Fan suicide

[Nardpuncher]

I remember reading in the book from the 70s " Star Trek Lives!" that there was once a Trek fan that was so obsessed with Spock that he commited suicide rather than live with the fact that he wasn't Spock.
Does anyone know of this? I'll admit I'm lazy and this is the first place I asked. I didn't google or anything.

 

[Brutal Strudel]

Only what I read in Gerrold's version (I think itwas Gerrold, The World of Star Trek), which is that the kid went crazy trying to repress his emotions and discovering that humans can't. It's a good fable about keeping Trek in perspective but I'm willing to bet there's more to it than that which has no relation to Star Trek at all. (Perhaps he was trying to repress trauma or an unpopular sexual orientation, I dunno, more than just he wanted to be Spock.)

 

[Robert Treat]

I remember reading about such a kid in the World of Star Trek, but I don't remember the book saying what became of him (it was one of the earlier editions of Gerrold's book). It wouldn't surprise me that trying to be a Vulcan backfired.

Whether the approach was the right one to use, there's a very good reason Shatner said what he did on Saturday Night Live some thirty years ago.

 

[Jack Bauer]

This is the first time I've heard of this guy. It's tragic.

 

[gastrof]

Robert Treat said:
...there's a very good reason Shatner said what he did at a Trekkie convention some thirty years ago.

If you mean "Get a life!", Shatner actually said that during a skit on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE.

If he later said it at a real convention, it was a humorous reference to the aired skit.

 

[Robert Treat]

Thanks for the PM; I just edited that post accordingly.

 

[gastrof]

Robert Treat said:
Thanks for the PM; I just edited that post accordingly.

Ah...

But I shall leave the original version in the quoted section of my reply as it is...

Your shame shall be known far and wide throughout Trek fandom, and small children shall throw recently deceased tribbles at you and shout cruel taunts.

You will never escape your infamy.

 

[Therin of Andor]

gastrof said:
If he later said it at a real convention, it was a humorous reference to the aired skit.

He actually did re-use it - as the title of his book about Star Trek fans and the convention scene.

 

[ChristopherPike]

Still on the topic of fandom, as I understand it Geordi La Forge was named after a big 70's Trekkie known to Roddenberry et all. Someone severely disabled and wheelchair bound as I recall.

James Doohan once spoke of a depressed fan he met on several occasions, they sought his advice, returned to further education and achieved a degree or doctorate in Engineering.

I just thought I'd bring something a little more positive to the table. Since these extreme examples of suicides and other ill individuals all too often make the headlines, while more inspirational ones don't.

 

[The Squire of Gothos]

I think on balance more positive things have come out of Star Trek than negative, more than one inventor/astronaut has been on TV quoting it as something that gave them a bit of initiative. Maybe only when they were kids, but still

 

[Therin of Andor]

ChristopherPike said:
Geordi La Forge was named after a big 70's Trekkie known to Roddenberry et all. Someone severely disabled

George La Forge, a fan of the original Star Trek series, died from muscular dystrophy in 1975. TNG's Geordi was named for him, and also Admiral George la Forge in the Bantam ST novel, "The Galactic Whirlpool".

 

[Robert Treat]

gastrof said:

Robert Treat said:
Thanks for the PM; I just edited that post accordingly.

Ah...

But I shall leave the original version in the quoted section of my reply as it is...

Your shame shall be known far and wide throughout Trek fandom, and small children shall throw recently deceased tribbles at you and shout cruel taunts.

You will never escape your infamy.

 

[Who_Trek]

Therin of Andor said:

George La Forge, a fan of the original Star Trek series, died from muscular dystrophy in 1975. TNG's Geordi was named for him, and also Admiral George la Forge in the Bantam ST novel, "The Galactic Whirlpool".

I didn't know that... what a nice tribute to Mr. La Froge.

 

[jimbo1973]

I'd heard of Geordi being named after an actual fan, but not the young mans suicide..thats awful and a lesson to be learned for sure

 

[Therin of Andor]

jimbo1973 said:
I'd heard of Geordi being named after an actual fan, but not the young mans suicide..thats awful and a lesson to be learned for sure

Just to clarify, George La Forge was not the suicide victim discussed in the original post.

And, surely, over the decades, numerous troubled young (and older) Star Trek fans (and rock music fans, and sports fans, and computer game fans, ad infinitum) have committed suicide - just as many others have been saved from suicide due to their close connection with Star Trek (or rock music, sports or computer games, etc).

 

[jimbo1973]

didnt mean to sound like it was the same person..but my dumb wording..lol but you are quite right many things other than star trek can cause suicides..there were obviously problems in that persons life..bless his heart..

 

[Trekwatcher]

Nardpuncher said:
I remember reading in the book from the 70s " Star Trek Lives!" that there was once a Trek fan that was so obsessed with Spock that he commited suicide rather than live with the fact that he wasn't Spock.
Does anyone know of this? I'll admit I'm lazy and this is the first place I asked. I didn't google or anything.

This story has been around forever-I remember first hearing it in the 1970's. Some versions of it have the person subsuming his identity in favor of a Spock persona, and being unable to function outside of this role. Other versions have him as part of a pair of teenagers, one who "became" Kirk and one who "became" Spock. The "Kirk" ultimately dropped this act and returned to who he was while the "Spock" was unable to.

I have never really seen anything to confirm or deny that this is really just a myth. Also, if true, it makes one wonder if "Spock" didn't already have some baseline problems that could have led to similar bad outcomes.

If anybody has any more info on this I, too, would love to see it.

 

[Trekwatcher]

Therin of Andor said:

jimbo1973 said:
I'd heard of Geordi being named after an actual fan, but not the young mans suicide..thats awful and a lesson to be learned for sure

Just to clarify, George La Forge was not the suicide victim discussed in the original post.

And, surely, over the decades, numerous troubled young (and older) Star Trek fans (and rock music fans, and sports fans, and computer game fans, ad infinitum) have committed suicide - just as many others have been saved from suicide due to their close connection with Star Trek (or rock music, sports or computer games, etc).

I think Nemesis alone was responsible for countless Star Trek related suicides!

 

[Tomalak]

Therin of Andor said:

jimbo1973 said:
I'd heard of Geordi being named after an actual fan, but not the young mans suicide..thats awful and a lesson to be learned for sure

Just to clarify, George La Forge was not the suicide victim discussed in the original post.

And, surely, over the decades, numerous troubled young (and older) Star Trek fans (and rock music fans, and sports fans, and computer game fans, ad infinitum) have committed suicide - just as many others have been saved from suicide due to their close connection with Star Trek (or rock music, sports or computer games, etc).

Quite. There's a touching story here.

 

[iguana_tonante]

Robert Treat said:It wouldn't surprise me that trying to be a Vulcan backfired.

It worked just fine with me.