|
|
Post by Janeway Forever on Apr 3, 2008 12:29:18 GMT -5
As a convention-going Star Trek fan (though I've never really understood the difference between Trekkies and Trekkers), I've run into many misconceptions about me, both from friends, and strangers alike.
One of the most common is that everybody dresses up for conventions. Even telling my good friends about going to Ohio this past summer and fall, almost all of them asked the question, "And you were in costume while all of this happened?"
That's probably the most frustrating one.
The other is that we as Trek fans, are completely out of touch with reality. Somehow we are strange, slightly insane people just running around.
Patrick Stewart recently stood up for us(as fans) in an interview:
When you’re onstage, aren’t you worried about weird Trekkie fans in the audience?
Oh, come on, that’s just a silly thing to say.
But they are weird.
How many do you know personally? You couldn’t be more wrong. Here’s the thing: if you say the fans are weird, that means there is something essentially weird about the show, and there is nothing weird about it. I’m very passionate when people like you snigger.
Props to Patrick!!!
So what misconceptions have y'all encountered?
|
|
|
|
Post by Mel on Apr 3, 2008 15:20:41 GMT -5
Thats awsome that he did that.
The people I waork with always ask me that if I dress up. They still ask me that.
|
|
|
|
Post by DDL on Apr 3, 2008 18:52:15 GMT -5
I use the phrase Trekkie since we've been called that longer, but I find both terms acceptable as long as everyone gets the main point: 'Star Trek fan'.  When I first started planning on going to a con, the first thing my mother said was, "I'm not dressing up for it!!" as if somehow it was a requirement. It's one heckuva prevalent stereotype. I certainly hope that people learn that just because someone watches Star Trek they aren't idiotic witlings. |
|
|
|
Post by Janeway Forever on Apr 3, 2008 23:53:04 GMT -5
Well, even Garrett said, when he was up on stage, that it's not just the fan dressing up thing. He said that the first thing non-fans ask him when they find out he does the convention circuit, is if he's dressed up like Harry.
LOL. It's something I've never been able to understand myself. It kind of makes me want to ask businesses if everyone wears their bathing suits when they happen to do work conventions at the beach. LOL.
|
|
|
|
Post by Mara Wildman on Apr 4, 2008 7:47:28 GMT -5
hehe.... I'm the Trekkie that dresses up.... (as I'm sure you can tell from my profile pic)... of course that was my first sci-fi con and I was so excited and wanted so bad to dress up like Naomi Wildman. IDK, I love to dress up (in costume) any chance I get because with school and work there's always dress code and unlike high school they don't have rules about allowing students/employees to dress up. I dressed up for the costume night at church, though! (And guess what I wore! ^_^) Back when I was out of school and didn't have a job yet and was at home all the time I'd dress up regularly! Maybe not in costume, but there were many times I'd draw on Vulcan eyebrows. Other times I would be a half Klingon! (One time I made myself look half-Klingon half-Vulcan and my whole family looked at me funny!)
OK, maybe I showed a little too much of my weird side..... But I do love to act (wish I was better at it) because I like to dress up and/or pretend I'm other people. (Sometimes when my bro, sis, and I get together we do a mean Three Stooges or Ed, Edd, & Eddy! I'm always Larry and Ed.)
So anyway, I guess it's partly my fault you get stereotyped. ;o) But I do let people know that most people don't dress up.
|
|
|
|
Post by Janeway Forever on Apr 4, 2008 11:23:33 GMT -5
No Mara, it's not your fault. Certainly there are fans who like to dress up. I've thought about it before. And I know Van has her Captain Janeway uniform.
All I'm saying is that it's ignorant of others to think that everybody dresses up.
|
|
|
|
Post by Mara Wildman on Apr 7, 2008 7:14:46 GMT -5
n_n I'm volunteering at Trek Expo in Tulsa, OK, this year and I might only wear a uniform one of the days. I've been wanting to make Star Trek related T-shirts and I bought a couple blank T's this morning. Now if only I can find my shirt transfers...... and only to decide which ones I want to make..... If I make the Soval (or Tuvok or Spock) one I'll wear my pointy ears on whichever day I wear it! n_n Anyhoo, I even still get comments about misconceptions about nerds in general. When I tell people I'm a nerd they never believe me. (Which shows they really don't know the real me!) Especially with younger people they think you have to look like a nerd to be one. Once when I was in church one of the 3rd/4th graders said that she loves everybody and then added "except nerds." I was like, "Hey now! I'm a nerd!" They all looked at me funny and she said "no you're not! Do you have one of those pocket things?" (referring to pocket protectors.) Anyhoo..... That's why I made a vlog about a year ago proving one of the ways I'm a nerd. ( youtube.com/watch?v=BT8cyGoBIjY) |
|
|
|
Post by Janeway Forever on Apr 7, 2008 10:17:55 GMT -5
That's a good point I hadn't even thought about Mara. All of my friends at my last job called me a "closet trekkie." Obviously I'm not secretive about my love for all things (DS9 excluded ) Trek. So why'd they call me a "closet" trekkie. Because, the way they saw it, I am not your average Trekkie nerd. Usually one of the first responses I get when I tell people I like Trek is "really? you don't look like a Trek fan." So I always ask them, "So what exactly is a Trek fan supposed to look like?" That usually makes them stop and think for atleast a minute. |
|
.:Salina:.
Lieutenant
"Voyager is a wonderful place to be. People here are very fortunate." -Neelix, Fair Trade
Posts: 252
|
Post by .:Salina:. on Apr 8, 2008 6:34:48 GMT -5
I get that all the time! I'm such a prep and sort of dress like a model and people don't believe I'm a Trekkie until I tell them something deep about the Trek universe. Then they just stare at me in shock! lol!
Hmm. Maybe I should buy a Starfleet uniform and wear it to work one night! ;D With my red hair I could possibly pull off the Janeway thing! (Or maybe Dr. Crusher?) I know one co-worker who would love that! (And he's pretty cute, too!)
|
|
|
|
Post by Janeway Forever on Apr 8, 2008 7:26:20 GMT -5
Ha ha. All I have to do is show everybody my keychain. And I really kill them when I go into the whole discussion about how it's a TNG combadge, even though Voyager is my show, because when Mel went to the Experience they didn't have any Voyager combadges. But TNG is certainly my next favorite.
They just kind of sit there and stare at me blankly. LOL.
|
|
|
|
Post by DDL on Apr 8, 2008 10:38:40 GMT -5
What I do is discuss something from the Voyager world and then go into my collection of props so far. Everyone knows that someone who's a Trek collector has got to be pretty far gone. |
|
|
|
Post by Mara Wildman on Apr 10, 2008 6:40:55 GMT -5
lol
I only have two action figures (Data and Dr. Bashir) and they're not for collecting, they're for play! They're different sizes though too; Bashir's about half the size of Data!
|
|
.:Salina:.
Lieutenant
"Voyager is a wonderful place to be. People here are very fortunate." -Neelix, Fair Trade
Posts: 252
|
Post by .:Salina:. on May 2, 2008 7:06:21 GMT -5
I have no action figures. ): I had an Uhura doll when I was little but it mysteriously disappeared after we moved to Chicago. (I was about 13.) In fact, she was an influence in why I dress "glamourously," as some people put it. (Personally, I just prefer "preppy.")
|
|
|
|
Post by DDL on May 2, 2008 11:12:54 GMT -5
They actually made a mutated Tom figure from Threshold. O.o As if the episode wasn't a big enough flop, they had to make it into an action figure? ;D
|
|
|
|
Post by KateJaneway on May 2, 2008 20:53:13 GMT -5
|
|
