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" (president), 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."
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 Star Trek: Voyager
Barbara March, best known as "Lursa," sister of B'Etor from the House of Duras, from Star Trek: The Next Generation
Gwynyth Walsh, best known as "B'Etor," sister of Lursa from the House of Duras, from Star Trek: The Next Generation
Ken Feinberg, who played the Alien Captain in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Horizon"
Diana Botsford, co-author of the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Rascals"
Andrew Greenberg, a roleplaying game designer who has worked on games for Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
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 presented four concurrent tracks of programming: two dedicated to the Star Trek universe in general (Main Programming and "OmniTrek"), a third devoted to the Klingon Empire in particular ("Qo'Nos"), and a fourth specifically for costuming and makeup ("The Ready Room"). The convention also hosted three 24-hour gaming rooms, one each for role-playing games, board games and card games, as well as a VIP champagne reception, Q&A sessions and photo opportunities with the celebrity guests, a dealers room, con suite, costume contest, 24-hour video room, live performances by the New York Disco Villains, One Hard Night and Jennifer Teeter, a dance party in the hotel atrium, "Klingon Karaoke," and the 12th annual Miss Klingon Empire Beauty Pageant.
TrekTrax Atlanta 2011 attendance numbered 25 guests, 45 staff volunteers and 187 paid memberships for a total attendance of 257 persons.
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 Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Morgan Gendel, author of the Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes "The Inner Light" (for which he won the Hugo Award) and "Starship Mine" and the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes "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 Star Trek: The Experience
Andrew Greenberg, a roleplaying game designer who has worked on games for Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
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 Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Jim Brucke, Renda Carr, Tim Carr and Keith Harris from Star Trek: Lexington, a Star Trek fan production set shortly after Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
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" (a Klingon Opera-Ballet) 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 presented three and a half tracks of concurrent programming: one dedicated to the Star Trek universe in general ("Main Viewer"), a second devoted to the Klingon Empire in particular ("Qo'Nos"), a third specifically for costuming and makeup ("The Ready Room"), and a one-day track devoted to special guest-related events and fandom-related discussion panels ("OmniTrek"). The convention also hosted a 24-hour gaming room for role-playing, board and card games, as well as a VIP champagne reception, "Trekkies Got Talent!" talent show, dealers room, con suite, costume contest, 24-hour video room, live performances by il Troubadore, the New York Disco Villains and One Hard Night, "Klingon Karaoke," and the 13th annual Miss Klingon Empire Beauty Pageant. The convention also raised $200 for the Melissa Carter Transplant Fund and partnered with LifeSouth Community Blood Centers for a blood drive.
TrekTrax Atlanta 2012 attendance numbered 33 guests, 45 staff volunteers and 162 paid memberships for a total attendance of 240 persons.
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's 25th Anniversary Celebration and, for a second consecutive year, called itself the "National Klingon Konvention." Guests included:
Manu Intiraymi, best known as "Icheb" in the last two seasons of Star Trek: Voyager
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 Star Trek: Enterprise 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 Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
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" (a Klingon Opera-Ballet) 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 positioned its 2013 convention as "The Star Trek Fan Film Festival and the National Klingon Konvention." In addition to screening films and episodes from more than a half-dozen Star Trek fan productions, it also presented three tracks of programming, one each devoted to Star Trek in general, Klingons in particular and costuming and makeup together; a gaming room for role-playing, board and card games; VIP champagne reception; "Trekkies Got Talent!" talent show; live performances by il Troubadore (with belly dancers as Orion slave girls) and Go, Robo! Go!; "Klingon Karaoke;" a Star Trek Universe costume contest; dealers room; con suite; and the 14th annual Miss Klingon Empire Beauty Pageant. In addition, cast and crew members from Project: Potemkin, Star Trek: Reliant, Star Trek: Valkyrie and Star Trek: Phase II collaborated to film the Project: Potemkin vignette "Closing Time," released to the Internet on August 28, 2014.
TrekTrax Atlanta 2013 attendance numbered 43 guests and comps, 41 staff volunteers and 97 paid memberships for a total attendance of 181 persons.
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 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 Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Flashback," and Meso'Clan in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 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 Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
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 Star Trek: Phase II, 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 presented two tracks of concurrent programming, one devoted to Star Trek and one devoted to all other space opera TV shows and movies; a gaming room for role-playing, board and card games; a VIP champagne reception; a video programming room that screened 62 fan films in a Star Trek Fan Film Festival; a dealers room and a con suite. Special events included an original puppet show based on Star Trek and Star Wars, a Broadway-style musical tribute to Star Wars called "The Skywalkers," a science fiction-themed costume contest and the 15th annual Miss Klingon Empire Beauty Pageant. In addition, cast and crew members from Project: Potemkin, Star Trek: Reliant, Starship Farragut and Star Trek: Phase II collaborated to film the Project: Potemkin vignette "Ladies Night Out," released to the Internet on September 20, 2015.
TrekTrax Atlanta 2014 attendance numbered 72 guests and comps, 40 staff volunteers and 134 paid memberships for a total attendance of 246 persons.
Treklanta 2015 (the first with the new name) was held April 24–26 at the Atlanta Marriott Century Center in northeastern 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 Star Trek 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 Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
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 Star Trek: New Voyages 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 Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and Star Trek: The Next Generation
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 presented two tracks of concurrent programming, one devoted to Star Trek and one devoted to all other space opera TV shows and movies; a video programming room that screened 26 fan films released during 2014 in a Star Trek Fan Film Festival; a gaming room for role-playing, board and card games; an artists alley; a VIP champagne reception; a dealers room and a con suite. Special events included an original puppet show based on Star Trek, a science fiction-themed costume contest, the 16th annual Miss Klingon Empire Beauty Pageant and the first annual Independent Star Trek Fan Film Awards. In addition, cast and crew members from Project: Potemkin, Star Trek: Reliant, Star Trek: Valkyrie and Star Trek: Phase II collaborated to film the Project: Potemkin vignette "Room Service," released to the Internet on October 24, 2016.
Treklanta 2015 attendance numbered 60 guests and comps, 45 staff volunteers and 193 paid memberships for a total attendance of 298 persons.
Treklanta 2016 was held April 15–17 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Atlanta Northlake hotel 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 Star Trek: The Next Generation 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 Star Trek: The Next Generation and in the feature films Star Trek Generations, Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek: Insurrection
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" (which persuaded NBC to renew the series for a third season in 1968) 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 Star Trek: New Voyages 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 (later renamed Atlanta Investigations: HD), 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 Star Trek: New Voyages 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" (a.k.a. Hendry Betts III), 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 presented two tracks of concurrent programming, one devoted to Star Trek and one devoted to all other space opera TV shows and movies; a video programming room that screened 30 fan films released during 2015 in a Star Trek Fan Film Festival; a gaming room for role-playing, board and card games; an artists alley; an authors alley; a VIP champagne reception; a dealers room; autographs and portrait photo opps with the celebrity guests; and a con suite. Special events included an original puppet show based on Star Trek, a science fiction-themed costume contest, the 17th annual Miss Klingon Empire Beauty Pageant and the second annual Independent Star Trek Fan Film Awards.
Treklanta 2016 attendance numbered 70 guests and comps, 45 staff volunteers and 185 paid memberships for a total attendance of exactly 300 persons.
The next Treklanta convention will be held April 28–30, 2017, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Atlanta Northlake hotel in Tucker, Georgia. Announced guests include:
J. G. Hertzler, best known to Star Trek fans as Martok, whom he played for four seasons on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
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
Troy Bernier, host of the "Tribbles and Trilobites" podcast, an actor in the Star Trek: New Voyages episode "Mind-Sifter" and co-founder of the Miami International Science Fiction Film Festival
Dr. Larry Krumenaker, a longtime astronomy and science writer, as well as an educator and former astronomer
Leslie E. Owen, a literary agent, writer, journalist and teacher
"Dirty Harry" (a.k.a. Hendry Betts III), host of Dirty Harry's Karaoke Cantina
Nick Edelstein, an award-winning multi-instrumentalist and performing and recording artist
Puppeteer troupe Felt Nerdy
"Konora the Klingon" (a.k.a. Hannah Hoyt), a classically trained opera singer who performs "Klingon opera"
