Star Trek: The Cruise II - Day 4

Day Four of Star Trek: The Cruise II offered the perfect combination of fun in the sun and onboard activities. The Norwegian Jade pulled into port in Belize, to Norwegian’s gorgeous, new private island — dubbed Risa for the occasion — where fans walked just a short distance and settled into chaise lounges on the beach or at the pool, play games or try the zipline, grab lunch, rent a kayak and more.

Risa Scavenger Hunt

For many fans on this day, the adventure on Risa began with a treasure hunt. Fans received sheets with riddles/clues, along with pencils, and had to track down the riddle answers and fill out their sheets. More than 100 people participated and only 2 people got all the answers right.

Sand Castle Competition

Groups of creative fans trekked to this event, crafting impressive castles in the shape of a Starfleet delta, Klingon warbirds, the Enterprise, a Borg cube and the Enterprise bridge. Check out the sand creations:

High Lord Cuckoo Face, 3 Little Klingons & O' Reilly Too

The title of Robert O’Reilly’s panel alone lured fans — a full house — to 13 Forward on Monday evening. And the explanation came early... O’Reilly and his wife had triplet boys years ago. He didn’t let them watch him as Gowron on Trek for a while, “lest they be scared by me or think they’re going to look like me.” When the boys did, they didn’t like the name Gowron. And this they dubbed him “High Lord Cuckoo Face.” “It kind of fits, you know?” he said rhetorically. “I couldn’t argue with them!” O’Reilly then regaled the audience with tales of fatherhood, the joys and horrors of raising baby boys that turn into teens and then young adults; they’re 21 now. He read a poem, “The Jabberwocky,” and talked about his life and career, and his appreciation of Star Trek. All in all, he kept fans rapt for an hour. It was funny, bittersweet and a deeply personal O’Reilly-audience experience.

Star Trek Squares

One of major hits of the entire cruise, George Takei served as the center square of this funny, often profane Trek-ified version of The Hollywood Squares. Also participating... two fans, Jonathan Frakes, Rene Auberjonois, Denise Crosby, Phil Plait, Ian Spelling, Robb Pearlman, Kurt Larson of Information Society, and the Gorn. JT Watters, our cruise director, masterfully oversaw the chaos.

Risa's Festival of the Moon Party

The weather was perfect for a late-night outdoor party, and Jonathan Frakes got it started. He implored the crowd to behave themselves and not to drink and drew, which drew big laughs, and exited the stage, leaving Band 47 to crank out nearly two hours of classic dance songs that had everyone dancing.

The Science of Soil

James Cassidy isn’t just a member of Information Society, but he’s also a professor. During a panel that even Spock would find fascinating, he made the argument that all life is derived from the energy of the sun, which is “processed” by photosynthesis in plants. All of them derive their nutrients from soil; soil is formed by rocks that have dissolved in water over millennia. “Inside a single pinch of soil there are over 1 billion living organisms... and tens of thousands of different species in that pinch of soil are processing the elements needed for life,” Cassidy said. “Every atom in your body started out in a rock whose nutrients and minerals were broken down by plants. Protecting the soil is Job #1 for earthlings.”

Live Art

Renowned artist JK Woodward’s piece of the day was a painting of a Romulan Warbird in deep space. Woodward discussed his process: he works with gouache, a very flexible medium that can mimic oil paints, watercolor, or acrylic, which makes it perfect for the effects he likes to achieve. A trick for creating star fields: a toothbrush. Dipped in water and white paint, he sprinkles droplets across the black sky. A painstaking and exacting artist, he revealed that a single page of a comic takes him 20 hours to complete.

Drink of the Day

Chaotica’s Death Ray packed a punch. The drink of the day combined Coconut rum, Bacardi Superior, Bacardi 151, banana liquer, pineapple juice and cranberry juice into a villainously tasty concoction.

The Star Trek Game Room

Fans who want to meet other fans, just want to try something different or need to relax... can be found in the perfect place, a living room-style game room with a fun assortment of games to play.

And so, throughout the cruise, we’ve glimpsed fans assembling a Trek puzzle or playing Star Trek Risk, Star Trek Catan, Star Trek Panic and Star Trek Fleet Captains.

Star Trek Library

Still can’t get enough Trek? Then, check out the library, filled with more than 100 paperback Trek novels. There are titles by Diane Duane, Peter David, Alan Dean Foster, Greg Cox, David Mack, Barbara Paul and dozens of other authors.

Read the Day One, Day Two and Day Three recaps and keep watching StarTrek.com for the daily updates on Star Trek: The Cruise II.