If you’ve followed me for a while, you probably know that Star Trek is a huge part of my life. Some of my earliest memories are of watching reruns with my father on the small television in our first home, or of scampering across my grandparents massive backyard chasing Klingons while brandishing a stick almost shaped like a phaser. But beyond that, the overarching concepts that underpin the Star Trek universe have percolated into my view of the world, allowing me to truly appreciate (as they say) the infinite diversity in infinite combinations.
While I wait for my one-in-a-million chance to write the science fiction novel of my dreams, I continue to refine my craft with my two amazing detectives, Sean Colbeth and Vasily Korsokovach. There are lots of adventures still in the queue for them, so these best friends will be around for quite a while; maybe one or two of them will catch the eye of the current keepers of the franchise. Stranger things have happened…
(As a side note, I’ve been considering updating the landing pages for these guys, pulling together the character notes that typically appear as part of Amazon’s X-Ray service for Kindle. It occurred to me a few weeks ago that my readers using a more physical form don’t have ready access to that.)
We are in a fortunate period for those of us who are fans of Star Trek. Beyond the amazing STLV convention I’ll be attending again this August, there are five in-progress series currently airing. Five! And we just ended an incredible run of something like forty weeks of new content in a row — nearly a full year of adventures that offered stories for longtime viewers such as myself (Picard, Strange New Worlds) or folks who are finding the universe for the first time (Discovery, Prodigy, Lower Decks). The attention to detail in each of these shows is phenomenal, and it’s clear that those working on them truly love the franchise. (I take it back, maybe I should be holding out for a spot in one of those writer’s rooms…?)
I’m hoping my buddy and I get some cool sneak peaks at what is to come when we head to Las Vegas in a few weeks. Even if we don’t, though, the chance to hang around with people as plugged into Star Trek as us is truly a treat. I only belong to handful of fandoms, so it’s not terribly scientific when I say that trekkies* are some of the warmest, kind-hearted and open fans on the planet. Everyone — and I mean everyone — is welcome, which is quite refreshing. It’s one way that I charge up my optimism batteries, allowing me to get through the next year and everything that it might toss at me.
(*Yes, I am aware that there are two terms in the fandom – trekkie and trekker. Honestly, I flip between the two depending on my mood and the subject being discussed, so please don’t hold that against me.)