Introduction!

[melannen]

Hello everyone, and welcome to starry_sea! I'm still working on icons and layout and things (though if you would like to help or make icons, I would love the help.)

In the meantime, let's have introductions! Leave a comment here to let us know something about you and your relationship with Star Trek.

Here's some questions to get us started (not required, but fun):
1. Who are you? What are you looking for in this community?
2. How long have you been a Star Trek fan? How did you first become one? How would you describe your previous involvement with the fandom?
3. What do you consider part of your personal canon? What's your personal fanon?
4. For you, what is the most essential thing about Star Trek that makes it Star Trek to you?
5. If you could rec us only one book/episode/comic/movie, which would it be?
6. Link us to a fic, website, discussion post, or community - yours, or someone else's - that we should all check out.

I, your friendly mod, will start things off in the first comment. And will probably strain DW's comment limits in the process.

Comments

[melannen]

1. I'm your friendly mod melannen, and I started this community because I can't talk about Star Trek without talking about the books and animated series, and my admiration of the foresmutters, and other bits of my personal canon, and I realize that this may annoy people who are actually in it for the shows. :D

2. I've been a Star Trek fan since the Blizzard of '93, when I was ten and school was cancelled for two weeks, and I spent my mornings sitting on the couch in the den, watching TOS reruns with bad reception on the ancient dial television. My parents had always been fans, but when I was little I was terrified of the show and would go hide in the closet when the theme music came on, so that was when I actually fell for the show. I rapidly started reading all the books I could get my hands on, and taping episodes, and watching TNG. That phase only lasted about four years before I got annoyed at Voyager and DS9, but by then I'd already read nearly all the books that were out. I've wandered in and out of organized Trek fandom since then, but the parts that were active were never the parts that I was really passionate about, so I never really joined a community, but I've had lots of RL friends and family that I've bonded with over Trek.

3. My personal canon is, in order of priority, the Diane Duane and Diane Carey novels, the Original Series, the rest of the TOS novels up through about '93 or so, the first six movies, and the TNG episodes "Unification" and "Relics". I'm also down with the Mirrorverse and Reboot canon AUs. The rest of it I feel free to pick and choose from. My only important fanon is that by the time of the sixth movie, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy all have a bond that goes well beyond friendship and into soulbond territory. Oh, also, the Enterprise is a person, and all her crew is in love with her, and she loves them back.

4. Star Trek to me is about hope and aspiration. It has faith that nonviolence is always a viable option, and that good always triumphs over evil, as long as it is very, very careful. It believes in peace and prosperity, exploration and discovery, science and beauty, diversity for its own sake, the ultimate perfectability of humankind. It's a bright, shining hope, a great white bird spreading wings against the darkness. ...it is possible that I take Star Trek far too seriously.

5. You have to read The Wounded Sky. Diane Duane's novels in general, but if I had to pick only one, then The Wounded Sky would be it.

6. FTL Publications has a free online PDF of Boldly Writing, A History of Star Trek Zines 1967-1987. It includes, among other things, the complete text of the original Mary-Sue story.

[trouble]

Interesting. Whenever anyone has talked about the "original" Mary Sue story, they've always implied that it was written on purpose, not as a parody.

[melannen]

Yeah, that was the first way I heard about it too; but when you see the real thing, it was clearly done as parody. (It's possible that there was an actual mary-sue named mary-sue that she got the name from, but I've never seen a reference for it.{

[klangley56]

I realize this little conversation is eons old, in 'net terms, but I only now have gotten myself a Dreamwidth account . . .

No, Paula did not base her Mary Sue on another character with that name. I could ask her specifically, if you like, but I expect it's just that Paula, who has always been a *fiend* at parodies, found the name appropriate for her story.

Are you still doing introductions here?

[melannen]

Introductions are ongoing! I'll try to remind people periodically to check by this post, too.

The Mary Sue story is amazing. :D

[naraht]

1. Who are you? What are you looking for in this community?
Naraht (AKA "Ensign Rock," as those of you who read Diane Duane will know). I'm looking forward to reconnecting with a great former fandom of mine and hopefully reviving the passion.

2. How long have you been a Star Trek fan? How did you first become one? How would you describe your previous involvement with the fandom?

Since 1987, when TNG premiered in the US. My parents were both fans of the original series and naturally sat down with me to watch the new series. I was five and was instantly hooked. Started reading the novels not too much later, shipped Riker and Troi, and was taken to conventions by my aforementioned indulgent parents. My first exposure to TOS was with Star Trek IV, which I have adored ever since. I had a more grownup phase of enthusiasm a few years ago now, when I posted on the TrekBBS under this same name. And went to a couple of conventions then too. I've always been more of a TNG fan but I have a deep and abiding respect for TOS and it's the only other series I have much time for.

3. What do you consider part of your personal canon? What's your personal fanon?

Diane Duane. Also Diane Duane. All of TOS but not the animated series which I've never seen. Novels until they became all continuity-obsessive. TOS movies except V. All of TNG but none of those movies.

4. For you, what is the most essential thing about Star Trek that makes it Star Trek to you?

Optimistic secular humanism. And that focus on the nature of humanity and its struggle to better itself.

5. If you could rec us only one book/episode/comic/movie, which would it be?

Quite possibly "The Wounded Sky." If not that, then "The Romulan Way."

6. Link us to a fic, website, discussion post, or community - yours, or someone else's - that we should all check out.

Autochthony by raven

[skywaterblue]

Horta rock. Nice to meet you.

[melannen]

You're so lucky; I would have given anything to have parents who took me to cons. (Mine liked Trek, but were too much stick-in-the-muds to actually go to cons.

Secret: I haven't actually seen TAS either, but the Logbooks, which are episode adaptations, are some of my favorites. (They get turned into mermaids! They all get shrunk down to an inch high!) Other than that, and including the camping scene from ST V, I think your canon pretty much matches mine.

[leighton]

1. Who are you? What are you looking for in this community?
Name's Leighton, and I joined this community because I love discussing the themes and cultural impact of the show and its mythos.

2. How long have you been a Star Trek fan? How did you first become one? How would you describe your previous involvement with the fandom?

I've been a Trek fan since my early teens, when I watched The Next Generation whenever I could. I tried getting into Deep Space 9 and Voyager, but they just didn't do it for me. I recently rekindled my interest in it after I wrote a paper on race in science fiction for a graduate class. That led me to watch the original series, and now it has devoured my soul.


3. What do you consider part of your personal canon? What's your personal fanon?

The original series and The Next Generation. I try to deny that Star Trek V and the Next Gen movies happened.

4. For you, what is the most essential thing about Star Trek that makes it Star Trek to you?

Hope, optimism, faith in human ingenuity, Jim Kirk as an ideal of heroic masculinity, perpetuating the American mythos of a compassionate, uniting superpower envied by its enemies

5. If you could rec us only one book/episode/comic/movie, which would it be?

I'm partial to The Menagerie (both parts).

6. Link us to a fic, website, discussion post, or community - yours, or someone else's - that we should all check out.

I'm going to cheat here and link to a book that critiques the show's purported colorblindness: Star Trek and History: Racing Towards a White Future
http://www.amazon.com/Star-Trek-History-Race-Ing-Toward/dp/0813524660/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

[melannen]

Oooh, that book looks really interesting. I'd love to hear about what you found out for that paper.

Star Trek as American mythos - so very, very true, and so easy (for Americans, anyway) to overlook.

[leighton]

The book discusses how whiteness is constructed in the series and its basic critique, if I remember correctly, is that Star Trek's ideal future is colorblind only in the sense that minorities are allowed to become white.

One of the more interesting tidbits that I recall from it was that in the episode Plato's Stepchildren, infamous for it's Kirk/Uhura kiss, the network wanted them to edit the scene so that she would kiss Spock instead specifically because of his mixed racial background. I found that very interesting, as my research was focused on blackness as the ultimate signifier of 'other' in science fiction.

[bessemerprocess]

1. Who are you? What are you looking for in this community?
Hi, I'm Henry and I'm here for the book!squee.

2. How long have you been a Star Trek fan? How did you first become one? How would you describe your previous involvement with the fandom?
As my mom likes to tell people, my dad had the tv tuned to Star Trek in the delivery room. I come to my fannishness through genetic inheritance, though I've never been fannish with other fans in Star Trek before.


3. What do you consider part of your personal canon? What's your personal fanon?
My personal canon covers all the series except Enterprise (which I haven't seen) and most of the books. And yes, I will handwave to fit all that in there. Any one else ever read the for kids Academy books?

4. For you, what is the most essential thing about Star Trek that makes it Star Trek to you?
The exploration. The boldly going. The scientific curiosity.

5. If you could rec us only one book/episode/comic/movie, which would it be?
Just in case melannen hasn't been convinced yet: Uhura's Song.

6. Link us to a fic, website, discussion post, or community - yours, or someone else's - that we should all check out.

st_reboot had some great reboot fic going on.

[chrissytng]

1. Who are you? What are you looking for in this community?

I'm Chrissy. I'm here via stellar_dust's pimpage of this in her journal last night. Thanks to the new movie I'm rediscovering my love for all things Trek, especially TOS!

2. How long have you been a Star Trek fan? How did you first become one? How would you describe your previous involvement with the fandom?

Star Trek TNG is the first tv show I ever remember watching, and it's probably one of the first thing I remember in general when I think about it. It was just always on, and I always loved it from the beginning. As I got older I watched and enjoyed DS9 and some of Voyager, but then I fell hard for TOS when I was about 10 or 11. My involvement in fandom was always through my parents who are real life fans and their friends. We never were able to go to conventions, but our family friends would and we'd spend hours sitting around talking Trek when I was a kid.

3. What do you consider part of your personal canon? What's your personal fanon?

Canon for me is definitely TOS, TNG, the TOS movies (except for Final Frontier, that never happened lol), DS9, and since I'm new to the books, the few I've read and really felt were canon compliant are included (such as Federation by Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens, and some of the stories in these old Trek short story anthologies that I have (they're buried in my closet right now so I don't remember what their exact titles are, I'm planning to pull them out in the coming days though lol)). I'd also accept the new movie as AU canon. Same for the Mirror-verse. Fanon for me would be Enterprise, Voyager, the TNG movies (except Nemesis, bc that never happened for me either lol), comics, and I guess anything else I read that I like, but don't feel really fits in. I don't know about the Animated Series as I've yet to see it.

4. For you, what is the most essential thing about Star Trek that makes it Star Trek to you?

For me the core of Star Trek was always exploration, discovery, progress, diversity, tolerance, peace, building a better future, that science and technology could be tools for good, that mankind could put aside its pettiness and aim for a common good. That man's progress could be positive, that the future wasn't doomed (like 1984 or Brave New World), that we as humans and as individuals could truly be the best we could be and always try to be better -that there was always something to find, to discover, that we always had room to grow. Lol, I think I sometimes take Star Trek too seriously too, but there it is. I think it has some serious things to say about us as humans, about what we are capable of and what we can achieve.

5. If you could rec us only one book/episode/comic/movie, which would it be?

TOS episode "The Conscience of the King" has always been a favorite of mine. The moral dilemma that Kirk faces here is something that comes up again throughout the series, but this was the first episode I saw of this kind and it did a good job of showing Kirk's desire for revenge and justice, but ultimately his great sense of compassion and mercy.

6. Link us to a fic, website, discussion post, or community - yours, or someone else's - that we should all check out.

I have no doubt we've all gone here before, but Memory Alpha is definitely one of my favorite Trek sites (especially since my copy of the Star Trek Encyclopedia is now very out of date lol).

[skywaterblue]

1. Who are you? What are you looking for in this community?

I'm skywaterblue, a long time fan of Trek. (I'm second generation, like a lot of people here - parents raised me on it.) I'm currently the mod of ds9agogo and trekanon on LJ, and startrek on DW, none of which are that high traffic.

2. How long have you been a Star Trek fan? How did you first become one? How would you describe your previous involvement with the fandom?

Parents and I used to order in pizza and watch brand new TNG episodes when I was wee high. When I was in middle school, I fell in love with DS9 and have basically been a Niner ever since.

3. What do you consider part of your personal canon? What's your personal fanon?

DS9 Relaunch books are canon for me - since I think the movie just put the endcap on the 24th Century, I'm thinking of expanding to the other shared continuity in the Pocketbooks.

4. For you, what is the most essential thing about Star Trek that makes it Star Trek to you?

Star Trek is about how to live: a good episode or movie or book can be about a friendship or love, or include a great moral debate. Within that context, Star Trek has a liberal humanist outlook that remains positive.

5. If you could rec us only one book/episode/comic/movie, which would it be?

The Visitor, of DS9. Makes me cry every time, and is a good episode because everyone can understand a parent-child relationship, but within that episode there is also time travel and an AU.

6. Link us to a fic, website, discussion post, or community - yours, or someone else's - that we should all check out.

I pimped mine out pretty hard at the beginning, so how about Poker Face by talitha78?

[gnomad]

1. Who are you? What are you looking for in this community?

I am gnomad, formerly adbaculum, but I'm trying to remember to answer to gnomad now. I'm here because I've never read any of the ST books, but I often connect with fandoms more easily through text than visual media, even if that text isn't technically canon.

2. How long have you been a Star Trek fan? How did you first become one? How would you describe your previous involvement with the fandom?

I've been a fan of Star Trek since the early 90s when TNG was in first run. My relatives are Trek fans, so it's possibly genetic. I loved TNG and DS9 right up until DS9 annoyed me too much. Ever since then I haven't been able to get into any of other shows, but the new movie is love and I'm totally willing to be drawn back in.

3. What do you consider part of your personal canon? What's your personal fanon?

The shows and movies are my personal canon, to the extent that they don't completely contradict each other. *kof* I have a tendency to default to Next Gen canon simply because it's the canon I can rattle off the top of my head. I expect that to change as I study TOS a bit more closely.

4. For you, what is the most essential thing about Star Trek that makes it Star Trek to you?

There's an earnestness to Trek that is so endearing even when they're being cheesy about it. It takes all the really great human traits and abilities--love, tolerance, curiosity, adaptability, perseverance, adventurousness--and holds them up and says, 'Look! Look at what we could do if we just got our act together a little bit more!' I dig that.

5. If you could rec us only one book/episode/comic/movie, which would it be?

TNG, The Best of Both Worlds (both parts, natch). Not only is it good Star Trek, but it is some damn good television in general.

6. Link us to a fic, website, discussion post, or community - yours, or someone else's - that we should all check out.

I haven't written any ST fic yet! I'm still in reading mode. My favorite fic for the new movie is so far is raphaela887's We Learn Each Other Slowly, Spock/Kirk established relationship. Takes place after the end of the movie and deals with Kirk learning how to be a captain as well as how to have a relationship with Spock.

[stellar_dust]

1. Who are you? What are you looking for in this community?
I'm stellar_dust, and it's about time I got around to filling this out. I'm melannen's sister which means I totally have an in with the mod *cough*

I want an excuse to re-read and glee over Star Trek books, because it's been way way waaayyy too long.

2. How long have you been a Star Trek fan? How did you first become one? How would you describe your previous involvement with the fandom?

I remember being terrified of the show (melannen and I had some good times in that closet!) and I remember being crazy obsessed, but I don't remember what came between! It was probably around 1993, though, same as melannen cites.

Anyway, I taped what I could get my hands on of the shows that were on at the time, especially TOS reruns at 3 AM, and read all the novels the libraries had. I liked TNG and DS9, and I loved Voyager but school intervened and I didn't catch the last few seasons. I've never really been in fandom, except with melannen, though I was always super-jealous of the group that met at the library before my Girl Scout meetings!

3. What do you consider part of your personal canon? What's your personal fanon?
I'll take anything as canon if I can make it fit, but where there's a contradiction, the books win. :D Oh and, I don't necessarily accept *everything* in them, but the Shatner Kirk novels are my canon insofar as Kirk didn't stay dead after Generations, because Captain Kirk is never allowed to die. (I go back and forth between considering that a really great thing and a really terrible thing.)

4. For you, what is the most essential thing about Star Trek that makes it Star Trek to you?
Star Trek taught me about friendship and compassion and integrity. Eternal optimism for what humanity can accomplish and become, and dedication to scientific discovery. There's no such thing as a no-win scenario. Um, everything on my "All I Need to Know I Learned From Star Trek" poster, which I need to remember to grab from mom's house before I move this fall.

5. If you could rec us only one book/episode/comic/movie, which would it be?
It's been so long that it's hard to remember! Wounded Sky has already been mentioned, and I have a very special place in my heart for Shadows on the Sun, because Bones-whumping is something I can never get enough of. :D I last read it about 3 years ago - wasn't *quite* as good as I remembered, but still very good. Oh and I'm enjoying listening to Zachary Quinto read the audiobook of the new movie!

6. Link us to a fic, website, discussion post, or community - yours, or someone else's - that we should all check out.
You should go read We Has Tribbles And Also Troubles.

[melannen]

"Closeted fans" has a special meaning for us, doesn't it? :D

Also, you need to remember to get your Star Trek poster from Mom's house before you move.

[inchainz]

Hi everyone,

I'm never sure how to jump in & introduce myself — thanks for making it so easy! :)

1. Who are you? What are you looking for in this community?

I'm looking for people who like to talk about Star Trek, and book (& possibly fic) recs.

2. How long have you been a Star Trek fan? How did you first become one? How would you describe your previous involvement with the fandom?

I've been a Trekkie for 35 years, since my cousin sat me down and said: You have to see this (re-run of The Trouble With Tribbles). I fell in love with Captain Kirk & the rest is history. 99% of my involvement w/fandom has been in r/l, I've been to a bunch of cons, most with my (now grown) daughter who's also a Trekkie/Trekker.

3. What do you consider part of your personal canon? What's your personal fanon?

TOS & TNG, early books, the first nine movies. I watched TAS first-run, but don't remember much about the episodes I don't currently have on tape (yes, VHS :)).

4. For you, what is the most essential thing about Star Trek that makes it Star Trek to you?

The stories, at their core, are all about the evolution of human beings. When the world tries to make me believe it'll never happen, I have my own proof that it can; humans can evolve beyond greed and violence.

5. If you could rec us only one book/episode/comic/movie, which would it be?

ST: TOS is my favorite show of all time, but the writer in me has to rec Darmok [ST: TNG 5x22]. The commitment to communication, the creativity in all aspects of that ep still floor me every time.

6. Link us to a fic, website, discussion post, or community - yours, or someone else's - that we should all check out.

I wish I had a good one, but besides Memory Alpha I've been very careful surfing for Trek lately. It's not safe out there for anyone who's not into ST: AR09.

Thanks for the book recs, I've missed some of DD's novels & need to go back & catch up.
~C

[melannen]

I am glad you felt comfortable jumping in! I stole the idea of the intro post from the LJ community best_enemies, but the mods there are much better at stopping by and welcoming people in a timely manner. But I'm trying! So welcome.

Darmok has some plot problems, (especially as relating to linguistics,) but it's one of the only TNG episodes that's really sunk into me. That story happened, even if none of the rest of TNG did!

[slwatson]

1. Who are you? What are you looking for in this community?2. How long have you been a Star Trek fan? How did you first become one? How would you describe your previous involvement with the fandom?
Birth. ::laughs:: My Dad was a Trekkie, so it was kind of natural; we were watching Star Trek my whole life pretty much. I can't say for sure when I first became one. My previous involvement with the fandom has been wonderful -- I didn't get into the actual fandom itself until I was online at seventeen, and didn't actively stop lurking until 2001ish. I drift in and out, but almost always come back.

3. What do you consider part of your personal canon? What's your personal fanon?
Canon for me is everything that aired, pretty much, though I'm not sure where TAS fits in. Regardless, I do honor some things that came up in it. Like Scotty singing in Welsh. ::grins:: My personal fanon is canon, with the addition of the novels Kobayashi Maru and Vulcan's Glory, and then my own Arc of the Wolf.

4. For you, what is the most essential thing about Star Trek that makes it Star Trek to you?
Oooh. Tough question. I suppose that it has to feel like Trek, if that makes sense, for it to be Trek. Very metaphysical, but I can't actually explain all that well what I mean.

5. If you could rec us only one book/episode/comic/movie, which would it be?
The Wrath of Khan. Musically, artistically, thematically, it was just a stellar movie. It was far better than people give it credit for outside of Trek circles.

6. Link us to a fic, website, discussion post, or community - yours, or someone else's - that we should all check out.

Well, I guess it's probably the right thing to do: http://www.adastrafanfic.com/

Ad Astra's the archive I founded on the heels of the demise of the Hope Station site. For a Trekfic archive/community, it's been absolutely one of the most happy things I've done. It has authors from all over the place -- OmegaSector, TrekBBS, TrekUnited, ASC, LiveJournal -- and a really wide range of amazing talent. I'm more than lucky to have this site. It's based on the idea of community and interaction, which is why we have the incredible stats of 1571 reviews for 342 stories (as of now) and a lot of people who would have never met because of where they are in fandom have gotten together there. We have forums, review hunts, a two-week challenge and stuff for just about any kind of fan.

For a site that's not even a year old, I'm crazy proud of it. ::laughs:: Obviously.

[melannen]

Ooh, your site looks amazing! I can't wait to get a chance to look around there.

[slwatson]

Come on over! We're a friendly lot. :D

[ljc]

1. Who are you? What are you looking for in this community?
I'm LJC, and I've been a geeky Trek fangirl since my teens, tho the new film has reawakened my love for TOS. Before I went to go see the movie, I re-read some of my fave tie-ins (Vulcan's Glory, Strangers From The Sky) and now I've been combing through second-hand bookstores, re-purchasing books I'd given away over the last 5 years, desperate to re-read! As for what I'm looking for, just enjoying talking about my fave novels and characters with other fans.

2. How long have you been a Star Trek fan? How did you first become one? How would you describe your previous involvement with the fandom?
I was 14 when TNG premiered, and it led to me mainlining all fo TOS on pro VHS. A school friend loaned me his copies of Diane Duane and Jean Lorrah's TOS novels, and addicted me straight off. I never write fanfic before VOY, tho. AOS has totally obsessed me for the last 3 weeks, adn I can't remember the last time I've written so much in such a short time. Probably Doctor Who, which is anotehr reboot fandom that had me returning to a childhood fave with new eyes.

3. What do you consider part of your personal canon? What's your personal fanon?
Vulcan's Glory is a huge influence on the Pike and Number One and Scotty who live in my head.

4. For you, what is the most essential thing about Star Trek that makes it Star Trek to you?
Probably the spirit of hope that infuses it. That as fucked up as humans are, we'll survive into the future and always strive to be better, and to keep learning new things.

5. If you could rec us only one book/episode/comic/movie, which would it be?
Vulcan's Glory by Dotothy Fontana is one of my all-time faves, for characters you rarely ever see in TOS novels.

6. Link us to a fic, website, discussion post, or community - yours, or someone else's - that we should all check out.
The Pike/Number One Masterlist is where I've been keeping track of all the TOS and AOS Pike & Number One fan fiction and licensed tie-ins I have been able to find. if anyone loevs them as much as I do, then there's laods mroe to read on there! Plus I'm trying to keep it updated as I find new things.

[starlady]

Peace and long life!

1. Who are you? What are you looking for in this community? I'm Electra, and I guess I'm looking to get back into Trek (thanks, new movie!) with a heavy dose of book fandom and thoughtful fanfic.

2. How long have you been a Star Trek fan? How did you first become one? How would you describe your previous involvement with the fandom? I don't even know. Since I was about 4, probably, so that's 20 years already. My parents liked Trek, and I know I saw Star Trek VI with them in the theaters, as well as watching the old movies on TV sporadically. I watched DS9 religiously (it's my favorite show! shh!) and Voyager through about the third season.


3. What do you consider part of your personal canon? What's your personal fanon? All the movies through First Contact (I just rewatched it, and it's so good. I don't even like TNG that much, and it's awesome), all the TV shows through Voyager but not Enterprise (never seen TAS, I might have to rectify that). Peter David's New Frontier is canon in my book, as are all Diane Duane, Diane Carey, L.A. Graf, William Shatner and Peter David books. I think the post-DS9, post-Voyager books are mostly very badly written, but I tend to think of them as canonical since they're the only way DS9 will go on. My shocking secret: I have no personal fanon because I have read fewer fanfics than I can count on one hand. Obviously this needs to change.

4. For you, what is the most essential thing about Star Trek that makes it Star Trek to you? If Starfleet existed, I would have joined it and have no questions whatsoever about what to do with my life--and I would love it. In the face of all evidence to the contrary, Star Trek takes the idea that humanity can eventually take its lessons to heart and become better and interact with other intelligent species in non-violent ways, and I very much love that idea.

5. If you could rec us only one book/episode/comic/movie, which would it be? Aw, crap. This is impossible. But with a phaser to my head I'd say Diane Carey's First Frontier. It has the Guardian of Forever, and dinosaurs. That's all you need to know, I swear. Or else...


6. Link us to a fic, website, discussion post, or community - yours, or someone else's - that we should all check out. I wrote up my own personal canon, in essence, here after the new movie came out. I'd love to hear more comments on my opinions and recommendations.

[klangley56]

1. Who are you? What are you looking for in this community?

Because your community description says "Star Trek, old school style." I'm always on the lookout for fans who want to hang out to talk about ST:TOS--my first fannish love.

2. How long have you been a Star Trek fan? How did you first become one? How would you describe your previous involvement with the fandom?

I have been a fan since the series began, drawn to it because I already was a science fiction fan (and one *yearning* for something better than the likes of "Lost in Space"). When ST first aired, my household, as was common at the time, had only one television. The decisions about what programs to watch were made by my father (also common), but fortunately my father liked the action-adventure elements of the series enough to watch it each week. Whew! :-)

I was not, at the time, involved with organized science fiction fandom, although my brother and I were aware of the write-in campaign to save ST from cancellation. And, although fans started publishing ST zines while the series was on the air, it wasn't until after the series was off the air that I hooked up with ST fandom. Pretty much all I had to survive on to that point was my well-worn copy of "The Making of Star Trek." My first ST fanzine was a non-fiction zine, the "Star Trek Concordance of People, Places, and Things," compiled by Dorothy Jones and edited by Bjo Trimble (the woman best known to ST fans as the person who spearheaded the Save Star Trek letter-writing campaign). Along with that I got information on the Star Trek Welcomittee and sent off for their directory, which provided information on zines, newsletters, clubs, conventions, and all things Star Trek fandom. I started buying fiction zines and never looked back.

I am now in my 37th year of fanac, and I went to my first ST con 34 years ago. I added Internet fandom to the mix a dozen years ago. I've always been pretty much a "rank and file fan" (consuming, reading). My involvement has been through fanzines and fan fiction, cons, letterzines/discussion lists/LJ discussions, and so on. Over the years I've helped more active fans with production of their zines (editing, typing, collating, schlepping artwork to the printer, etc.) I LoC (review, comment) in various forums from time to time. All of my oldest and closest friends--people I've know for 30+, 25+ years--I met in fandom. (On a side note, as ST fandom expanded into media fandom, my fan activities expanded right along with it, taking me into some 3-4 dozen different fandoms in the last almost-four decades.)

3. What do you consider part of your personal canon? What's your personal fanon?
Technically, canon is anything that was aired. Personally, I accept ST:TOS and ST:TAS, as well as some of the information provided in "canon-related" sources like "The Making of Star Trek," various interviews, etc. Since I was well-entrenched in ST fandom (and the world of fanzines) before the ST:TOS movies began, I don't feel as connected to them, canon-wise.

I watched ST:TNG regularly until the third season, after which I was it only sporadically. I bailed on ST:DS9 even faster, again seeing it only occasionally afterward. Of "Voyager" and "Enterprise" I saw only a few episodes.

4. For you, what is the most essential thing about Star Trek that makes it Star Trek to you?

People. Ideas. Ideals. The characters, the ideals they promoted and the relationships they held dear. Caring and sharing and putting yourself on the line for a higher principle or for a friend (even the idea that putting yourself on the line for a friend *is* a higher principle). The idea of peaceful exploration and rendering aid instead of exploitation and greed.

That kind of stuff.

5. If you could rec us only one book/episode/comic/movie, which would it be?
I've got forty years of this rolling around in my head, and you want me to come up with *one* thing? Not. Possible. :-)

6. Link us to a fic, website, discussion post, or community - yours, or someone else's - that we should all check out.
Well, in keeping with "old school," here's a link to 1001 Trek Tales. http://www.trektales.com/

"This site is dedicated to Star Trek: The Original Series and the seven movies featuring the original cast. Its primary purpose is to preserve fan fiction from classic ST fanzines of the last thirty years, to encourage the creation of new fan fiction set in the TOS timeframe, and to serve as a contact point for fans of the entire Star Trek universe."

[catpella]

1. My name is Capella, and I am so excited to find a place where I can squee about Trek novels and not be the only person I know who reads them. Also there appears to be a ton of Rihannsu love here and OMGRIHANNSU.

2. I have been a Star Trek fan as long as I can remember. Literally. I know I was reading Trek novels by kindergarten because I had my copy of Best Destiny taken away because I was being disruptive in class by ignoring the teacher and reading (no, really). I had to see TOS and TNG via reruns, so actually most of my early exposure to those two was novels not eps. DS9 was the first Trek I saw almost all of airing.


3. Personal canon is TOS to Voyager, show-wise. Of movies, TOS has all but 5, and the only TNG movie was First Contact and they never made more because it sucked. Reboot and Enterprise are not my Trek, which does not mean I hate them, they're just not in my canon. Also, TNG and DS9's portrayal of Romulans is really a warlike splinter faction and most of them are awesome and honorable and good Rihannsu. <3 Oh, also, I love the four-gendered Andorians of Heather Jarman's DS9 novel work, I want this to be canon!


4. IDIC and optimism for the future. Jadzia kissing Lenara in DS9 helped me come to terms with my own queerness, and about a decade later helped my mother come to terms with it. To me, that's the essence of Trek; one day, in the future, we will be better than our current prejudices and fears. We will believe that all lives are sacred, and that love is love no matter how expressed.


5. If you could rec us only one book/episode/comic/movie, which would it be?

Book: Diane Duane's The Romulan Way.

6. Link us to a fic, website, discussion post, or community - yours, or someone else's - that we should all check out.

uhm uhm I actually don't have anything for here :(

[melannen]

Hooray a new person! This community's been quiet lately but I am so happy to see you jump in. Also you kindergarten story is amazing.