"I do believe we will begin to explore the stars."
-Russ Hannagan
Star Trek fandom has developed steadily over the 34 years that the show has been on the air. Both the franchise and
the fan community have undergone changes throughout that time, influenced by the changes in our society, but have
remained as impossible to categorize as ever. Time and again, people have tried to pin the fans down and label them,
only to discover that that it cannot be done.
From the “Trekkie in the basement” to Stephen Hawking, every kind of person, every age, and people from every
continent in the world are included in fandom. The only thing each fan has in common is the appreciation of Trek.
While the series certainly stood apart from others, what truly makes it unique is this enormous fan base it has
gathered around itself. It could be said that it has formed a new community that represents a cross-section of
humanity, and which is open to new ideas, tolerant, and interested in lending a helping hand to others. Of course
there are arguments and sometimes outright fights, but in most cases, it is in an open atmosphere, not a bigoted,
closed one.
It is a community not unlike the one which Gene Roddenberry envisioned in his Star Trek universe – where everyone,
no matter who they are or what they’re like, is accepted. To some extent, Trek’s fandom has become a microcosm of
Roddenberry’s imaginary world, both reflecting it while striving to achieve that form of society in real life. His
dream has already become reality.
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