When was I young, a wee little Irish lass running wild in the fields (although let's be honest--I rarely ran wild. There were bugs and stuff out in the grass), my mother took me in hand and forced culture on me. Forced it on me so strongly that I have carried the burning passion for it strongly for my 23 years, it's flame only growing (probably since I can't stop feeding it). Have you guessed yet? Yep. Star Trek.
You all know of my deep and abiding love for Star Trek. I've seen it all (except for the last two seasons of Enterprise, but really? That one sucked) more than once. I love it. Now, I've recently discovered that some of my friends think that Star Trek is the exception and that I mostly shun Sci-Fi. To these friends, I say just because you have a post-it-thin imagination doesn't mean the rest of us do. Who can resist imagining the future? Or, I should say, The Future.
The future! Awesome! I love it. I love it all. I love the robot-ruled futures, the alien-invaded futures, the once-upon-a-time futures, the clone-riddled futures, the genetically enhanced futures, the Dystopian depression futures, the Utopian Star Trek futures and any other future you can imagine in the mix. I cannot get enough of it all.
Correction: I can't get enough of it all in theory. The Dystopian futures get a little depressing. Sometimes I feel like standing up in the theater and yelling, "Give me a future without human enslavement just this once!" But I can't get enough of the cynicism, so my rants quickly melt to fascination and I watch, read, and find more. (As I write this, I'm eying my phone down. It's a little TOO smart, if you know what I mean.)
But again, that is why I love Star Trek so much because Star Trek hopes. It hopes that we can overcome the petty aspects of our natures and love unequivocally. It hopes that our technological developments expand and make our lives better. It hopes that we can find in ourselves the thirst for excellence. It hopes that we can perfect democracy and be an example to whatever cultures we encounter, be they hostile or benign. It hopes it can make us hope--and they have succeeded with me.
And don't bother posting that I'm a nerd, geek, or awesome. I already know.
To infinity . . . and beyond!
You only watched the first two seasons of Enterprise? The third and fourth seasons are significantly better than the first two. Just sayin'....
ReplyDeleteAlso, I totally understand why you love Star Trek so much. I mean, even in DS9, the least 'utopian' of any of them, there's still the message of hope.
You know, I'm so glad I was raised on Walker Texas Ranger, JAG, The Pretender, etc instead of being forced into a life of Trekkieness. Thank you for constantly reaffirming my self esteem :).
ReplyDeleteWhat, Jason, no MacGuyver? You manhood is in doubt once more. Parker and I have seen the light, and we are far better off for it.
ReplyDeleteI never really got into MacGuyver. Though my father owns every season. I don't see how manliness can be called in to doubt when a Chuck Norris tv series tops the list. In fact, I would argue that is the epitome of manliness.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I would have to admit to Jason that The Pretender rocks. BUT, I'm a converted Trekkie myself, so I guess I'm just a whore for television.
ReplyDeleteDo you know what else is awesome that recent decades hasn't taken advantage of anymore? The amount of popular music that used to hit the top of the charts with space subject matter. Elton John's Rocket Man, Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, hell, David Bowie created Major Tom as a character that featured in multiple songs, even by other artists. Everybody back then seemed to *get* the excitement and thrill of man going into the unknown.
I love space.
Remember when I almost missed the trivia question at game night about Star Trek and was almost kicked out of the family? Star Trek people. It's serious business.
ReplyDeleteI remember. We almost voted you off the island, and you would even have had to take Mike with you. It was that intense. Luckily, you pulled through, and we're much better for it.
ReplyDelete