nuqneH!
Sorry for that, but I just read several blogs which ignored the evidence pointing towards Trekker being the correct term, and insited that Trekkies are more obsessed fans. Yes, I only recently came upon Star Trek, but I watch two or 3 episodes a day, and keep up with school. It's hard!
I've even started learnign Klingon, which caused some trouble at my family get-toghether ("Ah, it's okay if you like Star Trek " Says my cousin (I think he's a cousin anyway. May be related in some other way.) "It's only the ones who speak fluent Klingon that you have to worry about." Cue awkward silence and stares.)
Anyway, I once, briefly, heard the term Trekkie and used it, only to be corrected by a long-term fan (okay, my mum) who informed me that the term is Trekker. This has been backed up by reading Star Trek Memories by William Shatner and Chris Kreski. In the introduction, William Shatner describes his struggle to get his alarm clock to turn off as "in Trekker, an early morning Kobayashi Maru."
Nichelle Nichols, in her autobiography, states several times that although some people call them Trekkies, those people are generally not the fans, who prefer the term Trekkers. She also tells about an incident when a reporter made a disparaging comment about Trekkies. She pointed out that the fans saved Star Trek several times and have always supported it, and added "Oh, and it's Trekkers, by the way, not trekkies" To general aplause.
Leonard Nimoy stated in the 1991 Star Trek: 25th Anniversary Special that the term is Trekker.
In the documentary "Trekkies" Kate Mulgrew also said that trekkers are the ones who "walk among us" while trekkies are content to simply watch the show.
In contrast the only evidence I can find for the term Trekkie is it's original use by Arthur W. Saha, and Gene Roddenberry calling them Trekkies and saying that that was it because "he invented the term". (As I've said, however, Arthur W. Saha did that.)
Gene Roddenberry was also known to use the term Trekkers at times, despite those words above.
I feel like I should mention that my main sources are Star Trek Memories, Beyond Uhura, and Wikipedia, so I may have made a mistake. (I'd like to pint out, though, that only two of my pro-trekker points came from Wikipedia. the others came from my memory of reading Nichelle Nichols autobiography "Beyond Uhura" and "Star Trek Memories."
And obviously, you are free to use whichever term you like, even if that is *grumbleKlingonCurseMumble* Trekkies.
And I unfortunately can't remember how to say goodbye in Klingon (I'm new at this! I'll remember it soon!) so I must simply say:
Live Long and Prosper.
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3 comments:
Having watched 'Star Trek' for over 40 years -- I can say I'm a Trekkie.
Trekkies are usually 'old school'. Trekkers are generally younger. That's been the way I've heard it since the 70s.
Huh. That's kind of strange, because my mum, who's been a fan for I don't know how long says it's Trekker. In my experience, It's mainly people my age and a little older who say Trekkie. I guess things must differ.
Although as Leoonard Nimoy, William Shatner and Nichelle Nichols all say the word is Trekker, I honestly think that that should be the word used.
I guess it doesn't matter really. I was really sleep-deprived when I wrote that post anyway.
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