If there’s one thing that can be said about grown men, women and children in costume, it’s that they know it grabs attention.

Good and bad, whether they like it or not.

For the local Klingon Assault Group, they sure know it and it’s provided plenty of benefits for local non-profit organizations.

Now, the group based on characters from the Star Trek series will get their day in the sun—or snow, depending on the weather—in Timmins as the city has recognized March 23rd to be “Klingon Empire Day.”

March 23rd will mark 50 years since the initial appearance of a Klingon on the original series in Season 1 Episode 26 “Errand of Mercy.”

That Klingon happens to be the late Canadian actor John Colicos, who portrayed the character “Klingon Commander Kor.”

It’s also a celebration of sorts locally.  The group is marking the occasion by announcing their partnership with Science Timmins, who are trying to get the message out on where they are located.

Science Timmins is in the laneway behind city hall, in the old emergency entrance at the former St. Mary’s Hospital (now retirement home St. Mary’s Gardens.)

The Klingons also work with other non-profits like Wounded Warriors Canada, the Navy League of Canada and the Northern Ontario Expo.

But for every person or group they help, they know detractors are just around the corner.

Detractors like John Ivanovs, who put the group on blast at Timmins city council Monday night.

Ivanovs criticized council, saying that flying the Klingon flag “belittled every group that has had their flag flown there.”

Tuesday morning when our newsroom reported the story, Peter Hutchison, a member of the group posted that Ivanovs must not be aware of their contributions to the community.

He later sent us a direct message in response to Ivanovs:

“When you walk around wearing rubber foreheads, you have to expect not everyone is going to understand or appreciate what it is you’re doing.  Out of costume, we are health care workers, managers, students, cashiers, entrepreneurs and philanthropists. Putting these costumes on is a fun and silly way for us to be even more active in our community.

Over the past 2 years, the Klingon Assault Group in Timmins has built relationships with charitable organizations such as Wounded Warriors Canada, the Navy League of Canada, the Northern Ontario Expo, and now Science Timmins.

We have also been active in a host of community events, helping to increase their visibility. If there is one thing cosplayers are good at, it’s grabbing attention. When the Northern Ontario Expo brought us with them to address City Council, it generated positive media coverage for the city from all over the world.

The other reason for the event, and why it wasn’t simply our club’s flag flying, is that we are celebrating a creation by a Canadian classical actor that has endured for 50 years, and grown into one of the most iconic groups in modern popular culture. John Colicos is rarely remembered for being the first actor to play King Lear on the stage at the Stratford Festival. He is remembered instead for channeling all of that talent and experience into Commander Kor. Like the legendary characters Colicos played on stage, the Klingons he helped create have become a story telling device for looking deeply into the human condition.

Through these aliens, we come to better understand aspects of ourselves.”

After the flag raising, the group let out a big “QAPLA,” which is Klingon for “success.”

 

Filed under: Local News