Hi everyone!
I'm not so new here as I remember posting in the DS9 threads something like 3 years ago.
I couldn't remember my login name or password so I created new ones and here I am.
Go and take a can of your fav drink, I'm afraid it's going to be long winded

I just want people to know where I'm coming from, Star Trek wise.
I've always been a Trekker and I think I always will be. My interest may dwindle when I get sucked into other fandoms but it's always there and it doesn't take a lot of things to rekindle the flame, probably because Star Trek was the first thing (be it books, cartoons, movies or series) I was ever a fan of.
Back in 1982, TOS was aired for the first time in France (can you believe how long they waited?!) and my mother watched it. I think it was every Sunday afternoon but I'm not sure. I was 7 years old and I used to watch with her. I remember liking it very much. It was nothing like I had seen before (granted, kids didn't watch a lot of TV back then). I liked the adventures the crew had, I liked the incredible aliens there were, and I liked Spock the most. It must have been because he was the only one in the crew who didn't look like human.
TOS was aired again when I was a teenager. It should have been like those times when you reread a book you had discovered as a kid. The experience is always bittersweet and a tad disappointing because you reread the book through your adult eyes and it has lost some of its magic. But what happened for me was the exact opposite. I was able to fully appreciate TOS.
Granted, the SFX were outdated, the uniforms looked like pyjamas and the hairdos and make-up were obviously 60's looking but I LOVED the show. I remember running like mad after school from the bus stop to my house to catch the beginning of each episode. The stories were great, the characters had substance and I liked the optimistic vision of the future the show provided. Oh yeah, and I had a crush on Spock

He was a complex character, he had depth and I felt for him and his being caught between two worlds, trying to find his place. A bit like I was feeling at the time, I guess.
I've just realised it was 20 years ago and I can't believe how all of this has marked my mind and broadened my imagination. When I hear about the international space station, about the future exploration of Mars, about the discovery of a new star, I always think about Star Trek. I guess a part of me persists on thinking that one day, this wonderful future will become real.
TOS was the only Star Trek series to be aired on free TV channels. TNG, DS9, Voyager and Enterprise were all aired on a TV channel you had to pay for and I just couldn't afford it at the time.
I've been able to watch TNG and DS9 by buying the boxed sets. I really like them too, but my heart still goes to TOS, and my favourite Star Trek character remains Spock (even if Picard, Data, Kira and Odo had all my attention at some point).
I've also seen all the movies.
As I was a bit "out" of the fandom, I've started to hear about the new ST movie 2 or 3 months ago. I knew that "Nemesis" was the last movie with TNG crew but I had no idea that the 11th was going to feature TOS crew (sort of). Imagine my face when I stumbled upon a teaser

This was Kirk, this was Spock, this was the first Enterprise! I felt giddy.
I went to see the movie last week, the day it was released in my neck of the woods. That's also the only ST movie I've ever seen on a big screen but that's another story.
Maybe I should have read more about the actual story before going because I think it would have enhanced my experience. But I was afraid of spoilers. Oh well, what's done's done.
Then I had to talk about all this to some people and since no one around me is a fan, I remembered this board. And voilà!

I'm going to watch the movie again tomorrow and I think I'll post a review only after (which I think will be even longer than this post. Sorry). I really need a second viewing (and a third, and a fourth and…as long as my small theatre shows it).
All I can say right now is that I got out of the theatre with a huge grin plastered on my face. And I've ordered the three remastered seasons of TOS right away. I still can't believe I've spent 20 years without watching it.
Oh and btw, I'm a girl
