When I pressed them about which one is the best, they were annoyingly “legal” and stated that, “Our exposure would be too great to position ourselves with any definitive posture.” (Speaking of exposing themselves, these guys throw one raunchy holiday party, totally secular and non-denominational but with just the right edge. I mean where else are ya’ gonna hear, in perfect four part harmony, renditions of “God Rest Ye, Mendel Applebaum”, “A Chipmunk Christmas”, “Christmas In Killarney” and “Feliz Navidad.” Strangely, it’s always O’Reilly who wants to sing “Feliz Navidad.” Go figure, but I digress and sorry about this long parenthetical…)

So, I said, “What the hell does that mean? Surely, you can give me some idea based on your findings?” The room went frighteningly silent… I asked, “Guys, off the record… your opinion?”

Boy oh boy! Did the opinions ever fly… Each one of them made very valid points about each of the features being the best and the truest to the spirit of the original series.

The bottom line is each of the movies speaks, in some form or fashion, about friendship and loyalty. Something that Star Trek V did well (We won’t mention what it didn’t do well…ahem, story! story! story! Yeah, and those crappy FX… But let’s not mention any of that.)

Those components of Star Trek… the loftier ideals that Roddenberry tried to imbue in his creation… the notions of brotherhood and tolerance… these are all the things that everyone wants in their lives… it is at the very heart of who we are as people… further it is the truest aspiration of this country. That is why this show has survived and prospered for forty years… Yeah, that and it is really cool. I mean c’mon… phasers, warp speed and Klingons, oh my!

So, yeah… I’m a little insulted when someone says I don’t “get” it ’cause I don’t subscribe to the idea that Star Trek V is the closest to the spirit of the original series. But then again, Star Trek has lots of fans with lots of opinions. Thank whatever deity you choose to worship… it’s one of the reasons Star Trek has been around so long – in so many incarnations.

But on the subject of not “getting” it… I am most dismayed by “an olde timey fan”… Sadly, I don’t think you get it at all… I won’t speak for “acb”, only for myself… your “poofter” comment was perhaps insulting to some, amusing to others… but the idea that you would position Homosexulaity as a “right or wrong” issue… especially in this forum, given the tenets and the sub-text of Star Trek. Wow!

It really is too bad because I enjoyed your commentary and history lesson on the “airdales” and I’ve enjoyed your perspective at times as someone who is probably closer to my age than most here. However, I am bothered by your inflammatory comments regarding a criteria that shouldn’t matter. So, naturally I’m going to read your commentary with a more critical eye. I guess I should have been more suspicious by your genuflection over Star Trek V. Oh well, live and learn…

By the way, it turns out that O’Reilly, from the aforementioned law firm, is gay and has become the top performer in his law firm. He and his life partner (who served in Iraq, garnering several meritorious commendations), have decided to adopt children from impoverished areas of this country and the third world. None of this explains why O’Reilly insists on being the lead when singing “Feliz Navidad.”

Oh, by the way, “An olde timey fan”, I don’t care what kind of geek you choose to be or have time to be… just don’t be a mean, prejudiced one. The “Ishtar” reference was just a joke about a another bad desert movie. You know, Ishtar to Star Trek V. Now if you want to talk about good desert movies… well… “Lawrence Of Arabia has got to be at the top of the list. Hey, wasn’t T.E Lawrence a homosexual?

It was “Diamonds are Forever”. Sorry. I don’t have enough time to be a Trek geek and a Bond geek at the same time.

and for abc, too: As for your gay-chip-on-the-sholder … I feel very sorry for you people. Repeated Pavolovian conditioning by Big Brother & Co. has warped your sense of right and wrong, not to mention your aesthetic sensibilities. I supose the news item from last week, reporting a 1% per annum drop in testosterone levels in US males over the past 15 years at least, is now confirmed. No wonder Kirk is such a controversial character among the Slacker Generation!