Star Trek: My Secret Shame Is Suddenly Hip
Posted by: Amelia McDonell-Parry
Filed in:
news
7:00AM, Friday May 1st 2009
I’ve never announced this in such a public forum. I, Amelia, am a Trekkie. When I was 12, I wrote a book (200 pages, single-spaced). A Star Trek book. There was Trekkie friendship and Trekkie romance, and writing it was my outlet at a time when I was very shy and very acne-d. I have gone to not one but two “Star Trek” conventions—although, in my defense, it was my dad’s idea. My first celebrity crush was on Wil Wheaton, who played Wesley on “The Next Generation,” and I wrote him two fan letters. “Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan” is the best of the movies, but I hate “Star Trek: IV,” otherwise known as “the one with the whales.” I still watch “Star Trek” sometimes, when I catch an episode on TV, and no one is around to make fun of me. I have seen every episode of the first series and the “Next Generation” series multiples times, and I think the other series pale in comparison.
For 20 years, “Star Trek” has been my secret shame, my guilty pleasure. Being a “Star Trek” fan has never, ever, ever been cool. “Star Wars” and “Battlestar Gallactica” have always been for the cool nerds. “Star Trek” was for the friendless losers. But seeing Heidi Klum flashing the “Live Long and Prosper” gang sign at the L.A. premiere of the “Star Trek” prequel movie made me realize something. My secret shame is suddenly cool. And I am annoyed.
Suddenly, celebrities are jumping on the “Star Trek” bandwagon! Heidi Klum! Hayden Panetierre! Tori Spelling! Winona Ryder! Blair from f**king “Gossip Girl”! Who’s next? Lindsay Lohan? George Clooney? BARACK OBAMA? And when celebs dub something cool, the masses follow. It won’t be hard for the general public to go “Star Trek” crazy, especially since the new movie stars a cast of young hotties like Chris Pine and Zoe Saldana. And you know who will be forgotten in the process? Well, William Shatner, for one, who didn’t even get a cameo in the new movie, and real fans like myself (and Simcha!), who know Captain Kirk’s middle name (Tiberius), who have seen the episode with Spock’s evil-goateed twin (“Mirror, Mirror”), and who remember Joan Collins’ pivotal guest starring role (playing a woman Kirk falls in love with back in time but has to let die so Hitler doesn’t win World War II)—WITHOUT having to use Google.
Did I just admit all that? Oops. I guess it will take me a little time to get used to the fact that being a “Star Trek” fan isn’t something to hide anymore. Still, I’ll fight you for a seat on opening night!
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Riley
wrote on May 1 2009 @ 07:12 am: [report]
Don’t worry, I’m a closet Trekkie too. There are a lot of us out there.
CheeeeEEEEse
wrote on May 1 2009 @ 07:18 am: [report]
F*cking tribbles don’t do it for me. Props on the geek lingo though Amelia. Only 1 week to go.
IrinaGonzalez
wrote on May 1 2009 @ 08:25 am: [report]
Great article! Though, honestly, did you NOT see this coming? Talk about mass advertising and the hottie cast (um, what about Zachary Quinto from Heroes?!), it was really bound to happen.. they’re really pushing Star Trek on the cool nerd crowd (i.e. those of us who watch Heroes, Lost, ETC). It’s all one big PR success.
I’d say the coolness factor of the Star Trek movie is definitely good.. and bad. Good- because now I can go to the movie with my closet Trekkie boyfriend and not hide my face in shame. But bad because, well, they’ll be a million people there who, as you said, can’t really appreciate Star Trek as it should be appreciated.
Oh, well. Maybe the PR boost will make the movie a big splashy success and warrant (hopefully GOOD) sequels?
Amelia
wrote on May 1 2009 @ 08:35 am: [report]
@MagickGoddess All I know is if Miley Cyrus trades in her trademark peace sign for live long and prosper, I am going to spit fire.
Ginger
wrote on May 1 2009 @ 08:41 am: [report]
I am not a Trekkie (my stepmother is and she’s excited for this) but I am a musical theatre nerd and everytime something gets adapted it becomes hip and I have to hear people gushing about it even though they only know the movie.
I feel your pain Amelia. No matter what the genre, all nerds have to potentially deal with the masses.
Alison Wonderland
wrote on May 1 2009 @ 08:47 am: [report]
Amelia: The recent issue of Glamour’s ‘Hey It’s OK’ section said that it was fine to have never seen a single episode of Star Trek, or to have seen ‘Every. Single. One.’
jenivived
wrote on May 1 2009 @ 09:33 am: [report]
My very first celebrity crush was on William Shatner when I was about 5. I remember watching him for hours in his gold shirt.. oh, so sexy!
Now everyone’s going to be claiming that William Shatner and Wil Wheaton were oh-so-dreamy! Why are you trying to take something potentially embarrassing about me and make it cool?
Life is so unfair.
CheeeeEEEEse
wrote on May 1 2009 @ 09:37 am: [report]
William Shatner and Wil Wheaton, the two strangest crushes ever to appear in the same sentence. *shudder*
mayorbubbles
wrote on May 1 2009 @ 11:03 am: [report]
I used to watch star trek with my mom when i was younger and i LOVED it
I’m so excited for the movie…
sunrise
wrote on May 1 2009 @ 12:09 pm: [report]
Gah, I was in love with Wesley when I was a kid! Too bad he hasn’t aged very well… (Patrick Stewart on the other hand, has aged better than fine wine… I met him a few years ago, and yum! I’d totally break the no-twice-your-age limit for him).
Rosa
wrote on May 1 2009 @ 01:03 pm: [report]
Like the rest of you, I used to watch Star Trek and Star Trek Next Generation when I was young. I have a father who is a nuclear physicist who would watch all the episodes and point out how half of the stuff was not scientifically possible. I used to want to be Deanna Troy when I was little. I feel a bit annoyed as well that it is suddenly cool to be a Trekkie.
Amelia
wrote on May 1 2009 @ 01:05 pm: [report]
I think I just realized that Riker is the source of my beard fetish.
CheeeeEEEEse
wrote on May 1 2009 @ 01:37 pm: [report]
@Amelia: Oh got if you start Riker/Troy shipping I am going to leave the site!
CheeeeEEEEse
wrote on May 7 2009 @ 10:04 am: [report]
I am a Star Wars Geek, so here is a Star Wars themed Wedding:
http://www.rocknrollbride.com/?p=7514
Check out that Stormtrooper gown! http://www.rocknrollbride.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/dy4.jpg