Dragon Con is a large sci-fi/pop culture convention held every year in Atlanta, GA. Typically topping off at 85,000 people, it’s the largest con in the southeast. Star Trek has always had a large presence at Dragon Con. The con organizers decided to go virtual this year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It was called “Virtual Dragon Con”. Even though the con went virtual, my husband Nayr & I decided to go to Atlanta during the weekend that Dragon Con would’ve been, & what an adventure we had!
We visited Ares Studios, the home of the Axanar set. Trek fans may remember the fan film “Prelude to Axanar”, which was filmed in California, and had the late Richard Hatch as Klingon Commander Kharn. The set was moved to Atlanta in 2017. Alec Peters, creator of Axanar, took us inside the studio to see the bridge set. We got to sit at all the stations, touch the displays (which actually lit up!), & take pictures! The LCARS displays were full of Easter eggs, such as “Ludicrous Speed!” Being Trek collectors, we were able to acquire quite a lot of Axanar merchandise as well.
The fan film “Star Trek First Frontier”, made in Atlanta, was to be shown at Dragon Con this year. The film focused on Robert April, captain of the Enterprise before Pike. The prop-builders for this film, Scott Lyttle & Matt Green, showed us a model of the shuttle bay used in the film. It was big enough to fill a whole dining table. The model was super cool, with four walls with numerous openings allowing peeks inside. There were 2 shuttle crafts that fit inside. Keeping in line with the naming convention of Trek’s shuttle Galileo, the shuttles were named “Tyson” after Neil deGrasse Tyson & “Sagan” after Carl Sagan. Scott & Matt also made an 11-foot Enterprise model for the same film that was displayed at Dragon Con 2016.
During the times we got a break and got back to our hotel room, we watched Virtual Dragon Con (which everyone is able to subscribe to via www.dragoncon.org). A panel that we submitted, “The State of Modern Star Trek on CBS All Access” was part of the programming. We watched a few classic panels, like the one with Carrie Fisher & the one with Stan Lee. The new “Orville v. Trek” panel was a joy to watch. One of the most popular Dragon Con events, the parade, was also virtual. They asked fans to submit a video for the parade a month before, so we had submitted a video of ourselves in Star Trek: Picard uniforms. Viola! The whole parade was very cool with eye-popping costumes!
There was lots of fun to be had in Atlanta, both virtual and real!
By the Honorable Kavura
Here we discuss Starlog magazine issues 3 and 4 from 1977! What a great magazine for sci-fi fans!
Can we talk about the Star Trek animated series? It was a great '70s cartoon by Filmation that was made to be a continuation of The Original Series. First, the Romulans are back in "The Survivor". Then, Dr. McCoy is charged with murder in "Albatross". Our discussion is too cool to miss!
The Shake Ups discuss the best and worst cartoons of 1980. Quarantine is no fun...unless you can game! JP from First Ones Entertainment talks about gaming while you're stuck at home. Rememer comic book spinner racks? They were the best for spotting your favorite new comics!
Here it is folks! We discuss the epic end to the Skywalker saga! Kylo, Rey, and Finn were great additions to the final trilogy, but there's nothing like the classic characters Luke, Leia, and Han. And here comes Emperor Palpatine! The Force is with us as Checkpoint Charley's Kevin Packard joins us to discuss The Rise of Skywalker!
Join us for an examination of an episode about the social implications of cloning, androids, and immortality. The late Majel Barrett shines as Nurse Christine Chapel. We also get the Addams Family's Lurch, a sexy female android, and a naked Kirk! This is Robert Bloch's "What Are Little Girls Made Of?"
Starfleet International is a long-standing Star Trek fan club with members all over the world. The crew of the SFI ship USS Wernher von Braun reveal why Star Trek and Trek fandom have endured so long. Jonathan Lane from Fan Film Factor talks about Star Trek, fan films, and everything in between. Star Trek: New Visions: Resistance was a Star Trek comic with a novel idea!
Find out what's up with Dragonfly Comics & Collectibles, the fun new comics store in White House, TN. Dragon Con's Tony Barletta joins us to talk about George Perez's Wonder Woman. ShadowCon's Sir Duke Kane helps conclude our overview of The Hobbit. Plus, the latest news in the geek world and our upcoming cons!
The Enterprise's Lt. Stiles was like the Romulan,
Decius, as they both represented the negative side of their respective races.
Stiles' bigotry was fed by the loss of his relatives in the previous
Federation/Romulan conflict over a century ago, and was further fueled upon
learning that Romulans had pointed ears and slanted eyebrows like Vulcans. He
hated Spock for no other reason than the fact that he was an alien. He
encouraged Kirk to destroy the Romulan ship as Decius encouraged his Commander
to destroy the Enterprise. Both Stiles and Decius were arrogant and questioned
their superiors' orders. Seeing the interactions of both ships reminded the
viewing audience of how similar we all are, and how someone we think of as the
enemy is not so different as we would like to believe. Stiles was redeemed at
the end by Spock saving his life. If someone who carried as much hatred as
Stiles could have a change of heart, then maybe it could have been possible for
the Romulan crew, if they had survived.
Welcome to the first episode of StarPodLog Radio! Music is eternal. It is a huge part of our lives, providing companionship during both happiness and sadness. StarPodLog Radio will discuss how music and various musical artists affect our lives and how they have permeated and filled the geek world in a unique way.
