Trekkie

Trekkie (or Trekker) is a term that in recent decades has been used to describe a fan of the Star Trek science fiction franchise.

Trekkie was also the nickname of the British artist, Trekkie Parsons, close friend of Leonard Woolf.

Origins

The term "Trekkie" has actually been in existence for some time. In the 1934 book The Great Trek by E. A. Walker, about South Africa in 1836-37, the word was used several times:

"The little trek party, the trekkie, was the unit." (Chapter IV: Umsilikazi, Page 106)

"There were of course troubles. Even a trekkie could be fissiparous." (Chapter IV: Umsilikazi, Page 111)

"...and forthwith the Maatschappij set out trekkie by trekkie for Pietermaritzburg and the coast." (Chapter VI: Blaauwkrans, Blood River And The Zulu Battle, Page 190)

The word "Trekkie"

Trekkie was always the more popular term in the media in general but Trekker was preferred by fans until recently when Trekkie has become mostly acceptable.

The term "Trekkie" is sometimes considered derogatory, perhaps because of a perceived parallel to the terms "groupie" or "Hippie". Some Star Trek enthusiasts prefer the term "Trekker", while some others hold the latter term to be stupid or pretentious, and, for that reason, self-identify as "Trekkies". Some Trekkies even hold that a "Trekker" is a "Trekkie" who is embarrassed of being a "Trekkie". On the other hand, "Trekker" is sometimes used as a term for the kind of Star Trek fan who is obsessed with the minutiae and the fine details. A Trekkie was considered to be someone stupid and embarrassing to intelligent and serious fans known as Trekkers. The classic stereotype is a clueless Trekkie walking around wearing rubber Spock ears and being held up to public ridicule for his obsession. Trekkie vs Trekker mirrors the Sci-Fi vs SF debate.

"Trekker" may actually have its origins in the early days. When the media picked up on the word "Trekkies", some fans thought the term sounded too much like "Crazies". Self-identification as a "Trekkie" became even less popular in the late 1980s after a famous national television parody (see Parodies below); several self-described "Trekkers" were quoted as saying they "had a life" (contrasting themselves from "Trekkies").

In the late 1960s, science fiction editor Art Saha applied the term "trekkies" when he saw a few fans of the first season of Star Trek wearing pointy ears at a science fiction convention. He used the term in an interview with Pete Hamill that Hamill was conducting for TV Guide concerning the phenomenon of science fiction. Today, the word is found in the Concise Oxford Dictionary, and aficionados of the long-run series have seen their subculture achieve stratospheric status. The series preferences of "Trekkies" vary widely, however, with some having distinct preferences for The Original Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise, or the movies. Some are also fans of the Pocket Books tie-in novel media franchise and the comic books.

A 1997 documentary film, called Trekkies, chronicled some of these devoted fans; a sequel followed in 2003. The argument that "Trekkie" is the correct term was settled once and for all by the director of Trekkies Roger Nygard by a post on the official website for the documentary. When a fan posed the question of why the film was called Trekkies and not Trekkers, Nygard had this to say:

Gene Roddenberry's former assistant and Star Trek researcher, told us the following story, and that clinched it for us.

Gene (Roddenberry) didn't recognize the term "Trekker" however. Somebody once corrected him when he used "Trekkie" on stage. He responded, "Excuse me, did you say 'TrekkER?' The word is 'TrekkIE.' I should know, I created them." [1]. However, it's interesting to note that in the 1991 TV show "Star Trek: 25th Anniversary Special", Leonard Nimoy attempts to settle the issue by stating that the term 'Trekker' is the correct one.

The term "Trekkie", originally intended only to describe enthusiasts of Star Trek, has so often been used to describe its most ardent, diehard fans, that the term has also been used sometimes to indicate obsession itself. For example, there is a character in the hit Broadway musical Avenue Q named Trekkie Monster who is obsessed, not with Star Trek, but with internet porn. Because he is called "Trekkie", however, the audience is meant to assume that his enthusiasm is focused and insatiable.

Activities

Some Trekkies regularly attend Star Trek conventions (called "cons"), and are sometimes bitter rivals of hard core Star Wars fans. By analogy, Star Wars fans sometimes refer to themselves as "Warsies", and Mystery Science Theater 3000 fans frequently refer to themselves as "MSTies".

They probably own, or perhaps have helped create, the blueprints for various Federation starships, have explanations for all apparent contradictions, such as why in Next Generation episode 5.24, "The Next Phase," in which some characters temporarily became incorporeal, they could still breathe and were affected by artificial gravity and floors.

There are many Star Trek fan clubs, among the largest currently being STARFLEET International and the International Federation of Trekkers.

There is a persistent stereotype that amongst Trekkies there are many speakers of the constructed Klingon language. The reality is less clear-cut, as some of its most fluent speakers are more language aficionados than people obsessed with Star Trek. Most Trekkies have no more than a basic vocabulary of Klingon, perhaps consisting of a few common words heard innumerable times over the series, while not having much knowledge of Klingon's syntax or precise phonetics.

Parodies

Trekkies have been parodied in several films, notably Galaxy Quest.

In 1986 William Shatner performed in a famous sketch on Saturday Night Live. He played himself at a Star Trek convention at which he told the Trekkies to "get a life". "For God's sake," Shatner elaborated, "it's just a TV show!". At one point, he asked Jon Lovitz' Trekkie character, whom he assumed to be almost 30 years old, if he had ever kissed a girl, to which the character sadly hung his head.

There was once a pitch for a reality TV show featuring a group of "die-hard" Trekkies and one "normal" person, though it remains to be seen if such a series will be aired.

One episode of Futurama called "Where No Fan Has Gone Before" was dedicated to parodying Trekkies by envisioning a scenario whereby a "space energy being" named "Melllvar" forces the original cast to endure a Star Trek convention for all eternity, much to the disgust of the cast.

Free Enterprise chronicles the lives of two men who grew up worshipping Star Trek and emulating Captain Kirk. Most of the movie centers on William Shatner, playing a parody of himself, and how the characters wrestle with their relationships to Star Trek.

Robot Chicken featured a skit involving a science fiction convention and an encounter between Trekkies and Warsies, which resulted in an all-out riot when a Warsie suggested that William Shatner would not play James Kirk in an upcoming Enterprise episode.

The Broadway musical Avenue Q partially parodies Trekkies through the inclusion of a character named, appropriately enough, Trekkie Monster.

A Trekkie features in one episode of the television show The West Wing, during which Josh Lyman confronts the temporary employee over her display of a Star Trek pin in the White House.

Trekkie controversy

During the 1996 Whitewater controversy, bookbindery employee Barbara Adams served as an alternate juror. During the trial Adams wore a Star Trek-inspired black and red Starfleet Command division uniform, including a badge, a phaser, and a tricorder; her rank, given by her collar insignia, was Lieutenant Commander (a rank she uses for herself in everyday life). She was later dismissed from the trial for conducting a sidewalk interview with the television program American Journal. During the interview Adams said she believed in the principles expressed in Star Trek. The news media at the time attributed her dismissal because she was wearing her Star Trek uniform at the trial. In the Sci-Fi Channel's information fandom news series of "SCI-FI BUZZ", she explained in a live telephone interview with host Mike Jerrick that she was dropped because of her talking to a reporter of "America Journal" about her Trek uniform and not anything about the trial. Although, nothing was deemed as a trial enclosure violation, still the rules were any juror was not to talk to the press in any form. She stated the judge at the trial was supportive of her, Adams still was dismissed. She said she found Star Trek an alternative to "mindless television" because it promotes tolerance, peace, and faith in mankind. Adams also appeared in the 1997 documentary Trekkies and its sequel Trekkies 2.

References

"Judge Beams Trekkie Juror from Whitewater case," CNN, March 14, 1996.