[#STLV] Whoopi Goldberg Shines In First Star Trek Convention Appearance

Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award-winner Whoopi Goldberg, who played the mysterious Ten Forward bartender Guinean on Star Trek: The Next Generation and in Star Trek: Generations appeared at the Las Vegas Star Trek Convention for the very first time on Thursday.

Goldberg, who currently hosts the popular daytime talk show, The View, was met with thunderous applause from the sold-out audience as she was welcomed to the stage by Access Hollywood‘s Scott Mantz.

Goldberg credits Nichelle Nichols as Uhura on The Original Series as her inspiration as a child.

“Star Trek is 50 and I’m 60. You never saw black people on TV — until Gene put this beautiful woman on Star Trek.” Goldberg said of Nichols.

On Guinan’s mysterious backstory, she said “I always assumed Guinan was Picard’s great, great, great, great grandmother.”

Goldberg as Guinan on Star Trek: The Next Generation (CBS Home Entertainment)

Discussing the unforgettable headwear Guinan wore, she said “I loved my hats. If you look at the hats very closely, they’re the ship. They’re the front of the ship.”

“They called me shuttle head because those hats.” Goldberg joked.

On TNG executive producer Michael Piller, who passed away in 2005, Goldberg said he was “One of the most amazing, gracious men I’ve ever met.”

When the subject tuned to the character of Q, who was played by John de Lance, Goldberg said “She and Q are equals. And we both could actually crush the universe — If we wanted to.”

She went on to talk about Guinan possibly appearing in Bryan Fuller’s new CBS All Access series Star Trek: Discovery, saying she was “trying to get on that,” which was met with applause from the audience.

“The one thing Star Trek never let go of is hope.” Goldberg remarked.

Discussing her role model, “Nichelle is stunning & smart, just a great human being. When you find them, you want to hold on to them.”

“She’s a stunning woman. She’s stunning & smart, a great singer and just a great human being.”

During her time on stage, she Goldberg was joined by Deep Space Nine‘s James Darren and three fans dressed as Giunan.

Check out a gallery of photos from Whoopi Goldberg’s first Star Trek convention appearance below.

Creation Entertainment’s Las Vegas Star Trek Convention runs through Sunday a the Rio Suites Hotel.

(photos: Laurie Lee for TrekNews.net)