ATrekkie (a portmanteau of "trek" and "junkie") orTrekker is afan of theStar Trek franchise, or of specific television series or films within that franchise. The show developed a following shortly after it premiered, with the firstfanzine premiering in 1967. The first fan convention took place the year the original series ended.
The degree of Trekkies' devotion has produced conflicted feelings among the cast and crew of the show. CreatorGene Roddenberry initially encouraged the fan participation, but over the years became concerned that some fans treated the show with a quasi-religious zeal as though it were "scripture." While some stars have been vocally critical of the franchise's most devoted fans, others includingSir Patrick Stewart have defended Trekkies.
There has been some disagreement within the fandom as to the distinction between the terms "Trekker" and "Trekkie." Some characterize Trekkers are "more serious" in comparison to the "bubble-headed" Trekkies, while others have chosen the term Trekker to convey that they are "a rational fan."Leonard Nimoy advocated for the use of "Trekker" over "Trekkie". Overall, the term "Trekkie" is more commonly used.
Many early Trekkies were also fans ofThe Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964–1968), another show with science fiction elements and a devoted audience.[1] The firstStar Trekfanzine,Spockanalia, appeared in September 1967, including the first publishedfan fiction based on the show.Star Trek creatorGene Roddenberry, who was aware of and encouraged such activities,[2]: 1 a year later estimated that 10,000 wrote or read fanzines.[3] The mainstreamscience fiction magazineIf published a poem about theStar Trek characterSpock, accompanying aVirgil Finlay portrait of the character.[4]
Perhaps the first large gathering of fans occurred in April 1967. When actorLeonard Nimoy appeared as Spock asgrand marshal of theMedford Pear Blossom Festival parade in Oregon, he hoped to sign hundreds of autographs but thousands of people appeared; after being rescued by police, "I made sure never to appear publicly again in Vulcan guise", the actor wrote.[5][6] Another was in January 1968, when more than 200Caltech students marched to NBC'sBurbank, California studio to supportStar Trek's renewal.[7]
The firstfan convention devoted to the show occurred on 1 March 1969 at theNewark Public Library. Organized by a librarian who was one of the creators ofSpockanalia, the "Star Trek Con" did not have celebrity guests but did have "slide shows of 'Trek' aliens, skits and a fan panel to discuss 'The Star Trek Phenomenon.'"[8]: 280–281 [9] Some fans were so devoted that they complained to a Canadian TV station when it preempted an episode in July 1969 for coverage ofApollo 11.[10]
Nothing fades faster than a canceled television series they say. So how comeStar Trek won't go away?
However, the Trekkie phenomenon did not come to the attention of the general public until after the show was cancelled in 1969 andreruns enteredsyndication.[12] The first widely publicized fan convention occurred in January 1972 at theStatler Hilton Hotel in New York, featuring Roddenberry,Isaac Asimov, and two tons ofNASA memorabilia. The organizers expected 500 attendees at the "First InternationalStar Trek Convention" but more than 3,000 came;[13][2]: 9, 11 [14] attendees later described it as "packed" and like "a rush-hour subway train".[15] By then more than 100 fanzines about the show existed, its reruns were syndicated to 125 American TV stations and 60 other countries,[11] and news reports on the convention caused other fans, who had believed themselves to be alone, to organize.[12]
Some actors, such asNichelle Nichols, were unaware of the size of the show's fandom until the conventions,[16] but major and minor cast members began attending them around the United States.[9][17][18] The conventions became so popular that the media citedBeatlemania andTrudeaumania as examples to describe the emerging "cultural phenomenon".[13][19] 6,000 attended the 1973 New York convention and 15,000 attended in 1974,[1] much larger figures than at older events like the 4,500 at the32nd Worldcon in 1974.[2]: 16 William Shatner compared the 10,000 people who attended a 1975 convention at theAmericana Hotel to the largest crowd he had hosted previously, 5,000 people inCentral Park.[20] By then the demand from Trekkies was large enough that rival convention organizers began to sue each other.[21] The firstUK convention was held in 1974 and featured special guestsGeorge Takei andJames Doohan. After this, there was an official British convention yearly.[22]
Turnout and security at the exhibition are unprecedented [with] alarm display cases and two full-time guards on hand to protect the memorabilia from overzealous fans.
BecauseStar Trek was set in the future the show did not become dated, and bycounterprogramming during the late afternoon or early evening when other stations showedtelevision news it attracted a young audience. The reruns' great popularity—greater than whenStar Trek originally aired in prime time—caused Paramount to receive thousands of letters each week demanding the show's return and promising that it would be profitable.[12][24]: 91–92 [25][26] (The fans were correct; by the mid-1990sStar Trek—now called within Paramount "the franchise"[27] and its "crown jewel"[28]—had become the studio's single most-important property,[24]: 93 [29]: 49–50, 54 and Paramount sponsored its first convention in 1996.[30])
The entire cast reunited for the first time at an August 1975 Chicago convention that 16,000 attended.[25][31]"Star Trek" Lives!, an early history and exploration of Trekkie culture published that year, was the first mass-market book to introduce fan fiction and other aspects of fandom to a wide audience.[1][2]: viii, 8, 19, 20, 24, 27 By 1976 there were more than 250Star Trek clubs, and at least three rival groups organized 25 conventions that attracted thousands to each.[32][21] While discussing that year whether to name the firstSpace ShuttleEnterprise,James M. Cannon,Gerald R. Ford's domestic policy advisor, described Trekkies as "one of the most dedicated constituencies in the country".[33] "Unprecedented" crowds visited a 1992Star Trek exhibit at theSmithsonian Institution'sNational Air and Space Museum,[23] and in 1994, whenStar Trek reruns still aired in 94% of the United States, over 400,000 attended 130 conventions.[34] By the late 1990s an estimated two million people in the United States, or about 5% of 35 million weeklyStar Trek watchers, were what one author described as "hard-core fans".[29]: 139
The Trek fandom was notably fast to use theWorld Wide Web.The Guardian's Damien Walter joked that "the 50% of the early world wide web that wasn't porn was made up of Star Trek: The Next Generation fansites".[35]
There are some fans who have become overzealous. That can become terrible. They leap out of bushes, look in windows and lean against doors and listen.
— William Shatner, 1986[36]
Since only about a dozenquarterbacks are selected during the typicaldraft, a 64-quarterbackdraft board transcends "thorough" and reaches "fetishistic". This is the stuff ofStar Trek conventions. In a few years, the football equivalent of "Mr. Shatner, why didn't the Enterprise useantimatter to destabilize the alien probe inthe Tholian Web?" will be "CoachCoughlin, what do you think of Scott Buisson?"
— The New York Times, 2011[37]
In 1975, a journalist described Trekkies as "smelling of assembly-line junk food, hugely consumed; the look is of people who consume it, habitually and at length; overfed and undernourished, eruptive of skin and flaccid of form, from the merely soft to the grotesquely obese". He noted their fixation on one subject:[19]
The facial expression is a near sultry somnolence, except when matters ofStar Trek textual minutiae are discussed; then it is as vivid and keen as aJesuitInquisitor's, for these people know more of the production details ofStar Trek than Roddenberry, who created them, and are a greater authority on the essential mystery of Captain Kirk than Shatner, who fleshed it out.
In December 1986, Shatnerhosted an episode ofSaturday Night Live. In one skit, he played himself as a guest at aStar Trek convention, where the audience focuses on trivial information about the show and Shatner's personal life. The annoyed actor advises them to "get a life". "For crying out loud," Shatner continues, "it's just a TV show!" He asks one Trekkie whether he has "ever kissed a girl". The embarrassed fans ask if, instead of the TV shows, they should focus on theStar Trek films instead. The angry Shatner leaves but because of his contract must return, and tells the Trekkies that they saw a "recreation of theevilCaptain Kirk from episode 27, 'The Enemy Within.'"[38][27][39]
Although manyStar Trek fans found the sketch to be insulting[2]: 77 it accurately portrayed Shatner's feelings about Trekkies, which the actor had previously discussed in interviews.[38] Noting that he had worked for years as an actor, Shatner said in 1975 "I can't explain" Trekkies' devotion; "my experience gives me no answer. I can't put it down to anything but an incredible phenomenon".[20] He had met overenthusiastic fans as early as March 1968, when a group attempted to rip Shatner's clothes off as the actor left30 Rockefeller Plaza.[40] Shatner was slower than others to begin attending conventions,[17] and stopped attending for more than a decade during the 1970s and 1980s.[36] In what Shatner described as one of "so many instances over the years" of fan excess, police captured a man with a gun at a German event before he could find the actor.[41]
TheSaturday Night Live segment mentioned many such common stereotypes about Trekkies, including their willingness to buy anyStar Trek-related merchandise, obsessive study of trivial details of the show, and inability to have conventional social interactions with others or distinguish between fantasy and reality.[38]Brent Spiner found that some could not accept that the actor who playedData was human,[27] Nimoy warned a journalist to perform theVulcan salute correctly because "'Star Trek' fans can be scary. If you don't get this right you're going to hear about it",[42] and Roddenberry stated[43]
I have to limit myself to one [convention] in the East and one in the West each year. I'm not a performer and frankly those conventions scare the hell out of me. It is scary to be surrounded by a thousand people asking questions as if the events in the series actually happened.
ANewsweek cover article in December 1986 also cited many such stereotypes, depictingStar Trek fans as overweight and socially maladjusted "kooks" and "crazies".[38] The sketch and articles are representative of many media depictions of Trekkies, with fascination withStar Trek a common metaphor for useless, "fetishistic" obsession with a topic;[37] fans thus often hide their devotion to avoidsocial stigma.[44] Such depictions have helped popularize a view of devoted fans, not just ofStar Trek, as potential fanatics. Reinforced by the well-known acts of violence byJohn Hinckley Jr. andMark David Chapman, the sinister, obsessed "fan in the attic" has become astock character in works such as the filmsThe Fan (1981) andMisery (1990),[38] and the television seriesBlack Mirror.[45]
Patrick Stewart objected when an interviewer described Trekkies as "weird", calling it a "silly thing to say". He added, "How many do you know personally? You couldn't be more wrong."[46] (According to Stewart, however, the actors dislike being called Trekkies and are careful to distinguish between themselves and the Trekkie audience.[47])
Isaac Asimov said of them, "Trekkies are intelligent, interested, involved people with whom it is a pleasure to be, in any numbers. Why else would they have been involved inStar Trek, an intelligent, interested, and involved show?"[48]
In 1998, thefan studies scholarHenry Jenkins published the journal article "Star Trek Rerun, Reread, Rewritten," in which he defended the behavior ofStar Trek fans from an academic angle, arguing that they were "'poachers' of textual meanings who appropriate popular texts and reread them in a fashion that serves different interests."[49] Jenkins' subsequent monographTextual Poachers (1992), which was written "to participate in the process of redefining the public identity of fandom", also discussedStar Trek fans.[38]
The central trio of Kirk, Spock andMcCoy was modeled onclassical mythological storytelling.[50] Shatner said:[51]
There is a mythological component [to pop culture], especially with science fiction. It's people looking for answers – and science fiction offers to explain the inexplicable, the same as religion tends to do. Although 99 percent of the people that come to these conventions don’t realize it, they’re going through the rituals that religion and mythology provide.
7,200 of the Elect are there to bear witness, and those79 episodes are their revealed texts, the scarred tablets by which their lives here and now and beyond are charted.
According to Michael Jindra of theUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison, the show's fandom "has strong affinities with a religious-type movement", with "an origin myth, a set of beliefs, an organization, and some of the most active and creative members to be found anywhere". While he distinguishes betweenStar Trek fandom and the traditional definition of religion that requires belief in divinity or the supernatural, Jindra comparesStar Trek fandom to both "'quasi-religions,' such asAlcoholics Anonymous andNew Age groups"—albeit more universal in its appeal and more organized—andcivil religion.[52]
As with other faiths, Trekkies find comfort in their worship.Star Trek costume designerWilliam Ware Theiss stated at a convention:[19]
The show is important psychologically and sociologically to a lot of people. For the unusual people at this convention, it's a big part of their lives, a help to them. I'm glad there are people who need something important in their lives and I'm glad they've found it in our shows. I don't want to elaborate on that; there are just some special people here who need the show in a special way.
The religious devotion ofStar Trek's fans began almost immediately after the show's debut. When Roddenberry previewed the new show at a 1966 science-fiction convention, he and his creation received a rapturous response:[52]
After the film was over we were unable to leave our seats. We just nodded at each other and smiled, and began to whisper. We came close to lifting [Roddenberry] upon our shoulders and carrying him out of the room...[H]e smiled, and we returned the smile before we converged on him.
The showing divided the convention into two factions, the "enlightened" who had seen the preview and the "unenlightened" who had not.[52] However, thehumanist Roddenberry disliked his role as involuntary prophet of a religion. Although he depended on Trekkies to support futureStar Trek projects, Roddenberry stated that[43]
It frightens me when I learn of 10,000 people treating aStar Trek script as if it were Scripture. I certainly didn't write Scripture, and my feeling is that those who did were not treated very well in the end ... I'm just afraid that if it goes too far and it appears that I have created a philosophy to answer all human ills that someone will stand up and cry, 'Fraud!' And with good reason.
I'm not a guru and I don't want to be.
That there are no cries of "Amen, Brother," is simply a matter of style.
Religious aspects ofStar Trek fandom nonetheless grew, according to Jindra, with the show's popularity. Conventions are an opportunity for fans to visit "another world...very much cut off from the real world...You can easily forget your own troubles as well as those of the world", with one convention holding an event in which a newborn baby was "baptized" into the "Temple of Trek" amid chanting.Star Trek museum exhibits, film studios, attractions, and other locations such asVulcan, Alberta offer opportunities to perform pilgrimages to "ourMecca".[52] A fan astounded Nimoy by asking him tolay his hands on a friend's eyes toheal them.[53]Ethan Peck, a later Spock portrayer, said "When I'm meeting fans, sometimes they're coming to beconfirmed, like I'm a priest".[54]
Fandom does not necessarily take the place of preexisting faith, with Christian and New Age adherents both finding support for their worldviews.[44]
Star Trek writer and directorNicholas Meyer compared the show to theCatholic Mass:[55]
Like the mass, there are certain elements ofStar Trek that are immutable, unchangeable. The mass has itsKyrie, itsSanctus,Agnus Dei,Dies Irae, and so on...Star Trek has its Kirk, Spock, McCoy,Klingons,Romulans, etc., and the rest of the universe Roddenberry bequeathed us. The words of the mass are carved in stone, as are fundamental elements—theEnterprise, Spock, thetransporter beam, and so forth—inStar Trek.
Meyer has also said:[52]
The words of the Mass remain constant, but heaven knows, the music keeps changing... Its humanism remains a buoyant constant. Religion without theology. The program's karma routinely runs over its dogma.
Intolerance in the 23rd century? Improbable! If man survives that long, he will have learned to take a delight in the essential differences between men and between cultures
We're following a philosophy of living. We are creating a society that [Roddenberry] dreamed of.
From beforeStar Trek's television début, Roddenberry saw the show as a way of depicting his utopian, idealized vision of the future. According to Andrew V. Kozinets ofNorthwestern University, many Trekkies identify with Roddenberry's idealism, and use their desire to bring such a future into reality as justification for their participation in and consumption ofStar Trek media, activities, and merchandise, often citing the Vulcan philosophy ofInfinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations. Such fans viewStar Trek as a way to be with "'my kind of people'" in "'a better world'" where they will not be scorned or mocked despite being part of "stigmatized social categories".[44] Shatner agreed: "If we accept the premise that [theStar Trek story] has a mythological element, then all the stuff about going out into space and meeting new life – trying to explain it and put a human element to it – it’s a hopeful vision. All these things offer hope and imaginative solutions for the future."[51] Richard Lutz wrote:[56]
The enduring popularity ofStar Trek is due to the underlying mythology which binds fans together by virtue of their shared love of stories involving exploration, discovery, adventure and friendship that promote an egalitarian and peace loving society where technology and diversity are valued rather than feared and citizens work together for the greater good. ThusStar Trek offers a hopeful vision of the future and a template for our lives and our society that we can aspire to.
Rather than "sit[ting] here and wait for the future to happen", local fan groups may serve asservice clubs that volunteer atblood drives andfood banks. For them,[44]
Star Trek provided positive role models, exploration of moral issues, scientific and technological knowledge and ideas, Western literary references, interest in television and motion picture production, intellectual stimulation and competition through games and trivia challenges, fan writing and art and music, explorations of erotic desire, community and feelings ofcommunitas, and much more.
Despite their common interests fans differ in their levels of—and willingness to display and discuss—their devotion because of the perceived social stigma, and "[o]vercoming the Trekkie stigma entails a form of freedom and self-acceptance that has been compared tohomosexual uncloseting." To outsiders the wearing ofStarfleet uniforms, usually devalued as "costumes", is a symbol of their preconceptions of and unease with Trekkies. Kozinets cited the example of a debate at aStar Trek fan club's board meeting on whether board members should be required to wear uniforms to public events as an example of "not only...the cultural tensions of acceptance and denial of stigmatized identity, but the articulation and intensification of group meanings that can serve to counterargue stigma". The "vast majority of the club's time was spent discussing previous and upcoming television and movie products, related books, merchandise, and conventions", and club meetings and conventions focused on consumption rather than discussion of current affairs or societal improvement. (Perhaps appropriately, "Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations" originated in a third-season episode, "Is There in Truth No Beauty?", in which Roddenberry inserted a speech by Kirk praising the philosophy and associated medal. The "pointless" speech was, according to Shatner, a "thinly-veiled commercial" for replicas of the medal, which Roddenberry's companyLincoln Enterprises soon sold to fans.)[44]
There is a persistent stereotype that among Trekkies there are many speakers of the constructedKlingon language. The reality is less clear-cut, as some of its most fluent speakers are morelanguage aficionados than people obsessed withStar Trek. Most Trekkies have no more than a basic vocabulary of Klingon, perhaps consisting of a few common words heard innumerable times over the series, while not having much knowledge of Klingon'ssyntax or precisephonetics.[57]
However, some fans have found that learning the languages of Klingon helps their abilities to enjoy the escapist immersion qualities of the show. They may try to get into character by cos-playing and acting as a member of an alien society by learning the language. The English classical work 'Hamlet' written byWilliam Shakespeare and translated into Klingon has been added to theFolger Shakespeare Library.[58] There are courses and apps to help teach the Klingon language.
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As of 2024[update], according toAkiva Goldsman, in acomparison ofStar Trek andStar Wars, the latter's fan base is larger; theMarvel Cinematic Universe's fan base is larger than either. Although moreStar Trek content is available on television than ever, Frakes said that of the fans he meets at conventions "very, very, very few" came to the franchise from new shows; "'Star Trek' fans, as we know, are very, very, very loyal — and not very young".[54] Despite fans' stated vision ofStar Trek' as a way of celebrating diversity, Kozinets found that among the Trekkies he observed at clubs "most of the members were very similar in age, ethnic origin, and race. Out of about 30 people present at meetings, I noted only two visible minorities".[44]
While many stereotypeStar Trek fandom as being mostly young males[2]: 77 and more men than women watchStar Trek TV shows,[27] female fans have been important members since the franchise's beginning. The majority of attendees at early conventions were women over the age of 21, which attracted more men to later ones.[52][2]: 77 [9] The two most important early members of fandom were women.Bjo Trimble was among the leaders of the successful effort to persuade NBC to renew the show for a third season, and wrote the first edition of the important early workStar Trek Concordance in 1969.[8]: 91, 280–281 Joan Winston and others on the female-dominated committee organized the initial 1972 New York convention and several later ones;[14] Winston was also one of the three female authors of"Star Trek" Lives![1]
While men participate in many fandom activities such as writing articles for fan publications and organizing conventions, women historically comprised the large majority of fan club administrators, fanfiction authors, and fanzine editors, and theMary Sue-like "story premise of a female protagonist aboard theEnterprise who romances one of theStar Trek regulars, [became] very common in fanzine stories".[44][1][2]: 4, 57 So many single female fanzine editors left fan activities after getting married that one female fanzine editor speculated that the show was a substitute for sex.[2]: 9, 33 One scholar speculates thatKirk/Spockslash fiction is a way for women to "openly discuss sexuality in a non-judgmental manner".[59]: 323
Star Trek fans disagree on whether to use the termTrekkie orTrekker.[2] TheOxford English Dictionary dates 'Trekker'—"A (devoted or enthusiastic) fan" ofStar Trek— to 1967, stating that it is "sometimes used in preference totrekkie to denote a more serious or committed fan".[60] 'Trekkie' is thus, according to a 1978 journal article, "not an acceptable term to serious fans".[61] The distinction existed as early as May 1970, when the editor of fanzineDeck 6 wrote:
... when I start acting like a bubble-headed trekkie (rather than a sober, dignified — albeit enthusiastic — trekker).[2]: 4 [62]
By 1976, media reports onStar Trek conventions acknowledged the two types of fans:[63]
One Trekkie came by and felt compelled to explain, while paying for his Mr. Spockcomputer image, that he was actually a Trekker (a rational fan). Whereas, he said, a Trekkie worships anything connected withStar Trek and would sell his or her mother for a pair of Spock ears.[32]
In the TV specialStar Trek: 25th Anniversary Special (1991),Leonard Nimoy attempted to settle the issue by stating that "Trekker" is the preferred term. During an appearance onSaturday Night Live to promote the2009Star Trek film, Nimoy – seeking to assureChris Pine andZachary Quinto, the "new" Kirk and Spock, that most fans would embrace them – initially referred to "Trekkies" before correcting himself and saying "Trekkers," emphasizing the second syllable, with adeadpan delivery throughout that left ambiguous whether this ostensible misstep and correction were indeed accidental or instead intentional and for comic effect.[64] In the documentaryTrekkies,Kate Mulgrew stated that Trekkers are the ones "walking with us" while the Trekkies are the ones content to simply sit and watchStar Trek.
The issue is also shown in the filmTrekkies 2, in which aStar Trek fan recounts a supposed incident during aStar Trek convention whereGene Roddenberry used the term "trekkies" to describe fans of the show, only to be corrected by a fan that stood up and yelled "Trekkers!" Gene Roddenberry responded with "No, it's 'Trekkies.' I should know – I invented the thing."
Star Trek fans who holdStar Trek: Deep Space Nine to be the best series of the franchise adopted the title of "Niner" following the episode "Take Me Out to the Holosuite", in which CaptainBenjamin Sisko formed abaseball team called "The Niners".[citation needed]
There is a phenomenon of defacing theCanadian five-dollar notes that depict 19th century Canadian Prime MinisterWilfrid Laurier, as Laurier's facial features on theCA$5 notes resemble Spock. In 2015, this was done as a tribute toLeonard Nimoy after his death. This was referred to as "Spocking fives".[65]
Star Trek has inspired commercially produced works of literature such as volumes ofnovels. However, fans have also produced numerous fan fiction productions and literature that seek to explore and continue hypothetical adventures of canonized characters.Seth MacFarlane, creator ofThe Orville, filmed a fan production as a teenager.[66]Star Trek alumni thespians have occasionally starred in these fan productions, such asStar Trek Continues. The erotic 'slash fiction' genre of fan fiction (Literotica) was rooted in thehomoerotic pairings of Kirk and Spock inStar Trek fanzines of the 1970s written by female fans.[67]
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As with any immersive subculture fandom, for example, historical reenactors, or supporters of spectator sports, there are formalized bodies within the Trekkie subculture to facilitate immersion into the creation ofGene Roddenberry often by hosting conventions.
AMecca of the Star Trek fandom is theAlbertan township ofVulcan, Alberta. The town has embracedStar Trek themes as part of its community identity. An annual convention is held entitled Vul-con.[68]
There are manyStar Trek fan clubs, among the largest being STARFLEET International and the International Federation of Trekkers. Some Trekkies regularly attendStar Trek conventions (called "cons"). In 2003, STARFLEET International was the world's largestStar Trek fan club;[69] as of January 1, 2020, it claimed to have 5,500+ members in 240+ chapters around the world.[70]
Within STARFLEET International (SFI), the local chapters are represented as 'ship' crews.
Eighteen people have served as president of the association since 1974. Upon election, the president is promoted to the fictional rank of Fleet Admiral and is referred to as the "Commander, Starfleet". Since 2004, the president has served a term of three years. Wayne Killough became the association's president on January 1, 2014. April 17, 2016 marked the first time a Commander, Starfleet died while in office. The late Wayne Killough was succeeded by Robin Woodell-Vitasek. As of January 1, 2020, Steven Parmley assumed office as the President of the association.
Since 1990, STARFLEET awards scholarships to post-secondary students who have been a member for a year of up to $1,000 to accomplishRoddenberry's Utopian futurist vision. Applicants must also be involved in organization, as they are required to submit a two-page essay of their involvement. The scholarships are named after the portrayers of characters such as: TheJames Doohan/Montgomery Scott Engineering & Technology Scholarship,DeForest Kelley/DoctorLeonard McCoy Memorial Medical & Veterinarian Scholarship, Gene Roddenbery Memorial/SirPatrick Stewart Scholarship for Aspiring Writers and Artists, Space Explorer's Memorial Scholarship,Armin Shimerman/George Takei/LeVar Burton Scholarship for Business, Language Studies, and Education. The funds are contributed by fund-raising crew members.[71]
During the 1996Whitewater controversy, a bookbindery employee named Barbara Adams served as an alternate juror. During the trial, Adams wore aStar Trek: The Next Generation-styleStarfleet Command Section uniform, including a combadge, aphaser, and atricorder.[72]
Adams was dismissed from the jury for conducting a sidewalk interview with the television programAmerican Journal.[72] The major news media[who?] incorrectly reported that she was dismissed for wearing her Starfleet uniform to the trial. However, Adams noted that she had been dismissed because she had spoken to a reporter ofAmerican Journal about her Starfleet uniform but not about the trial.[73] Even though nothing she had said was deemed a trial-enclosure violation, the rule had been clearly stated that no juror was to communicate with the press in any manner whatsoever.
Adams stated that the judge at the trial was supportive of her. She said she believed in the principles expressed inStar Trek and found it an alternative to "mindless television" because it promoted tolerance, peace, and faith in mankind.[72] Adams subsequently appeared in the documentariesTrekkies andTrekkies 2.
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I had originally not wanted to seeGalaxy Quest because I heard that it was making fun ofStar Trek and thenJonathan Frakes rang me up and said 'You must not miss this movie! See it on a Saturday night in a full theatre.' And I did and of course I found it was brilliant. Brilliant. No one laughed louder or longer in the cinema than I did
Trekkies have been parodied in several films, notably the science fiction comedyGalaxy Quest (1999). Actors such as Stewart andJonathan Frakes have praised the accuracy[74][75] of its satiric portrayal of a long-canceled science-fiction television series, its cast members, and devoted fans known as "Questerians".[76][77] The main character Jason Nesmith, representing Shatner, repeats the actor's 1986 "Get a life!" statement when an avid fan asks him about the operation of the fictional vessel.
Star Trek itself has satirized Trekkies' excessive obsession with imaginary characters, throughReginald Barclay and hisholodeck addiction.[78][27]
One episode ofFuturama called "Where No Fan Has Gone Before" was dedicated to parodying Trekkies. It included a history wherebyStar Trek's fandom had grown into a religion. Eventually, the Church ofStar Trek had grown so strong that it needed to be abolished from the Galaxy and even the words "Star Trek" were outlawed.
The romantic comedyFree Enterprise (1999) chronicled the lives of two men who grew up worshippingStar Trek and emulatingCaptain Kirk. Most of the movie centers on William Shatner, playing a parody of himself, and how the characters wrestle with their relationships toStar Trek.
A Trekkie featured in one episode of the television seriesThe West Wing, during whichJosh Lyman confronts the temporary employee over her display of aStar Trek pin in theWhite House.
The comedy filmFanboys (2009) makes frequent references toStar Trek and the rivalry between Trekkies andStar Wars fans. William Shatner makes a cameo appearance in the film.
The comedy-drama filmPlease Stand By (2017) chronicles Wendy Welcott, a brilliant young woman with autism and a fixation onStar Trek. She runs away from her group home in an attempt to submit her 450-page script to aStar Trek writing competition at Paramount Pictures.
TheFamily Guy episode "Not All Dogs Go to Heaven" features aStar Trek convention and many Trekkies. One Trekkie comes to the convention with themumps, and uponPeter Griffin seeing him, he impulsively pushes his daughterMeg into the Trekkie and forces her to take her picture with him (believing him to bein costume as analien fromStar Trek). Since Meg was notimmunized, she catches the mumps from the Trekkie and ends up bedridden.
On theCBS-TV sitcomThe Big Bang Theory, the four main male characters are shown to be Trekkies, playing the game of "Klingon Boggle" and resolving disputes using the game of "rock-paper-scissors-lizard-Spock".Wil Wheaton ofStar Trek: The Next Generation fame has made multiple guest appearances playing an evil version of himself.LeVar Burton,Brent Spiner, Leonard Nimoy (as avoice actor),[79]William Shatner andGeorge Takei have also appeared on the series.
The filmsTrekkies (1997) and its sequelTrekkies 2 (2004) chronicled the life of many Trekkies.
During my time we had twochairmen of thejoint chiefs of staff, at different times of course, on the bridge, both of whom asked my permission to sit on the captain's chair.
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"What was really great aboutStar Trek when I was growing up as a little girl is not only did they have Lt. Uhura played by Nichelle Nichols as a technical officer […] At the same time, they had this crew that was composed of people from all around the world and they were working together to learn more about the universe. So that helped to fuel my whole idea that I could be involved in space exploration as well as in the sciences."
"Now,Star Trek showed the future where there were black folk and white folk working together. I just looked at it as science fiction, 'cause that wasn't going to happen, really. But Ronald saw it as science possibility. He came up during a time when there was Neil Armstrong and all of those guys; so how was a colored boy from South Carolina - wearing glasses, never flew a plane - how was he gonna become an astronaut? But Ron was one who didn't accept societal norms as being his norm, you know? That was for other people. And he got to be aboard his own StarshipEnterprise."
“I remember watching my first episode of ‘Star Trek’ at the age of 9, and seeing the beautiful depictions of the regions of the universe that they were exploring. I remember thinking ‘I want to do that. I want to find new and beautiful places in the universe'.”
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