The geek in me is getting incredibly excited. I’ve seen the preview for the new Star Trek movie coming out this week and, oh man… I CAN’T WAIT!
Yes, I am a BIG Star Trek fan. I won’t go as far as saying that I dress up like the characters or anything, because I don’t, but I love the stories, I’m in love with the characters, and I get excited with the big space battles. But more importantly, I have many fond memories that are all connected to Star Trek.
(And before anyone asks… Although I’d likely be wearing either a red shirt (original series) or a yellow shirt (TNG and later), I’d prefer to be wearing a blue shirt. The red/yellow shirt were always the first to die on away missions.)
I grew up watching re-runs of the original series. Trouble with Tribbles has to be my favorite episode, but I also loved watching the original pilot episode with No. 1. (Majel Barrett… I just loved seeing, and hearing, all the Star Trek characters she played over the years.)
We were even able to get a dose of Star Trek as we flew across the Pacific Ocean when we migrated to New Zealand. My father was already in New Zealand, but my mother and I flew a month later. (Dad had moved a month before school had finished for the year, and it was my 5th grade year. Last year in elementary. I had to finish the year out. I begged to finish the year out.) Anyway, Voyage Home was our in-flight movie. This is back in the day when it was a single screen in the middle of the plane and you have to plug in headphones to hear it. There was only one movie option; if you didn’t like it — tough. Mom and I liked it, so we weren’t complaining. It was the second time I had seen it.
This little piece of memorabilia was given to me for my 21st — the perfect gift for an engineering graduate who was a fan of Star Trek. It’s embossed with the StarFleet seal and everything. One day, I’ll get it framed, but I’m not in a rush. And if I ever get it signed… there is only one actor who will be allowed to sign this baby.
The Klingon warbird had lost its power and was coming in for a crash landing. The officers at Starfleet were staring out the window toward the San Francisco Harbor, and… The movie was turned off. The entire plane erupted. “HEY!” Mom and I laughed. We honestly thought we were the only ones awake watching the film. I think the stewardesses were thinking the same thing. Boy, were we wrong. They got the film going again, and we got to watch the crash landing from the beginning.
(Of all the movies, I have to admit Voyage Home is my favorite. I can just imagine what it would be like to have someone from the future suddenly immersed in our culture and trying to pick up the slang. It still makes me laugh.)
TNG first aired when I was teen. Every week, my parents and I would sit and watch the latest episode. It was a ritual. The opening credits would start with Patrick Stewart saying those famous lines: Space… The final frontier… All three of us would join in, practically shouting. Then we would sing the original theme song at the top of our lungs. We didn’t care that the theme song had changed. We were enjoying the moment.
Data had to be my favorite character from that particular series. He was just so innocent, but yet so complex. I never had a crush on any of those characters. I just loved them all. (Sorry to admit it: I actually cried when Data died in Nemesis.)
But of course, the family fun wasn’t limited to our lounge. When Generations came out, there was no question that we were going to see it on the big screen. (Big space battles just don’t have the same impact on a TV screen.) Opening credits and there is a small random object flying through space. My father started analyzing what it might be, listing off every single ship that he knew: the Romulans, the Klingons, the Vulcans, Starfleet. My mother said, “Nah, it’s a champagne bottle.” Of course, my father argued this point for the remainder of the credits. There was no way it was a champagne bottle. Let’s just say that I burst out laughing; so did everyone else around us that was in earshot of my father’s analysis.
DS9 and Voyager were next. My husband (then fiancee) had joined in on the Mohr-family rituals surrounding Star Trek, and he was just as into it as the rest of us. So let’s just say that when my husband and I moved the Christchurch, we had to drive by Te Papa (the New Zealand National Museum) who were running an exhibit on Star Trek at the time. (So much fun.)
On a visit to Te Papa (New Zealand’s National Museum) my husband (then fiancee) and I just had to go to the Star Trek exhibit. This was the only piece of memorabilia we got from that. I’m in the middle and Gijs is hiding behind Miles and Keira.
Every movie since, my husband and I have done our best to go and see the movie in the cinema. It hasn’t always happened (when you have young children and no family in the same city, getting out can be a chore). However, our son has also developed a taste for Star Trek. When we were displaced from our home while it was repaired from the quake damage, we spent 3 weeks watching old episodes from the various series, including Enterprise.
The new movie is coming out mid-July, just in time for mine and my husband’s birthdays. Guess how we’ll be celebrating. However, I’ll gladly forgo the popcorn.
(Featured Image: The original USS Enterprise: NCC-1701. Photo credit: theatlantic.com)
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© Copyright, Judy L Mohr 2016
Hmmm… Nearly two years later, and I’m reading through old posts (such memories). However, I’ve noticed that the feature image is NOT NCC-1701. Looking at the date, this post was written prior to the transfer to a self-hosted site. During that site migration, several images got lost and had issues. I’m only guessing here, but I think the original feature image for this post was one of them.