Review of TREKKIES By Barbara Adams

The opening of TREKKIES was typically (for Little Rock, Arkansas) uneventful, but the film was spectacular. It was so refreshing to see us (Trekkies/Trekkers) in more than the thirty-second news clip at the end of the late evening news while a convention is in town.

A snickering reporter reads the litanies... Ò...flocks of ÔFANSÕ dressed in outlandish costumes, bearing the long lines to hear the celebrities and gather armloads of merchandise.Ó

WeÕve all seen them and wondered what questions (if any) did the reporters ask and how many real answers are cut and left on the editing room floor. The simple fact is the news does not want to hear the answers, itÕs just an entertaining filler that the audience can get a laugh out of.

But we donÕt laugh. All we see is ridicule.

Finally, like opening a door to a long closed room that no one has wanted to open, we have the chance to hear the real answers those devoted people give when someone asks... Why? WhatÕs the appeal?

TREKKIES is an eye-opening view into the lives of Trek fans around the world. As a star of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Denise Crosby became a part of this thirty-year phenomenon. She received sacks of fan letters and like many of the actors has worked at conventions, answering questions and, more importantly, meeting the fans. And as any actor or writer or other creative participant in the Trek enterprise, she has experienced the devotion first hand, spawning the growth of this project.

IN TREKKIES Roger Nygard documents an honest, open-minded look at Trek fans. Many of the stars share their experiences they have had with fans over the years and what it has meant to them, and Denise asks fans what the show has meant to them over the years. James Doohan shares a story of a suicidal woman he helped motivate, and William Shatner speaks on the charity work done around the world by Star Trek fans, which he notes many do not recognize.

Viewers enjoyed watching the Klingons at the fast food restaurant. One viewer leaving the theater after seeing this film remarked how astounded she was to finally hear the impact Trek has had in peopleÕs lives over the past thirty years. A fan since the original serious, she was proud to see RoddenberryÕs dream and the fans who embrace it receive the respect they have long deserved.

As Little RockÕs most recognized fan, IÕve watched with disdain the ridicule Star Trek fans are subjected to by the media. However, while there are some who refuse to accept the Star Trek concept, or any science fiction as a view for our future going into space, most of the responses I have experienced with people one on one have been positive and supportive. Because in spite of what the news media would like us to believe, Star Trek fans are not a small minority, but a world-wide population from all walks of life and occupations.

All Star Trek fans must go see this film and bring all the people who think you are strange. Let them see us for who we are and allow them to understand the things we stand for.

Fleet Capt. Barbara Adams Federation Alliance Little Rock, Arkansas

P.S. ReneeÕ [BarbaraÕs co-worker as seen in the film] was very, very pleased.