[LEFT]Alright so...I've got a few questions about new Trek fans. I don't really have a huge problem with people that are new to Trek but treat it with respect, but the new fans who do the slash pairings, and support the SpockXUhura, etc. annoy me. Well, mainly the people who watched Trek after watching the movie just because it is now an "it thing" to watch Trek. I am a new fan, however I did not start watching the series because of the movie. A friend sat me down to watch a few episodes of TOS right around the time that the movie came out. [/LEFT] So my questions...Should all new fans be lumped into the same category? What does "Trekkie" mean exactly? Like...when does someone gain the ability to truely call themselves a trekkie? Also, what do you think about the new movie fans and that the movie brought in -so many- new fans?
The term "Trekkie" in pop culture seems to carry the stigma of those guys that wear the Starfleet uniforms when they're just sitting at home and know how to speak every word in fluent Klingon. But I always used it to denote Trek fans. It's not like a badge of honor you have to earn. I think if you really fell in love with the world and stories like most people here, then that's more than enough. And no, you definitely can't group all new fans into one category. Just like how not all old fans should be put into one category. Too much diversity for it. There are cool people, idiots, weirdos, etc. across all ages, races, and what have you in Trek fandom. As for Star Trek XI, I honestly haven't really spoken with any fans who were new to Trek when XI came out. But I do think it's a good movie and it's good to have an influx of people to help keep the franchise alive.
As far as "slash fans" go, they're anything but new. The first con I attended was in 1981, and slash fiction was on sale there...
What about the old fans who supported SpockxUhura and long before the movie? And what about all the old fans who wrote thousans of slash fanfics decades before the movie? Do they also annoy you? You've really never heard of Kirk/Spock slash before?! You really don't know much about Star Trek fandom, do you? I am a new fan, however I did not start watching the series because of the movie. A friend sat me down to watch a few episodes of TOS right around the time that the movie came out. Yes, I think you should officially be pronounced a superior being on a higher level of existence than the lowly humans who watched TOS after the movie. Like...when does someone gain the ability to truely call themselves a trekkie? As soon as they learn how to talk? Or at least as they learn how to type on the keyboard?
A Trek fan, new or old, is a Trek fan, and some of us enjoy the term "Trekkies" They are there to enjoy, and I envy you for just now starting your journey... Just wait till you see what happens!!! Boldly go, my friend!!!
I'm thrilled that the new movie has stimulated people's interest in the original and it's other incarnations. The more the merrier. And the more of us that there are that is willing to spend the money to buy a ticket, the more likely we will continue to have new Trek in our lives. It doesnt matter what you call us, whether we are old fans or new fans. It's all good!
I remember in 1989 I was standing in line to buy tickets to see The Cure (bear with me, I'm a musician ). I was standing next to some rather die-hard goths, in full regalia even though it was only about 9am. This couple was telling me about all their Cure concert experiences through high school and beyond over the years. Then they asked me the question I feared they would ask: how long had I been into The Cure (was not decked out in anything at all, just a t-shirt and jeans). I admitted I'd only really liked them a very short while, only owned the current album (Disintegration), and this would be my first Cure show. I braced myself... They smiled and were incredibly cool about it. They were glad I'd liked the record, and glad to see I'd found The Cure, in my own way. They encouraged me to listen to specific other albums, depending on my tastes, but never pushed. I was very thankful, but more to the point, that is how I always think of new fans myself: however someone gets into something I hold dear, and in whatever way they choose enjoy it, is wonderful. More power to them. Full stop.
I'm a new fan, I only started watching Trek back in 1988 when a new show labelling itself as "The Next Generation" reached our shores. I loved it and I watched every episode of it, and every episode of Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Enterprise. I had some free time last year so I finally got around to watching TOS, which I liked. If you were to add up the people on this board whose favourite Trek show was one of the four spin-off series then they would probably outnumber people whose favourite was the original, so the majority of people on this board are new Trek fans. And there's plenty of people on this board who don't respect TNG, or DS9, or Voyager, or Enterprise, or even the original show. This isn't a phenomenon created by the new movie, these nu-fans have joined an already fractured fanbase. Even the Deep Space Nine fanbase is fractured between those who were fans of the show from the beginning and those who are fans of the show after the season 4 relaunch. So, if you can be bitter and moan about a particular part of the fanbase just because they're new, or because they have the audacity to not like your favourite show, that's when you can consider yourself a true Trekkie.
I've only run into a few "new" Star Trek fans, but the ones I have met have so far expressed a great desire to watch the older shows and films. Those who have that I've spoken to were really impressed, could see the connection to the new movie they liked so much and couldn't believe they had waited so long to give Trek a serious try.
Your thoughts on "new fans" (I'd consider myself one, having watched the new movie before seeing every episode of TOS) remind me of music elitists who become upset when their favorite band gains mainstream popularity. Y'know, the whole "Well, I was a fan way back before their FIRST album!" ... "Yeah, well, I saw their first live show! So there!" nonsense. While I'm astounded that I managed to spend the first eighteen years of my life somewhere other than the Trek universe, most long-term (?) fans I encounter are simply happy to hear that I want to be part of the fandom (and now I own every series aside from the animated one). ... Only after typing this do I realize that PhasersOnStun gave a more pertinent example of my first point.
I prefer the term "Trekoholimaniacologist', but that's just me. I agree with those who have stated (better than I) that it does not matter what you call yourself. I welcome new fans because, once upon a time, I was one.
Trekkie still keys with me, I feel joined to the folk who started fandom, and the first conventions. As for the new guys, each will bring to and take out what they will from trek. Just like the rest of us.