My Katee Sackhoff Girl-crush

Armageddon Expo. If you’ve never been to the annual pop culture event, it could be because you don’t live in one of the main centres. Or maybe you’re just the kind of person who has no desire whatsoever to come face to face with a zombie.

I attended at the weekend and got a massive fright when out of the crowd two teenage girls with horrific decomposing facial injuries hove into view. IT WAS GREAT.

So I guess we know what kind of person I am.

To be fair there are large chunks of Armageddon Expo that I just don’t get. Like the wrestling, and the card gaming, and the booths selling fake ninja swords. Not to mention the fact that the “free swag” bag you get upon arrival always includes a packet of instant noodles. Am I missing something here? What exactly am I supposed to do with these things? Because I sure as hell am not eating them any time soon.

But even so, I do enjoy this once yearly unabashed nerdgasm. Occasionally they get some really cool artists and actors to come who I’d never have the chance to see in the flesh otherwise and, as I mentioned earlier, I am now sufficently old that I have no cosplaying shame and in fact am merrily inflicting it upon my offspring.

You’ll be pleased to know that I completed my Tardis costume and that of my miniature Eleventh Doctor sidekick.

At this year’s event I was particularly excited about being in the same room as Katee Sackhoff aka Starbuck from Battlestar Galactica aka The Best Thing About That Bionic Woman Reboot That Never Really Took Off akaLatterday Pink Power Ranger. The woman is kickass.

She also happens to be dating Karl Urban who was also appearing at Armageddon. I’m only mentioning this because it will help make the rest of my story, in which Katee Sackhoff speaks to me, make sense.

So, there we all were at [corporate sponsor] Arena and Katee comes onto the stage and it’s all surprisingly low key. If this were the US people would be literally screaming with excitement but as it’s Christchurch there is polite applause. It’s almost awkward to start with, but it soon becomes clear that Katee Sackhoff is just a nice, friendly, slightly goofy lady who is happy to answer any and all questions and the crowd seems to loosen up a bit. I do love Christchurch but we are a little bit on the staid side at times.

I tweet a few of the things she says and then someone who I really don’t know at all suggests his or her own question.

@MoataTamaira maybe ask her if she’s watched her bf work on Shortland street?

— Hermes Blue Tongue (@Hermes_Blu_Tung) March 7, 2015

This struck me as quite funny and for some reason, probably because it wasn’t actually my question I felt less embarrassed about asking it. So I thought I’d have a go.

There were regular questions from the audience but there wasn’t a lot of manic waving of arms to get the mic so I didn’t feel as if I would be stealing the spot of anyone who had a burning question if I raised my hand.

So in a pause between questions I indicated to the MC that I had one and he took the empty seat in front of me and passed the mic over his back. I was told to stand up (so that Katee could see who was talking to her) and then I was speaking. To Katee Sackhoff. Oh my God.

The baby woke me up about a million times last night. I shouldn’t even be attempting to interact with non-famous people, let alone someone with a “fan-base”.

Eeek.

Anyway, I led into the question with a little self-deprecating humour (always start with a joke!) and this unexpectedly resulted in Katee Sackhoff recommending a therapist to me.

Omigosh, Starbuck is talking to me … and she thinks I need professional counselling help. Hmmm. This is not going how I had intended it to. I was hoping more for “we can be best friends and we can plait each other’s hair and talk about boys” but OK, I guess.

There’s actually video of this session that someone shot so you could watch it if you wanted to but just in case, I giffed the part where my mock insecurities made Katee laugh.

For those of you too young to remember, Karl Urban once played an ambo officer on Shortland Street and was one half of New Zealand prime time TV’s first gay kiss. Though this was considered so risque at the time that it was decided to cut away from the actual lip-locking action and show another character’s reaction to it. Which all seems quite quaint and Olde Worlde now. But I didn’t get to elaborate on any of that because the MC thought my question was terrible, apologised for it immediately, and snatched the mic out of my hand like a was a naughty child.

One second there was a microphone in my hand, the next it was gone.

It was like every single Singstar party I’ve ever been to.

I’m not sure why he was so offended by it. I mean, it was TV-related and we’re at a pop culture event. It’s not like I turned up to a presser with Angela Merkel and rather than asking probing questions about Germany’s role in Greece’s economy I chose to enquire as to which member of One Direction is her favourite. I wasn’t actually pranking anyone.

And the audience seemed to think it was funny. And Katee was laughing (I’m really fun to be around, Katee. Chuckles aplenty. WE SHOULD TOTALLY HANG OUT).

OK. Yup. Fair enough.

I like to imagine that later on that day Katee turned to Karl and said “so tell me about this terrible soap opera you were in …”

And hey, for about 20 seconds I was having an interaction with one of the most badass women in popular culture. I HAVE NO REGRETS.

Have you ever been lucky enough to ask your idol a question at a convention? How’d that go? Anybody else a Sackhoff fan?

Originally published on Stuff, 10/03/2015