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Why does it seem uncool to bea trek fan nowadays?

Cap.Sicho Nosk

Ensign
Red Shirt
in the 90's when TNG was on in the mid to latter part of the series, ds9 and the movies came out, it seemed like trek was more in the mainstream than it feels now, even with the anticipation of the new movie. It was almost cool to be a trek fan in those days. Now it seems like we're back to being "uber nerds" or "geeks" for liking trek, what could have possably happened to bring about this stigma?:borg:
 
Um... I'm not sure because outisde the internet I rarely run into
anyone who thinks something of it. Most people I tell them I am
a Star Trek fan without hesitation and they just accept it.

None of my friends are Star Trek fans, but as time has gone on
they have all gained interest and now want to see the new film.

People just need to stop being insecure about who they are and
what they do and they will begin to gain more respect.
 
As someone who was within crowds of people that never really liked trek, I can tell you one fact: It has never been cool, and always considered uncool, as you put it, to be a trek fan.

I don;t preach it to my mates, but actually, I find most trek episodes extremely boring myself for that matter and turn them off most of the time. But sometimes even my mates tell me not to change the channel.

I love the setting, not exactly a big fan of its onscreen presentation.
 
NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERDS

Haha!

I live in a primarily LGBT neighborhood, and there's one street that's filled with all kinds of stores. Fashion boutiques, expensive hair salons, slick bars, hip restaurants. Basically, lots of pretty people of all shapes and sizes come by.

Sandwiched between a slick bar and a tapas restaurant is a toy store that specializes in nerdy goods. Rare collectibles, action figures with tons of articulation, and more. But a good chunk of their profits come from selling some of the latest Star Trek merchandise, like the TMP Enterprise and the Enterprise-E. It's good to be a nerd.
 
I think people are not remembering correctly. It's never been cool to be a Trek fan. Trek was doing very well in the mid 90s and it may have many more fans come May...but that just means there are a lot of Trek nerds....not that it's somehow cool. Just because a lot of people like it doesn't mean it's cool.

EDIT: I'm at the gym now and a female firend of mine walked by, chatted and asked what I was doing on ther net (she noticed my Locke avatar) and then she noticed the Riker avatar below mine and asked what this site was...I timidly told her it was the Trekbbs...she gave me a friendly but "aw jeez!" look. Then she asked what the heck we talk about...then I told this thread was about if it's cool to be a Trekker or not. Her expression told it all!
 
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I must admit I don't recall when it was ever cool to be a Trek fan. Throughout my life if I've ever mentioned being a Trek fan to people, even good friends usually have to try hard to keep their faces straight. TNG hit mainstream popularity but even then it wasn't cool, I don't think, to admit being a fan.
 
As someone who was within crowds of people that never really liked trek, I can tell you one fact: It has never been cool, and always considered uncool, as you put it, to be a trek fan.

I don;t preach it to my mates, but actually, I find most trek episodes extremely boring myself for that matter and turn them off most of the time.

And yet you post here everyday;)
 
You tend to see sentence, but ignore the context.

I enjoy the setting. Don't need to be a lover of any trek episodes at all or movies to be a big fan in other factors.

I'm a trek simmer. Not a dedicated watcher. Hate almost every ep I've tried to watch fully but failed. Today's failed attempt was the voyager episode of the race, whatever its called. Was a yawner, changed channel and waited for boston legal.
 
That doesn't make much sense... You *hate* almost every Star Trek episode you tried to watch? But consider yourself a fan? Because you like the setting?
What do you mean by that? You like the future utopia it describes? Or simply shows set in a futuristic future?
Still, you can't be a Star Trek fan if you don't enjoy watching episodes. Hell it's not even not enjoying them..it's hating them!
 
...and this is how fans isolate themselves...

So I'm a labourer by trade, love my beer, love my aussie rules football, used to play football myself, I do virtually everything normal aussie males of my age do.

Then I like the trek setting for the stories it can produce in a role-play environment?

Doesn't make me a fan of trek? Hell I love the srtting in its possibilties of roleplayable storytelling.

Then I do have a list of episodes I do quite like.
TNG:
Inner Light
Darmok
Who Watches the Watchers
The Next Phase
All Good Things pt1&pt2
Birthright pt1&pt2

DS9:
Emissary
Starship Down (I think that's what its called, when defiants playing cat and dog with dominion fighters in a planets atmosphere)
Way of the Warrior pt1&2
A call to arms

Voyager:
Barely any really, found it to always be very dissapointing.
But the episodes based on the pathfinder project I enjoyed

Enterprise:
Only one episode- Horizon

TOS:
Doomsday Machine
Guardian of forever (if thats not what the eps called, sorry)

MOVIES

I- most original concept for its time of creation is what impresses me most
II
III
-
-
VI
-
FC
-
-
Pending on the new one
 
Not really concerned with "isolating myself"...

I just think it's hard to be fan of something which you *hate* the most important aspect. I mean, there are many episodes I find boring and not particularly engaging..some I might even dislike alot (hate?) but in general I enjoy watching episodes.

Now I see that you still like some episodes (and possibly more than you haven't seen or don't remember?). So perhaps "hate" was too strong a word? And "almost every" too big of a generalization?

Don't worry though, I won't remove your trek fan membership card!

Interesting thing that role playing aspect!
 
Cheers, but don't assume.

and possibly more than you haven't seen or don't remember?
I've watched well, I can;t really say how many I've watched I could be positive in saying I have watched at least say, half of every season of tos/tng/ds9/ent at the -minimum (probably seen all of the seasons full eps over the years, just can't be sure)- And voyager I just always find personally bad so a lot less there.

I will admit there maybe say a handful (that's 4 fingers and 1 thumb) of episodes I may have neglected to list.

So perhaps "hate" was too strong a word? And "almost every" too big of a generalisation?
No when I say hate, I mean hate in the general aspect that I would never give it a second chance, the said episodes. it could be because of bland plot, or in voyager/enterprise eps a repeat plot that's been done before in another series, bad acting, bad script or just a general episode that fails to entertain me in any way whatsoever. I do not take eye-candy as engaging, I can live with poor graphics and good story/acting but good graphics over poor story/or acting no I can't.

Note: this is just my opinion, my view, my taste. I'll repeat this often, just so people know I'm not trying to wham my view as overall truth, like others here do. It's just my taste, my opinion, my view. It's no less educated or uneducated than anyone elses views on what they like or dislike.

Considering my small list, "almost every" is quite justified in my view. For it is almost every episode that I would brand "hated" with those few gems caught inbetween.

So for my personal taste, my descriptions are quite spot on.

but notice, I've never attacked anyone for liking an episode I hate. If you're favourite episode is "these are the voyages" I'm not going to call you an idiot. I'll respect your taste.

I just expect the same respect in return. I'm not like most trek fans, I won't pressure you to like things the way I like them, or hate what I hate, it may come across that way but that's just me trying to yell my view out, not to sway, but simply be heard over the 3000 other voices that yell as equally whom frequent the forum.

I'm sure you can understand that.

*Here's the repeat Note: this is just my opinion, my view, my taste. I'll repeat this often, just so people know I'm not trying to wham my view as overall truth, like others here do. It's just my taste, my opinion, my view. It's no less educated or uneducated than anyone elses views on what they like or dislike.

Onto the roleplay aspect...I've been role-playing on and off in Trek for years. *points at self made avatar of the one constant character he has played, Jack Lashmore*

he was born on a non-canon world I created myself which has heavily fallen into orion Syndicate hands and was trained to be a professional hit-man and criminal/pirate. After several incidents which effected him heavily on a personal influence he fled that lfie and eventually found starfleet. Due to his past life, he is not exactly normal fleet material but an impulsive yet clever personality who makes Tom Paris and b'elanna and Worf look tame as kittens.

Due to his latest assignment aboard the Roanoke his mentality very much alike the captain's own she requested him to take over as her Executive Officer, since he thinks quite outside the box compared to most federation born officers.

The extent of my knowledge of trek is mostly due to research to know more on what I am writing about in the roleplay environment, from technology, to ship capabilities and cultures mostly researched on www.ditl.org and the occasional episode review for when I need to refresh myself on something where the roleplay is semi-lnked to events within an episode.

I love that information, tbh.


*Here's the re-repeat Note: this is just my opinion, my view, my taste. I'll repeat this often, just so people know I'm not trying to wham my view as overall truth, like others here do. It's just my taste, my opinion, my view. It's no less educated or uneducated than anyone elses views on what they like or dislike.
 
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in the 90's when TNG was on in the mid to latter part of the series, ds9 and the movies came out, it seemed like trek was more in the mainstream than it feels now, even with the anticipation of the new movie. It was almost cool to be a trek fan in those days. Now it seems like we're back to being "uber nerds" or "geeks" for liking trek, what could have possably happened to bring about this stigma?:borg:

There was a high point around the release of Generations, yes. At one point there was a major poll that indicated one of three Americans would describe himself as a Trek fan.

But we had DS9 drag on with no buzz for many seasons after that, Voyager divide the fanbase and not exactly tear up the ratings either, and then Enterprise try and fail to reinvigorate the franchise as a whole, ultimately getting canceled. A lot of people wonder if they didn't go to the well a little too often, and if they shouldn't have let Trek "lie fallow" for a bit.

The new movie may start a new wave of Trek mania, or not.
 
@Lashmore:

Sure anyone is entitled to their oppinions. I just thought it was odd..but then who am I to judge!
 
It's never been "cool" to be a Trek fan. Not as far as I can remember, anyway, and I can remember back through the misty mists and dusky dusks to the Dawn of Trekdom. There are times that it's been slightly more mainstream than it is now, but no matter what anybody tells you, "mainstream" is not synonymous with cool. I mean, WalMart is mainstream -- does that make it cool? "Comfort-fit" Dockers are mainstream. Are they cool?

Nope. Coolness and mainstreamness (?) sometimes overlap, but they are not the same thing.

But even when Trek was more mainstream, it was always at least somewhat geeky and nerdy, which is fine with me. To reinforce what Nardpuncher demonstrated with his annecdote, I have an annecdote of my own. I recently moved a Romulan Warbird ornament from my house to my office, and the reaction of those of my coworkers who notice it is hilarious. It's like, "You like Star Trek? You?"

Apparently I appear too normal to be a Trek fan. If you can imagine. I'm going to have to work on that.
 
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ah who gives sh1t whether its cool or not. The best way to be cool is not to care what anyone else thinks is cool and follow your own style. That way you will always be cool because you are not part of any trend, although said coolness depends on a skillful combination of aesthetic and artistic components.

Star Trek is regarded as being for weirdos which is partly due to the fact that its vision of the future is so compelling that people role play it irl. But I don't consider this weird, they're just imaginative and not constrained by nonsense social requirements that they have to act the same as everyone else.

I love films like Bladerunner and so on but there are a lot of bleak visions of the future and I think this is the problem people may have with trek, its not realistic or gritty enough, its too abstract and "talky." Well perhaps this is because there is way to much lowest common denominator crap on the airwaves.

Trek imo is the king of sci fi, I prefer it over Star Wars, because it has a consistent reality to it, in being a tv show, you can dip in and out of this reality over the course of years. Someone astutely pointed it out, and I can only paraphrase it badly from memory, that it was a virtual reality co-existing within this one in cultural terms. I liked that definition very much as it captured the essence of trek.
 
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