First off, let’s get one thing out of the way. I’m a Trekkie. I grew up watching Star Trek: The Next Generation. I believe that Patrick Stewart is the best thing brought to this world since sliced bread, for he is the hottest guy ever to me, bar none. He has the kind of screen and stage presence that can fill up a football field even if he was the only one there. He is a proper actor, having done Shakespeare prior and after his time on TNG… but in my youth, I didn’t appreciate him nearly as much as I crushed on little Wesley Crusher. Apparently I have a thing for mis-understood geniuses and is probably why the majority of the guys I have been in relationships with were intelligent and socially awkward.
I read the novels related to the Star Trek Universe, I have four of the five Star Trek series – in their entirety – on DVD. I have a few of the series’ bibles for reading amusement, and I keep up with most anything Star Trek related. I have a general knowledge of the life of many of the Star Trek main characters, and am interested more in the cultures, academia, etc of the Star Trek Universe over the technology, starships, etc that most conventional Trekkies know.
I became an engineer because I wanted to do what Geordi LaForge, Reginald Barclay, B’Elanna Torres and, yes, even Wesley Crusher did and became an engineer (well they were some of the reason). I got into robotics because of Data and Lal, and loved studying astronomy because of Star Trek. I became interested more and more in the human psyche and the personalities of people and what drives them because of Data’s constant interest in humanity… I guess in a lot of ways I saw myself more like Data than anyone else.
But one thing that I loved about these characters of the Star Trek universe… is that they weren’t all just techie-nerds, they weren’t all just brilliant minds, they had hobbies that were outside of the box. Data did some acting and singing (although he was an android by all accounts), Beverly Crusher danced, Jean-Luc Picard sang and showed off his Shakespearean chops.
So when word got around that the entire first season cast of Star Trek The Next Generation were going to be at the Calgary Expo in late April, I about nearly bought my tix to fly out to Canada just to see this happen live… and then convinced myself out of it. *sighs* Damn reasoning getting in the way of everything else. Instead I did the right thing and stayed in the states and waited til videos of the one hour plus discussion with the first season cast of ST: TNG. Oh, Em, Gee it was worth the wait.