Stardate: September 8, 2009
Star Trek turns 43 today. To most people, that fact probably doesn’t mean much. It didn’t used to mean much to me.
To a small group of people — call them Trekkies or Trekkers (I know the latter is the “preferred” term, but it’s all kind of made up anyway, right?) — the anniversary of Star Trek’s premiere means a lot. For those devoted individuals, it’s more than a show; it’s a way of life. That’s an oversimplification, of course, but can you think of another television show that’s had the effect on its fans the way Star Trek has? I’ll answer for you. No.
I’ll readily admit that I’ve come to Trek late in life. I was a casual viewer of both ToS and Next Generation growing up, but most of my experience was with the Star Trek films, which I liked but to this day I still haven’t seen them all (I’m still missing The Motion Picture and Insurrection). I always enjoyed what I saw, but apparently not enough to seek it out further or even keep watching. Let’s chalk these now-damnable mistakes up to youth and inexperience.
All that changed with the release of this year’s Star Trek reboot directed by J.J. Abrams. Though the movie had its problems, I loved it pretty unabashedly; more than that, however, I could tell something had changed inside of me. I wanted to do nothing but watch Star Trek for the rest of my life. Just ask my wife, who had to put up with weeks of asking if I’d like to watch a movie or a TV show, only to be met with “But that’s not Star Trek.” I was kidding, of course, because I haven’t actually started watching the show until now — though it wasn’t for lack of desire. Curse you, Amazon backorder.
Without being able to actually begin watching the series yet, I took to the Internets and read what I could. I bought all four collectible glasses from Burger King and drank from them regularly (some might say I filled them with Gene Roddenberry Kool-Aid, but those are just the haters. Actually, it was Coke Zero: none of Coca-Cola’s calories and very little of its taste). I even attended my first Chicago-area ‘Star Trek Expo,’ a fan event scheduled to host dozens of vendors, film screenings of Star Trek II and III and even a visit from the Captain himself, one William Shatner. By the time the event rolled around, Shatner had backed out due to “low ticket sales” and had been replaced by Sean Kenney, who played original Captain Christopher Pike in “The Menagerie Parts 1 and 2.” The whole expo was a rather sorry affair, with only a few “vendors” basically selling VHS tapes they no longer wanted and a rather unhappy-seeming Kenney sitting alone at a table ready to sign autographs for no one. I was one of eight people in attendance. Still, it was good to see Wrath of Khan on the big screen.
I’m getting away from my original point. Or am I? The intent of all this is to out myself as a born-again Trekkie. Or Trekker. Whatever. 43 years after it first aired on TV, I’ve fallen in love with Star Trek. As a result, I’ve committed to watching every single episode of every single incarnation of Star Trek, from The Original Series to the Scott Bakula-heavy Enterprise. And, like any good starship captain, I plan to document my exploits weekly in this very space. I’ll be watching one to two episodes per week, writing about the show from the perspective of a first-time viewer, I’m in uncharted territory. A Star Trek virgin.
Not for long.
I hope you’ll take this journey with me.
Box Art: Amazon
16. September 2009 at 2:04 am
I’ve started watching Star Trek earlier this year for the same reason. I wanted to be able to watch the movie and see all the references it made with the TOS and Enterprise. The only thing that put me off earlier through life was the sheer number of episodes spanning 5 series + 10 movies.
Watching all eps is no easy task. Once you start watching the series it will get you hooked. You will try to find time to cram an episode in your daily routine (read: ritual). I speak from experience. I started at the beginning of this summer and now I’m watching the 6th season of DS9. All I can say is that it is rewarding. The Star Trek universe is not only fun to watch. It forces you to ask questions about life, humanity, space and morality just to name a few. It has been a mind opener for me just as any previous viewers can attest.
Godspeed….maybe some day we shall meet on Risa or on Casperia Prime
13. December 2009 at 2:04 pm
Patrick: If you plan to watch all of the episodes of all the series what do you plan to do when there are two series that run at the same time? The first year of Deep Space 9 ran at the same time as the last season of The Next Generation and Voyager started in the 3rd season of DS9.
I am not an expert on TNG and DS9 so I do not know about the overlap but do you pla to try to watch them alternatly based on air date to cover and overlaping episodes.
This should not be a problem with Voyager as the shows basically do not overlap except for perhaps the pilot.
Keith: Have you addressed this? If so, how?
6. January 2010 at 7:37 pm
Clayton: Great question! I think for the sake of continuity, I’m just going to stick to one series at a time. I’ll watch the series chronologically, but probably not the individual episodes as they may cross over to other series. That means I’ll watch TNG next, then DS9, then Voyager and finally Enterprise (yikes!). So while that’s not TECHNICALLY watching every episode in order (as you suggest, watching alternate shows as they overlap), I think it’s the best way to appreciate each individual show. Plus, it will hopefully be a little easier to keep track of everything. This whole venture is daunting enough without taking on additional challenges.
It’s a great question, though, and one for which you’ve already come up with a good solution. I really appreciate you reading and taking the time to comment! Live long and…something…!
3. February 2010 at 6:05 pm
This is an amazing feat. Fantastic for you. I always tell my students that this is how my dad and I would spend our Saturday evenings for about a year. The Original would be on at 5pm and TNG would follow at 6pm. It was a great time.
5. February 2010 at 3:41 pm
Cool! Thanks, Jason. As much as I’m enjoying working my way through TOS right now, I’m really anxious to get on to the other series, too. Is there some way I can just absorb 27 seasons of TV and 10 movies all at once? You know, like Neo.
Thanks for reading! Hope you’ll stick with it.