Thankful Thanksgiving Day 17: Star Trek

You knew this day would come. Today I express my geeky thankfulness for living in the age of Star Trek.  Star Trek has always been a part of my life. My Dad grew up with the Original Series and got me into Next Generation came out. I was only around 6 when it came out and don’t really remember much until it hit it’s third season, which coincidentally, was when it started to get good. TNG taught me about the spirit of exploration, keeping an open mind, having principles, the value of science, that people may be different then you but you should still respect them and to have an optimistic view of the future.

From there, Deep Space 9 came out just as I started to hit the age of questioning everything. It gave me a darker look at the future and showed that things aren’t just black and white; they are more complex. But despite the grimness in that, there is still always hope. While people aren’t always saints, that doesn’t make them devils.

Voyager taught me that even good things can suck.

Enterprise taught me to look at something for what it is, not what others complain it’s not. I enjoyed it despite many Trek fans bashing it for so many trivial reasons. That’s the same reason I liked the latest Star Trek movie. It was a little light on the science (and that’s saying something for Star Trek) and a little weak on the values of Star Trek (“You understand what the Federation is don’t you? It’s imporant.”)  but it was still a very well done movie. I can enjoy it for just that reason.

So I am thankful for Star Trek. All of the things it taught me and all of the enjoyment it’s given me over the years.