know what the canon is and stick with it... or is it? What if you can bend the rules? It'll be a great conversation.

I'll note this is the fourth time I've done this panel, twice as a panelist and twice moderating it. I hope we can do it every year! It's a lot of fun - last time, we were turning people away at the door. If you want to see it, come early! This year, the panel is sponsored by my good friends at The Science and Entertainment Exchange, and they've done a great job putting this together. Thanks, SEEx!

The other panel I'm doing is also going to be fun: SciFi That Will Change Your Life, and it will be on Friday July 13 at 5:00pm in Room 7AB. On the panel:

  • Annalee Newitz
  • Cyriaque Lamar
  • Charlie Jane Anders
  • Me!
  • Deric A. Hughes
  • Sarah Kuhn

I'm excited about this because we get to dork out over scifi, and I'm pals with Annalee and Charlie Jane (from the io9 blog). I'm also really happy to be on a panel with my old buddy Deric, who writes and produces Warehouse 13 on the SyFy channel, a show I really like.

I love SDCC for a lot of reasons, but maybe the best is I get to see lots of friends I rarely see otherwise. And, of course, w00tstock! I won't be on stage this time (but because I am a gentleman I will still plug Paul and Storm's crazy great Game of Thrones video), but I'll be there lurking and standing creepily in the shadows. Look for me! Win prizes!*

I need to go over the vast schedule of things going on there, but I'm planning on being at the SyFy Channel's Defiance panel, and I'm hoping to get to the Mythbusters and Big Bang Theory panels. And Fringe. And Firefly. And Warehouse 13. And Alphas. And and and.

Yikes. I netter start getting some sleep now. There won't be time next week!


* Sorry, you're not eligible for the prizes.



Related Posts:

- Comic Con 4: Abusing Science video
- Comic Con 3: W00tstock!
- Comic Con 2: SMBC and me
- Comic Con 1: Abusing the Sci of SciFi panel
- In which I SEE the light


Read more about: