Trekkies exposes, in a rather humorous way, the various levels of obsession that hardcore Star Trek fans exhibit. From the woman who wore a Star Trek uniform to serve on the Whitewater jury to the woman who takes pictures of Brent Spiner (Data) and then takes pictures of her own pictures of Brent Spiner, the movie spans all levels of obsession with the show and its cast. There are stories and accounts of fan’s behavior provided by current and former cast members including Leonard Nimoy, Brent Spiner, James Doohan, Denise Crosby (who also narrates the movie), Kate Mulgrew, and the late DeForest Kelley. Fans themselves provide their own accounts, most of them centered around the attendance of a Star Trek convention.
Although the movie does provide a lot of humorous anecdotes regarding fans and their exploits, it’s not really clear if the audience is supposed to identify with them or feel sort of sorry for them. The movie’s director, Roger Nygard, doesn’t really state a purpose for this film other than to showcase the extremes that Trekkies (or Trekkers) will go to express their love of the show. For example, a dentist who has decorated his office in Star Trek memorabilia and dubbed it “Star Base Dental,” is shown with his entire family in Star Trek garb, which they apparently wear all the time. The movie paints a picture of Star Trek fans that seems to show that they are intelligent, independent thinking, and, possibly, seeking refuge from persecution for their belief in the Star Trek way of life.
Trekkies puts the fans on display and shows them, warts and all, to anyone interested enough to watch this film. In all fairness, you could substitute any hardcore fan of any particular subject or hobby and find similarities between them and the Trekkies shown here. Compare a Trek convention to a gun show, and I’m sure you’ll see quite a few comparisons can be drawn. None of them wrong or right, just different from how you feel about things, possibly. Personally, I wouldn’t want to watch a film about gun fanatics, so you may feel the same about hearing the story of how two Trek fans started a radio show to discuss their interests with the public at large.
I think this film, as limited as its potential audience might be, still has some merit. If the subject doesn’t sound very interesting, you’re probably not going to like it.
2.5 out of 5.0 stars
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