Trekkies

Through my Netflix subscription, I watched an interesting movie entitled Trekkies. It's about fans of the television show Star Trek. Of course there have been several incarnations of Star Trek over the years. Purists would say that the original series that debuted in the 1960's starring William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy is the true Star Trek. However, others (like me) discovered a love for Star Trek during the 1980's and 1990's in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Still others are fans of Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise. Now, a whole new generation of Star Trek fans were able to enjoy the new Star Trek movie that came out last year.
Trekkies is a documentary that was made in the late 1990's. It chronicles fans who love to dress up in Star Fleet uniforms. Many of them have been to several Star Trek conventions. (I must admit that I have been to two Star Trek conventions.) Most of them love to collect Star Trek memorabilia and merchandise. There are folks who speak fluent Klingon and have even translated the Bible into Klingon. One man seriously stated in the documentary that he was very interested in having his ears surgically altered so that they would be pointed like Vulcan ears.
The documentary is careful not to mock these die hard fans. Instead, it allows them to tell their stories. Through interviews with the actress who played Tasha Yar, fans are able to talk about what Star Trek means to them in their lives. They talk a lot about how wonderful the world would be if everyone lived by the values that Star Trek put forth. They point to creator Gene Roddenberry's vision for the future that was positive and peaceful and inclusive. It's clear that many fans have been deeply and in some ways spiritually touched by this amazing television and movie franchise.
I must say, I found myself chuckling in disbelief at some of the things that Star Trek fans do and have done. They memorize episodes and analyze them in great depth. Some people even write fantasy stories about Star Trek characters and put them on the Internet. They send drawings they have made to the actors of the shows. They dress up their pets. There is even a dentist who dresses up in a Star Fleet uniform while at work and requires that all of his employees do the same.
While I like Star Trek, I'm not sure that I would ever get quite that involved in anything. However, I guess one might argue that being a Christian in the world means that I am called to live by a different set of standards than the rest of the world. I am called to see the world as God sees it and not as it is - to see the world as it could and should be. While I don't have a uniform to wear, I am called to put on the armor of God in faithfulness. I am called to love all people and not just those who look like me or think like me. I am called to boldly go where no one has gone before with the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am just glad that Jesus doesn't require that I surgically alter my ears.
I'm off tomorrow. I think I'm going to run some errands and then maybe take in an art museum in Cincinnati. We'll see how the day goes.
I hope you've had a great weekend. Thanks for being a part of my journey! Live long and prosper!