All my life I’ve felt out of place, I never really fit in with any groups when I was in middle or high school, and even once I graduated and joined the military, I still felt segregated from the crowd. I’ve always been the odd one in the group, never quite fitting in. During middle school I spent most my time building robots, or reading about outer space. When I got to high school and realized that I had let myself be alone for so long, I tried to branch out and make new friends. The result was less then spectacular. I tried TOO hard and alienated myself further. I did have a few very close friends who I spent time with but not many. My senior year I left the state and attended a school in Florida. I was a little more accepted in this school versus my prior school, but I was still slightly unwanted. This pattern continued even after high school when I joined the Navy. Day after day I would watch from the outside as people would enjoy their weekends together, going to bars, concerts, and parties, never once being invited to any of them.
Then one day I decided to stop trying to fit in with everyone and be my own person. I have always been kind of nerdy; I played video games, went to renaissance fairs, wrote fantasy stories, watched lots of sci-fi, but I never embraced it. I always let it take a back seat to trying to be cool or fit in, and as much as I would like to accredit my decision to be myself to my own mind, I can’t. The credit for that goes to Star Trek, and I will tell you why in a moment.
Sci-fi has always been a passion of mine, whether its movies, games or shows, they all interested me so much, the idea that one day we could travel the stars and meet new races on alien worlds, it was all so fascinating. A few of my friends recommended that I watch Star Trek, since I was such a fan of so many other similar shows and movies. I put it off for quite a while, letting other shows and movies take precedence, then one day when I was home sick from work, Star Trek TOS came up as a recommendation on my Netflix. I wasn’t watching any other shows at the time so I figured then would be the perfect time to start the series. Little did I know that at that moment my future was being changed for the better.
I watched Star Trek every day until I had seen every episode of every series and every movie and documentary ever made. I became full on obsessed with Star Trek. I started collecting comics, toys, and replicas, if it was Star Trek I had to have it. What really hooked me on Star Trek was the idea of a utopia. An Earth in which everyone was an equal and no one was excluded based on their interests or income (which is a moot point in Star Trek anyway since currency was done away with decades prior). It was a perfect world. I loved everything about it. That is what really allowed me to open up and be accepting of who I was, rather than trying to fit a mold that other people laid out for me.
Since then I have started traveling to conventions and dressing as a member of the enterprise (TOS) and I have met some amazing people along the way as well. This past convention I attended in Reno (my local con) I actually became the face of the convention. I helped with the set up and execution of the ComiCon bar crawl the night prior to the convention, and was behind the scenes working with film and photography crews during the convention. Furthermore I became the “girl that broke the stereotype”. What I mean by that is, I know I am not an unattractive person (that’s not me trying to be shallow, that’s me being confident in who I am) I had people at the bar crawl come up to me and say things like “did you just grab the first sexy Cosplay outfit you could find?” or “You’re not ACTUALLY a Star Trek fan are you.” To which I would have the honor of putting them in their place about how wrong their stereotypes about Trekkies were. Then there were the people at the convention who had the exact opposite statements, saying things like “I’s nice to see someone as young as you appreciate Star Trek.” Or “It’s nice to see someone breaking an age old stereotype.” I probably had more people come talk to me and enjoy my company in the three days of the convention, than my entire existence combined. When ConTV interviewed me and asked what my favorite part of the convention was, I knew exactly what to say. I said “The best part isn’t the booths, or the celebrities, it’s the fact that hundreds of people can come together in a setting where everyone is accepted and share their talents and hobbies with other people who truly appreciate this culture for what it is.”
Since then I have made a massive amount of friends though conventions and clubs, people who I can share my passions with in an environment where everyone is accepted. But the one thing I think I can credit Star Trek with the most is saving my life. I have battled depression for 10 years and being part of a group where I feel at home has given me a new outlook on life, one with a bright happy future rather than the dark one I had been living. Star Trek opened my eyes to the idea that the future can be a bright place if we can accept everyone for who they are. We are all equals and together we can make the utopia a reality.
What I want to know is does anyone else have a story like this, where Star Trek shaped who they are today, or helped them overcome an obstacle. I’d like to know if anyone else has had an experience like me.
Oh and did I mention I got to hang out with the Hulk (Lou Ferrigno) while I was working, because I did! and I got picture proof haha.
Then one day I decided to stop trying to fit in with everyone and be my own person. I have always been kind of nerdy; I played video games, went to renaissance fairs, wrote fantasy stories, watched lots of sci-fi, but I never embraced it. I always let it take a back seat to trying to be cool or fit in, and as much as I would like to accredit my decision to be myself to my own mind, I can’t. The credit for that goes to Star Trek, and I will tell you why in a moment.
Sci-fi has always been a passion of mine, whether its movies, games or shows, they all interested me so much, the idea that one day we could travel the stars and meet new races on alien worlds, it was all so fascinating. A few of my friends recommended that I watch Star Trek, since I was such a fan of so many other similar shows and movies. I put it off for quite a while, letting other shows and movies take precedence, then one day when I was home sick from work, Star Trek TOS came up as a recommendation on my Netflix. I wasn’t watching any other shows at the time so I figured then would be the perfect time to start the series. Little did I know that at that moment my future was being changed for the better.
I watched Star Trek every day until I had seen every episode of every series and every movie and documentary ever made. I became full on obsessed with Star Trek. I started collecting comics, toys, and replicas, if it was Star Trek I had to have it. What really hooked me on Star Trek was the idea of a utopia. An Earth in which everyone was an equal and no one was excluded based on their interests or income (which is a moot point in Star Trek anyway since currency was done away with decades prior). It was a perfect world. I loved everything about it. That is what really allowed me to open up and be accepting of who I was, rather than trying to fit a mold that other people laid out for me.
Since then I have started traveling to conventions and dressing as a member of the enterprise (TOS) and I have met some amazing people along the way as well. This past convention I attended in Reno (my local con) I actually became the face of the convention. I helped with the set up and execution of the ComiCon bar crawl the night prior to the convention, and was behind the scenes working with film and photography crews during the convention. Furthermore I became the “girl that broke the stereotype”. What I mean by that is, I know I am not an unattractive person (that’s not me trying to be shallow, that’s me being confident in who I am) I had people at the bar crawl come up to me and say things like “did you just grab the first sexy Cosplay outfit you could find?” or “You’re not ACTUALLY a Star Trek fan are you.” To which I would have the honor of putting them in their place about how wrong their stereotypes about Trekkies were. Then there were the people at the convention who had the exact opposite statements, saying things like “I’s nice to see someone as young as you appreciate Star Trek.” Or “It’s nice to see someone breaking an age old stereotype.” I probably had more people come talk to me and enjoy my company in the three days of the convention, than my entire existence combined. When ConTV interviewed me and asked what my favorite part of the convention was, I knew exactly what to say. I said “The best part isn’t the booths, or the celebrities, it’s the fact that hundreds of people can come together in a setting where everyone is accepted and share their talents and hobbies with other people who truly appreciate this culture for what it is.”
Since then I have made a massive amount of friends though conventions and clubs, people who I can share my passions with in an environment where everyone is accepted. But the one thing I think I can credit Star Trek with the most is saving my life. I have battled depression for 10 years and being part of a group where I feel at home has given me a new outlook on life, one with a bright happy future rather than the dark one I had been living. Star Trek opened my eyes to the idea that the future can be a bright place if we can accept everyone for who they are. We are all equals and together we can make the utopia a reality.
What I want to know is does anyone else have a story like this, where Star Trek shaped who they are today, or helped them overcome an obstacle. I’d like to know if anyone else has had an experience like me.
Oh and did I mention I got to hang out with the Hulk (Lou Ferrigno) while I was working, because I did! and I got picture proof haha.
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I'm glad to have found such a large community of fellow Trekkies!
