Sunday, January 1, 2012

Le Interview: Meet your Captain and First Officer!

To begin the epic journey that is sure to be our blog, we’ve decided to post a little Q&A about ourselves and our Trekkery, just so you can get to know both us and our interests better.

What makes you the Captain/ First Officer?
D: When I first watched Trek I wanted to be Mr. Spock so badly I cut my bangs and started trying to be more logical. At some point I realized I am way more like Captain Kirk; brave but emotional, and I like to be in charge. I definitely would have cheated my way out of the Kobayashi Maru and I am very good at batting my eyelashes and using charm to get out of trouble or get things done.
V: I suppose I’m First Officer because I’ve got a bit of a logical streak going. I’m a very pragmatic and analytical person in many respects, though not so much about the emotional suppression. I’m given to doggedly researching things that capture my interest, can at times be dry and sarcastic, and am currently perfecting my eyebrow quirk.

What is your earliest memory of Star Trek?
D: I had a friend in high school who had a black and white Star Trek poster in her room. She had drawn a heart around Spock's crotch and there was a lipstick kiss mark right in the middle of that. I didn't get it then, but I do now.
V: I remember being about seven or eight and watching a few episodes of Voyager with my dad. That was my first exposure to the show itself. Also, one of my childhood friends had life-size cutouts of Spock and Picard in her basement, too, and I remember seeing those and sort of knowing what they were from.

What did you think of it up until you became active viewers?
D: I guess I didn't think anything of it. Maybe something on the negative side, like "oh please how geeky." Well, look at me now.
V: I think I saw it the way lots of people see it- something that carries a veneer of “geek”, and was never interested in watching any of the series. I knew my dad had watched, but it just wasn’t something I thought about. I’m ashamed to admit that when another friend of mine told me how she had knocked basement-Spock’s head off with a Frisbee, I laughed.

What made you decide to start watching in the first place?
D: Science! I started studying Earth science and had to embrace a whole array of new, nerdier stuff. I started following all these science blogs and reading Carl Sagan's books and things like that. I kept seeing Star Trek references everywhere... I didn't get them, and felt left out. So one day I said to my husband "Can we watch Star Trek?" and you should have seen the look on his face. Obviously he thought he'd never hear that come out of my mouth.
V: Ok, this is embarrassing. It wasn’t a friend sitting me down, and telling me that I couldn’t miss this epic show. It wasn’t the influence of reboot (I’d seen that before I watched any TOS, and it never inspired me to watch). It was Ke$ha. No, really. I saw a fanvid that brilliantly combined “Tik Tok” with clips from TOS, and I thought, well, they look like they’re having fun, I wonder what this show is really all about? So I watched the first few episodes, was completely hooked, and watched the rest of the series in about a month.

Why The Original Series?
D: TOS is the first thing I watched, because it's the first Star Trek, you know, the Original. It has been and always shall be my favorite.
V: Mostly because it looked more entertaining. I knew who Mr. Spock was (duh), and I wanted to get to know the rest of the crew.

What were your first impressions?
D: Honestly, at first I just had an enormous mad crush on Mr. Spock. That kept me watching until I fell in love with everything about the show.
V: My very first impulses were to laugh both at the camp value of the show, and the total lack of political correctness in some situations.

What made you keep watching?
D: By the time season two gets going, the characters are all developed and the relationships between them are just so wonderful, I couldn't watch anything else.
V: If the show’s appeal to me had been solely kitsch, I would have stopped watching very quickly. What happened was that some strange force took over, and instead of watching for the pure hilarity, I began watching for the characters and their conflicts and relationships, and for the compelling story-lines, among other things. That, and it’s just good entertainment!

Where would you say you’re at now, obsession-wise?
D: I've considered naming my future child James Tiberius. I'm not joking. Do I have to say anything more?
V: Let’s see. I have a Star Trek blog with my platonic space-wife who I met through our mutual love of Star Trek. You know the trivia book, “Obsessed With Star Trek”? I know almost all the answers in the TOS section. I have spent my free time researching Trek’s history and reading scholarly articles concerning its fandom. I can greet and respond in Vulcan, I own clothing with Spock’s face on it, and I have numerous Trek books and comics. How’s that?

How has Trek directly affected your life?
D: On the one hand, it has made me less productive in other areas of my life. For instance, working on this blog instead of doing something else. Or not paying attention in class because I'm thinking about Star Trek. Or looking up really nerdy trivia on Memory Alpha. Or, well, watching Star Trek.You get the idea. However, I met V, (First Officer here and completely amazing person) I smile more often, and life is generally way more fun.
V: First off, I have met Dion (the Captain to you), one of the most awesome people you or I will ever come into contact with. It has reinvigorated my long-dormant creative side, and has encouraged me to appreciate and further explore the realm of science. It has made me both aware and part of a network of intelligent, interesting people, and has generally enriched my existence. Yeah, I've procrastinated on a lot of actual work due to Trek nonsense, but at least now I understand all the references in other shows/movies.

What do you think makes this show so universally adored?
D: This is a hard one, because right here I want to start listing everything that is great about Star Trek and obviously I could go on and on. I say it's not just a show; because of all the different series, a universe was created. If it had only been TOS, I'd say well, people love the characters. But each series is so different, and they're all held together with elements that create the whole picture, the Star Trek universe. And that universe contains something quite magical, I can't really put my finger on it.
V: It makes people hopeful about the future, to be sure, but it also provides a form of intelligent escapism that I think lots of people appreciate. It’s got relatable elements from every facet of the human condition, from trying to reconcile inner conflict to fighting injustice to interacting with people and cultures different from your own. There’s really something for everyone! Not to mention epic fight scenes.

What would you say is the number one reason for your continued devotion?
D: I don't know, man. I can't imagine life without it now.
V: There’s just something about this darn show that just gets under your skin. Even though I’ve watched every episode and every movie with the original cast, there’s more to learn and understand, more to analyze, more to research- with Trek, the fun never stops!

Any favorite quotes that you can think of off the top of your head?
V: “This can either be a taxi or a hearse.” –Unnamed Thug, “A Piece of the Action”

Finally, care to direct a comment to those who might scoff at Trek?
D: Sssshhhh just watch, resistance is futile. And if you CAN resist, you're not who it's for anyway.
V: Just sit down and watch. You will understand. You will join us.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask in the comments section!

1 comment:

  1. Guess, what! You've got a new fan. Keep up the good work. LOVE IT!