All chorus, "Hi, Robin."
"It's been a week since my last episode. It might have been two or three episodes. Okay, it was lots of episodes and a movie. I'm so ashamed!"
*sobs into cupped hands*
Sometimes I'm a social Trekkie; others are watching and I find myself watching with them. Other times I'm a closet Trekkie. I watched all 172 episodes of Star Trek: Voyager in a two week period and no one knew.
Not really. I mean, I really did watch all of Voyager in a two week period, but people knew.
I am a Trekkie, but I am not really ashamed of it.
Compared to "normal" people (non-Star Trek people; the Star Trek version of a muggle) I would be considered pretty geeky. I own all of The Original Series, The Next Generation, Voyager, the movies, and one season of Deep Space Nine (this one didn't grab me as much). I own a bunch of action figures. I own the customizable card game. I own a plethora of books, because when they aren't making any more shows you get a "new episode" fix in a book.
But compared to Trekkers, the more serious end of the spectrum, I barely qualify as a Star Trek fan at all. I have never been to a convention. I have not staged a recreation of a Star Trek scene in any form: live action, clay, action figures, pets. I have never named a child or even a pet after a Star Trek character. I have never written an episode or fan fiction. And I do not have the schematics of any version of the Enterprise memorized.
But I do like Star Trek. I like its hopefulness about the future. I like the way it tackled tough social issues. But mostly, I like it because it makes me think. I don't like entertainment that is just fluff. I want to think. I want to puzzle. I want to have a challenge to solve. I like figuring things out.
And I like imagination. Star Trek is nothing if not imagination. (Sorry, Trekkers. It's not real.)
I am exposing my children to Star Trek and will let them choose for themselves. (Choose wisely, little ones.) I will hold my head up high and proclaim myself a Trekkie for all to see.
Let the mocking begin!