'Open arms' : In anticipation of 2063 arrivals, Bozeman Trekkies mark ‘First Contact Day’

While churches across Bozeman marked Easter Sunday, believers of a different sort gathered across town to honor a future galactic arrival. In the Star Trek universe, humanity first meets extraterrestrials in Bozeman on April 5, 2063 — a date that is now officially part of the city’s calendar. Amid a sea of Vulcan ears and Mandalorian armor at the Best Western Conference Center, Mayor Joey Morrison took to the stage at the fourth annual First Contact Con to officially proclaim April 5 as “First Contact Day.”

“If extraterrestrial life searches the galaxy for peaceful connection with other species, it is the sense of the city of Bozeman that we would welcome such visitors with open arms,” Morrison read from a proclamation, passed by the City Commission on March 24. “I urge all citizens to look to the stars with hope, and to one another with open hearts and open minds.”

Before reading the proclamation, Morrison shared how this sense of hope has connected him to the sci-fi genre since he was a child growing up in a home with alcoholism, drug use and poverty.

“Fantasy and science fiction showed me worlds where things that were unjust, unfair, and harmful could be overcome, and good could win,” Morrison said. “I needed to see those experiences. It’s still a genre of media that I indulge in nearly daily for many of those same reasons.”

Bozeman as the site of first contact traces back to Star Trek writer Brannon Braga, who cemented his hometown in the franchise lore. For Morrison, that fiction doesn’t feel far off.

With Montana State University, a contributing member of the Space Grant Consortium, and a concentration of engineers, technicians, astronomers and creatives, Bozeman already has an ecosystem built around curiosity and collaboration, Morrison said.

“This adds to the vibrancy of our community,” he said.

Carl Anderson, director of operations for First Contact Con, said the idea for an official city holiday was planted before Morrison took office. Anderson, who has organized the convention since it began four years ago, said Morrison first attended not as a city official, but as a sci-fi fan.

“When he became mayor, that was the window to get him on board,” Anderson said.

The first two events, Anderson said, were less formal conventions and more small fan gatherings, built around an artists’ marketplace and an afterparty. By the third year, the event expanded, bringing in cosplay groups and PhD students from MSU to present on solar research.

That focus on science and technology has remained central, as Anderson said organizers hope to showcase local research and potentially inspire future development.

“There’s this concept that science fiction informs future technology,” Anderson said. “Some folks would argue the reason we have cellphones or wrist communicators is because the technology was created by people who were inspired by the sci-fi they consumed as children.”

As the event expanded last year, Anderson said it caught the attention of city officials, who have long fielded requests from Star Trek fans to recognize Bozeman’s place in the lore. This year, with funding from the Chamber of Commerce and support from business sponsors, the two-day convention featured panels, author talks, a physics presentation, cosplay workshops, martial arts classes, exhibits, artists’ booths and live music — marking its most fully realized version yet.

“This is the first year that we can confidently call it a con,” Anderson said. “It’s year four. But this is also kind of year one.”

Beyond the costumes and whimsy, the event also gave space for topics of identity and inclusion, which Anderson said are foundational to the sci-fi genre.

“There is a lot of queer influence in sci-fi and fantasy, with Star Trek being one of the most diverse and equitable shows on television,” Anderson said. “It was the first to show an interracial kiss on primetime television, the first to show a same-sex kiss on primetime television.”

That groundbreaking spirit, Anderson said, helped a generation of young sci-fi fans recognize their own queer identity, and inspired the addition of a panel discussion on “Queers in Space,” as a part of First Contact Con.

“A small team of folks really dug in,” Anderson said. “They created a timeline of queer influence in sci-fi and fantasy culture, ranging from the Epic of Gilgamesh to present day.”

For others, First Contact Con marked a first step toward building community with other sci-fi and fantasy fans in the area. Bozeman resident Owen Gibbs launched his non-profit “Matter of Imagination,” a sci-fi literary magazine featuring the work of artists and writers with a connection to Montana, with the same goal in mind.

“I really wanted to sign up for a science fiction and fantasy magazine based in Montana,” Gibbs said. “I did some searching, and there was none. So I just thought to myself, ‘Well, I’ve got to fix that.’”

Devin Hein, a member of the Mandalorian Mercs cosplay group, was among those helping bring that sense of community to life on the convention floor, dressed in fully handmade Mandalorian armor.

Hein has attended First Contact Con since it began and started helping with programming and leading workshops last year. What began as a lifelong interest in Star Wars, he said, has grown into a way to connect with others by suiting up and bringing those costumes to events both at conventions and in the wider community.

“One of my personal favorite events to do here in town is the Dream Buddy Walk,” Hein said. “We’ve done stuff for Out of the Darkness and Relay for Life. We do a lot of the lot of those types of events around here. We love to set up and show off what we’ve got.”

Hein said his background in graphic design helped inform his approach to materials and design. For others, like Belgrade resident and bankruptcy paralegal Candice Meir, the path into cosplay was self-taught.

After being inspired by a larger convention in Denver, Meir said she began building costumes in her garage using materials like foam floor mats and broken ski boots. First Contact Con was her first time attending a convention.

“If you’re interested in cosplay and working with foam, just get into it,” Meir said. “Don’t be scared of it at all. Everybody can do this.”

With more than 150 tickets sold over the two-day event, Anderson said the event has doubled in size from last year and he expects it to continue growing, bringing together more like-minded people while humanity waits for contact from the great beyond.