Garland's annual celebration of B-movies and cult classics is trading chainsaws for phasers this year, as the It Came From Texas Film Festival devotes its September 12 event entirely to Star Trek's 60th anniversary. The daylong celebration at the Plaza Theatre in downtown Garland will bring in Oscar-winning makeup artist Barney Burman, screenings spanning six decades of the franchise, and free hands-on activities next door at the Garland Central Library.
The festival, known as Star Trek 60th Anniversary Celebration: Boldly Going to Garland, marks a deliberate pivot for an event that began in October 2023 as a showcase for Texas-shot horror and B-movies, according to The Dallas Morning News. Past editions have featured Texas-set titles like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Giant and The Alamo, but this year's programming has moved toward broader, more universal subject matter with a full slate built around Gene Roddenberry's franchise.
Tickets for the September 12 event are available through Prekindle, with the day's schedule including screenings of original Star Trek episodes, a showing of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and a viewing of the 2009 J.J. Abrams reboot. Costume contests and trivia round out the entertainment lineup, according to the same Dallas News report.
An Oscar Winner Brings His Creations to Garland
The festival's marquee guest is Barney Burman, a third-generation makeup artist who won an Academy Award in 2009 for his work on Abrams' Star Trek reboot. His appearance will include a look into his creature and character creations for that film. Burman, per Dallas News, said Star Trek is both timely and timeless, and that the franchise addresses social issues by placing them in a scientific setting.
The Wrath of Khan screening pairs naturally with Burman's presence, since the 1982 sequel followed decades of Star Trek storytelling that helped cement the franchise's reputation for tackling weighty themes through science fiction. Star Trek entered popular culture as a story of mankind boldly going where no man had gone before, and organizers are using that legacy as the throughline for the day's programming.
Garland Officials Lean Into Fandom
Garland Cultural Arts Director Amy Rosenthal said she became a die-hard Star Trek fan while preparing for the festival, and described the franchise as one that pushed boundaries and portrayed an egalitarian universe. Rosenthal said Star Trek explored diversity and representation, adding that everyone in the Star Trek universe belongs.
Those themes will get academic treatment as well, with Christopher González, chair of Southern Methodist University's Department of English, offering perspectives on representation as part of the day's programming. The combination of a university scholar, a franchise veteran like Burman, and interactive fan activities reflects how thoroughly the festival has expanded beyond its horror-movie origins.
Free Activities Fill the Library Next Door
Beyond the Plaza Theatre screenings, the celebration spills into the Garland Central Library with free public activities, including a Klingon 101 language workshop and a Make Your Own Tribble craft session. The Plaza Theatre itself, built in 1941 at 521 W. State St. in downtown Garland, was restored in Art Deco style with 350 velvet seats, digital projection, and a motorized waterfall curtain.
According to Hoodline, the venue's programming has run the gamut in recent years, from Tony-winning musicals to Indian classical dance performances, and the Star Trek celebration continues that tradition of eclectic community programming. It also builds on the festival's own history, having previously leaned into Texas-made Westerns before this year's science-fiction turn.
September 2026 marks the 60th anniversary of Star Trek's original television premiere, giving festival organizers a built-in reason to expand their annual event beyond its Texas-cinema roots. With an Oscar winner, a university scholar, and a full day of screenings and fan activities, Garland's celebration aims to honor that milestone while keeping its own festival identity intact.
