Silicon Valley Comic Con reunites 3 generations of ‘Terminator’ actors
The scope of the con can make for scheduling difficulties. This year marks the first time SVCC will be held during the summer instead of spring.
When Steve Wozniak started Silicon Valley Comic Con (SVCC) in 2016, he wanted the event to best represent the area it’s named after. To that end, the fourth annual Silicon Valley Comic Con (SVCC), set for Aug. 16-19 at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, is refining its mix of tech, science and pop culture.
“We don’t try and compare ourselves to San Diego Comic-Con, or any other con for that matter,” SVCC Chairman Trip Hunger, 55, said. “San Diego is the biggest and the best for what they focus on, which tends to be most about film and pop culture.
“We feel what’s unique about SVCC is its appeal to a slightly different crowd from most other cons—one that bridges technology and science with pop culture,” Hunger added. “Our orientation due to our location in the heart of Silicon Valley, as well as the fact that Woz is at the heart of it, really sets it apart from other shows. We wanted a show that focused beyond entertainment and pop culture and took a closer look at how science, technology and innovations in both spaces influence our society.”
The scope of the con can make for scheduling difficulties. This year marks the first time SVCC will be held during the summer instead of spring.
“Spring was getting crowded—LEGO Bricks by the Bay ended July 14, anime Crunchyroll is coming Aug. 30 to Sept. 1—making it more of a challenge to align guest schedules,” Hunger said. “California is a state built on the entertainment industry, so it makes sense that there is a huge demand for entertainment and pop culture shows all over.”
SVCC has drawn some notable celebs in its short history. The first con saw a “Back to the Future” reunion with Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd and Lea Thompson. This year, SVCC reunites three generations of “Terminator” stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, Kristanna Loken, Edward Furlong and Robert Patrick.
Schwarzenegger will be available for photo and autograph opportunities on Aug. 18. Biehn will be available all three days of the con. Furlong, Loken and Patrick will be in San Jose on Aug. 17 and 18. The reunion panel will be on stage at 3:30 p.m. on Aug. 18.
This year’s SVCC lineup also features “Aquaman” Jason Momoa, Morena Baccarin of “Deadpool,” Ben McKenzie from “Gotham,” Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, “The Martian” author Andy Weir, WWE champ Stone Cold Steve Austin, Sims creator Will Wright, Adam Savage of “Mythbusters” and “The Incredible Hulk” Lou Ferrigno, to name a few.
On the tech and science end, SVCC also offers a STEM lab and a Kids’ Zone and NASA’s floor exhibition, including jet packs, VR/AR, self-driving cars, future cities and, of course, space exploration. At last year’s con, the NASA store offered flight suits, MREs and web access to tech info. This year, NASA is presenting panels including “The Artemis Generation: The Journey Forward to the Moon,” “The Women of NASA” and “The Search for Life Beyond Earth.”
There’s also attractions from PlayStation and AstroReality, the Geek Fashion Show, a cosplay contest and more than 500 vendors.
Attendance at SVCC keeps growing along with its offerings. Said Hunger, “Our first year, we were expecting 30 to 35,000 and were surprised that our overall attendance for the three days was just over 65,000. We have grown slowly and steadily since that year, topping out last year at around 72,000.”
Tickets for Silicon Valley Comic Con are $20-$550 at https://purchase.growtix.com/eh/silicon_valley_comic_con_2019.For a full schedule of events, visit https://www.svcomiccon.com.