Tell your story of how you became involved in Star Trek

[Jeff T]

Lotus Fleet 46th anniversary of Star Trek

(Please feel free to tell/add you on story in this thread)

Forum name, rank and position: Jeff T, Commodore: Operations XO

Real name and some personal information: Jeff T: BA MS

What does star trek mean to you?
Gene Roddenberry was more than merely a TV producer and the creator of Star Trek — he was a futurist who had a keen vision about the potential future of mankind in the midst of some very turbulent times in our society. The meaning that Star Trek has had on me will be revealed in the answers to the subsequent questions.

How did you find Star Trek?
In the fall of 1966 I was child.
My father was a college professor. A new department member had just taken residence on the other side of town and I accompanied my parents as they went over to welcome them in their new home. During the course of the evening as they were conversing in one of the rooms, I wandered over to the television set in the living room because I saw what looked like some kind of space ship fly across the television screen. It was the introduction to Star Trek… apparently a new series on NBC. No one there knew anything about it. So after the commercials, the episode began and I just stood there sort of mesmerized until the next commercial break. Then I found a seat and awaited its return. I had never seen anything quite like it before and I was hooked. From that point on, I watched every episode that I could.

Sometime after the season began while roaming the aisles of a local Woolworths, I discovered an ERTL model of the Enterprise on a shelf. It was like finding the Holy Grail! Having no money with me, I carefully stuffed the large box behind some less impressive models and stacked them up to conceal the prize lurking behind them and then I literally ran home and gathered up every nickel, dime and penny that I could find… I even resorted to begging for a few more coins from siblings to ensure that I had enough to cover the cost and the sales tax. I ran back the mile or so to the store, reached behind the façade that I built and carefully grabbed ahold of Enterprise box. I went up to the counter and paid for this coveted item with a pocket full of change; much to the chagrin of the impatient cashier. On the long walk home I stopped numerous times to pull the box out of the bag and just stared at it image and read through some of the information. I went home and began the construction process. I was amazed to realize that this was also a lighted model, so after procuring a couple of batteries and finalizing the construction process, I turned the switch and the model seemed to jump to life with its magical lighted glow. That was it… I was running through the darkened house with the lit Enterprise as if I was warping through space. This literally went on for years.

I was totally unaware of the attempts to cancel the show during the second season but it was a real struggle for me to stay up and watch it during its third and final season because NBC had switched it to Friday nights at 10:00pm. Fortunately, my parents would often go out on Friday evenings for dinner and to socialize with friends… so that enabled me to sneak out of bed and into their bedroom and quietly watch it before they returned. I did however get busted a few times when they returned before the episode was over.

To say that I was heartbroken when Star Trek was cancelled would be an enormous understatement. Nevertheless, I still shuffled off to school with my little Star Trek lunch box that was banged and bruised from several years of daily use. No one else in school really related to the show and my siblings used to tease me about it as well. It didn’t faze me at all. I also have to note: I never saw the original run of Star Trek in color. At the time we only had black & white TV’s… which was quite common back then. Then came our first color TV and the animated series. It wasn’t like having the original show back, but with the voice-overs by the majority of the original cast and some new species, planets and adventures introduced and others revisited, it was like a lush little island oasis in a sea of mediocrity. Then… syndication… reruns of the entire series… and in color! WOW I was eventually able to see all of the episodes, including some I missed when it was first aired and before I know it I could identify the title of every episode within 4-5 seconds after it began. I knew the names of planets they visited, and all of the characters and sequence of events, etc… I had collected the James Blish little books of the original episodes, a few sporadic Star Trek comics were released, rarely a few items were released, mostly models. This all changed when Star Trek the Motion picture was released in 1979. I attend multiple Star Trek Conventions along the east coast whenever I was able… mostly in Philadelphia, but also in New York and Boston MA. I attended every Star Trek Movie premiere up through the 2009 Abrams version; in which I was invited to and attended a private screening several weeks before the movie was released.

What was the first episode of Star Trek that you saw?
The first originally aired episode that I saw was ironically the first one filmed with the change in cast… the 2nd pilot… but was actually the 2nd one aired on Sept 22, 1966: Where No Man Has Gone Before.” I never saw “The Man Trap” until syndication. (No great loss… certainly not a favorite of mine)

What movie/series is your favorite?
I actually really like all of the series… but if I were forced to list them in order:
1. The Original Series
2. The Next Generation
3. Voyager
4. Enterprise
5. Deep Space Nine

Movies:
1. The Wrath of Khan
2. The Undiscovered Country
3. The Voyage Home
4. The Search for Spock
5. First Contact
6. Generations
7. The Motion Picture (director’s edition)
8. Insurrection
9. Nemesis
10. The Final Frontier
11. Star Trek (Abrams)

Which episode is your favorite?
TOS (in no particular order)

-The Cage

-The Menagerie (Parts 1 & 2)

-Balance of Terror

-Operation- Annihilate

-Amok Time

-The Doomsday Machine

-Mirror, Mirror

-What Are Little Girls Made of?
-The Deadly Years

-The City on the Edge of Forever

-The Devil in the Dark

-Space Seed

-This Side of Paradise

-Who Mourns of Adonais?

-The Trouble with Tribbles

-Journey to Babel

-The Gamesters of Triskelion

-The Enterprise Incident

-The Ultimate Computer

-Plato's Stepchildren

-The Tholian Web


What did you learn from Star Trek?

-Respect: for all cultures and appreciate the many differences among people

-Teamwork, leadership and the importance of following a chain of command

-Work to remain optimistic: despite all of the negativity, selfishness and cruelty around me

- Virtue: Generally speaking, the cast of the Enterprise seemed to be guided by an intrinsic moral compass that demonstrated honesty, bravery and honor.

-Skillfully competent: the crew members from Scotty to Geordi took pride in their work and were constantly working toward self-improvement and having the ship operate and function at the highest capacities; often going beyond the specs with innovative approaches.

-Intelligence is revered, especially when balanced with emotional considerations.

-Purpose oriented: Each character was relatively clear about their role in the exploration of the galaxy. It had nothing to do with greed, money or the accumulation of status symbols.

-Maturity: the characters maintained a sense of self-discipline and duty that carried beyond duty shifts and basic responsibilities within their department.

-Humor and playfulness were also valuable tools: from recreational activities to holodeck sequences… incorporating imagination and fun into one’s life enriched it tenfold.


Is Star Trek over or do you see it continuing?
Star Trek will continue and evolve in a variety of capacities into and beyond the next millennium as it has over the past 45 years already. It will also continue to inspire humans around the globe for generations to come. Who could have imagined 45 years ago that there would have been the first space shuttle launched named Enterprise? That there would be cell phones like communicators carried and used by humans everywhere, that Star Trek conventions would begin and still occur and grow in countries and cities throughout the world, that college courses would be taught based on Star Trek principles and ethics, that merchandise and Star trek related objects would be collected and traded daily through a variety of venues, that 5 new series and 11 motion pictures thus far have been created, that countless novels, comics, games, websites, etc… would be actively engaging people everywhere… in a variety of languages, cultures, generations, mediums? It has now become a viable part of human mythos; people gravitate toward Star Trek because they want to believe that we as a human society can mature beyond our primitive and destructive instincts and attitudes and evolve into a more peaceful and productive civilization. Star Trek presents hope and the possibility of a better future.

What do you think of JJ Abrams' version of Star Trek?
It was Star Trek in name only. No soul or heart… a commercialized version that rushed to have all of the main character meet quickly under forced circumstances and had them acting in manners inconsistent with what was known about them. The timeline and cannon were just thrown away… out of laziness and a selfish “I’ll ignore everything out there and just do what I want to do… regardless.” More fantasy than true Science Fiction, more silly unbelievable and unnecessary Star Wars-like chase/action sequences and events… then the thought-provoking aspects that we as fans expect and hope for in a Star Trek film.

Give a short description of what it means for you to be a Trekkie.
Trekkie…Trekker to me means striving toward higher aspirations of mankind and away from small-minded reactionary basal instincts toward selfish and greedy actions and egocentric pursuits.

[Kheren]

Forum name, rank and position: Kheren, Admiral: Fleet XO



What does star trek mean to you?
Star Trek is what sci-fi is all about: a creation that is both entertaining and thought-provoking, making us look at what our future and ourselves could be, reflect back from that imaginary viewpoint to what we are and going through today in our real lives and experience fun and wonder while being at it.

How did you find Star Trek?
In the fall of 1966. My father was watching TV on our black and white set in the living room and I was drawn by the sudden appearance of two men in a sparkle of lights amidst strange ruins in a desert. I didn't know it then, but this was the very first ever airing of a revolutionary TV show that would impact the lives of millions worldwide, just as it did for that 8 years old French-Canadian boy that sat goggled-eyed to watch that show week after week even without understanding a word of English back then.

Barely a year later, Star Trek was translated in French by a Quebec dubbing company as "Patrouille du Cosmos" and from then on, for a full decade following that first original airing, I watched the show twice a week in both langages again and again, then adding Filmation's Saturday morning cartoon when it took over after the show's cancelation and return through syndication. If anything, Star Trek certainly helped me master English and, learning a different tongue meant opening myself to a different mindframe; the very message of Gene Roddenberry's vision of a better Humanity. So in my case, it is safe to say that Star Trek made it's promises a reality.

Then Star Trek finally made it's grand return with the (at least back then) awesome Star Trek the Motion Picture, followed by the exciting STII The Wrath of Khan and the epic STIII The Search for Spock. Then came The Next Generation bringing the grand vision of Gene Roddenberry back on television and in our lives and from then on, the rest is History. During those years, I was also getting my Trek fix by playing the legendary Starfleet Battles wargame (which I still own with all the expansions including the politic and strategy game Federation Space offshoot) then the original FASA Star Trek RPG, followe dby the unofficial GURPS version... not to mention hundreds of books, comics, videogames... Alas, to this day i never had the chance to go to a convention. Maybe one day... After all, isn't Star Trek all about hope in what tomorrow will bring?


What was the first episode of Star Trek that you saw?
It was by sheer luck the very first one ever aired: "Man Trap" when, by some strange twist of distribution, it aired in Canada a day before it did in the US! This is one of the very worst Trek episodes ever... but fortunately, those that immediately followed (Where No Man Has Gone Before, then The Corbomite Maneuver) where far better and worthy of that opening credit sequence that had me mesmerized with wonders of space and the future.

What movie/series is your favorite?

1. The Next Generation (sorry Capt Kirk... you were the first but it's only afterwards that the true vision of Roddenberry soared with clarity from those original struggling days).
2. The Original Series (because there was born the vision)
3. Enterprise (yes I know; the show played havoc with canon... but the spirit was there).
4. Voyager (some good moments but could have been way better, especially in the end ).
5. Deep Space Nine ( some great episodes but all in all much too 20th century in treatment. It was like watching a WWII saga with people thinking and acting like those of the 16th century... The Trek vision was, alas, completely gone.)

Movies:
1. The Search for Spock (epic and meaningful)
2. The Undiscovered Country (a fitting swan song for a great Trek era)
3. First Contact (exciting and spectacular without being mindless)
4. The Wrath of Khan (a great character piece with great action)
5. The Motion Picture (awesome and tought-provoking even if an over-expanded remake of The Changeling TOS episode)
6. Generations (a well made transition from two eras even with it's bad ending for the ENT D)
7. The Voyage Home (atrocious soundtrack, cheap filmaking, dull story... but funny moments)
8. Insurrection (not better than an average episode and flaunting the Trek vision shamelessly).
9. Nemesis (spectacular but worst casting ever, depressing ending for a great era and too many meaningless scenes)
10. The Final Frontier (cheesy cinematography, too much Shatner and not enough Trek)
11. Star Trek (Abrams) (one word: rip-off)

Which episode is your favorite?
TOS  (10 best)
1- The Ultimate Computer
2- Balance of Terror
3- The Menagerie (Parts 1 & 2)
4- The Doomsday Machine
5- The Corbomite Maneuver
6- Arena
7- The Tholian Web
8- The Trouble with Tribbles
9- Amok Time
10-Journey to Babel


TNG (10 best)
1- All Good Things
2- Best of Both Worlds (1 & 2)
3- Where Silence Has Lease
4- The Measure of Man
5- The Conundrum
6- Redemption (1 & 2)
7- The First Duty
8- Encounter at Farpoint
9- Unification (1 & 2)
10- Relics


VOY

DS9

ENT

Will be added later once I find all the correc titles! But I can already mention DS9 "Trials and Tribble-ations" as my all-series favorite. It is certainly not as thought provoking or deeply meaningful or epic or spectacular as many of the episodes above... but it is so much fun and awesome to watch as it brings together TOS and DS9 in a technical tour de force I never tire watching!


What did you learn from Star Trek?

Exactly what Gene Roddenberry once said: "Human beings are extraordinary creatures. Ancient astronauts did not build the pyramids; we did, we our own efforts and our own ingenuity. The Human adventure is just beginning."

That sums it all up so nicely.


Is Star Trek over or do you see it continuing?

As long as there will be people to hope and dream and beleive in our capacity for growth, goodness and greatness, the message of Star Trek will live on. Roddenberry was not the first or the last to state it openly, but he certainly did it in an entertaining and enticing way.

As for the show itself... unfortunately, since his death in 1991, we have seen it slowly err in a few of the later episodes of TNG, in more than a few of VOY and go almost completely off with DS9, only to painfully try to come back in ENT... and then get crushed and swept away utterly with J.J. Abrams taking control of the filmed IP and bad writers like Orci & Kurtzman.

Star Trek as a movie/TV product will always be there because it has become a long lasting lucrative franchise very few others managed to emulate. Star Trek as a certain vision of humanity and the future... well, no one in the studios understood it back then, and it is obvious only a few, if anyone, understand it still today. The hope lies maybe in the hands of true fans like Seth McFarlane if any producer might ever bring back the vision to the product... but for that to happen, Star Trek has to first get into his hands and out of those of greedy, uncaring, unimaginative and clueless producers, writers and directors where it lies nowadays.

What do you think of JJ Abrams' version of Star Trek?

It was not only a pure rip-off of both Star Trek and Star Wars but, aside from ludicrous artistic pretension with lense flares galore and complete ignorance of Trek canon, one of the most stupid and badly made movie ever.

The science is utterly asinine (from travelling through black holes to wrong star and planetary distances), the plot is a piling of forced coincidences (building the Enterprise in Kirk's hometown... really...), the product placement parade is overtly obvious (have a Bud anyone?), the sets are laughable (a starship with boilers and water pipes!), too many meaningless and unrealistic scenes (throwing a 20th century car into a ravine... in Iowa?), botched FX the likes last seen in 1933 King Kong (the Ent is bigger inside than outside!)... and to top it all, unrecognizable main characters facing the most ridiculous, badly conceived vilain ever in movie history, the like not even seen in the worst comics!

Only the epic soundtrack, the spectacular rythm of the action and the honorable, sometimes even brilliant work by the actors, managed to fool us on a first viewing. But when the lights came on in the end and our brains started working again...

I'm bracing myself for the next Abrams disfiguring catastrophy in 2013... but not on the first week-end, that's for sure.



Give a short description of what it means for you to be a Trekkie.
The Trekkie is the fan embracing the show itself as pure enjoyment of imagination... which I am. The Trekker is the fan embracing the promising vision of the future and humanist philosophy carried by the show... which I am. The Star Trek fan is always at least a bit of both... which Iam. A LOT of both in fact!

[Hera]

Forum name, rank and position: Hera, Ensign (i guess

Real name and some personal information: NTKO

What does star trek mean to you?
Star Trek was a vision of the future where many of the world's problems were solved.  Humanity as a race turned towards the stars with a unity that seemed like a distant dream.

How did you find Star Trek?
In reruns.  <.<

I started watching things late at night and in addition to Dr Who and Battlestar Galactica Star Trek made a huge impact on me as a kid.  It was unlike anything else   I scrounged every episode I could find, watched every rerun.  

What was the first episode of Star Trek that you saw?
The Doomsday Machine.  Decker, his hubris and failings, and what happened was just awesome.  And how those special effects were amazing!  *grins*

What movie/series is your favorite?
1. The Original Series
2. The Next Generation
3. Deep Space Nine
4. Voyager (Janeway is my least favorite Captain and lore started to go wonky..well was wonier here)
5. Enterprise (I hate hate hate how they altered stuff.  Decent actors and scripts most of the time but I cant watch it)

Movies:
1. The Wrath of Khan
2. The Undiscovered Country
3. First Contact
4. The Voyage Home
5. The Motion Picture (director’s edition)
6. The Search for Spock
7. Generations
8. The Final Frontier
9. Insurrection
10. Nemesis
500. Star Trek (Abrams)

Which episode is your favorite?
TOS (in no particular order)
Space Seed
Mirror, Mirror
The Doomsday Machine
The Naked Time
Balance of terror
Devil in the Dark
Amok Time
Trouble With Tribbles
The Ultimate Computer
The Enterprise Incident
The Tholian Web

TNG
11001001
Elementry, Dear Data
The Measure of a Man
Time Squared
Yesterday's Enterprise
Sins of the Father
Sarek
The Drumhead
Cause and Effect
I, Borg
Relics
The Pegasus
All Good Things

Im sure there are a few in the other shows I do like.  The Tribble in DS9, the Flash Gordon show in Voyager.  But those above are better

What did you learn from Star Trek?
besides this?
http://artzthings.com/e-pins/product_in ... ts_id=1190

They tried to put all the good lesions in life and put them into TOS and TNG.  Play Fair.  Dont Hurt Others.  respect the Environment.  in ways that were very human and understandable.  

But the best one for me is summed up in Galaxy Quest "Never give up, never surrender!"  

Is Star Trek over or do you see it continuing?
Star Trek will continue to be watered down and changed without Gene.  In little ways (Marines) and big (the horrid reboot).  It will continue but there will be an even sharper divide between people who believe in Roddenberry's vision vs the spandex/leather goth/Icrowd.


What do you think of JJ Abrams' version of Star Trek?
He takes well known things disrespects darn near everything about them and makes it awful because of it.  It was NOT Star Trek.  If you stripped the names away and the familiar ships and called it Space Mutany 2 then it would be an average Sci Fi film.  But the Trek name actually make it far far worse.  but then they said in their dang advertising they dont want me to be a fan so I'm not surprised.

Give a short description of what it means for you to be a Trekkie.
Loving Science Fiction and Science itself.  Looking to the Future and trying to see how we can get there.  Knowing entirely too much about what deck people live on but its ok.  Being a part of a fandom five generations in my family have shared.  Seeking new experiences as an outsider with an open mind.