Treklanta
Treklanta is an annual Star Trek convention based in Atlanta, Georgia that places special emphasis on fan-based events, activities, programming and productions. It hosts the annual Miss Klingon Empire Beauty Pageant and Bjo Awards Ceremony.
History
The founding of Treklanta was, in many respects, a result of its founder and chairman, Eric L. Watts—who had served as Dragon*Con's Director of Star Trek Programming from 1993 to 2009—not being asked to return for an 18th year by Dragon*Con management in December 2009. In February 2010, several members of the USS Republic, the chapter of STARFLEET International in Atlanta of which Watts is "Commanding Officer", encouraged Watts to continue his service to fandom by launching a new convention in Atlanta, which had not hosted an exclusive, Star Trek-only convention since 1993. Pledging their support, a core group of Republic members immediately began laying the groundwork for a new convention and three months later, on Memorial Day Weekend, Watts issued a press release announcing TrekTrax Atlanta. In October 2014, Watts announced on the convention's Facebook page that the name of the convention was being changed to "Treklanta" to make it "easier to pronounce, easier to spell and hopefully easier to remember" and because "it more clearly and more succinctly conveys the essence of what our convention is all about."The first three conventions, held from 2011 to 2013, were devoted exclusively to the Star Trek franchise. In 2014, the convention expanded its focus to include other space opera franchises such as Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Firefly and Babylon 5. In 2017, Treklanta returned to its original focus on "All Star Trek, All the Time."
First convention
TrekTrax Atlanta 2011 was held on Presidents Day Weekend, February 18–20, at the Holiday Inn Atlanta Perimeter in the northern Atlanta suburb of Chamblee. Guests included:- Tim Russ, best known as "Tuvok" on '
- Barbara March, best known as "Lursa," sister of B'Etor from the House of Duras, from '
- Gwynyth Walsh, best known as "B'Etor," sister of Lursa from the House of Duras, from '
- Ken Feinberg, who played the Alien Captain in the ' episode "Horizon"
- Diana Botsford, co-author of the ' episode "Rascals |Rascals"
- Andrew Greenberg, a roleplaying game designer who has worked on games for ' and
- Dr. Ina Rae Hark, author of Star Trek, a 2008 book in the BFI TV Classics series published by Palgrave Macmillan for the British Film Institute
- Larry Nemecek, author of The Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion, former managing editor of Communicator and current contributor to Titan/U.K.'s Star Trek magazine
- Emmett Plant, a writer, composer and producer who has produced over twenty Star Trek audiobooks for CBS/Paramount
- Dr. Brad Strickland, the author or co-author of five Star Trek Young Adult novels
- John Broughton, Michael Bednar and Holly Bednar from Starship Farragut, a Star Trek fan production based on the original series of Star Trek
TrekTrax Atlanta 2011 attendance numbered 25 guests, 45 staff volunteers and 187 paid memberships for a total attendance of 257 persons.
Second convention
TrekTrax Atlanta 2012 was held April 20–22 at the Holiday Inn Atlanta Perimeter in the northern Atlanta suburb of Chamblee. The convention was endorsed by the Klingon Assault Group International as the "National Klingon Konvention." Guests included:- David Orange, best known as the "Sleepy Klingon" in '
- Morgan Gendel, author of the ' episodes "The Inner Light |The Inner Light" and "Starship Mine" and the ' episodes "The Passenger |The Passenger" and "Armageddon Game"
- Dr. Lawrence M. Schoen, author, publisher, psychologist, Klingon language expert and founder of the Klingon Language Institute who has published Klingon translations of Shakespeare's Hamlet and Much Ado About Nothing, as well as the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Tao Te Ching.
- Fan Guest of Honor Melissa Carter, a columnist for The Georgia Voice and The Huffington Post, member of the Atlanta Police Department GLBT Advisory Board, transplant survivor and a former co-host of the morning radio show The Bert Show on Q100 in Atlanta
- Cheralyn Lambeth, a professional costumer formerly with Paramount Production Services' Star Trek Earth Tour and
- Andrew Greenberg, a roleplaying game designer who has worked on games for ' and '
- Emmett Plant, a writer, composer and producer who has produced over twenty Star Trek audiobooks for CBS/Paramount
- Michael Bednar and Michael Day from Starship Farragut, a Star Trek fan production based on the original series of Star Trek
- Chris Coleman, Doug Harper, Randall Landers, Bill MacKenzie and Sara MacKenzie from Project: Potemkin, a Star Trek fan production set shortly after '
- Jim Brucke, Renda Carr, Tim Carr and Keith Harris from Star Trek: Lexington, a Star Trek fan production set shortly after
- The il Troubadore Klingon Music Project, a four-person musical troupe from Indianapolis, Indiana, that performs original Klingon music and presents its original production, "wa' Sad ram wa' ram je" with belly dancers
- "Nerd rock bands" One Hard Night and the New York Disco Villains
- "Keela & Katkith," hosts of the popular "Klingon Karaoke"
TrekTrax Atlanta 2012 attendance numbered 33 guests, 45 staff volunteers and 162 paid memberships for a total attendance of 240 persons.
Third convention
TrekTrax Atlanta 2013 was held April 19–21 at the Holiday Inn Atlanta Perimeter in the northern Atlanta suburb of Chamblee. The convention presented a "Star Trek Fan Film Festival," hosted the USS Republic- Manu Intiraymi, best known as "Icheb" in the last two seasons of '
- Keith R. A. DeCandido, the prolific writer/editor of many Star Trek novels, novellas, short stories, comic books and eBooks
- Ken Feinberg, who played the Alien Captain in the ' episode "Horizon"
- Dr. Lawrence M. Schoen, author, publisher, psychologist, Klingon language expert and founder of the Klingon Language Institute who has published Klingon translations of Shakespeare's Hamlet and Much Ado About Nothing, as well as the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Tao Te Ching.
- Emmett Plant, a writer, composer and producer who has produced over twenty Star Trek audiobooks for CBS/Paramount
- Renda Carr, Tim Carr, Doug Harper, Randall Landers, Bill MacKenzie, Sara MacKenzie and Christin Woods from Project: Potemkin, a Star Trek fan production set shortly after '
- Darren Hann, Tara Murphy and Joann Pelley from Star Trek: Reliant, a Star Trek fan production that takes place five years after the return of the USS Voyager to the Alpha Quadrant
- Michael Bednar, Michael Day and Donna Smith Parker from Starship Farragut, a Star Trek fan production based on the original series of Star Trek
- Andrea Columber, Toby Curfman, Dean Rogers, Jacob Stanford and Jerry Stanford from Star Trek: Valkyrie, a Star Trek fan production audio series set three months after the launch of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-B
- The il Troubadore Klingon Music Project, a four-person musical troupe from Indianapolis, Indiana, that performs original Klingon music and presents its original production, "wa' Sad ram wa' ram je" with belly dancers
- "Nerd rock band" Go, Robo! Go!
- "Keela & Katkith," hosts of the popular "Klingon Karaoke"
- "Moxie Magnus," an entertainer and stage performer who writes a humorous blog about Star Trek
TrekTrax Atlanta 2013 attendance numbered 43 guests and comps, 41 staff volunteers and 97 paid memberships for a total attendance of 181 persons.
Fourth convention
TrekTrax Atlanta 2014 was held April 25–27 at the Atlanta Marriott Northwest at Galleria in the northwestern Atlanta neighborhood of Cumberland and included programming events and activities devoted to Star Trek, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica and Firefly. Guests included:- Felix Silla, who played Twiki in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, the Ewok Retah in Return of the Jedi, Lucifer in the original Battlestar Galactica and a The Cage |Talosian in the original Star Trek
- Arlene Martel, who played T'Pring in the original Star Trek episode "Amok Time," Adulteress 58 in the original Battlestar Galactica episode "The Long Patrol" and a Vulcan priestess in the Star Trek fan production Star Trek: Of Gods and Men
- Jeremy Roberts, who played Lt. Commander Dimitri Valtane in ' and the ' episode "Flashback |Flashback," and Meso'Clan in the ' episode "Hippocratic Oath"
- Keith R. A. DeCandido, the prolific writer/editor of many Star Trek and other sci-fi franchise novels, novellas, short stories, comic books and eBooks
- Renda Carr, Abby Evans, Randall Landers, Leslie Lewis and Christin Woods from Project: Potemkin, a Star Trek fan production set shortly after '
- Darren Hann, Rob LeDrew, Joann Pelley and Philippe René from Star Trek: Reliant, a Star Trek fan production that takes place five years after the return of the USS Voyager to the Alpha Quadrant
- Michael Bednar from Starship Farragut, a Star Trek fan production based on the original series of Star Trek
- John R. Sims from Exeter Trek, a Star Trek fan production based on the original series of Star Trek
- Dale Morton, Clay Sayre and Robert Withrow from ', a Star Trek fan production based on the original series of Star Trek
- Puppeteer troupes Felt Nerdy and Death By Puppets
- Live bands Go, Robo! Go! and Hyperspace
- Local radio talk show host Dan Carroll and pop culture podcasters Earth Station One
- Local community theater group The Spirit of Broadway
- Betsy Goodrich, performing as her character "Danger Woman"
TrekTrax Atlanta 2014 attendance numbered 72 guests and comps, 40 staff volunteers and 134 paid memberships for a total attendance of 246 persons.
Fifth convention
Treklanta 2015 was held April 24–26 at the Atlanta Marriott Century Center in northeast Atlanta and included programming events and activities devoted to Star Trek, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Babylon 5 and Firefly. Guests included:- Sean Kenney, best known for his roles in the original ' series as the crippled Captain Christopher Pike in the two-part episode "The Menagerie" and as Lieutenant DePaul in "Arena" and "A Taste of Armageddon"
- Jason Carter, best known for his role as Ranger Marcus Cole on the science fiction television series Babylon 5
- Anne Lockhart, best known for her role as Lieutenant Sheba on the original science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica
- Keith R. A. DeCandido, the prolific writer/editor of many Star Trek and other sci-fi franchise novels, novellas, short stories, comic books and eBooks
- Alec Peters, the creator, executive producer, co-writer and co-star of Prelude to Axanar, a Star Trek fan production
- Renda Carr, Randall Landers, Leslie Lewis, Aaron Renfroe, Matthew Trammell and Christin Woods from Project: Potemkin, a Star Trek fan production set shortly after '
- Darren Hann, Karen Hann, Rob LeDrew and Joann Pelley from Star Trek: Reliant, a Star Trek fan production that takes place five years after the return of the USS Voyager to the Alpha Quadrant
- Clay Sayre and Troy Bernier from the ' episode "Mind-Sifter," a Star Trek fan production based on the original series of Star Trek
- Jacob Stanford, Jerry Stanford and Spring Stanford from Star Trek: Valkyrie and Star Trek: Ranger, two Star Trek fan production audio series set between the events of ' and '
- Stand-up comedians Eric Daugherty, Bobbin Wages and Ellaree Yeagley
- Puppeteer troupe Felt Nerdy
- Live band Hyperspace
- Artists Justin Anderson, Katie Bracewell, Jaeme Case, Daniel "DTM" Flores, Peter Lücker, Carly Strickland, Dimitri Walker and Joseph R. Wheeler III
Treklanta 2015 attendance numbered 60 guests and comps, 45 staff volunteers and 193 paid memberships for a total attendance of 298 persons.
Sixth convention
Treklanta 2016 was held April 15–17 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Atlanta Northlake in Tucker, Georgia, and included programming events and activities devoted to Star Trek, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica and Firefly. Guests included:- Carel Struycken, best known to Star Trek fans as Mr. Homn, Lwaxana Troi's assistant and valet, in ' and as Lurch in The Addams Family, Addams Family Values and Addams Family Reunion motion pictures
- Tracee Lee Cocco, an actress, model and stuntwoman most visibly seen as Lieutenant Jae, a regular background character, on ' and in the feature films Star Trek Generations, ' and '
- Jack Stauffer, best known to science fiction fans as Lieutenant Bojay in the original Battlestar Galactica television series
- John and Bjo Trimble, best known to Star Trek fans for their letter-writing campaigns to "Save Star Trek" and to rename the NASA space orbiter from USS Constitution to USS Enterprise in 1976, as well as Mrs. Trimble's best-selling reference book, the Star Trek Concordance
- Keith R. A. DeCandido, the prolific writer/editor of many Star Trek and other sci-fi franchise novels, novellas, short stories, comic books and eBooks
- Alec Peters, the creator, executive producer, co-writer and co-star of Prelude to Axanar, a Star Trek fan production
- Vincent Barnett, the creator and executive producer of Scienstars, an educational sci-fi series for the young and young at heart
- Troy Bernier, an actor in the ' episode "Mind-Sifter" and co-founder of the Miami International Science Fiction Film Festival
- Jeff Carroll, a writer and filmmaker pioneering what he calls "hip hop horror, sci-fi and fantasy"
- Jevocas "Java" Green, an actor, author, filmmaker, makeup artist and creator, producer and titular star of the YouTube web series Doctor Who: The Forgotten Doctor
- Lynn McArthur, an actress, model and entertainer best known as Detective Abbey West in Atlanta Homicide, Trixie in Lumber Baron of Jasper County and Kellie Callahan in Swamp Murders, as well as playing herself on Celebrity Wife Swap with Corey Feldman
- Clay Sayre from the ' episode "Mind-Sifter," a Star Trek fan production based on the original series of Star Trek
- R. Alan Siler, author of Doctor Who's Greatest Hits: An Unauthorized Guide to the Best Stories From Time and Space and a contributing author to More Doctor Who and Philosophy: Regeneration Time
- The Atlanta Radio Theatre Company, which produces and performs original and adapted live audio dramas
- Captain's Log, an improv comedy group
- Stand-up comedian Eric Daugherty
- "Dirty Harry", host of Dirty Harry's Karaoke Cantina
- Puppeteer troupe Felt Nerdy
- Live band Hyperspace
- Artists Justin Anderson, Gillian Parker, Malik Roberts, Scott Rorie and Dimitri Walker
- Authors Michael Lackey, Louis Puster III and Winfield H. Strock III
Treklanta 2016 attendance numbered 70 guests and comps, 45 staff volunteers and 185 paid memberships for a total attendance of exactly 300 persons.
Seventh convention
Treklanta 2017 was held April 28–30 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Atlanta Northlake in Tucker, Georgia, and included two full tracks of programming devoted to Star Trek. Marquee guests included:- David Gerrold, best known to Star Trek fans as the author of the original series episode "The Trouble with Tribbles;" its sequel, the animated series episode "More Tribbles, More Troubles;" and the nonfiction books The World of Star Trek, a behind-the-scenes reference and interview book, and The Trouble with Tribbles, detailing his experiences in the production of that episode
- Gary Graham, best known to Star Trek fans as the Ocampa Tanis in the ' episode "Cold Fire," the Vulcan ambassador Soval in eleven episodes of ' and the independent Star Trek fan film Prelude to Axanar, and as Ragnar in the fan films ' and '
- J. G. Hertzler, best known to Star Trek fans as Martok, whom he played for four seasons on '
- James Horan, who played five different characters in ten different episodes of ', ', ' and '
- Scott L. Schwartz, who played three different characters in four different episodes of ', ' and '
- John Caballero from the Star Trek fan film Star Trek: Horizon
- Joe Cepeda, creator, executive producer and star of the Star Trek fan film web series Star Trek Natures Hunger
- Mike Faber and Mike Gordon, co-hosts of the Earth Station One podcast that celebrates all things pop culture, sci-fi and fantasy, comics and more
- Matt Green and Scott Lyttle from the Star Trek fan film web series Star Trek: First Frontier
- Michael L. King, creator, executive producer and star of the Star Trek fan film web series Starship Valiant
- Dr. Larry Krumenaker, a longtime astronomy and science writer, as well as an educator and former astronomer
- Mark McCray, author of The Best Saturdays of Our Lives, a book that chronicles the origins of competitive Saturday morning cartoons
- Kevin C. Neece, author of The Gospel According to Star Trek: The Original Crew and The Gospel According to Star Trek: The Next Generation
- Leslie E. Owen, a literary agent, writer, journalist and teacher
- Da'Neille Roy, Greg Teft, Ray Tesi and Jim Von Dolteren from the Star Trek fan film web series Starship Republic
- Christopher Tevebaugh, director and co-writer of the documentary Our Star Trek: The Fifty Year Mission
- Adam Throne, an Atlanta-based educator, writer and editor
- Glen L. Wolfe, who has written, directed, produced and/or acted in eleven different Star Trek fan films, including episodes of The Federation Files, and Star Trek Continues
- Hendry Betts III, host of Dirty Harry's Karaoke Cantina
- Charles and Veronica Bramlett, a.k.a. the puppeteer troupe Felt Nerdy
- Nick Edelstein, an award-winning multi-instrumentalist and performing and recording artist
- Hannah Hoyt, a classically trained opera singer who performs "Klingon opera"
- Missy Ben-Yehoshua, Tamara Comstock, Abby Hermes, Betty Liao, Carly Strickland, Sarah Wade, Dimitri Walker and Katie Whatley
Treklanta 2017 attendance numbered 70 guests and comps, 50 staff volunteers and 200 paid memberships for a total attendance of exactly 320 persons.
Eighth convention
Treklanta 2018 was held on Memorial Day Weekend, May 25–27, at the Atlanta Marriott Century Center in northeast Atlanta. The convention hosted the 2018 Klingon Assault Group General Assembly and included three full tracks of programming devoted to Star Trek. Marquee guests included:- Conrad Coates, best known to Star Trek fans as Admiral Terral in four episodes of ', in his first-ever convention appearance
- Gary Graham, best known to Star Trek fans as the Vulcan ambassador Soval in eleven episodes of ' and the independent Star Trek fan film Prelude to Axanar, as the Ocampa Tanis in the ' episode "Cold Fire," and as Ragnar in the independent Star Trek fan films ' and '
- Robert Duncan McNeill, best known to Star Trek fans as Lt. Tom Paris on all seven seasons of '
- Robert O'Reilly, best known to Star Trek fans as Gowron, whom he played in four episodes of ' and seven episodes of '
- David R. George III, the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who co-wrote the first-season ' episode "Prime Factors" and the author of 18 Star Trek novels and 18 articles for Star Trek Magazine
- Fan Guest of Honor John Halvorson, founder and first "Thought Admiral" of the Klingon Assault Group
- Ann Elliott Drew, Lee Drew, Randall Landers, Leslie Lewis and Christin Woods, all of whom have played numerous roles both in front of and behind the camera of various Star Trek fan film series, including Project: Potemkin, Battlecruiser Kupok, Starship Deimos, Starship Endeavor, Starship Tristan and Starship Triton
- Brian Holloway, Special Make-Up F/X Supervisor for and occasional actor in '
- Mark McCray, author of The Best Saturdays of Our Lives, a book that chronicles the origins of competitive Saturday morning cartoons
- Mark Naccarato, executive producer of the upcoming Star Trek fan film The Romulan War
- Greg Teft from the Star Trek fan film web series Starship Republic
- Adam Throne, an Atlanta-based educator, writer and editor
- Glen L. Wolfe, who has written, directed, produced and/or acted in eleven different Star Trek fan films, including episodes of The Federation Files, and Star Trek Continues
- Hendry Betts III, host of Dirty Harry's Karaoke Cantina
- Charles and Veronica Bramlett, a.k.a. the puppeteer troupe Felt Nerdy
- Nick Edelstein, an award-winning multi-instrumentalist and performing and recording artist
- Stand-up comedians Jake Brannon, Eric Daugherty, Madeline Evans, Katie Hughes and Michael Rowland
- Missy Ben-Yehoshua, Megan Johnson, April Leigh, Paul Maitland, Scott Rorie, Sarah Wade and Dimitri Walker
Treklanta 2018 attendance figures have not yet been released.