Trekkie
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Trekkie (or Trekker) is a term used to describe a science fiction fan of all or part of the Star Trek fictional universe.[1]
"Trekkie", originally intended only to describe enthusiasts of Star Trek, has sometimes been used to refer to any obsessed fan.[2]
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[edit] Origins
In the late 1960s, science fiction editor Art Saha applied the term "trekkies" when he saw a few fans of the first season of Star Trek wearing pointy ears at a science fiction convention. He used the term in an interview with Pete Hamill that Hamill was conducting for TV Guide concerning the phenomenon of science fiction.
When the media picked up on the word "Trekkies", some fans thought the term sounded too much like "Crazies".[citation needed] Self-identification as a "Trekkie" became even less popular in the late 1980s after a famous national television parody (see Parodies below); several self-described "Trekkers" were quoted as saying they "had a life" (contrasting themselves from "Trekkies"). It has been adopted by many ski groups around the world, in particular the Cardiff Medic Snowriders. The 'finger formation' is now their 'ski trip leagues' favourite hand gesture.
[edit] Trekkie vs. Trekker
Some Star Trek enthusiasts prefer the term "Trekkie", while some others self-identify as "Trekker". The Trekkie vs. Trekker debate may mirror the Sci-Fi vs SF debate.
In the 1991 TV show "Star Trek: 25th Anniversary Special", Leonard Nimoy attempts to settle the issue by stating that the term 'Trekker' is the correct one.
[edit] Connotations
Please help Wikipedia by adding references. See the talk page for details.
Some Trekkies hold that a "Trekker" is a "Trekkie" who is embarrassed of being a "Trekkie". A Trekkie is considered to be someone stupid and embarrassing to intelligent and serious Trekkers. The classic stereotype is a clueless Trekkie walking around wearing rubber Spock ears and being held up to public ridicule for his obsession. "Trekker" is usually used as a term for the dedicated Star Trek fan with considerable knowledge of the show.
The term "Trekkie" is sometimes considered derogatory, perhaps because of a perceived parallel to the terms "groupie" or "Hippie".
Some avoid the disagreement by referring to themselves as just "Star Trek fans", or among themselves, as just "fans".
[edit] Activities
Some Trekkies regularly attend Star Trek conventions (called "cons"), and are sometimes bitter rivals of hard core Star Wars fans. By analogy, Star Wars fans sometimes refer to themselves as "Warsies", and Mystery Science Theater 3000 fans frequently refer to themselves as "MSTies".
Many Trekkies believe, or are perceived to believe, that Star Trek is infallible and may be able to conjure up explanations for any plot holes which occur in the series. Trekkies also often own memorabilia such as replica props or blueprints and (pseudo-)technical manuals from the shows.
There are many Star Trek fan clubs, among the largest currently being STARFLEET International and the International Federation of Trekkers.
There is a persistent stereotype that amongst Trekkies there are many speakers of the constructed Klingon language. The reality is less clear-cut, as some of its most fluent speakers are more language aficionados than people obsessed with Star Trek. Most Trekkies have no more than a basic vocabulary of Klingon, perhaps consisting of a few common words heard innumerable times over the series, while not having much knowledge of Klingon's syntax or precise phonetics.
[edit] Trekkie in the news
During the 1996 Whitewater controversy, a bookbindery employee named Barbara Adams served as an alternate juror. During the trial Adams wore a Star Trek-inspired black and red Starfleet Command division uniform, including a badge, a phaser, and a tricorder.[3]
Adams was dismissed from the trial for conducting a sidewalk interview with the television program American Journal.[3] The major news media reported that she was dropped for wearing her Star Trek uniform to the trial. Adams noted she was dropped because she talked to a reporter of "America Journal" about her Trek uniform and not anything about the trial.[4] Although, nothing was deemed as a trial enclosure violation, still the rules were any juror was not to talk to the press in any form.
Adams stated the judge at the trial was supportive of her. She said she believed in the principles expressed in Star Trek and found it an alternative to "mindless television" because it promotes tolerance, peace, and faith in mankind.[3]
[edit] Parodies
Trekkies have been parodied in several films, notably Galaxy Quest.
In 1986 William Shatner performed in a famous sketch on Saturday Night Live. He played himself at a Star Trek convention at which he told the Trekkies to "get a life". "For God's sake," Shatner elaborated, "it's just a TV show!". At one point, he asked Jon Lovitz' Trekkie character, whom he assumed to be almost 30 years old, if he had ever kissed a girl, to which the character sadly hung his head.[5]
There was once a pitch for a reality TV show featuring a group of "die-hard" Trekkies and one "normal" person, though it remains to be seen if such a series will be aired.
One episode of Futurama called "Where No Fan Has Gone Before" was dedicated to parodying Trekkies by envisioning a scenario whereby a "space energy being" named "Melllvar" forces the original cast to endure a Star Trek convention for all eternity, much to the disgust of the cast.
Free Enterprise chronicles the lives of two men who grew up worshipping Star Trek and emulating Captain Kirk. Most of the movie centers on William Shatner, playing a parody of himself, and how the characters wrestle with their relationships to Star Trek.
Robot Chicken featured a skit involving a science fiction convention and an encounter between Trekkies and Warsies, which resulted in an all-out riot when a Warsie suggested that William Shatner would not play James Kirk in an upcoming Enterprise episode.
The Broadway musical Avenue Q partially parodies Trekkies through the inclusion of a character named, appropriately enough, Trekkie Monster.
A Trekkie features in one episode of the television show The West Wing, during which Josh Lyman confronts the temporary employee over her display of a Star Trek pin in the White House.
[edit] Well-known Trekkies/Trekkers
- Lewis "Scooter" Libby was said to have a "decidedly nonpolitical talent": a Yale classmate (Donald Hindle) said he could remember all 79 Star Trek episodes and "knew all the titles, too."[6]
- David Wu, a current Representative of Oregon, delivered a heavily Trek-infused speech to the House of Representatives on January 10, 2007.[7]
- Abdullah II of Jordan is an avid Star Trek fan, and even appeared in an episode of Star Trek Voyager. [1]
[edit] References and footnotes
- ^ The word "trekkie" is found in the Concise Oxford Dictionary.
- ^ There is a character in the hit Broadway musical Avenue Q named Trekkie Monster who is obsessed, not with Star Trek, but with internet porn.
- ^ a b c "Judge Beams Trekkie Juror from Whitewater case", a CNN story from March 14, 1996
- ^ Interview with Mike Jerrick on Sci-Fi Channel's information fandom news series Sci-Fi Buzz
- ^ You could see the sketch on YouTube
- ^ http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/01/17/america/web.0117libby.php
- ^ http://temp.tehsuck.net/index.php?p=-6561071632411148077
