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Stellar cosplay warps into Star Trek anniversary convention (pictures)

Klingons, Bajorans, Starfleet officers and a universe of classic aliens roam the halls of the Star Trek 50th anniversary convention in Las Vegas.

Amanda Kooser
Freelance writer Amanda C. Kooser covers gadgets and tech news with a twist for CNET. When not wallowing in weird gear and iPad apps for cats, she can be found tinkering with her 1956 DeSoto.
Amanda Kooser
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Nero stalks the convention

Editors' note: this gallery is being updated throughout the convention.

The Star Trek 50th anniversary convention in Las Vegas attracts an out-of-this-world cosplay display. There are plenty of fans in Starfleet uniforms, but clever costumes also include an Orion slave girl, Santa Gorn and a strange Elvis-Trek mashup.

This spectacular Nero costume pays tribute to the villain of the first Star Trek reboot movie, from 2009. The makeup is spot on.

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Red-shirt dog

This service dog got into the spirit of the Star Trek 50th anniversary convention with an original-series red-shirt outfit, complete with a tiny phaser. Here, the pup posed with a collection of tribbles.

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Star Trek Elvis

One of the more creative cosplayers roaming the halls of the 50th anniversary Star Trek convention in Las Vegas is this very-Vegas Elvis. It's not just a '70s Elvis jumpsuit. A lot of thought went into this elaborate costume, which also features Starfleet and Klingon logos.

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Behind Trek-Elvis

A huge, blinged-out gold Starfleet logo adorns the back of this Elvis Presley-Star Trek mashup costume seen at the show's 50th anniversary convention.

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Klingons

The Star Trek universe isn't complete without Klingons. These cosplayers represent both original-series and movie versions of the famously cantankerous aliens.

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Santa Gorn

Is this Santa Gorn or Gorn Claus? This costume represents an unusual mix between Christmas spirit and the Gorn alien that tried to kill Capt. Kirk.

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Bajorans

Bajorans played a large role in "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." These cosplayers pull off the stern look of Bajoran spiritual leaders. They even have the correct nose-bumps.

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Abraham Lincoln

If you're not sure why Abraham Lincoln is in attendance at the 50th anniversary Star Trek convention in Las Vegas, then you need to go back and rewatch the original series. The US president appears in an episode titled "The Savage Curtain."

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Royalty Trek

A group of cosplayers roam the convention floor in prince and princess-Star Trek mashup costumes.

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MACO troops

These cosplayers pay tribute to prequel series "Enterprise" by dressing up as Military Assault Command Operations troops.

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Trouble with a tribble

This original-series gold command costume is enhanced with a pesky tribble on the shoulder.

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'60s Trek

An impressive beehive tops this costume that pays tribute to Janice Rand. Both of these outfits are straight out of the 1960s aesthetic of early Star Trek.

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Longtime fans

These longtime Star Trek fans are dressed to the nines for the 50th anniversary convention in Las Vegas.

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The Next Generation

The Trois pose for a photo op while showing off their Betazoid sides at the Star Trek convention in Las Vegas.

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Glommer and a tribble

The Star Trek fan on the right is dressed in an ingenious tribble costume. The fluffy alien critters are famous for eating a lot and being cute. The creature on the left is less well-known. It's a glommer, a predator bred by Klingons to hunt and destroy tribbles. Klingons and tribbles don't get along.

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Taking flight

Star Trek fans show off some unusual costumes at the convention.

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A red shirt with a message

Red-shirt-wearing crew members don't always survive their Starfleet missions. This shirt reads "Don't pick me for an away mission. Pick him -->."

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Mirror universe

Step into the original "Star Trek" series mirror universe with these cosplayers at the 50th anniversary convention.

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Two Guinans

These two Star Trek fans were called up on stage with Whoopi Goldberg during the 50th anniversary convention in Las Vegas. They are both dressed as Guinan, Goldberg's wise and enigmatic character from "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

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Data

MAC Cosmetics has a big presence at the Star Trek 50th anniversary convention. This model was made up by professional artists to look like Data from "The Next Generation."

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Worf wields a bat'leth

This elaborate Worf cosplay even includes an accurate-looking Klingon weapon.

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Welcome to the Enterprise

An entire crew of "Enterprise" cosplayers share their love of the uniforms from the prequel series.

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Doctor Who?

A Time Lord can go anywhere he wants, even to a Star Trek convention. This well-dressed Tom Baker "Doctor Who" fan wore a small Starfleet pin on his jacket.

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Pooch and science officer

This fluffy puppy wore a science uniform to the 50th anniversary Star Trek convention in Las Vegas.

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Khaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan

It takes a lot of bravery to take on the famous Ricardo Montalban costume from "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan." This Khan really pulls off the look.

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Cosplaying a shuttlecraft

This Starfleet shuttlecraft cosplay is a loving tribute to the workhorse vessels that get personnel around through space.

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Neelix

The likable Neelix from "Voyager" gets an elaborate costume tribute.

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Spock lookalike

This Spock cosplayer really has the look down. He wears a uniform that matches the ones from the original-series movies.

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Andorian

Blue makeup sells this Andorian costume, complete with antennae.

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Borg-dog

The same service dog that wore a red-shirt costume earlier during the convention showed up in this Borg outfit the next day. There's no resisting its cuteness.

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Scotty

A Scotty lookalike cosplays as the movie-version of Montgomery Scott, the engineer who was also quite good at beaming people up.

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Apollo and Mudd

You might be wondering what a Greek god is doing at a Star Trek convention. This particular god is Apollo from the original-series episode "Who Mourns for Adonais?" Beside him is Falstaffian original-series troublemaker Harry Mudd.

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Captain Pike

Before there was Captain Kirk, there was Captain Christopher Pike. This clever cosplay rolls around and depicts Pike as seen in the original-series two-part episode "The Menagerie."

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Borg Vader

Star Trek and Star Wars fandoms come together in a costume that imagine what would happen if Darth Vader was assimilated by the Borg. It looks like the poor Sith Lord wasn't able to resist.

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Ferengi

The Ferengi starred on "Deep Space Nine." The particular Ferengi is probably thinking about the Rules of Acquisition.

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Borg Queen

Captain Picard and Data both had very close-up dealings with the Borg Queen. The costume on display here was one of the honorable mentions in the Star Trek 50th anniversary convention costume contest in Las Vegas.

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Costume contest winners

Here's betting you don't recognize these Star Trek creatures. They're the shrimp-like aliens that appeared for only a few seconds in the merely so-so original-series episode "Catspaw."

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The Crushers

Young Wesley Crusher and his mom Doctor Beverly Crusher take the stage during a Star Trek costume contest.

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Crystalline Entity

A mind-boggling amount of work went into this Crystalline Entity costume. The deadly planet-chewing entity appearing in "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Guest judge Terry Farrell (Jadzia Dax from "Deep Space Nine") admires the cosplayer's ingenuity.

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IDIC

The ancient Vulcan symbol of the IDIC stands for "Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations." A Star Trek costume contestant took that idea and rendered in a full person-sized costume.

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Jaylah

Jaylah appears as a main guest character in the latest Star Trek film, "Star Trek Beyond." This cosplayer had only seen the movie once, but it inspired her to make a Jaylah outfit and don the fancy makeup.

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Khan as a woman

A Khan gender-swap cosplayer roamed the vendors room at the 50th anniversary Star Trek convention in Las Vegas.

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Star Trek Minions

Adorable Klingon and Captain Kirk Minions posed for photographs at the Las Vegas Star Trek convention.

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'First Contact' space suits

There's a dramatic scene in "Star Trek: First Contact" that involves spacesuit-wearing heroes venturing outside of the Enterprise. These DIY costumes replicated those suits in spectacular fashion.

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Tholian

As the name suggests, Tholians are from the planet Tholia. The unusual orange aliens starred in the original-series episode "The Tholian Web." The cosplayer inside this massive outfit uses a video screen and camera to navigate.

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