Steampunk Cosplay Spotlight: an Interview With Captain "Solo" Seekerman

Introducting Captain "Solo" Seekerman

We're getting deep into the Star Wars Steampunk Universe (SWSU) now! As it turns out, Nathan Seekerman, AKA Captain "Solo" Seekerman, was one of its first two members. I recently had the pleasure of interviewing him and learned about his unique Han Solo cosplay, how he met Dude Vader, why he wears that dashing mask, and more.

The Interview

Jonathan Fesmire: Tell us a little about the man behind Captain “Solo” Seekerman. What brought you to LA from England?

Captain “Solo” Seekerman: I was born in the motherland but relocated to Los Angeles as a small cog, so I cannot share an authentic English accent. Nevertheless, my parents were still attached to traditional training, so I learned to fence at a young age with my weapon of choice, the Sabre. It was in my pre-teens that I enjoyed a match taped by the once popular show “Real People.” My tutelage by fencing master Del Mar Calvar later led to an entry to the Junior Olympics. I was greatly honored, but I still wish to have gone farther in the gentleman’s sport.

JF: That’s great! Do you ever use sabers as part of your cosplay?

CSS: I’ve often considered the idea, and I would get to pull the old blade out of the attic but my blade and my skills are rather rusty. For now, I will keep it in reserve for a Photoshoot, because ComicCon’s weapons check is rather unsure how to approve a steel blade even with a safety tip!

JF: How’d you get into cosplay and the convention scene?

CSS: It is to the greater good that I found steampunk, because upon the death of a family member, I greatly needed a creative outlet. My meager intentions were to fulfill a soul desire to attend a convention in cosplay. It included creating a cosplay inspired by my grandfather’s part in the Army Air Force during the big one--WWII, so it would honor his memory. Recently, I posted a picture of him, so others would know why I was so inspired by just an officer’s peaked cap. In the picture, the silver aircraft behind my grandfather is a North American B-25 Mitchell, and the tail seen in the background is a rarely photographed Martin Maryland in RAF markings (although with French Air Force tail stripes, so it was probably a captured Vichy aircraft used as a spy plane).

As for conventions, I made the hasty promise to myself that when I finished the ensemble, then I would attend just one convention. I didn’t realize there would be so many amazing people and they would welcome my cosplay with great interest. I was so nervous during ComikazeCon that I was extremely thankful for a mask that covered my blushing intrepid steps into the event. Then, the swarm of photographers happened, and I just did my best to be polite. This led to more events, meeting other steampunk cosplayers, visiting Ave Rose’s creative studio and a documentary about steampunk called “Steam Dream” which was recently shown at the Cannes Film Festival 2015.

JF: In my interview with Steamy Leia, she told me that she and Baron Von Maul got into Star Wars Steampunk cosplay because you invited them to be part of an SWSU photoshoot. How long have you been cosplaying Captain “Solo” Seekerman, and when did you start?

CSS: The SWSU is very recent for all of us. During the second time to “Her Royal Majesty Steampunk Symposium” on the Queen Mary in Long Beach, I met Chris Canole as Dude Vader. I had been asked by a few photographers in November to do that “epic Solo pose” and just kept doing it until Dude Vader put the pieces together. He might say together we created Solo Seekerman, but it was his masterful re-interpretation of my cosplay where Solo Seekerman became a new character for me. And to the pleasure of others attendees on the Queen Mary, Solo and Dude Vader began to face-off all weekend in January of this year. So, the evolution of Solo Seekerman was born out of the need to see Star Wars and steampunk together, because dedicated fans of the series are going to be enjoying the “Force Awakens, Episode VII” in December this year.

Next it occurred to us that two Star Wars Steampunk characters got more interest than just one, so we started to plan a photoshoot and chose a train museum as the background. I reached out to Steamy Leia who was also in the documentary “Steam Dream” and asked if she had another guy she would like to bring that would balance her Leia cosplay. So Steamy Leia and Baron Von Maul were now part of our very first Star Wars Steampunk photoshoot. Their creativity is just amazing and greatly admired by everyone in the group.

JF: So, your Captain Seekerman character was not originally meant to be a version of Han Solo?

CSS: Captain Seekerman was originally a steampunk cosplayer with no greater allegiance. However, I have found that support for other cosplayers is a major part of the steampunk cosplay community. My first year as the character was exclusively on “TheSteampunkEmpire.com” (often just called “The Empire” and oddly enough another Star Wars reference). During that year, I did my best to understand steampunk culture and define what it would mean to Captain Seekerman. The ability to create a character from complete scratch and also act out that character’s story was incredibly enticing to someone that aspired to be in a science fiction book or movie. I had a blast and slowly reached the point where blogging in the Empire was just too small. So after a year of conventions and just one website, I finally ventured into the deep waters of Facebook. There, I connected with all the others in the SWSU and we are continuing to grow.

JF: Of all the Star Wars characters you could have cosplayed, why a version of Han Solo? (As a Solo fan myself, part of me thinks, “Well of course Han Solo. When you think of Han, why would you cosplay anyone else?”)

CSS: There is an organic fit between Han Solo and Solo Seekerman, since I just unknowingly imitated much of his backstory. Captain Seekerman started as an Airship Captain, then he needed wings to get up to his ship in the event of the dramatic scene called a “narrow escape.” The character’s past would have to be dubious at best, so smuggling was another part to his colorful escapades. So, even though the Cosplay started out with much lighter colors, soon I was incorporating more browns and blacks that would blend effectively into a steampunk world. As the materials got darker, the character’s history emerged fittingly into Solo Seekerman, smuggler and international airship captain.

JF: Your costume is amazing. The mask, the wings, all of it. Can you take us through your thought process a little bit when creating it?

CSS: In steampunk cosplay, there are some telltale symbols, colors and textures to be included, so with a character in mind, I began to expand the Solo Seekerman landscape. I thought he would be ex-military and retain some of his military equipment, taste and style into his current persona. He sustained injuries during the colonial wars, so he has a piston brace for his right elbow that is steam powered. He still carries his military issue handgun, and his lungs were injured during a crash that forces him to wear an air purifier at all times. Even the medals and other emblems are from his Royal Service (but not actual WWII medals), and the wings get him off the ground and back to the safety of his Airship. The wings are hand-made from aluminum and the light encasements are brass. Constructed with a Bimba pneumatic piston and powered by a paint-ball gun’s boulder controlling the C02 airflow that simulates steam power to raise and lower the wings via a simple valve clipped to my gun belt.

JF: Aside from cosplay, what are your other hobbies?

CSS: My hobbies include snowboarding to simulate flying as often as possible, but it does mean I have to dress warm enough to ride a tauntaun! Of course, I’ve tried hang-gliding, rock climbing, competitive sailing and other sports available to the average adrenaline junky. For now, I’m really enjoying flying as Solo Seekerman.

JF: How much acting/role playing is involved in cosplaying Captain Seekerman?

CSS: I can’t say that I’m trained in the theater arts, but in fact a programmer by trade that enjoys publishing websites and phone apps for his clients. It was stepping into the shoes of an iconic character like Solo Seekerman that really made me become interested in role playing. Looking at my posture from earlier images is very different from what I am doing these days to represent Solo Seekerman in our SWSU. I will enjoy continuing to evolve the character and see what happens next.

JF: If you could be any animal in the Star Wars universe, which would you be?

CSS: I would try and be the big and tough Rancor that competes for Roxy’s attention. She’s a tough egg to crack just like Leia on the silver screen. It is certainly a worthy beast for Solo Seekerman and a worthy challenge for him to gain her affection! Besides, those teeth and claws will come in handy when trying to break into any given stronghold of the Steampunk Empire.

JF: Thank you for sharing your creativity and cosplay with the world, and for doing this interview!

CSS: It was an honor to be asked for an interview. I really enjoyed thinking about the character and sharing what it means to me. Many thanks, good sir!

Captain "Solo" Seekerman Online

Visit Captain "Solo" Seekerman's Facebook fan page for his latest news and photos. One of the terrific things about this page is that Nathan does a lot of SWSU photo shoots where you can see him and other memebers of the SWSU in their steampunk costumes. In short, he has tons of professional cosplay images. He also shares a lot of convention news, so you can find out where to meet him and other members of the SWSU crowd.

What's Next?

I have another artist feature or two coming up next week! And, next month, look for my interview with Chris Canole, AKA Dude Vader! He has a really creative technique for adding detail to his golden costume. He also used to cosplay Obi-Wan Canole, and is just an overall good hearted guy and great with kids.

I plan to send out the newsletter late tonight, so now's a great time to sign up. I'm not kidding when I say there are exclusive extras in the newsletter! Sometimes that means more insights from me that you won't find elsewhere. Often, it means graphics that you won't find anywhere else because they haven't been posted online.

Such is the case today. Nathan sent me some terrific shots of his costume wings and a diagram of how they work. That's what's going to be in the newsletter tonight!

I will also make sure to re-send the message to any new subscribers who join by 9:00 pm PDT on Sunday so that new members don't miss this one.