Trekkies.

Last weekend, inspired by some previews we saw at the Alamo Drafthouse a month or so ago, my boyfriend and I watched Trekkies, the 1997 documentary that exposed the wild, certainly weird, passionate, utterly thorough universe of Star Trek fans. I expected to be entertained; the snippets I'd seen were enough to convince me to add it to my Netflix immediately, but I never expected I could be so moved.

I've never known a true Trekkie, but I sure wish one would show up in my life. I LOVE that kind of fanaticism, that ability to wrap onself up in the most minute details, to be lost in one context while physically existing in a completely different one. I was relieved to see how people who go that far with it are still allowed to be the way they are in the world, how their commitment transcends whatever teasing or ridicule they have been subjected to.  The dentists with their office fully equipped in Enterprise regalia, who wear their costumes every single day, even outside the office. The woman who served on the Whitewater trial in the 90s in full Starfleet uniform and now works at a Kinko's-type establishment where everyone calls her "Commander." Young Gabriel Koerner with his robust collection of action figures, his perfectly constructed uniform, and his endearing mispronunciation of adult words.  "Spiner Femme" Anne Murphy, the very definition of obsession, who finds escape from her daily life by gazing out into the Hollywood Hills in the general direction of Brett Spiner's home.  A woman brought back from the brink of suicide by attending Star Trek conventions. The outlet of fantasy and identity Star Trek provides is a gift to these people.  It's a community, one where everyone has a purpose and everyone is accepted.

By diving into all these niches and bringing out the three-dimensional people inside, the film balanced the exposition of that world without exploitation. Alongside all the outrageousness, the filmmaker (Roger Nygard) managed to bring home the overarching messages of the Star Trek series.  It was the first mainstream presentation of diversity on such a large scale.  Martin Luther King, Jr. personally called the original Uhura to convince her to stay with the show beyond the first season because of the enormous strides her presence made for the black community.  Star Trek put science onstage and forced people to think about the future in progressive, creative ways. I can't call myself a fan – with such limited knowledge I know I don't deserve it – but I can't help but appreciate the institution.  They truly did "boldly go where no man has gone before," and we are so much wiser for it.