A Trekkin' Kind of Weekend

This past weekend there was a Star Trek convention in town, to my full and total delight! But the fun didn't stop there...

50 Year Mission Tour | Scotty & Nikki

That's my friend Nikki with "Scotty" (pictured above), a cosplayer I've seen many, many times at Dragon Con. It was great to see him and many other fellow Star Trek fans at the Creation Entertainment's 50 Year Mission Tour, a touring convention celebrating 50 years of Star Trek and a three-day event in Atlanta at the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel.

Scotty was one of the top three finalists in the costume contest on Saturday!

50 Year Mission Tour | Gates McFadden | Atlanta, GA

The headliners at this particular convention were William Shatner (Captain James T. Kirk, Star Trek: The Original Series), Gates McFadden (Dr. Beverly Crusher, Star Trek: The Next Generation); Jonathan Frakes (William T. Riker, Star Trek: The Next Generation); and Michael Dorn (Worf, Star Trek: The Next Generatation & Deep Space Nine).

Obviously (photo above) I got an autograph from Gates and also got one from Dominic Keating (Lt. Malcom Reed, Star Trek: Voyager) and the lovely Chase Masterson (Leeta, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine). Thanks to Atlanta offering so many celebrity spotting opportunities, my collection of autographs is growing exponentially!

By the way, William Shatner has confirmed that he will be at Dragon Con 2016!

50 Year Mission Tour | Costume Contest | Atlanta, GA

It wouldn't be a Star Trek convention without a costume contest...seriously, it just wouldn't! There were some excellent entries, including Mudd, original series Captain Kirk and "Pink Trekkie". 

As I mentioned, Scotty was one of the three finalists in the contest, as were Mudd & companion and an original series Klingon couple. Thank you to all the entrants and congrats to the winners!

50 Year Mission Tour | Vulcan Salute | Atlanta, GA

Chase Masterson is incredibly sweet and charming! She was the first celebrity I met at this convention...and a delightful surprise! I got an autographed headshot—one of her has Leeta in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine—and I also got a copy of her music CD, Jazz Cocktail.

I listened to it while having dinner Friday night...it's wonderful! The following morning, Chase was the first speaker and she treated us to a live performance of a couple of numbers from the CD!

Nikki taking a break between programs...the seat spins!

So, I said "...but the fun didn't stop there" when I started this post. I'm a busy guy...I love experiences more than anything, but sometimes I can take it to an extreme—not that I have anything against that. Here's what I'm talking about:

I took Friday off work so that I could attend the three-day Star Trek convention. On the way home on Thursday night, I stopped for tacos (not saying where). I chipped a tooth on a crunchy taco (I almost always have soft tacos), that wasn't all that crunchy! It was actually bonding that chipped...a childhood sibling argument left my two front teeth chipped, so I've had bonding for many, many years. 

I freaked out for a minute—knowing that I'd have to meet Captain Kirk and Dr. Beverly Crusher with a chipped tooth...and then realized there was nothing I could do until Monday, without sacrificing the Friday of the convention...and that wasn't happening! It was a minor, hardly noticeable chip. 

So...chipped tooth, three days of Star Trek convention, AND I saw a play on Friday night ("The Revolutionists" at 7 Stages...it's AMAZING, and I'll write about it soon), and I attended the Allie Awards (the Oscar's of Atlanta's event making world) on Sunday at Georgia Aquarium, and then went to the dentist on Monday morning arriving at work shortly after 9am.

Are you tired? Because I was, come Monday night!  

One Ninety One Peachtree Tower, as seen from Sun Dial Restaurant

On Saturday, after the main programming of the convention, Nikki and I went to the Sun Dial Restaurant, Bar & View, specifically the bar (which does a complete revolution in only 35 minutes). The view is magnificent...it's pretty amazing to see the double crown of the One Ninety One Peachtree Tower so closely from the 72nd floor of the Westin!

My friend David, who was the best Superman at Dragon Con 2015, joined us and we all later went to dinner and talked all things Star Trek, cinema and superhero...good times!

Original Series Klingons, they're AWESOME  | Trek Con 50 Anniversary 

These folks were sitting in front of us during the convention (we had reserved seating!). They're characters from Star Trek: The Original Series. If you've never watched Star Trek, the absence of forehead ridges comes up a number of times throughout the franchise...as does the fact that Klingon's don't like to talk about that time in their history!

50 Year Mission Tour | Vulcan Salute | Atlanta, GA

I love how a simple hand gesture has permeated our culture and how it immediately identifies the fact that someone is a Star Trek fan. I had the great honor of meeting Leonard Nimoy in 2002 when I lived in Washington, D.C. He was speaking at the National Press Club, presenting his new photography book, Shekhina. 

Although the book was not about Star Trek, he generously shared with us the origin of the Vulcan Salute and the accompanying greeting "Live long and prosper". 

50 Year Mission Tour | Trivia Contest | Atlanta, GA

I got to be on the convention stage! There was a trivia contest and all attendees were invited to participate. I made it through three questions before I missed a question from the 2009 Star Trek film. It was great fun!

50 Year Mission Tour | Klingon | Atlanta, GA

Kapla! 

That's Klingon for "Success!"

Thanks for reading...this post was merely to share some fun and to remind everyone that you should totally keep an eye on what's happening in Atlanta so that YOU don't miss an event that speaks to your particular brand of fandom. 

Follow your favorite tourist attractions and destinations on social media and/or subscribe to their email lists, whether it's a convention like Dragon Con or whatever...just make sure you get out there and enjoy as much as possible of what Atlanta has to offer, which is a LOT!

Dragon Con 2014 | Cosplay!

The cosplay alone would be enough to bring me to Dragon Con year after year. These cosplayers are brilliant! If you've not been to Dragon Con, but you're been to the Dragon Con Parade, then you know a little of what I'm talking about. but know that the Con itself is a whole other, absolutely incredible, experience!

I'll share in this post some of my cosplay photos and tell you a little about my convention experience—which was pretty awesome, even if exhausting. It finished a week ago today and I'm just now beginning to feel rested. Granted I dove right back into work—a LOT of work—but Dragon Con is nearly round-the-clock programming!

This year I went to some favorite events, attended a number of panels and of course went to the Parade. Surprisingly, my favorite panel was the very last one I attended.

Dragon Con 2014 Cosplay | Captain America

There's so much programming, it's impossible to see and do everything you want to, but you end up doing so much that you feel completely and totally fulfilled. I wish I'd gotten to see Sir Patrick Stewart, but that'll have to wait for another time.

The last panel I went to, on the last day of the Con, featured the cast from Being Human, a Syfy Channel program that I've really enjoyed. The panel was off the charts! These guys—Sam Witwer, Sam Huntington, Meaghan Rath and Kristen Hager—came in totally exhausted, but in no time were engulfed in an onstage tangled...I don't know what to call it, but it was hilarious. One got their eye poked and another scraped an elbow, I think. They were hilarious.

Next thing you know they're running around the stage creating festive, mischievous havoc. They later very graciously brought the Dragon Con volunteers from behind stage for an applause of gratitude for their contribution to the Con (Again, "Thank you" to all the volunteers...you are appreciated!). And later they sang a song that I think was dedicated to their hair stylist??? An absolute blast, I tell you. 

Dragon Con 2014 Cosplay

I'd seen Sam Witwer, who has also worked on various iterations of Star Wars, Star Trek, Battlestar Glactica, Dexter, Smallville, The Walking Dead and so many other shows. The man is wonderfully talented. 

Also on the last day I got Witwer's autograph and was amazed and grateful that even after a very full four days of Dragon Con he was delightful, kind and gracious. I'm an even greater fan after seeing and meeting him than I was before. Thank you, Sam!

I'm sure it made sense when they were scheduling, but some of the bigger Star Trek celebrities were on concurrent panels. I was fortunate to get to see and hear Gates McFadden, Dr. Beverly Crusher from Star Trek: The Next Generation. 

Talk about talent...Gates is wonderful! And so modest about it, too. She's even more beautiful in person than she was on the show and so personable, as well. I loved her relating her having a child of her own while she was playing the mother of Wesley Crusher. You could tell that she loves being a mother, that she wouldn't trade that for anything.

Dragon Con 2014 Cosplay | Spock Monkey & Red Shirt

The very first panel I went to this year was 10:00 a.m. on Friday, opening day (although I hear Thursday night was quite a happening night). That panel was hosted by Stephen Collins, who played Captain Willard Decker on Star Trek: The Motion Picture, the first movie in the Star Trek franchise. 

As some of you know, I've been a fan of Star Trek since I was a little kid, and for some damned odd reason I also like sock monkeys...they make me smile. So, you can imagine my delight when I saw the life-size "Spock Monkey"!

Collins is also known for 7th Heaven, Falling Skies, and Revolution, to name just a few of the shows on which he's acted.

I'd quite by serendipity met Collins last fall at An Afternoon in the Country, a local, quite large culinary event hosted by Les Dames d'Escoffier/Atlanta Chapter at Serenbe. We were at the after party and talking with friends of a friend. 

After almost realizing who I was speaking with, I asked, "Are you THE Stephen Collins?" Of course he was and he regaled us with a funny story about someone who attempted to hijack his identity. A gentleman he was, and I found him to be the same at Dragon Con.

Dragon Con 2014 Cosplay

I'd saved more than 25 events on my Dragon Con app (Their app is brilliant! "Thank you, Dragon Con!"), knowing that I'd want to pick and choose depending on time and mood. It worked out well. If I missed someone on their first day, it was likely that there was another opportunity to catch them.

Such was the case with Walter Koenig, who played Chekov on Star Trek: The Original Series and Bester on Babylon 5. For someone who is 77 years old, he is remarkable and funny! Shoot, he's remarkable and funny for someone a third his age...who am I kidding. 

The panel on which I saw him he was speaking mostly about Babylon 5, but he touched on a number of other shows on which he has worked—and there are a lot of them! You could tell, not only in that he said it, but with the way he said it, that Babylon 5 was one of if not his most cherished acting experience. 

Dragon Con 2014 Cosplay | Wolverine

I want to offer a huge "Thank you" to my friends who hosted breakfast and coffee, Perry and Scott for three days and Barry for the final day. It's wonderful to have a "home base" when so much is going on.

I'm seriously considering a hotel room for next year! And I just do the morning, afternoon and early evening events...I'd definitely have to stay at one of the five host hotels if I wanted to do the nighttime events as well.

Several of us went to the Parade together, but I'm going to save that for a separate post. I have more than 900 photos from that event alone to sort through! Wish me luck. For now I'll just say we had a great time, and I'm thrilled to see so many others—families, other conventioneers, and tourists—enjoying that part of Dragon Con.

Dragon Con 2014 Cosplay

Also on the final day of the Con, I went to a Joss Whedon panel featuring Adam Baldwin and Ron Glass, who both worked on Firefly, one of the best shows ever to grace the television screen. Sadly—due primarily to an irregular air day of the week—the show was cancelled after only one season, and some of the episodes didn't make it to the air. Thank goodness for DVD sets!

Baldwin and Glass were amazing. They played quite well off each other, even though you tell that, just as in the show, in real life they have very contrasting personalities. But...they are both funny, quick witted, and highly entertaining. 

One conventioneer asked a question something along the lines of, "If the show had continued, how would you have liked to have seen your characters develop?" That left Ron Glass speechless for a moment, who momentarily gave the only obvious answer. (You'll have to watch the show and follow-up movie, Serenity.)

Dragon Con 2014 Cosplay | Dr Who

There's a LOT to Dragon Con, more than I could possibly share in a single post. Dragon Con has bee going and growing since 1987, the year I moved back to Atlanta. Although it wasn't until I moved back to Atlanta in 2010 that I first attended. So this year made my fifth year and I can't imagine ever missing another one.

Okay, get this. Of the four days of programming on the Science Track, the one panel I attended was "Science Doesn't Have to Mean Lecture", which was amusingly a lecture. It was insightful, but formatted more for science educators. Fortunately, I've been a science enthusiast since I was a kid, so I did enjoy it.

Dragon Con 2014 Cosplay | Star Wars Red Guard

On the Space Track, I couldn't resist the "Benefits of Commercial Space" panel, having worked in aerospace for nearly a decade. A lot of the talk was about satellites, which is the specific industry I worked in—I spoke the language the panelists were speaking! 

That's one of the things that I love about Dragon Con. They're my peeps! Well, kinda sorta. They're actually exponentially smarter, but I'm quite comfortable in their midst. Three or four of the four panelists in this talk were graduates of Georgia Tech, one of them currently a professor at Tech, and another has been to the International Space Station and his father was also an astronaut. Impressive panel!

Dragon Con 2014 Cosplay

One thing you begin to notice when you attend Dragon Con year after year is the ebb and flow of costumes trends. Steampunk is one theme that has withstood the test of time. I loved the Steampunk Fairy pictured above...brilliantly creative and executed!

I'm not exactly sure when Steampunk came onto the sceen, but it's been a Con favorite during my tenure. I hope it's around for a long time to come.

Dragon Con 2014 Cosplay | Star Wars Costume Contest

The Star Wars Costume Contest was filled with entertaining talent and costuming mastery...and a great deal of fun. 

I do wish, and it pains me to say this (you know I like to keep a positive attitude), but I do wish the host/master of ceremonies hadn't kept on and on about the night before being a long night. If you're hosting, bring your A-Game, no excuses. These people have been working on their amazing costumes for months, some of them for a year, and they deserve better than some hungover, rude remarking jerk hosting their contest.

I do hope the Dragon Con leaders rectify that for next year. Enough said.

Don't worry, I'm not forgetting the Miss Star Trek Universe Pageant. That's one of my favorite Dragon Con events and one that also deserves its own post, so more about that later.

If you've never been to Dragon Con, and especially if you're on the verge of going, I highly recommend that you do. If you're not too sure, you can always start with a single-day pass and go for the full four-day pass when you discover how incredible and wonderfully amazing it is.

There are more cosplay photos over on the wanderlust ATLANTA Facebook page!

I hope to see you at Dragon Con 2015!

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