Have we entered a golden era of fandom?
A case could be made that the ‘80s or ‘90s were a golden era for Star Trek fandom. Many older fans can look back with nostalgia even to the 1970s when the only new Star Trek available was the animated series and the occasional original novel from Bantam Books, a time which finally culminated in 1979 with the release of TMP. While it was something of a scarce time in terms of new Star Trek it was also a time of dedicated fandom that wrote fan fiction, attended conventions, bought tie-in merchandise and kept watching the same original seventy-nine episodes over and over and over again. And Star Trek also gained new fans as newer viewers came to the show and it grew in popularity far beyond the audience it initially drew in 1966-69.
In the ‘80s we started to get a semi-regular serving of new Trek in the form of a feature film every few years. But it can be said that Trek’s popularity exploded in the late ‘80s with the arrival of TNG. Older viewers tuned in (and some not) and a new generation of fans developed as well. With new Trek on the big screen and a regular serving of Trek on television for the next eighteen years, and the original series still being aired, fans could OD on Trek. The arrival of the internet also allowed fans to connect with each and share their interests instantly with anyone around the world far faster and in greater numbers than could ever have been imagined. Back in the ‘70s Trek related news was shared by telephone, snail mail, at conventions and by magazines. And the news you received could be at best weeks to months old. The internet changed everything so that the latest news could be shared everywhere almost instantly. Along with the internet the introduction of ever advancing home computers also helped fans generate ever more polished fan projects. In the ‘70s fans began drawing familiar and new ship designs by hand. The introduction of drawing and image manipulating software allowed fans create ever more sophisticated designs and drawings. Then the availablility of 3D modelling took the technical aspects of fan made Trek to a level that could rival professional work.
The 21st century introduced a whole other level of fandom expressing itself: fan made features and web series. Essentially fans could now not only write new Star Trek stories, but with the means, evolving resources and falling cost of technology dedicated fans can now produce their own features and episodes. If they don’t like what Hollywood is offering them or if they just want to emulate or expand upon what already exists they can do it. Resources today allow fans to bring their own stories, their fan fiction to life. And the quality of those works, much like any fan projects since Star Trek debuted, varies from mostly enthusiastic to near professional standard in polished production. In turn viewers can even donate and help fund the projects that most interest them.
So has fandom entered a golden age or has that age passed?
A case could be made that the ‘80s or ‘90s were a golden era for Star Trek fandom. Many older fans can look back with nostalgia even to the 1970s when the only new Star Trek available was the animated series and the occasional original novel from Bantam Books, a time which finally culminated in 1979 with the release of TMP. While it was something of a scarce time in terms of new Star Trek it was also a time of dedicated fandom that wrote fan fiction, attended conventions, bought tie-in merchandise and kept watching the same original seventy-nine episodes over and over and over again. And Star Trek also gained new fans as newer viewers came to the show and it grew in popularity far beyond the audience it initially drew in 1966-69.
In the ‘80s we started to get a semi-regular serving of new Trek in the form of a feature film every few years. But it can be said that Trek’s popularity exploded in the late ‘80s with the arrival of TNG. Older viewers tuned in (and some not) and a new generation of fans developed as well. With new Trek on the big screen and a regular serving of Trek on television for the next eighteen years, and the original series still being aired, fans could OD on Trek. The arrival of the internet also allowed fans to connect with each and share their interests instantly with anyone around the world far faster and in greater numbers than could ever have been imagined. Back in the ‘70s Trek related news was shared by telephone, snail mail, at conventions and by magazines. And the news you received could be at best weeks to months old. The internet changed everything so that the latest news could be shared everywhere almost instantly. Along with the internet the introduction of ever advancing home computers also helped fans generate ever more polished fan projects. In the ‘70s fans began drawing familiar and new ship designs by hand. The introduction of drawing and image manipulating software allowed fans create ever more sophisticated designs and drawings. Then the availablility of 3D modelling took the technical aspects of fan made Trek to a level that could rival professional work.
The 21st century introduced a whole other level of fandom expressing itself: fan made features and web series. Essentially fans could now not only write new Star Trek stories, but with the means, evolving resources and falling cost of technology dedicated fans can now produce their own features and episodes. If they don’t like what Hollywood is offering them or if they just want to emulate or expand upon what already exists they can do it. Resources today allow fans to bring their own stories, their fan fiction to life. And the quality of those works, much like any fan projects since Star Trek debuted, varies from mostly enthusiastic to near professional standard in polished production. In turn viewers can even donate and help fund the projects that most interest them.
So has fandom entered a golden age or has that age passed?
