Last year, while in Brazil, I resolved when we got home to watch every single Original Star Trek episode. (Due to a smidgen of OCB, I planned to watch them in order.) Therefore on returning home, It seemed more than coincidence that while browsing at Powell’s (the BEST bookstore in the whole-wide-world), I came across a NEW Original Star Trek compendium of all 79 episodes - in order! Then, to add to the karmic manifestation, my daughter downloaded the entire series that turned out to be subtitled in Portuguese, (the language of Brazil).
Star Trek was one of the most formative aspects of my life growing up. When it came out in 1966, my favorite show was “Lost In Space” (which was quite scary for 8-year-old me). After Lost In Space, my younger brother, Todd, and I had to go to bed then my dad would watch “Star Trek.” We would sneak down the hall to peer around the corner but Star Trek was WAY too scary! Still, we would play “Star Trek” at school (3rd Grade). Most of the boys wanted to be Mr. Spock but I was Dr. McCoy. When I was in the 5th grade, I got a Starship Enterprise model as a gift. It included a tiny battery-powered lightbulb for the phasers but Todd plugged the bare wires into a light socket and it exploded, causing him to fall back. I retold that story to my friends for years. Also at the time, I was totally entranced by the NASA space ships, Gemini and Apollo, which dominated the news in those years. In fact, I was the perfect age for rockets, the moon, and anything to do with the stars – it was all wonderful and exciting, and everything seemed possible.
It was when Star Trek was in syndication, while I was 12-14 years old, that it really contributed to the crucible of my personality and the person I am today. My family was not allowed to watch television at the dinner table – except Star Trek. Other than “The Wonderful World of Color” (Disney), Star Trek was the only show that everyone liked, especially Mom & Dad. Spock’s use of the phrase “indeed,” was part of my teen vocabulary. When my oldest son was born, the nurse gave me the Birth Certificate to fill out and it was then that I spontaneously gave him the middle name, “Mericus,” from the “Bread & Circuses” episode. My wife was NOT aware of my choice, and did not know how to spell the name until my son turned 30, when she, my mom, aunt, daughter, sons and their girlfriends, all watched that episode together. It was so hokey, the kids could barely make it through the whole thing. In retrospect, since it has been almost 50 years, young people are probably too distracted by the acting and their sophisticated expectation of special effects to enjoy Original Star Trek.
I had not seen an Original Star Trek for 38 years. My plan was to schedule an hour every day. I would first read the few pages written about each of the episodes in my new book then watch the downloaded video on my laptop or connect to the big flat screen in the living room so others could watch with me. A couple of things became immediately apparent: number one – most of the stories were awful. It was almost a chore to watch, but it was a lovingly anticipated chore. I listened to every line of dialog, read every screen credit, kept track of the writers and directors, and paid attention to the background music. Secondly, I became aware of just how much Star Trek philosophy had affected my life. Platitudes that I thought were my own were actually distilled Star Trek dialog, such as, “People don’t like people who don’t like them,” and certainly my current fashion sense, clothing and furniture, is a direct result of Star Trek avant-garde. To this day I still like collarless sports jackets, pointed sideburns, boots, and mock-turtlenecks.
I was wondering if there were any Star Trek episodes I had not seen before – there did not seem to be but I hoped to be surprised. One chance: In high school, I had a good friend, Eric, who had attended a Star Trek convention (he even had a pair of Spock ears!), and told me the worst episode ever was “Spock’s Brain.” I had never seen that episode. In fact, I was so sure I knew all the episodes by heart that I doubted Eric’s veracity. Amazingly, as I watched all the episodes anew, I noticed there was one called “Spock’s Brain” in the third season, and I looked forward to seeing it, (I was also a little apprehensive). Indeed, I never had seen that episode before! And it was indeed the worst episode ever – a long mystery solved and a hope fulfilled.
I will never watch Star Trek again – that goal is behind me, but I will always admit that I am a Trekkie. How could I not – all you have to do is see me, walk into my house, or listen how I talk…
My Fashion Sense Comes From Star Trek
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Martin Hash
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My Fashion Sense Comes From Star Trek
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