Last year at DragonCon 2004, I learned quite a bit about the science fiction genre, especially in television and film. Thus, this year I was able to better appreciate many more of the panels hosted at this fantastic Atlanta event.

• Spent an hour with some of the creative minds at RedStorm Entertainment, makers of the popular Tom Clancy video games Rainbox Six and Ghost Recon. Discussions turned to difficulties in console development for the upcoming Xbox 360, differences between PC and console development, and future directions for the company.
• Gigi Edgley (Chiana), Virginia Hey (Pa’u Zotoh Zhaan), and Raelee Hill (Sikozu Svala Shanti Sugaysi Shanu) from Jim Henson’s Farscape described their experiences when working on and off the set in this Q&A session.
• The cast of Serenity, one of the most anticipated science fiction movies of the year, joined us to talk about their experiences in the filming of the Firefly series and the upcoming film, stories from the set, and their disappointments in the premature cancellation of this western in space. Featured Morena Baccarin (Inara Serra), Adam Baldwin (Jayne Cobb), Ron Glass (Shepherd Derrial Book), and Jewel Staite (Kaylee Frye).
• There can’t be a DragonCon without Star Trek. Robin Curtis (Saavik) from The Search for Spock and The Voyage Home, LeVar Burton (Geordi LaForge) and Marina Sirtis from The Next Generation, Max Grodenchik (Rom) from Deep Space Nine, and Connor Trinneer (Trip Tucker) from Enterprise appeared in this StarTrek Celebrity Cavalcade, with guest stars featured from every Star Trek series.
• This year brought with a fair amount of digital and computer art. In a Fantasy Art Session with Photoshop CS2, Claudia McGuire with Adobe Systems presented some of the new features of Photoshop CS2, such as the spot healing tool. Adobe features a fully functional 30-day trial of Photoshop CS2.
• Digital Iron Artist brings the tradition into the 21st Century by pitting two digital artists against each other using only a computer. Despite the numerous technical difficulties, the panel was quite entertaining. Featured Joshua Strickland and Philip Straiger.