Kari Wuhrer at Trek Expo 99 in Tulsa

Actress Kari Wuhrer, who plays Maggie Beckett on Sliders, appeared at Trek Expo 99 in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Sunday, June 27, 1999. The crowd made her feel welcome as she strode onto the stage in a close-fitting pink top and a sparkly silver miniskirt. Kari came third in what could only be described as a grueling, non-stop marathon of celebrity appearances that lasted from 11am to 5pm. As a result, I can only recall bits and pieces of what happened during Kari's appearance.

The first thing Kari did was introduce her best friend, a young, red-haired woman in a long white dress. Kari revealed that her friend helps her with everything. The two sat across from each other, and Kari's friend proceeded to conduct a brief interview with her. Afterward, Kari stood up and began to interact with the audience more directly.

Kari said that some people in the audience might be familiar with her "body" of work, apparently referring to her sexy movie roles. Kari said that she didn't think there was anything wrong with those roles, but she also said that she didn't think there was much truth in them either.

Kari mentioned her guest appearance on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. I happened to be watching Conan that night, and I remember that Kari giggled and fidgeted so much that very little productive conversation took place. Kari said that she's not really like that in real life, but that she sometimes behaves that way when she's really nervous.

There was a brief discussion about the nature of science fiction. Kari asked the audience if "Conan the Barbarian" qualified as science fiction. The general consensus was that such movies are considered fantasy. Kari then asked the audience to try to define science fiction. One audience member, obviously grasping at straws, said something about "space ships", and Kari observed that science fiction generally seems to deal with sophisticated technology.

Kari mentioned that she has a music CD available called "Shiny". She also sang a short duet with her friend. Kari's singing was quite good. Her voice had an exquisite, sultry, smoky quality. The song itself, on the other hand, was rather unremarkable, a typical mainstream pop ballad of some kind.

A mother came forward and said that she had a starstruck teenage son in the bleachers who wanted to invite Kari to his upcoming birthday party. Kari seemed flattered. It was a cute moment. Somebody asked if "Sliders" would return next season. Kari said that she thought it would, because it's one of the Sci-Fi Channel's highest-rated shows.

Overall, Kari came across as a very open, honest person. She also seemed sensitive, vulnerable, and maybe even a little insecure, which is surprising, because she plays the confident, disciplined, aggressive Maggie Beckett quite convincingly. I think she was probably just a little nervous because, from what I understand, this was her first convention appearance.

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