Trekkies

This image about sizes it up for some of the folks trawling about in this documentary.

On a whim with about 90 minutes to spare before heading out this morning I got to thinking what could I watch? Well, I decided upon something from my vast untapped DVD library that I hadn't examined yet and settled upon the documentary Trekkies.

I don't know about you folks, but I love documentaries when they are done well and this is no exception. Film critic Roger Ebert game it "Thumbs Up" and I have to admit I like what he has to say sometimes. He's a fairly intelligent gentleman and always thoughtful in his film selections. I don't always agree with him. He loved Deep Blue Sea and that just wasn't good. No. I digress. That's not why I bought the DVD anyway. I just happened to mention that he liked it.
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I bought Trekkies mainly because I love fan culture and the world of fandom and seeing filmmakers catch a glimpse of these people's lives [whether it's comic book fans, Star Trek fans, Star Wars fans, anime cosplayers, etc.]. It's awesome. It's hysterical. It's kind of sad. It's kind of cool and at the very least these people are originals. Well, after checking it out I recommend it wholeheartedly. Here's a small sample of one of the rare, sweeter moments from the outing hosted throughout by Denise Crosby of Star Trek: The Next Generation acclaim of course. It seems like James Doohan was a big softie with a big heart but I really don't know.

The film is almost 90 minutes and edits footage between real fans [an interesting bunch] and input from the actors themselves like Leonard Nimoy of Star Trek: The Original Series right on through to Kate Mulgrew of Star Trek: Voyager. It's a fascinating look into the lives of these fans and I think the film does justice to fans not by mocking them or poking fun at them in anyway, but rather respecting them and their generally harmless fanaticism. This is a great example of one of the many fantics. She even testified in her Star Trek uniform for the Whitewater trial. I'm not sure how much credibility she had showing up in that outfit though. Still, I really like this Bobby.


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As you can see, I've included a few film samples to give you a taste of what's on offer in the event you have time to check it out. Like I said, these folks are often intelligent and perhaps a little eccentric at times [maybe that's an understatement considering one fellow enjoys dressing up as the NASA astronaut character from ST:TNG], but generally good folk. Okay maybe really eccentric, some might even say weird, but those interviewed are likeable.

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There's even a debate on whether you qualify as a Trekkie or a Trekker. I'm not really sure I'm either but a friend recently referred to me as "the most normal wacko" he'd ever met. I'd like to think that's a compliment. I think. If a trekkie qualifies as someone who likes to watch the show than count me in. If a trekkie qualifies as someone who collects the DVDs and maybe a few spaceships here and there count me in. If a trekkie qualifies as someone who looks for an actor's hair or script notes or rummages through their trash than count me out. If anything Trekkies is entertaining. Some might find it creepy in parts and that can be a bit off-putting, but I love observations like this into human behavior even if it's lacking a more effervescent vibe.

Trekkies: B+