It must’ve been years ago when I was 7 years old that I began watching strictly once a week Star Trek: The Next Generation, early on I was overwhelmed by the technobabble constantly asking my stepdad what all of it meant and who the characters were. I instantly felt an attachment to Data and Lieutenant Worf (I put this down now to my then undiagnosed autism and my being a “difficult” child at school (which actually means I bit an older kid Max on the hand after he pushed me into some bushes)) we would have pasta with green pesto on the floor of the living room and watch 1, or if we were lucky 2, episodes of Star Trek. It taught me many things in life over the years I watched all of The Next Generation, looking back now and seeing the contrast in me not understanding Encounter At Farpoint and recognising Hugh in Descent.
After the final episode, which I refused to watch for a month so Star Trek wouldn’t end, we tried like every time I finish a great tv show to fill the void. First Contact brought me back and I was too young to see flaws in Generations, Insurrection and Nemesis… but I couldn’t attach to Deep Space 9, Voyager or Enterprise. It was then that I thoroughly enjoyed the 2009 reboot movie Star Trek, somehow it was perfect for someone who could only love The Next Generation and had seen nearly nothing of Kirk or Spock. But after all that Star Trek left my life, I forgot all about it for years…
I’m now in my final year of secondary school, come September I will be leaving home and going to University. Since I started Star Trek I thought I was gay, thought I was bisexual, thought I was straight, thought I was cis, thought I was genderfluid, was suicidal just before, during and after Covid, came out as trans, saved a friends life, realised I was a lesbian, saved a different friends life, did 10 different exams, reconnected with my dad, disconnected with my dad, went to 2 schools, did 6 musical productions, made many friends lost like 80% and looked damn good doing it. Then the other day I rewatched Star Trek (2009). Remembering all my memories of Star Trek in a 2 hour and 6 minute window was an experience, looking back a formative science fiction show where we solve all of the worlds problems, there is no discrimination, no environmental crisis and no greed really led to me to the left wing anarchistic beliefs I hold now, along with the empathy I hold in my heart that I learnt from these characters, the strive to better oneself and help others. We’ve not reached Star Trek yet but a small part of me hopes we will…
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