Friday , March 29 2024
This is a convention by and for 'Star Trek' fans of all ages.

Event Review: Treklanta 2017, Atlanta GA, April 28-30

Treklanta 2017 occurred April 28-30 in Atlanta, and was greatly enjoyed by all.  There were Klingons in attendance, lots of Klingons. There was even a Miss Klingon Empire Beauty Pageant. There were also quite a lot of Starfleet officers.

Another event of the convention was  was a wedding, It was a beautiful wedding with … you guessed it..a Klingon Honor Guard and all members of the wedding party dressed as Starfleet officers.

Star Trek wedding courtesy Talesi Akamatsu

In retrospect, it could almost have been called Klingon Trek this year. Of the five major guests, at least one. J.G. Holtzer, played a Klingon. Could it have been a  takeover? Who knew they could be so subtle?

No matter whether the Starfleet officers were outnumbered or not, it was still a small but entertaining convention. Besides the wedding and the beauty pageant, most of the main programming consisted of panels and Q and As with the major guests, who were not immediately recognizable names but all of whom had played multiple characters on Star Trek  on television and film, except for David Gerrold, who will be immortalized as the writer of  “The Trouble With Tribbles,” one of the most popular Star Trek episodes ever.

All of the guests turned out to be very interesting and entertaining. There were many tales not only from Star Trek but also from such TV classics as Zorro and Highlander, which JG Holzer and James Horan were both featured in. We unfortunately missed the Q and A with Scott L Schwartz, which is a shame since this enormous guy was a professional wrestler from the ’70s to the ’90s known as “The Israeli Commando.” It is certain that he had great stories about that as well as his roles in the various Star Trek series. We did talk to him at his table and got his autograph and found him to be a nice guy/

In the educational category, David Gerrold told his audience that tribbles were inspired by Australian rabbits and the Felt Nerdy puppets gave everyone lessons in Klingon.

Between panels, there was the chance to browse the dealer room and visit the Con Suite for food and drinks, or to visit the video room and the gaming room.

But the big event of the convention  was unquestionably The Miss Klingon Empire Beauty Pageant, hosted by Treklanta founder and director Eric Watts and judged by the special guests. This reporter was skeptical at first but the event turned out to be great fun. The contestants all managed to look attractive even as Klingons. They also demonstrated real talent, from the hilarious and somewhat disgusting cooking demonstration by contestant #2 to the surprising talent of the  contestant who won, #5, a real opera singer who performed a gorgeous aria in Klingon and certainly deserved the crown. But #2 was not only cooked worms but  got into a fight onstage with two other contestants, so impressed the judges  that she received a special award for “Miss Uncongeniality.” It was all in good fun and no Klingons, hosts or judges were harmed in the staging of this event.

For those interested in independent film, the convention presented The Independent Star Trek Film Awards on Sunday. While I unfortunately missed the awards, many of the nominees were impressive, with expensive-looking special effects and interesting scripts

The convention was a wonderful way to spend a weekend. Save the date and check it out yourself next year!

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About Rhetta Akamatsu

I am an author of non-fiction books and an online journalist. My books include Haunted Marietta, The Irish Slaves, T'ain't Nobody's Business If I Do: Blues Women Past and Present, Southern Crossroads: Georgia Bluesand Sex Sells: Women in Photography and Film.

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