MARCH 22, 2021 - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine star Alexander Siddig’s fan website, Sid City, has been going - officially - since 1998. But last year’s COVID-19 lockdowns started it into a new phase, with the introduction of twice-weekly gatherings online, known as Sid City Social Club. Run by site admin Mel, Sid City Social Club meetings bring fans together to connect and share their love for Star Trek, and Siddig himself (fondly known as “Sid” on the site) frequently attends, as well.

In a recent interview with SYFY WIRE, Siddig discussed the evolution of the bi-weekly virtual gatherings as the Sid City Social Club nears its one year anniversary.

“I thought maybe we'll be doing it for ... just a couple of meetings, and that we’d have to work really hard to get people to come back because they'd be [...] bored,” Siddig told SYFY WIRE. However, he added, ”It just didn't work out that way. It started off as a kind of entertainment but became a sort of group hug.” SYFY WIRE noted that the Sid City Social Club regularly fills the 100-person capacity of the club’s twice-weekly Zoom call within seconds of the link going live.

What was meant to be a bit of “fan service” during the COVID-19 pandemic has had an unexpected impact on Siddig, showing him that fans can be friends, too. “I think I've kind of become dependent on it, in a weird way [...] I think it's broken down this barrier,” he said in the interview. “I don't think I'm really a ‘celebrity’ anymore to any of those guys, you know. [...] It's how they met me, but like any friends, you forget that really quickly.”

As the show grew, Matthew Campbell, a playwright and friend of Siddig’s, submitted a short play called “Alone Together”. Siddig and fellow Star Trek: Deep Space Nine actor Andrew Robinson read the play aloud, revisiting their characters of Julian Bashir and Garak in an interstellar romance. That paved the way for “Little Achievements” from fan-fic author almassi, the second play to feature the two characters. Since then, the gathering has occasionally featured other performances, featuring guests like Cirroc Lofton, Nana Visitor, Armin Shimerman and Terry Farrell.

The Sid City Social Club meets every Tuesday and Friday evening. To read the Social Club guidelines and for more information on how to participate, visit sidcity.net, and be sure to check out the Sid City channel on YouTube.