I am heading back to Dragon Con in Atlanta! I went for the first time in 2023 and had the time of my life, even though I didn’t know almost anyone there and I ended up with Covid afterwards. I’ve been wanting to go back ever since. I can’t quite pinpoint what makes it my favorite convention, but it is. I love that there’s “tracks” – rooms assigned to one topic for the whole weekend. For example, all day, every day in Marriott room A706 you can get Star Wars content. There’s a track for every interest, from science to BritTrack, from horror to kids content, from robotics to puppetry. There’s also 24-hour programming, with late night hours heavy on dance parties, drum circles, and improv shows. There’s also “after dark” panels, some of which actually check IDs at the door since they’re intended only for mature audiences. The level of cosplay is also off the charts of anything else I’ve experienced. The creativity and joy present in every corner of the con is a delight. Where else can you join one of the niche cosplay photoshoots (there’s 182 different meetups this year!) on the same outside patio where astronomers have set up telescopes to show you the sun and stars?
Anyway, I can clearly wax on about the wonders of Dragon Con for a while, but I do specifically want to share with you all the great Star Wars content on this year’s Dragon Con schedule – and tell you where you can find me! I’ve kept it “reasonable” this year by “only” being scheduled to appear on stage eight times. I’m honored to be part of the science, Star Wars, and Star Trek tracks. Come say hi if you see me!
There’s honestly too much to do at Dragon Con so you need to accept a certain level of FOMO. It’s not a fear of missing out, it’s just a fact that you cannot do anywhere close to everything. But you can always do something pretty cool. This year, I’m going to try and make it to some events you don’t always see at a con, including an author reading, an orchestral concert, and a burlesque show! You’ll have to download the app if you want to see the full event offerings, but here’s a taste of some of the great Star Wars content.
William Shakespeare’s Star Wars – The Mandalorian of Nevarro
Star Wars Shaped Your Childhood
Learn the Language of Andor’s The Ghor
Imperial Reach vs. New Republic Jurisdiction
Shadows of the Empire at 30
Everyday Fashion From Star Wars
Controversial Star Wars Hot Takes
Shadow Lord Fan Panel
Mythosaurs & Mando Mythology & Lore
BDX – Your New Favorite Droid
Best of Star Wars Legends
There’s no shortage of Star Wars professionals on hand at Dragon Con, I hear it’s a favorite of many on the con circuit. I’ll get to interview Henry Gilroy (co-writer of The Clone Wars and Rebels), Fon Davis (ILM model maker), and Bryan Young (writer and host). I will also join John Jackson Miller (author of Star Wars novels and comics) on the panel “Trek’s Influence on Star Wars.” Also on hand are authors Delilah S Dawson, Timothy Zahn, Madeleine Roux, and Kevin J. Anderson (who kindly signed my copy of Tales from Jabba’s Palace, a collection of short stories that was very formative to me as a young fan).
Actor Katee Sackhoff gets her own spotlight panel on Sunday and Kirk Thatcher has one on Friday. He’s worked as a puppeteer on Star Wars projects also also written and directed the Muppets. Comics authors and illustrators Jody Houser, Stephane Roux, and Cory Smith will be doing signings. And I also need to check out this entry on the list of people to see: Galactic Empire is the galaxy’s foremost instrumental Star Wars cosplay heavy metal John Williams tribute band.
I count 8 separate group cosplay photoshoots, on top of the “supergiant” one that includes every corner of the fandom.
Women of Star Wars
Samurai Star Wars
Matt the Radar Tech
Twi’lek
Cosplayers of the Old Republic
Jedi vs. Sith
Mandalorians
Galactic Starcruiser
If you can’t make it this year, there’s also the option to pay $10 to access DragonConTV which shows a bunch of fan-made short videos as well as live-streams some panels and the popular parade through downtown Atlanta. The con badges themselves are on the cheap end, as much as $180 for the 5-day show but the price increases a few times leading up to the show so it’s cheaper the earlier you commit! I hope to make it to Dragon Con every other year or so. Hope to see you there!