Star Trek fandom

A Trekkie or Trekker is a fan of the Star Trek franchise, or of specific television series or films within that franchise.

History

In 1967, science fiction editor Arthur W. Saha applied the term "trekkies" when he saw a few fans of the first season of Star Trek: The Original Series wearing pointy ears at the 25th World Science Fiction Convention, on the day series creator Gene Roddenberry showed a print of "Amok Time" to the convention. Saha used the term in an interview with Pete Hamill that Hamill was conducting for TV Guide concerning the phenomenon of science fiction.

The first Star Trek fanzine, Spockanalia, appeared in September 1967, including the first published fan fiction based on the show. Roddenberry, who was aware of and encouraged such activities, a year later estimated that 10,000 wrote or read fanzines. Many early Trekkies were also fans of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (1964–1968), another show with science fiction elements and a devoted, "cult"-like audience.

Perhaps the first large gathering of fans occurred in April 1967. When Leonard Nimoy appeared as Spock as grand marshal of a Medford, Oregon parade, he hoped to sign hundreds of autographs but thousands of people appeared; after being rescued by police "I made sure never to appear publicly again in Vulcan guise", the actor wrote. Another was in January 1968, when more than 200 Caltech students marched to NBC's Burbank, California studio to support Star Trek's renewal.

Trekkies (film)

Trekkies is a 1997 documentary film directed by Roger Nygard about the devoted fans of Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek. It is the first film released by Paramount Vantage, then known as Paramount Classics, and stars Denise Crosby (best known for her portrayal of Security Chief Tasha Yar on the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation).

The film contains interviews with Star Trek devotees, more commonly known as Trekkies. The fans range from people who dress as Klingons to members of Brent Spiner fan clubs and includes a club that is producing a Star Trek movie of their own. Trekkies includes many Star Trek actors and fans including Barbara Adams, the Whitewater scandal trial juror who arrived in court in her Starfleet uniform. Another prominent profilee was Gabriel Köerner, who attained minor celebrity status as a result of his role in the film.

In 2003, a sequel was released, titled Trekkies 2. This documentary travels throughout the world, mainly in Europe, to show fans of Star Trek from outside the United States. It also revisits memorable fans featured in the previous film.

Trekkies 2

Trekkies 2 is the 2004 sequel to the 1997 documentary film Trekkies.

This documentary film travels throughout the world, mainly Europe, to show fans of Star Trek commonly known as Trekkies. It also profiles people from the first film, including Barbara Adams and Gabriel Köerner. Also featured are Star Trek-themed punk bands from Sacramento, California, including the "No Kill I" franchise. This includes "No Kill I", "No Kill I: The Next Generation" and "No Kill I: Deep Space Nine".

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