Trekkies weigh in on what the franchise means to them

RIVERSIDE — Star Trek, according to DePaul University Professor of Media and Pop Culture Paul Booth, popularized many of the activities today considered “fandom.”

Cosplay, fan conventions, fan fiction, and coordinated public displays of enthusiasm about a TV show all existed before the sci-fi franchise’s first episode aired in 1966, according to Booth. But the three-season series featuring colorful uniforms and the exploration of strange new worlds took popular culture by storm.

Booth, who specializes in a field he calls “fan studies,” spoke at an academic panel during Riverside’s annual TrekFest last week. He said Star Trek’s fandom was partially due to the technology available in the ‘60s. Star Trek arrived at a historical moment when photocopying was widely available, making letter-writing campaigns, event organization and fan magazines more accessible than ever before.

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But beyond that, he said the show tapped into a cultural zeitgeist, clinging to its viewers’ collective imagination with staying power that surprised even its makers. In an effort to articulate the reason for that impact, Booth joked, “Ask anyone in this room.”

So we did.

The Union spent several hours at TrekFest over the weekend asking attendees what they found so special about the sci-fi universe that’s been on and off television for almost 60 years, as they completed their pilgrimage to the future birthplace of Capt. James T. Kirk.

Many said the fandom itself was a major attraction, adding countless potential friends to the entertainment value of Trek’s numerous shows and movies.

“There’s just so many ways to be a Star Trek fan,” said Lee Stikes, who planned a road trip from her home in Michigan to reach the annual town festival. “I’ve connected with so many people here … Even if I didn’t like the property itself, the community surrounding Star Trek is so awesome, I’ll just always be in love with it.”

It’s a similar story for Courtney Steffen, who traveled from Clearwater, Florida this year for her first trip to TrekFest.

She said she got hooked on the sci-fi series’ deep collection of written fan fiction long before she watched a single episode. Since November, she’s worked her way through a season and a half of the original series, and says she’s been delighted the whole way through.

“I read (the fan fiction) and I really liked the atmosphere and the characters, even though they’re put in the wildest situations,” Steffen said. “A lot of my perception of the show is skewed by those interpretations. Like, I’ll be watching an episode and think, ‘This dialogue sounds really familiar,’ and it’s a fun mind trip.”

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Numerous fans in Riverside for the weekend said they were passionate about the show because they saw themselves in its characters, whether because of their gender, race, personality or profession.

Trek has long been praised for its relatively early portrayals of leadership positions for women, and people of color, or with disabilities and allegories for them. Many referenced a quote from Spock — one of Trek’s most iconic characters — using the phrase “infinite diversity in infinite combinations,” when talking about the fictional universe.

Dawn Fifer, who ventured to Riverside from Saint Paul, Minnesota, said that representation was a major appeal of the shows she grew up watching, but only recently became engrossed in thanks to the release of newer series like Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Lower Decks.

“I feel like it’s for everyone, it’s especially empowering for women,” she said. “It feels very inclusive, and I really love that about it.”

Ralph Burroughs, another fan braving the heat in Hall Park Saturday afternoon, said he agreed.

“It shows how progressive people could be, at a time that didn’t expect them to be so socially progressive,” Burroughs said. “They kind of hit the nail on the head on a lot of different issues, like gender, a lot of civil rights stuff, disability and things like that. It took everything else a lot of time to catch up, looking back on it.”

Jeffrey Price, whose build of a Klingon K't'inga-class ship won second-place in the weekend’s model-building contest, said Trek had inspired him to become an aerospace engineer.

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“The Enterprise, it just explores, that’s what it does,” he said. “It’s going out and exploring new planets, finding out about new things, and I love that idea, I would love to do that. My goal in life is to go to space.”

In general, fans said the collection of shows and movies offered a rare sense of optimism about the future overall, portraying a world in which humanity overcomes its petty differences, and eradicates modern problems like scarcity and wars against itself.

“It set the bar for technology, and the way the world could be,” said Scott Thorton, wearing a red, polyester Starfleet uniform as he waited for a celebrity Q&A event at the town festival. “It’s something to aspire to, so you start doing things to make that world happen … it shows that if you all work together, you can make a better world.”

And for nearly everyone at TrekFest last week, the franchise represents something quite simple: excellent entertainment.

Whether it’s a rich depth of characters, an immersive commitment to world-building, the lessons it teaches or the time it gave them bonding with family and friends, those at TrekFest 40 said they were grateful for the years they’d spent immersed in their favorite sci-fi universe.

“Even today, I can look back at the lessons from those shows, the camaraderie that they show, their presence under fire, how they came through those things,” said Phil Kausalik, who watched The Original Series when it first aired on TV, as his family switched from Westerns to sci-fi almost overnight. “It was a little corny, but they were still great life lessons, and I think they changed my life. And the stories are still good.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com