Warp Factor Trek

You can see us everywhere, all over the world. It doesn’t matter what color skin you have or what language you speak, the Star Trek community is one big family. Whoever you are, a Trekker or a Trekkie, Star Trek fans love you anyway, no matter what. Like I said, you can find us everywhere, from cosplayers at a convention to gamers who are playing Star Trek Online, to lovers of the series and movies, or nerds who like to build starship models.

For a lot of fans, Star Trek saved their lives, me included. Take, for example, a story James Doohan shared with us. He persuaded a fan not to take their own life, and after eight years, she went from being suicidal to qualifying for a Masters degree in electronic engineering. Star Trek gives us hope.

What I also love about Star Trek is that it’s not fake. Star Trek is part fiction and partly true, I think. Especially in the first few series, like in TOS and TNG, the episodes are particularly based on and inspired by our history. Not only that, but a lot of futuristic things, taking inspiration from the Star Trek franchise, have already been invented, like the VISOR worn by Geordi La Forge. Even donning a Starfleet uniform as a cosplayer has, I feel, a real-world parallel; like a military person, you are filled with pride to serve, you stand for something.

It’s always been said that the fans keep Star Trek alive. We keep it alive in various ways. For example, fans who (like me) have a podcast based on Star Trek will talk about Star Trek-related subjects. It’s really nice to talk with people who love Star Trek as much as myself. Although we have different opinions, Star Trek stays the main focus.

Fans keep Star Trek alive in every way, and although we thank the actors and people behind the scenes all the time, we definitely shouldn’t forget the great creator Gene Roddenberry. Without him, Star Trek would never exist. There have been lessons to learn from episodes ever since TOS aired, thanks to Roddenberry. He was the one daring enough to put difficult subjects like the interracial kiss between Kirk and Uhura on screen. I am also really thankful and very happy that Uhura actress Nichelle Nichols did listen when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. advised her to not quit Star Trek and that Leonard Nimoy fought for equal rights for all the actors.

Staying strong and as one front, that’s how we should stand. Let us fight for mankind and alien alike, and let us continue to find strength in unity. This is how Star Trek fans should stand together for what they love.

We could say a lot more about Star Trek fans, but one thing is sure: the fan base is rock solid! Yes, sometimes we have very strong differing opinions about some things, but our hearts beat for Star Trek.

Orinda Duyster

A superfan of Star Trek since the ’90s, Orinda feels that Star Trek has pulled her through rough times more than once. She says, “I love Star Trek because I can be myself, and this can go from just watching the series to entering a cosplay contest.” Orinda has been writing Star Trek fan-fiction stories for a long time and really enjoys doing so. She has 2 podcasts in which she talks about Star Trek (links to these can be found here and here).