LONDON: One couple has boldly gone where no other has gone before by tying the knot in Britain’s first Klingon wedding ceremony at a Star Trek convention to celebrate the much-loved TV series in London on Friday.
The couple, 23-year-old Jossie Sockertopp and 29-year-old Sonnie Gustavsson, came from their native Sweden to marry at the “Destination Star Trek London” event, which will see 17,000 “trekkies” flock to London’s ExCel center this weekend.
The pair, who met four years ago at the retirement home where they both work, were inspired to hold the ceremony after watching an episode of “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” in which Klingon character Worf marries science officer Jadzia Dax in a traditional Klingon ceremony.
“We saw the clip from the series...and we thought it was very romantic about beating hearts and a battle for each other. We really liked it, that’s why we want to do this,” Sockertopp said.
It took around three months to plan the event, which was Britain’s first wedding ceremony in Klingon, the guttural-sounding language spoken by the Star Trek characters of the same name.
The bride eschewed the traditional human white dress for a floor-length red robe with a diamante headdress, matching her husband-to-be. Prosthetic foreheads with deep wrinkles and stringy black manes completed the look.
Three bangs of a gong ushered the bride and groom to an altar adorned with decorative screens and a throne made from animal bone and hide. The celebrant, Peter Wyllie, conducted the wedding ceremony and included some phrases in Klingon.
“That was a bit of a challenge and I hope I got some of the sounds right. I had it written phonetically, so that made it a little easier,” he said, adding that it sounded similar to the Welsh language. It was the second wedding in two days for the couple, who had a legal ceremony at a registry office in Sweden on Thursday.
“The legal part is done, this is just a fun ceremony,” Sockertopp said.
Star Trek fans marry in UK’s first ‘Klingon wedding’
Star Trek fans marry in UK’s first ‘Klingon wedding’
Policewoman honored for soothing crying baby when her mother fell unconscious at Beirut airport
- ISF honors first adjutant for comforting and feeding baby-milk to scared infant whose mother was rushed to hospital
- Social media users praise policewoman for her ‘humane and empathetic’ act after photos went viral
BEIRUT: A Lebanese policewoman who comforted an infant and fed her milk while her mother was hospitalized after falling unconscious at Beirut airport was honored for what social media users dubbed a ‘humane and empathetic’ act.
First Adjutant Nadia Nasser was on duty when the unidentified baby’s mother suffered a sudden illness and fell unconscious at a checkpoint inside Beirut International Airport earlier this month.
Photos of Nasser holding the months-old baby in her arms, preparing a milk bottle and feeding her went viral across social media, where users described the policewomen’s act as ‘motherly, compassionate and humane’ behavior.
Brig. Gen. Moussa Karnib of Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces honored Nasser on Friday for caring for the infant for almost two hours at the airport after her mother was rushed to a hospital.
A media statement said the first adjutant was honored upon the directives of ISF’s Director General Maj. Gen. Raed Abdullah, after she took personal initiative on Feb. 2 to comfort the infant.
Commenting on Nasser’s photos that went viral, a user called Sami said she should be promoted for her ‘selfless and empathetic’ act.
Another user, Joe, commented: “She should be rewarded.
“This is how loyalty and love for one’s job and country are built,” wrote a user called Youssef.
Media reports said that when the incident happened, the baby’s fear and cries prompted Nasser to take the initiative to comfort and remain beside her until her mother’s condition stabilized.
ISF’s statement did not clarify whether Nasser and the baby accompanied the mother in the ambulance or how they were reunited later.
