Episode #13 – Eric L. Watts – The Man… behind the Fan (Part 1 of 2).

Hosts:

Hosts Chris And Tina

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Eric L. Watts – Founder and Chairman of Treklanta
Eric L. Watts, pictured left in a publicity photo for the United Federation of Trekkers taken in 1983, and pictured right as Korgoth the Klingon in 2015.
Eric L. Watts talking to LeVar Burton and Marina Sirtis on The TrekTrak Show at Dragon*Con in 2005.
If you have any questions for our guest we will gladly forward them to him, but we cannot guarantee a response. Send any questions from this episode to nerdblisspod@gmail.com with “ELW Question” in the subject line.

Topics:

  • Introduction and the chosen title of Chairman
  • Theatre and music background
  • Fanzines and fandoms outside of Star Trek and college years
  • It all started with Wild Wild West, Batman, and Star Trek after school.
  • A magazine called All About Star Trek Fan Clubs and the discovery of Dorothy Dillon.
  • The first dive into fanzines and fan fiction, including Spock Enslaved. (See link below for t’hy’la.)
  • Gene Roddenberry and why there were no gay characters in Star Trek.
  • Eric’s first Star Trek convention.
  • The convention aftermath. Now what? The United Federation of Trekkers.
  • The move from Columbia, SC to Atlanta, GA.
  • Trekkie vs Trekker settled once and for all.
  • The Original Series vs The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine vs Babylon 5
  • Voyager, some gutsy commentary on casting, and Tuvok’s penchant for fucking up the mind meld.
  • Baseball and Holodeck episodes.
  • Enterprise, The Animated Series and the importance of canon.
  • J.J. Abrams and The Kelvin Timeline.
  • Star Trek Discovery and the case against the prequel series.
All About Star Trek Fan Clubs Magazine

The United Federation of Trekkers Facebook Group

The t’hy’la footnote in the ST:TMP novelization. (Eric mentions this but we did not discuss it in detail.)

The Stonewall Riots (When Eric refers to “pre-Stonewall” it is in reference to this event.)

The Star Trek Gold Key Comics

Starfleet International – Columbia, SC Chapter – USS Ronald E. McNair

Memory Alpha:

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Season 6, Episode 13 – Far Beyond The Stars

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Season 6, Episode 19 – In The Pale Moonlight

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Season 7, Episode 4 – Take Me Out To The Holosuite

Star Trek: Voyager – Season 5, Episode 12 – Bride Of Chaotica!

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