However, the various discussion panels on the SEC campus cover a wide range of topics.

These can be very simple topics, such as discussions on the occasion of film anniversaries (such as the science fiction adventure “Stargate” and Sean Connery’s cult classic “Zardoz”), or the examination of serious topics, such as the development of artificial intelligence.

There are also more offbeat articles, from “Deliciously Evil: Villain Romances and Why We Love Them” to “The Many Legs of SF: Creepy Crawlies in Space” and “Best Cats of SFF,” which features a panel discussion about “their favorite cats.”

A major event on Thursday evening is “Morrow’s Isle”, a libretto by Scottish author Ken MacLeod about a secret scientific project on the Clyde, with musicians from the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

“One of the things that was really important to us was to make sure this was a Scottish Worldcon,” adds Esther, who grew up reading science fiction greats such as Doris Lessing and Arthur C. Clarke.

“That’s why we have partnered with local groups like Glasgow University, we hold information sessions in libraries and have included Scottish language topics in our programme.

“There are pieces on Iain M Banks and Alasdair Gray and on the integration of Scots into science fiction writing. Worldcon hadn’t been in the UK for 10 years, so we had a wide range of ideas.”