FanExpo Denver 2025: Captain Deidra

·18 min·1 clip

Captain Deidra explains how the Rocky Mountains' secret Spanish name inspired her Star Trek group's unique title.

The episode opens with the show's standard promotional introduction and theme song. Host Ryan welcomes listeners from FanExpo Denver 2025 and introduces his guest, Captain Deidra, leader of the USS Cordilleron. Deidra explains the group is northern Colorado's first sci-fi and fantasy social group, inspired by her visit to San Diego Comic-Con in July 2024 where she met a Star Trek cosplay group. She researched existing groups and found a gap in the northern region, leading her to start the USS Cordilleron. The name 'Cordilleron' comes from the Spanish word for 'ribbon' or 'string,' referring to the Cordillera mountain range that includes the Rockies. Deidra discusses the group's slow but steady membership growth since launching at the beginning of the year. She contrasts this new venture with her extensive background leading volunteer groups like the Citizens Emergency Response Team (CERT). A key challenge has been using social media for recruitment, a task she has delegated to her commander and executive officer. The group's mission is to be a social club with a charitable purpose, planning an annual fundraiser starting in June 2026. Deidra describes their monthly activities, including a short story discussion group and a 'Strange New Worlds' viewing party at a Fort Collins library. The conversation shifts to Deidra's personal life, where she reveals she is on crutches due to a hip injury from over 30 years of martial arts. She holds a black belt in Taekwondo and was a four-stripe blue belt in jiu-jitsu. The injury resulted from wear and tear and a final incident, requiring surgery with a recovery lasting until after Thanksgiving. She and Ryan share stories about ignoring doctor's advice and the difficulties of aging as athletes. Deidra talks about the mental challenge of limited mobility post-surgery, including an anecdote about trying to run for a phone. She also mentions the added difficulty of recovering while caring for a new puppy. The episode ends with Deidra providing contact information for the USS Cordilleron, noting their website is hard to find via Google but accessible through their social media, followed by the show's standard outro.

As heard by us

Captain Deidre lays out a practical Star Trek group built around monthly fandom and a democratic plan to give back.

Fan Expo 2025 gives Real Nerds Podcast a grounded angle on fandom through Captain Deidre, who is building the USS Cordilleron in Northern Colorado as a Star Trek sci-fi fantasy group with a give-back purpose.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Want a Fan Expo chat about a Northern Colorado Star Trek group trying to make fandom social, local, and useful?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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