Why does it seem uncool to bea trek fan nowadays?
- Thread starter Cap.Sicho Nosk
- Start date
I don't think it was ever that uncool around here. Whenever Trek came up, most people reacted mildly interested. A lot of people have seen at least a few episodes.
Now we know empirically.
You say this, because you're from the future and know that Star Trek will rise again and become the glorious god of scifi, right, Mr. Titor?
I feel like whenever I bring up star trek, people feel the need to compare it to star wars., "I'm a star wars fan, not star trek." Like they even compare! And they haven't ever seen Star Trek! If they bring up star wars, thats where the conversation ends.
I can't believe how many people are saying "it was never cool to be a Trek fan."
I would submit that it has always been cool to be a Trek fan.
As someone pointed out, "cool" isn't necessarily the same as "mainstream" -- but then again, neither are they necessarily opposites. I think perhaps a more important dichotomy is between "cool" and "hip" -- hip being more elusive and ephemeral (as in fashion and music), whereas cool has saying power.
In my experience (FWIW), Trek may seldom have been "hip" in the sense of being in the cultural spotlight... but it's always at least been "cool" enough that whether or not other people are into it, they respect it and don't stigmatize it.
When I was a kid in the '70s, Star Trek was in regular syndication after school every day, and it was widely watched. This was when and how I first became a fan. When I was in college in the '80s, we didn't watch much TV... but practically everyone packed into the dorm TV lounge to see the premiere of Next Generation. When I was in law school in the early '90s, several of my friends and I used to get together to watch TNG eps; one even pitched several spec scripts; and an Evidence prof once gave me extra credit for answering a Trek trivia question. (Q: who was the first captain of the Enterprise? A: Robert April.) When I was living single in the mid-'90s, a whole different gang of friends (including some forthrightly "hip" ones!) got together to watch the debut of Voyager (although we all gave up on it soon enough, given the quality level). When Enterprise debuted in 2001, the first person to contact me about it in excitement was my Navy-veteran brother-in-law. And this little retrospective has taken place in an assortment of cities scattered all through the midwestern U.S.
Now, granted, I do still live in a major city with a diverse and culturally literate population. People in my circle of friends are as likely to be into BSG or comic books as, say, The Wire or gourmet cooking; more likely to host Oscar parties than Super Bowl parties. So there's nothing unusual about Trek... it's just one subculture among many, but one with staying power because a lot of people from all walks of life have affection for it. Hell, I've probably gotten more teasing about Trek from my girlfriend than anyone else... but even she's watched all of TOS on DVD with me.
I dunno, maybe if I lived in Podunk I'd agree that there's some sense of stigma. But honestly, I've just never seen it.
I would submit that it has always been cool to be a Trek fan.
As someone pointed out, "cool" isn't necessarily the same as "mainstream" -- but then again, neither are they necessarily opposites. I think perhaps a more important dichotomy is between "cool" and "hip" -- hip being more elusive and ephemeral (as in fashion and music), whereas cool has saying power.
In my experience (FWIW), Trek may seldom have been "hip" in the sense of being in the cultural spotlight... but it's always at least been "cool" enough that whether or not other people are into it, they respect it and don't stigmatize it.
When I was a kid in the '70s, Star Trek was in regular syndication after school every day, and it was widely watched. This was when and how I first became a fan. When I was in college in the '80s, we didn't watch much TV... but practically everyone packed into the dorm TV lounge to see the premiere of Next Generation. When I was in law school in the early '90s, several of my friends and I used to get together to watch TNG eps; one even pitched several spec scripts; and an Evidence prof once gave me extra credit for answering a Trek trivia question. (Q: who was the first captain of the Enterprise? A: Robert April.) When I was living single in the mid-'90s, a whole different gang of friends (including some forthrightly "hip" ones!) got together to watch the debut of Voyager (although we all gave up on it soon enough, given the quality level). When Enterprise debuted in 2001, the first person to contact me about it in excitement was my Navy-veteran brother-in-law. And this little retrospective has taken place in an assortment of cities scattered all through the midwestern U.S.
Now, granted, I do still live in a major city with a diverse and culturally literate population. People in my circle of friends are as likely to be into BSG or comic books as, say, The Wire or gourmet cooking; more likely to host Oscar parties than Super Bowl parties. So there's nothing unusual about Trek... it's just one subculture among many, but one with staying power because a lot of people from all walks of life have affection for it. Hell, I've probably gotten more teasing about Trek from my girlfriend than anyone else... but even she's watched all of TOS on DVD with me.
I dunno, maybe if I lived in Podunk I'd agree that there's some sense of stigma. But honestly, I've just never seen it.
I've lived in the UK and Australia, and I always felt less cool in Oz than in England, for liking Trek.
In the UK, Trek seems to be almost 'mainstream'. I met loads of fans over there (well, albeit closet fans). In Australia, you're basically an ubernerd if you dig Trek.
I suspect more people dig Trek than they let on. When the topic comes up, you find people crawling out of the woodwork, and saying they're fans from way back. It's just that people seem too scared to admit being a fan in polite company.
It's not just Trek, though. People think you're odd if you say you like Disney movies, or comic books, or videogames (in adult society), or heavy metal.
In the UK, Trek seems to be almost 'mainstream'. I met loads of fans over there (well, albeit closet fans). In Australia, you're basically an ubernerd if you dig Trek.
I suspect more people dig Trek than they let on. When the topic comes up, you find people crawling out of the woodwork, and saying they're fans from way back. It's just that people seem too scared to admit being a fan in polite company.
It's not just Trek, though. People think you're odd if you say you like Disney movies, or comic books, or videogames (in adult society), or heavy metal.
You want to be thought geeky, try caring about grammar and punctuation. (One of my unofficial titles at work is "grammar geek." They won't let me put it on my business cards, though.) Trek ain't nuthin' in comparison, believe me.
But I don't care. Really. I mean, if you really care about being cool, you won't be cool anyway, so why bother? And coolness is a moving target anyway.
But I don't care. Really. I mean, if you really care about being cool, you won't be cool anyway, so why bother? And coolness is a moving target anyway.
We had a thread about this only a few months ago.
Re your comment. As I said then, I've been a fan of ST since 1979. I was part of a club which grew from 200 to 1000 memembers over twelve years, and was president for most of that time.
I've not been made to feel any more geeky than if I'd been an Australian chess fan, an Australian Star Wars fan, a dog fancier, or any other Australian fringe enthusiast. I've done at least 20 media interviews about ST over the years, and media treatment of SF fans has actually improved over time, mainly as TNG became more mainstream.
I know British ST fans who live in Sydney now, and Sydney and Melbourne fans who now live in England. None have reported discernible differences in fandom.
john titor
Captain
In the future its the fashion to wear spandex TNG uniforms, make of that what you will
Commander Rabbit
Commander
You must be my long-lost twin sister! LOL Just add spelling to the list.
Commander Rabbit
Commander
I don't think it's ever really been cool to be a Trek fan. Not that that bothers me.
At work, my supervisor expressed concern about the effect the UFP flag on my office wall would have on my credibility as a leader in the organization. Meanwhile, he wears an NFL team shirt every Friday in football season and a baseball team shirt every Friday during that season. The Friday of the office Christmas party, he wore one red sock and one green sock (along w/ the football jersey). And he's worried that people will think that I'M weird?!
At work, my supervisor expressed concern about the effect the UFP flag on my office wall would have on my credibility as a leader in the organization. Meanwhile, he wears an NFL team shirt every Friday in football season and a baseball team shirt every Friday during that season. The Friday of the office Christmas party, he wore one red sock and one green sock (along w/ the football jersey). And he's worried that people will think that I'M weird?!
Oh, YES! And then there's syntax, and hatred of unnecessary cliches... The opportunities for geekiness are pretty much endless.
We should come up with a special hand signal or something. There are several of us here on the BBS, I've found. Power to the brother/sisterhood!
I lost the spelling bee in 6th grade because of "ridiculous"
Bad memories. However you pronounce it, it just sounds like it ought to be an "e" instead of an "i." The english language makes absolutely no sense sometimesSimilar threads
