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As an old time trekkie (and yes, it's trekkie, not trekker for those of you
who invented that word in the 80's) I just wanted to say something about some
of the people who role play star trek characters in real life. A kid in a costume
is cute. A grown-up (or grump for those in the know) wearing a costume makes
us all look like losers. I used to have no problem telling friends that I was
an avid fan and went to conventions. Whenever they'd make a comment that it
was bizarre that I could name the writers of each show, I would simply say that
it was actually less bizarre than the average sports fan who couldn't name the
past three presidents but knew the batting average of each of the 1962 New York
Mets. But when shows and documentaries started showing these morons walking
around in public dressed in Star Trek uniforms, either insisting they were Starfleet
officers or running around in public at Renaissance fairs playing role playing
games, we all look like morons. I remember at a convention in New York in 1983
or so James Doohan was speaking and when he opened the floor to questions it
started reasonably. Questions were being asked like, Did you have a hard time
getting roles being typecast? Did you have lines or scenes cut because of other
actors insisting on more screen time? Where would you like to have seen your
character end up? What would you have liked to done differently if you had more
control of the scripts? These sort of questions. Then the one moron (adult,
kind of messy) stands up and calls him Scotty and asks some dumb ass question
like in episode so and so why didn't you stay with the girl? or How come you
didn't upgrade the engines with that stuff you found on the planet in that other
such and such episode? This grown up man believed it was real and every one
in that room was mortified. We were all now associated with this imbecile. Mr.
Doohan evaded the questions with a tactful quip that he'd obviously had to use
many times before. It's people like this that make me hide that I'm a trekkie.
People on the outside are always going to view us as a bunch of retards unless
we distance ourselves from these embarrassments. If you're reading this and
you happen to be one of those idiots who goes to work in a Starfleet uniform
and you're offended....good! I hope I've offended you, because you have caused
me nothing but grief from my friends and forced me to have to justify myself
anytime I mention I'm a trekkie. You've also scared away many young potential
trekkies who don't want to find themselves associated with you.