I am a Trekkie…

…but I don’t dress up and go to conventions like this dude =>

Nuff said.

I haven’t watched Star Trek in years, ever since Star Trek Next Generation went off re-runs on and Star Trek Voyager ended. I didn’t even go the latest movie. I have 4 kids, what can I say? Trips to the movie theater don’t happen all that often.

So why was I so excited to see Brent Spiner at Comic Con? I wasn’t quite sure at first, I was never really all that excited by Data. I was more excited by Wesley. Hey, gimme a break, I was 13 when the show aired and he was a cutie back then.

Standing in front of Spiner’s autograph table and looking over the pictures of various NG scenes a flood of memories washed over me. I realized then that my fascination is not with the actors, but with what they and the shows meant to me over the years.

I don’t know how my Star Trek fixation started, but I watched the first episode of Next Generation at my Grandma’s in Madison, Wisconsin while my parents were on furlough from missionary work in Panama. I fell in love, watched every episode I possibly could, got totally mad when Wesley went away to “school”, and thought Pickard was soooo handsome.

I used to rush home from school just in time to watch 2 back to back episodes of Star Trek that aired on the only English station we had in Panama. I’d grab something delicious to eat, hunker down in front of the tv, and soak in some Spock. Who can resist a tall dark handsome fellow with pointy ears? I would cross my fingers that my parents wouldn’t get home before the show was over as I’d get a talking to about 1. not changing out of my school uniform, 2. eating on their bed (the TV was in their room) and 3. watching TV instead of doing something useful, like folding laundry or doing my homework. I told this story to my parents and they think I’m making that part up 🙂

When I lived in Minneapolis for college, Next Generation was on TV every night, two back to back glorious hours of Star Trek. Even when Al and I were first dating I made him sit with me and watch it, what a guy!

Through the years, Al and I watched Next Generation, Voyager (I cried when it ended), and any movie that came out, sometimes multiple times. I think those aired every night, again, what a guy. So you see, Data is more than just some famous (ish) dude. It was exciting to see a bit of my fascination, up close, and in person. Maybe next time Comic con comes to town I should score a Starfleet uniform and dress up like Dr. Crusher, Counselor Troy, Captain Janeway, Lieutenant Uhura, or some babe that hangs on Captain Kirk.

Or this 🙂