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With all the hype surrounding the new Star Trek movie, I thought I would take a moment to reflect on how I was first exposed to Star Trek.\u00a0 I don’t consider myself to be a Trekkie or Trekker, just a fairly knowledgeable fan of some of the incarnations of Star Trek.\u00a0 I’m happy to say that the first Star Trek show I was exposed to is still one of the best.<\/p>\n
My pre-teen years were spent in a typical early-80’s middle class suburban home.\u00a0 Two parents, four children, a dog, and a swimming pool.\u00a0 My dad was the general manager for a local television station, while my mom worked part-time and did the majority of the child rearing.\u00a0 Each night while mom made dinner, it was the kids’ job to stay out of dad’s way.\u00a0 After all he’d had a long day at work and needed time to unwind.\u00a0 He’d come home, drink a cocktail, watch the news, and gobble down a pack of Rolaids in just a few hours.\u00a0 Since the kids interacted primarily with mom, it was a big deal when dad got involved.\u00a0 When dad said he wanted something done, you jumped.<\/p>\n
And there came a day unlike any other when my eyes were truly opened for the first time.\u00a0 I was about nine years old at the time.\u00a0 I happened to stroll into our family room where my dad was watching television.\u00a0 He looked at me, looked back to the television, and then looked back at me.\u00a0 He sort of squinted, like he was sizing me up for a fight.\u00a0 Then he spoke those words I’ll never forget, “Boy, sit down.\u00a0 Watch this.\u00a0 It’s important.”\u00a0 Knowing my place in the household, I did exactly what my dad told me to.\u00a0 I sat down and spent the next hour watching this TV show that he seemed to think was important.<\/p>\n
Soon afterward my dad took me to see “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” in the theatre.\u00a0 Even as a kid, I could tell that movie was just plain awesome.\u00a0 So I guess I’ve got my dad to thank for my lifelong connection to Star Trek.\u00a0 I’ve continued to dabble in the various Star Trek incarnations since those early years, but nothing will ever beat discovering it for the first time.<\/p>\n Come back tomorrow for a little more on Trek.<\/p>\n![\"Kirk](\"http:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/a\/ab\/STArena.jpg\")
<\/a>The show featured strange new words that I was unfamiliar with, like “Stardate”, “Enterprise”, “Warp Factor”, and … “Gorn”. That’s right, it was the episode entitled “Arena<\/a>” from the first season of the original Star Trek television series.\u00a0 That’s the one where some powerful entities force Captain Kirk to battle the Gorn unarmed.\u00a0 Great stuff!\u00a0 I was hooked from then on.\u00a0 I mean, c’mon, I didn’t stand a chance.\u00a0 Kirk versus the Gorn?\u00a0 What a fantastic way to get introduced to the franchise!<\/p>\nTell the world about ONCE UPON A GEEK:<\/h3>