Vulcans, Klingons and even the odd Borg set aside their differences and got together for an otherworldly TIFF fundraiser last night at the Bell Lightbox. The party, titled Boombox: Warp Speed, paid tribute to the 50th anniversary of the original Star Trek series with intergalactic performances, next-gen tech, cosplayers and a retro-futuristic dancefloor where the phasers were definitely set to more than just stun. Here, a taste of what you missed.
Toronto-based wrestling house Superkick’d wrangled a troupe of 11 bare-chested wrestlers to duke it out in the building’s loading docks. After eight matches and one glorious Battle Royale, a Captain Kirk lookalike beat Klingons, Bajorans, Romulans, Borgs and Vulcan alike, proving that playing on home turf does indeed bring good luck:
For a band from outer space, the Warp Tens delivered a surprisingly earthy, soulful set. Inspired by ‘60s and ‘70s grooves, the four singers—all in costume as Andorians—took turns belting out covers of classic like David Bowie’s “Space Oddity,” Claudine Clarke’s “Party Lights” and Elton John’s “Someone Saved My Life Tonight”:
A team led by local make-up artist and hairstylist Shar Richardson turned at least 600 earthlings into Vulcans over the course of the evening, applying handmade ears at warp speed (you could also get yourself a brand new Klingon forehead if you had four hours to spare):
Toronto crooner Maylee Todd delivered an ethereal dream-pop performance with a string quartet, mesmerizing projections and two winged “virtual beings” (read: backup dancers):
Dan and Jennie Lyon have been Trekkies since the very first episode. Dan, who works in the film industry, recalls meeting William Shatner in person and saying, “My wife is your biggest fan!” Shatner’s response? “People always say my wife, my sister, my brother is your biggest fan. Why is it never them?!”:
This insider’s secret to creating the perfect Klingon forehead: a baseball cap covered in window caulking and paint. He used popsicle sticks to flatten and carve out the iconic, angry grooves and sported a pair of wraparounds to hide the line where mere human ends and proud Klingon begins:
Tech whiz Jacob Niedzwiecki turned Luma into an inter-dimensional cabaret with his app Pillar. Prior to the party, he’d recorded seven dancers in action with 3D-capture technology. Attendees could fire up the app and see the dancers’ likenesses moving alongside their friends against a luminous column constructed from images of the surface of Mars:
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