My love affair with Star Trek...

My Trek fanaticism dates back to when I was 11 growing up in Miami. We had my godparents over for dinner and my godfather, whose unique life views and philosophies I admired, asked that my dad put on Star Trek. I sat, I watched, I was enthralled. Mere seconds into it I felt like, “why haven’t I been watching this? This feels like a ‘me’ thing.” This was Star Trek: The Next Generation. After that, I made myself watch nothing but the original, as I wanted to start where it all began. Reruns aired at 4 o’clock after school on channel 4. I even remember the three commercials that would air throughout for Hydrox Cookies, Combat Roach Control Spray, and Spanish Olives and Olive Oil: “The Best Under the Sun.”

My in Orlando with people who were NOT actually on my "ship."

Soon I got into TNG and was going to the local conventions. I did not dress up for the first convention; I simply watched in awe as a man in a very elaborate Klingon costume with full makeup won. While I knew I couldn’t compete with that, I donned full Spock attire with the makeup assistance of my sister and mother (both very good at this) and threw my hat into the ring for the next convention’s contest. I won!

I continued to compete and won first place when Brent Spiner was headlining. I dressed as Data, but with a little extra oomph. The night before the con, the episode in which they’re trainsported to the old west, and Data plays cards to win money aired. When I went up in my Data costume with makeup, slicked back hair, a deck of cards, a phaser, a brown vest, and an old timey hat I got a standing ovation. When Brent took the stage someone I didn’t even know asked him if I could go up on stage and he could get a picture of us. No one I was with had a camera so we got the guy’s number and he sent us copies of the pic. Brent said he responds to every piece of mail he gets—I sent him the pics for autographing and have yet to get them back, 15 years later. Oh well.

My godparents would buy me merch at the conventions. I got toy phasers, buttons, posters, and, memorably, a large cardboard Enterprise (1701-A) that hung from my ceiling in my bedroom until years of being whipped around by the a/c vent damaged it and took it out of commission. These conventions were amazing—small by big con standards (like New York and Las Vegas), but we got stars. I got to see and get autographs from, among others, James Doohan, Marina Sirtis, Rene Auberjonois, Jonathan Frakes, Denise Crosby and Gates McFadden. One of my favorite momentos is a Klingon Dictionary signed by Michael Dorn.

One of the things I learned was that Star Trek people are good people. From the conventions I went to it’s all just happy people who are having a good time. Whether it’s the good humored laughter when a young girl asked Gates McFadden if she really is a “dancing doctor” or everyone backing out of the way and making absolutely sure a woman in a wheelchair got to see the guest speakers it was and is one big happy family.

My dad, a novice fan, took me to Orlando for a big convention when I was 14. When Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country came out, a group from a fan club was handing out recruitment fliers in uniform in the lobby. The group was the USS Triumph, the local chapter (or ship) of the international Trek club, Starfleet. I signed up for the ship’s meetings, and even did the send-away test to get my official entrance into the Academy. I passed with flying colors. (Thank you, Blockbuster.) As I got older I lost touch with my ship and didn’t make it out to many local conventions. With Next Gen. off the air and DS9 running it’s course I just wasn’t as into the new stuff like Voyager and Enterprise.

My hiatus from deep involvement with Star Trek was brief, however. My wife’s friend was in town one weekend with her husband who is a huge fan and I took him to see this Trek improv group that had performed at the same theater as another group I was in (and advertised on the same poster. My mom asked me once when I sent her an image of the poster if I was in the Trek group. I said “no” and then “I’m not sure why not, actually.”) I found out one day that the group was having auditions. Despite being very sick, having no voice, showing up late thanks to the subway, and forgetting to turn off my phone when I first got there I guess I did alright. :)