There’s a new sheriff in town, and its name is Axanar. Okay, okay, so that’s a mixed metaphor. Simile? Analogy? Whatever. What’s important is that Trekkies have something new to love about Star Trek again. It’s been a while, and I’m pretty sure most of us have the DTs.
I grew up with Star Trek. It’s only a couple years older than I am. I can’t remember a time without it, and I can honestly say I consider it one of my best friends. I know that sounds cheesy, but it’s true. The Federation has had as much influence on my outlook as just about anything else. It’s always been there, a shining beacon of hope, an example of what we could become if we dropped the whole greed and killing one another thing from our vocabulary.
I watched the cartoons and was there every time Kirk tore his shirt on the television show. I chewed through the first set of movies, one at a time, like a kid daisy-chaining a bag of Big Hunks. (See? I told you I was old.) It didn’t matter how good (Wrath of Kahn) or bad an installment was (The Final Frontier). I reveled in TNG and the bright future it saw for us all. I set up shop on DS9 and followed Voyager. I watched Enterprise and the Next Gen films… I delighted in watching my old friend grow older with me.
But my old friend disappeared.
Sure, I got lost in work. And those things that appealed to me most about Roddenberry’s vision of the future seemed to have waned in the society I call home.
And then came the reboot movies.
Like a lot of people, I was jazzed to hear about them, but when I plopped my butt down in that theater chair, something went wrong. All my old friends where there. Kirk, Bones, Scotty, Sulu, Spock, Uhura, Chekov. All the details about those characters were spot on. I mean, that cast nailed their roles more than I thought possible. But it was like someone had dropped them into a badly executed Dali painting.
The setting wasn’t right. I mean, it was weird. All those lens flares and the shaky cam… the utter disregard for the physical universe that was supposed to be Star Trek. It was all gone… mutated somehow… leaving only a flickering memory of who my old friend had been. I saw the faces, heard the voices… but I quickly realized that it wasn’t what my brain expected it to be. It was like putting my foot into what I thought was my favorite sneaker and realizing that it’s someone else’s platform disco boot. Sure, it was fun to dance in, but it wasn’t my sneaker.
And then I heard about something while I was at PensaCon 2015. I’m a writer now and help WordFire Press with getting their show on the road. During what turned out to be a fantastic convention on the Gulf coast, someone whispered to me about Axanar. Had I heard about? Had I seen it? I shook my head. What can I say? I’ve been busy.
He stared at me with an, “And you say you’re a Trekkie” look on his face. I was embarrassed, so when I got home, the first thing I did was pull up Axanar – Prelude to Axanar – Full Film on YouTube.
And there was my old friend.
The Federation was there. They were all new faces, but the setting felt right. It was like going home and discovering that they hadn’t replaced that old oak tree you used to climb with a shiny new Starbuck’s and a parking lot.
And I found that I wanted more.
So, here I sit, waiting for the next installment, hoping that a project with an uphill climb ahead of it can take flight, like Icarus, and never fall to Earth again.
I’ve missed my old friend, and Axanar seems to be my best chance at spending some time with it. Here’s to chasing dreams.
Growing up in the Trekkie generation, I also find myself yearning for Federation adventures. When Saturday morning cartoons finished for the day, we didn’t watch college football, golf, or Bob Ross painting his happy little trees. We watched Captian Kirk lead the Enterprise on many quests. Often shirt less rolling on the ground he blasted aliens with his gun while romancing female characters. I spent countless recesses in school, playing Star Trek on the playground with friends. I am proud to say I am not a member of Generation X, but a member of the Star Trek generation. (With other sci-fi shows mixed in of course.)
When I heard of the reeboot, like others I was skeptic. My late sister dragged me to see it. I fought seeing it like a kid going to the dentist. But when I caved in, I was pleasantly surprised. You could say my resistance was futile.
I also found the theatrics cheesy. But then again this is Star Trek we are talking about.
I was blown away with the cast. Action, from the first scene immediately caught my attention. I laughed in joy hearing tribute lines from the actors. Mostly, it was a privilege to see Leonard Nemoy take the role of Spock once again. Then one last time briefly during Into Darkness. It felt like they brought an old childhood friend back I longed to see. I admit it, I adore this adaptation of the films.
Only recently, I found out Walter Koening, the original Checkov will be in Omaha for O-comi-con. Will I be there to meet him donning my Federation red shirt? I wouldn’t miss it for the world.
Axanar seems to be another place I can go for more Federation adventures. I am excited to explore this strange new world. Thank you Quincy, for reminding us we can still boldly where no man has gone before.