On Tues Aug 25, 2020, I had the opportunity of a lifetime. I got to speak to Alexander Siddig aka Siddig el Fadil of Star Trek Deep Space Nine!

I found out about SidCity.net by chance; a recording of one of the Social Club meetings popped up on YouTube. I started watching and saw that Sid actually participates in the meetings! And he chats with his fans! I was so impressed; he truly has an interest in his fans and their lives, and especially wants to know how they’re doing during Covid and quarantine.

I checked out the SidCity.net webpage and saw that you can actually sign up to speak to him. So… I checked the dates of the next meetings BUT I was scheduled to work during both time slots. My shifts changed a lot (I worked in an emergency department as a unit clerk) so I made a mental note to check back again. I didn’t know that they were regular times (he does it twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays) and when I did check back, I was so excited, I wasn’t booked to work! So I submitted a request to speak to him.

I was working on my laptop that evening and I kept checking the time. Not only was I nervous because it was my first time participating in one of these meetings, but I was also nervous because of the possibility of speaking to him THAT NIGHT! When 9pm arrived, I was trying to log in through Zoom but was getting a blank screen with the SidCity logo on it. I logged out and logged back in and still saw the same thing. Then all of a sudden, I saw a bunch of faces, including Sid! Mel, the moderator, asked everyone who had signed up to talk to Sid to virtually raise their hands, so I did. Then I watched and waited. 

After an hour, I thought 'hmm, maybe they won't get to me today'. And I actually felt a bit of relief. I was super nervous as I watched everybody speak to him and saw how nervous some of them were. It made me even more nervous! But then, I got a private message from Mel saying I was up next! When my turn came up, I remember saying hi to Sid and explaining my name to him, and it was so amazing to hear him respond and talk to me and even ask for the correct pronunciation of my name! The rest of the conversation is a bit of a blur, but I knew I wanted to make sure I told him that I appreciated his character and the work he did on the show. The fact that there was a character that looked kind of like me on such a huge show such as Star Trek, especially back in the 90s, was such a huge deal. I told him that as an Indian kid growing up back then, it was rare to see myself reflected in popular culture, but then all of sudden, there was Dr Julian Bashir. A character on Star Trek Deep Space Nine who looked different and spoke different and had a unique name, but that was never the focus, that's just the way it was. He was the station's Doctor. Not the station's "Middle-Eastern" or "Indian" doctor. Just the Doctor.

I got to tell him about my love for Star Trek and how I became a fan thanks to my older sister. We used to stay up late at night to watch the Original Series, and we watched TNG while it was airing. We had a huge party to watch the series finale, and my favourite character has always been Worf. 

I also mentioned that when I tell people that I'm a Beatles fan, they look shocked.. It's like they're surprised that someone like me can be a fan. I told Sid the story about when I was at one of my first jobs, a group of us were talking and I mentioned that I really love the Beatles. They're the reason I got a guitar and the first songs I learned how to play were Beatles songs. And one of the guys said 'yeahh right, you probably just know the famous songs right?' and I said 'no, I'm a hardcore fan! I know all the songs' and he kind of laughed and then said 'real Beatles fans would know the song 'The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill", I bet you don't even know the words". And I probably should have just ignored him but I felt like I had to prove myself. AND prove him wrong. So I sang the lyrics: 'He went out tiger hunting with his elephant and gun, in case of accidents he always took his mom". And the look on his face was shock! Looking back, I'm not sure if he was just saying all of that because he wanted to think of himself as the bigger Beatles fan, or if he just thought that someone like ME couldn't possibly be a Beatles fan. 

Then Sid asked me to name my top 2 fave Beatles albums. I chose A Hard Day's Night right away because that was one of the first albums I bought for myself and I absolutely love the movie! And then I just couldn't decide on the second! There are so many great albums, but I ended up choosing the White Album, just because it shows their range. I know Sgt Pepper and Revolver are albums that were really game changing, but I remember hearing "Good Night" for the first time and being in awe; it was so beautiful and calming! And I couldn't believe that it was on the same album as a song like Helter Skelter. So great!

I knew that the SidCity Social Club meetings get posted to their Youtube Channel, so I was both excited and not excited to see my talk with him! But I absolutely loved that experience, and really felt so special. For Sid to do this for his fans twice a week is so generous and I'm so glad I got to tell him what his work means to me. I know he must hear it all the time, but if I was able to make him feel good and more proud of his work on DS9, then that also makes me happy! Thank you Sid and SidCity.net for such a wonderful experience!