"BEAM ME UP SCOTTY!"

If you recognised the title of this post then you knew it was going to be about Star Trek. Well, nearly....its more about "trekkies"....that is Star Trek fanatics. And there are a few about. Now I have a brother, Richard, who is a Star Trek fan. He collects Star Trek memorabilia, reads Star Trek novels, rewatches Star Trek videos and could probably not only tell me the names of all the commanders of the U.S.S. Enterprise but can explain the difference between a "trekkie" and a "trekker". (No that is not me and my brother above......but a couple of dedicated Star Trek fans)

Barbara Adams. If you recognize the name then you are probably already a "trekkie". Barabara, aged 31, lives in Little Rock, Arkansas. She is employed by a bookbindery. In March 1996 she was selected for jury duty. Barbara, an avid Star Trek fan turned up for duty in her black and red Star Trek commanders uniform, complete with communicator badge, tricorder and plastic phaser. She was accepted by both the defense and the prosecutor as a suitable alternative juror and sat through eight court sessions. However she came unstuck and was dismissed from the case by the judge when she spoke to press about wearing her uniform to jury duty; jurors in a case are not allowed to speak to the media. Barbara insists that she was not making a mockery of the court, she always wears her uniform on formal occasions. She says she admires the values taught by the Star Trek ideal and lives her life respecting these values.

Tony Alleyne. A Star Trek fan and interior designer. Englishman, Tony Alleyne was bored with his one bedroom apartment and so when his marriage broke down his therapy was to redecorate it with a futuristic theme. Tony redecorated the apartment with an exact replica of the bridge of the Star Ship Enterprise. The flat has a transporter room, a space age kitchen and bathroom, and a voice activated lighting and sound system. The door bell plays a selection of commands given by Jean-Luc Picard. The redesign took 54 year old Tony over two years to complete and cost him so much money he had to file for bankruptcy. Although many of his friends though it was a joke it was Tony who got the last laugh when the flat sold for over $838,000 US- five times its market value.

Many Star Trek fans have gone to the trouble to dress up. Florida dentist, Denis Bourguignon calls his business the "Starbase Dental". His practice is decorated it in a Star Trek theme and all his staff wear Star Trek uniforms at work. Daryl Frazetti from Boston named his cat Bones and dresses it in Dr McCoy uniforms while they watch episodes of Star Trek. Many Star Trek Fans support tattoos of Star Trek characters and star Trek emblems (such as the picture above) and the odd person has even had plastic surgery to give their ears a vulcan touch. One fan even had his name legally changed to James T. Kirk. And Glen Proechel runs a language school in Minnesota which teaches people to speak fluent Klingon.

Of course a whole industry has grown up around Star Trek memorabilia: balloons, T-shirts, model space ships, uniforms, action figures and replica phasers and communicators. If you have trouble deciding on a present for a "trekkie" then there is always the replica of the captain's chair from the star ship Enterprise. It is made from leather and wood and comes with buttons which produce background space ship noises and phrases like "Position report Spock".

If you found this post humorous or interesting, or if you now want to rush out and have the galaxy tattooed across your back then while you are waiting to be 'beamed up' you can find more about "trekkies" by getting out the DVDs. Yep, Trekkies and Trekkies II.

Above: two more views of Tony's flat.

Barbara Adams impersonators?

...and maybe the ultimate Star Trek fan giving the Vulcan salute?