Trekkies

After the intensity of Capturing the Friedman’s, I decided to take in a documentary that was on the lighter side. It’s also something that I find completely interesting, considering I am a huge fan of this TV show. I decided to watch the 1996 “Trekkies,” a film by Roger Nygard. It is about the phenomenon of Star Trek and more notably than that, the mass amount of loyal fans of the show. I find the film to be extremely fascinating because I have been called a trekkie by some of my friends over the years, and as soon as they actually watch the show, they stop calling me that. They stop calling me that because they see that there is a lot more to the show, and that is something that Nygard, as the film maker, is trying to show through this documentary. The idea of Star Trek is much more than ‘Beam me up Scotty,” it is a completely optimistic view of the future, where race, color or gender are no longer economic factors.            

            Now, Nygard does show some of these fans that take it a bit too far, however Nygard’s also has personal interviews with these fans and shows us the audience that these are real people, and if you actually listen to what they would have to say, they don’t seem as crazy. His use of the personal interview, makes this documentary. The interviews are telling this story of these people and Star Trek. There is very little use of archival footage or scenes from the television show, it’s all about talking to these people and understanding why they are so enthusiastic about this show. One example from the film that really comes to my mind, is Barbara Allen. She is a woman from Arkansas who was summoned for jury duty. Seeing as how she considers herself a commanding officer of the U.S.S. Artumus,  the Little Rock chapter of the Federation Alliance, she wore her Star Trek uniform to the trial. This is about a 10 minute sequence of the film that Nygard really shines as an excellent filmmaker. There is a clip from CNN news and Inside Edition I believe, about how the ‘Star Trek Juror’ is rocking the court system of Little Rock. Everyday as this woman goes into and out of the court, the media is there trying to get as many pictures and ask as many questions as to why she is doing this, and she walks right on by. Now just by seeing this, it’s shown that she is a little crazy and maybe she should be on this jury. However, through the interview that Nygard conducts with Allen, we see that she really has a pretty decent and true point when you think about it. She states, “You can put on a uniform for baseball, basketball, football, anything for the big game and it’s alright. But as soon as someone puts on a Star Trek uniform, people get a case of the giggles. The ideas of Star Trek are going to be the blueprint for the 21^st century. I really love the portrayal of the world that Gene(the creator of trek) created for us in the future.” I would never walk around in a trek uniform, but if you think about it, she’s right. Some people like to be different through basketball, others, Star Trek. The way Nygard portrays her in this film through her interview, makes her point seem not crazy and that she really has something extremely positive to say. And Nygard does that with everyone that he talks to in the film. There is a dentist who turned his office in to ‘Starbase Dental,” and he and his family all wear the uniforms on a regular basis. People may think that’s dumb and think this guy is a geek, but Nygard speaks to him and makes him seem like a  regular person. He states, “There’s always a connotation that the dentist is….not a fun place, all we’re trying to do is change that.” Without that interview, he would seem like a bit of a geek, but he’s just a dentist trying to keep his business alive.

            Nygard’s portrayal of these people through the interviews, is also really pleasing and enjoyable to see as a viewer. This is one of the only documentaries I’ve seen where someone isn’t being portrayed in a negative way.  He makes of these people look like anyone one else and not peculiar in anyway. Brent Spiner, who plays Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation said in the film, “People perceive the fans as these off beat, peculiar kinds of people. I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who wasn’t peculiar in someone, Star Trek fan or not.” Nygard even show that the casts think that these people are smart and just like any one else. I have my own opinions on whether or not I think they are weird, but that’s not the point. Nygard’s filmmaking makes me think they maybe they aren’t, and that’s the mark of any good documentary, it makes you think about things more deeply. Nygard accomplishes that very well.