The Myth of the Star Trek Fan

Sociologist John Tenuto shares some preliminary findings from his study of scifi fandom…

The concept of the Star Trek fan is a myth.
Those attending Star Trek conventions see a variety of people that questions the simplistic view that all Trekkers are the same. Star Trek fans are multifarious in political views, occupation, demographics, and shape. Yet, the myth persists that all Star Trek fans are similar. Similarly geeky. Similarly minded. Similarly shaped. Similarly bereft of social relationships. This is not true. Never has been. Probably never will be.

Origins of the stereotype
The media certainly plays a role in the perpetuation of the myth or stereotype. Media coverage of the 40th Anniversary conventions focused on the usual issues. The media showed fans dressed in costumes because this is a interesting visual, even though the majority of fans do not dress up for conventions (see CNBC’s “Star Trek Fans Say Beam to Las Vegas”  and corresponding video for a good example). The media focuses on the consumer aspect of being a Trekker, connoting that the fees for autographs or collectibles are problematic, or that fiduciary fan expressions are somehow unique to Trekker experiences.

When favorable, media discussions of Star Trek fans often have two related features. First, the reporters or writers makes certain to distance themselves from Star Trek because they do not wish to be considered Trekkies. Second, the reporters will include one or two jibes at Trekkies labeling them as geeks or such similar disparagement. No better example of this can be seen than in the recent Variety article “Love and money fuel “Trek” trips” by Brian Lowry. This favorable article regarding Star Trek provides all this and more. The first paragraph writes that Star Trek fans’ adoration of Star Trek is described as “if more than a little geeky.” The next paragraph then goes on to say, “ Granted, 40-year-old men wearing Spock ears must find love where they can get it, but in hindsight, there was much for them to like.” Imagine what the article might have said if it had a negative view of Star Trek and its fans.

The media discussions of Star Trek XI also include a focus on fans. Articles found at Trekmovie.com show a tendency for the media to discuss whether the creators of Star Trek XI are fans themselves, or how the film will meet the expectations of the Star Trek fans.

Sociology, the discipline that I teach, is a science qualified to discuss media myths. Sociology utilizes the scientific method to study what sociologist Peter Berger called “the world taken for granted.” It is certainly taken for granted that Star Trek fans are what the media presents. Yet, are they?

Lets look at the data
I am currently studying science fiction fans. Nearly 7,400 people have been kind enough to help with questionnaires about themselves as Star Wars, Superman, and Star Trek fans. The process of studying the results has begun, and the preliminary data is telling.

First, some caveats. These questionnaires are not a random sample of Star Trek fans. The summaries of the data here does not apply to all Star Trek fans for that reason, but rather the people who answered the questions. Yet, it is interesting to see what the 1743 Star Trek fans who completed the Star Trek questionnaire discuss. Also, the questionnaires are only from those fans who are 18 years of age or older. Younger fans may have very different experiences or view regarding Star Trek. They are not represented here. With these caveats, here is a few interesting facts about 1743 Star Trek fans.

TNG is still the fan favorite, but no consensus

This does have implications for Star Trek XI. Next Generation and DS9 appear to be more popular among the 1602 fans compared to Classic Trek. The interesting question is which of the versions of Star Trek is the favorite among different fans or non Trekkers because these audiences are needed for the next film to be a blockbuster.

What do you mean there was no one in costume?
One of the assignments for the students who take my Sociology of Star Trek class at the College of Lake County is to attend a convention with a sociological perspective. Invariably, there is disappointment because the students wanted to see more fans dressed up in costume. This is certainly a media generated stereotype because of the focus on costumed fans. The media may not see costuming appropriately. Costuming is a creative attempt by fans to display their affinity for Star Trek. This active, creative process often results in amazingly detailed costumed. Yet, the irony is that while the media focuses on this because of its interesting visual presentation, it often results in a denigrations of the costumed fans. Two recommended books for this topic are Will Brooker’s ‘Using the Force’ and Heather R. Joseph-Witham’s ‘Star Trek Fans and Costume Art for Star Trek’.

For those who have attended a Star Trek convention, it is no surprise that only 8.9% of the 1522 fans answering the costuming question mentioned they had dressed in a Star Trek related costume in the last 12 months. 25% of these fans mentioned that they had worn some type of Star Trek item of clothing (a hat for instance). More Star Wars and Superman fans discussed that they dressed in costume (22.2% of the Star Wars 3306 fans answering the question, 12.6% of the 1901 Superman fans answering the question). The two books recommended above offer several positive academic reasons for costuming for fans of Star Wars and Star Trek.

Trek has the lowest rate of convention costume wearers…

Not all single men living in their mom’s basements?
Saturday Night Live to the contrary, Star Trek fans who answered the questionnaire are educated, engaged in personal relationships, working in a variety of careers, and not very good examples of the labels often associated with them.

Of the 1508 Star Trek fans answering the question, 34% mentioned they had earned a undergraduate degree, 18.3% earned a graduate degree, and 5.5% earned a Phd or similar education. Comparatively, the U.S. Census in 2004 mentioned that 23.8% of Americans 15 years of age or older had earned a B.A. degree or higher. These Trekkers are educated. 1516 Star Trek fans answered the question regarding whether they are male or female. For Star Trek, 78% were male, 22% were female. The stereotype that all Star Trek fans are males loses its creditability even more so at conventions. Most Star Trek fans answering the questionnaire did not attend a convention in the last 12 months (13.7% had attended). At conventions, though, one sees a pronounced equality represented. At the Creation 40th Anniversary Star Trek convention, there was a 51% male, 49% female representation for the general admission seats. This is no surprise since women have played a major role in the history of Star Trek conventions. For a discussion of the history of conventions, please see the book The Making of Star Trek Conventions by Joan Winston. Comparatively, Star Wars sees similar numbers with 3306 people answering the question for Star Wars, 82% are male, 18% are female. Fans of Superman who are female are less represented for the questionnaire with 1838 people for this question, 88.5% were male, 11.5% were female. The myth finds no expression with these Trekkers.

Trek has the highest rate of women fans…

 

Star Trek fans are engaged with relationships, despite the myth. This question asked about the person’s marital status when completing the questionnaire about Star Trek. Of the 1519 people who completed the question, 41% are married, 5.9% are divorced, 5.7% are with other domestic relationships showing a significant presence of gay Star Trek fans, and 46.9% are never married. The United States Census collects data differently, yet here are some numbers for discussion. According to the Census in 2001, marital status when completing the census showed that 43.7% of men married once are married and 40.7% of women married once are married. 8.8% of men and 10.8% of women are divorced when completing the census questionnaire. 24.6% of women and 30.9% of men were never married. Star Trek fans are social people according to the data and interviews for the Sociology of Star Trek.

Infinite Diversity?
The data results will be available soon regarding Star Wars, Superman, and Star Trek fans. This brief discussion hopefully achieved the greatest gift that sociology provides, a more accurate view of the groups of society. The irony is that while several Star Trek episodes such as “Balance of Terror” discuss the importance of seeing people as individuals, Star Trek fans often are presented as a similar group. IDIC should apply, yet doesn’t.

Star Trek XI should not attempt to appease the fans, because there is no single view for Star Trek.

Here are some numbers that show that while there are social patterns among Star Trek fans who completed the questionnaire, for example, the fans are educated, there is a great variety that needs discussion.This is the list of the first 100 people who completed the question “Which character from Star Trek is your favorite?” The Star Trek characters voted for represent a variety of shows. It also represents the variety of fan views and experiences.

TNG may be the fave show, but Kirk and Spock top the list of fave characters

 

About the author:
John Tenuto is a sociology instructor at the College of LakeCounty, Grayslake, Illinois. He teaches a class called ‘The Sociologyof Star Trek’.
Professor Tenuto is currently on sabbatical comparing fans of Star Trek to other genres.You can help by filling out a questionnaire, available here

 

 

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Star Trek is escapism.It’s like Dorothy for some people..”.somewhere over the rainbow happy little bluebirds fly,why can’t I (etc.)”.It’s something that happens in the human experience.When people are under stress,alienated or don’t fit in ,or view reality as painful or too mundane they create a place to go.That’s, why sorry to say ,that a lot of hardcore trekkers come off as social misfits.wrap it up with some kind of loosey goosey kind of philosophy ( Picard-In the future we overcame eathly problems by…etc.)and what you’ve got is a bit of a captive subculture.

Bravo! Now I have a study to back me up against the Marauding Bands of Trek-Haters (MBTH’s) that I so often encounter.

I think the various Star Trek spin-offs may represent Jon’s thesis, but as far as the original series goes, most of the fans I know are pretty normal, salt-of-the-earth people.

Trek seems to reach a broad range of viewers; certainly some (many?) who watch television do so because they have nothing better to do… but the majority look to it for simple entertainment. That ST entertains after 40 years of watching the same episodes is a testament to

(1) the pre-“liberated” era and its values that include respect for tradition etc (even as Roddenberry tried his best to smash them, he still operated within its contraints)

and

(2) the fact that Hollywood workers were seemingly in touch with “normal” people! Most of the Trek poobahs and many writers were, after all, WWII or Korean War veterans and had no time for the bullshit the current generation of Hollywood brat seems obsessed over… Heavy sigh. You can’t go home again but you can hold out, “PAX” like, waiting for Genesis II so to speak. Okay. That’s makes me a geek!

Everything the average fan already knew. I guess it take a professor to study it and write a report on it before it’s “official,” though.

Just because you like to watch an utopic vision of the future on TV, your own life mustn’t be cruel or hopeless. What a stereotyped rubbish!

Well done. Indeed, there are more female Star Trek fans than previously thought. I’m glad that’s been proven…

Another fallacy – that male Star Trek fans often live in their parnets’ basement and remain vigins all their lives…HAH! Yes, I have known such men, however, they follow uther interests far from Star Trek, Star Wars, and Superman.
I have found that most of my Star Trek fan friends are married with children, living in their own homes, and working in satisfying careers.

I can’t wait to see the final data. :)

Greetings, This is a very interesting survey. Unlike the movie “Trekkies” it does not portray us, fans of Star Trek, as geeks and nerds. BTW: I was interviewed by them for that movie. The club I belonged to at that time was apparently not radical or off the wall enough for them. My interview wound up on the cutting room floor.
Nor were they interested in the community service we do. Yes, for some of those events, we do wear costumes. For an event like William Shatner’s Hollywood Charity Horse Show; after helping with set-up in the morning, we would put on our costumes and help entertain around 2,000 children in the afternoon (in Burbank).
We also dress in costume when we help at an outreach facility at the end of Oct. We help with a halloween party, we run their games and we also bring our own games (in San diego). But for the most part, we only wear club t-shirts.
To be honest, I love Star Trek and what it stands/stood (TOS) for, but I have not seen a ST TV program in a long while (I hated “Enterprise”). I am now a big Stargate fan. : )
In order of preference, I like:
Star Trek – All but Enterprise
Stargate – both
Battlestar Galactica – TOS
Dead Like Me
Eureka

I’m not to crazy about the new BSG or Star Wars.

In closing, I would kike to say that I find it very unfair that those of us who belong to Star Trek clubs are not recgonized for the good we do. We raise money for charity, help children, support our troops by sending coupons to them and boxes of needed items to those serving in Iraq, just to name a few.
[BTW: I am 66]

FCapt Michael Witt
Commanding Officer
USS Nicolaus Copernicus
NCC-1473
San Diego, CA

Michael,

What exactly do you find unfair. Something Professor Tenuto wrote or the film ‘Trekkies’?

You can take anything too far.Now excuse me while I dress-up as Truely scrumptous for the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang convention.

I often hear comparisons between Star Trek and Star Wars. I even hear people get those two confused. (Waits while the uproar dies down). But I always have a calm and ready answer for people who want to argue, “Which is better, Star Trek or Star Wars?” My answer, simple but profound, you’ll agree, is, “Star Trek is better. Because, after all, Star Wars isn’t real.”

you know what’s weird about the characters on Star Trek?They were never married.It’s like they were designed for an audience of pre and adolescent boys to live vicariously through.Perhaps that also contributes to the theory that hardcore fans are in a state of emotional arrested development.

I think male Star Wars fans picked up on the Darth Vader /Luke Skywalker relationship as a metaphor for thier lack of nurture and approval they lack from emotionally unavailable authoritarian father figures.

I myself grew up watching first TOS than TNG. As other Trek series debuted on television I watched them as well, especially the last series Enterprise, which didn’t go over as well as most of us would’ve liked. I like science fiction in general, not just Star Trek and Star Wars, mind you, but just about anything having to do with little green men, flying saucers and the like. I don’t agree that all male trekkies live in their mom’s basements and remain lifelong virgins, that, in my opinion, IS fiction. I’m not surprised to hear that there are more female trek fans than male ones. I’ve known quite a few women who have raved about this trek series or that, and some aren’t just limited to Star Trek, either. I know a woman who is a very serious comic book enthusiast, and she’s not, by anyone’s definition, anyone’s idea of a typical geek. I’m of the opinion that Star Trek isn’t just for people who wish to escape from reality, although sometimes it helps to releive the stress and the day-to-day burdens of life. Star Trek was one man’s vision of what humanity could become if they all put aside their differences and worked together to achieve world-and eventually-galactic peace.

I grew up with Trek and and beong to a Star Trek Fan Club for over 15years. We do so much in our communities with charities, charity runs, adopt a highway. If it’s community related we’re part of it. We are all working people, in many different facets of life. You won’t find us always dressed in costumes or constantly talking Trek. But you will find we feel that Trek brought real life issues to the fore front long before it was politically correct to do so. It looked at people trying to bridge a gap not only on earth but with any other species they could. They gave women and minorities a place in the world that was important long before it was the correct thing to do. We hope that we can keep that concept alive; that is part of our world. Trek clubs give you a friend pretty much anywhere you go in the world. That’s a good thing. While it may be scifi, just look at all the things you use that have come from it…………..the cell phone (original Trek) and the list goes on. Yes I’m into Trek and I love the way it has touched my life and helped me to reach out and touch others. We support our troops, local hospitals, and each other. We are family no matter what state we live in. If that makes me different, well as the cowboys would say, “If you’re not the lead cow, then the scenery never changes.” And to this day, Star Trek has always been in the lead.

Vice Admiral Beryl Washington
CO, USS Sovereign NCC-75000
Philadelphia, Pa.

#14 .Your giving a TV show waay too much credit.Anyone could write something like that about any tv show or for that matter anything.I think it’s unheathly for anyone to give some company’s TV francise that amount of space in your head.You might tell yourself “Star Trek taught me this or that”.But c’mon Bud.Who taught Star Trek?Come back to reality.This guy Gene Rodenberry got lucky ripping off “Forbidden Panet”then believed his own (delusion) fame and told these fans what to think so he could start making a star trek movie in 1978.Don’t be played .

#15 Jon — who are you to judge anyone’s life experience? You are giving yourself too much credit. Suck it up and listen to the man – respect it or turn away but spare the rest of us. Besides too much of anything is unhealthy — that includes reality.

Somewhere over the rainbow.la la- la la la.laCome back,come back Dorothy!

Jon, careful Pilgrim.

My experience of organized fandom is akin to my experirence of the Christian church. There is a common text that is subject to varied interpretations, a community aspect, veneration of saints (and debate over whether they should be so sanctified), supplicants who (over)emphasize one aspect (e.g. Romulan or Klingon culture) over another, etc.

Not a very original observation, but fandom speaks to very deep human needs, particularly to loneliness.

The new Battlestar Galactica series has started to generate its own organized fandom (Colonial Defense Force is largely based on Starfleet International) and is already suffering the same growing pains and dynamics as organized Trek fandom. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Unfortunately, for every ten or twenty fans who are cultured, literate and socially adept there’s one who’s profoundly socially challenged and who makes enough of a ruckus for the stereotype to be perceived as fact.

There are also those who confuse the author with the vision, who worship Gene Roddenberry for his ‘Dream’, and who stop just short of declaring their own form of holy war against those they perceive as being heretical or of lesser faith. Such pseudoreligionists seem to find fertile ground within organized fandom.

#20. Good points.
At least one of the Roddenberry biographies (I forget which one) notes that the IDIC symbol introduced in the episode “Is There In Truth No Beauty?” was created by Roddenberry and Barrett as something to trademark and then sell via Lincoln Enterprises. That aside, the appeal of the so-called “Gene’s Dream” is attractive to many, esp. those who see them as marginalized for various reasons.

Whether IDIC was created for cynical or idealistic reasons (or even a little of both), this much is true: there are many if not more people who use that dream to manipulate fans, parallel to those in different faiths who use the tenets of those faiths to cynically manipulate followers.

[1] Jon sounds bitter. Why do you feel the need to belittle people for finding inspiration in a television show that they loved? One of the great things about that funky 1960’s TV show was the storytelling and the fact that it inspired people positively. Get over it, Jon.

Lot better than the junk that’s on nowadays. {ie. j@ck@$$ on MTV}

[2] Fandom is a subset of the culture in general. You will find the same variety of personalities in a club whether its Star Wars or Star Trek or Battlestar Galactica or Babylon 5 or Farscape or Stargate SG1…

For the record, its entertainment. People with some intelligence found things they liked about the shows. I see no problem with people with a common appreciation of said shows coming together because of their affiliation and performing positive activites.

I for one met my wife through a club and we have a firm grasp of reality. Sometimes escapism isn’t such a bad thing. Conversely, who wants to dwell on political scandals, terrorism, drug crime, school shootings, authority abuse, etcetera ad nauseum…

Hahah, you’re just upset because you’re Star Trek fag.

Has anyone looked around lately? If it wasn’t for TOS through to TNG, we wouldn’t have this “real-neat-technology” that we have today. Flip open phones (TOS) Hypodermic spray (TOS-mostly used by diabetics) Lap Tops (VOY) PC’s that shine the key board on your desk (TNG-not yet available to the public). If it wasn’t for the imagination of Mr. Roddenberry, with the help of NASA’s imaginitive group of people, I wouldn’t be able to be typing (badly) this blog. Some one did play around with a transporter one time, but it didn’t get off the ground. (pardon the pun) Traveling at the speed of light is theoretical now. We don’t have the materials to withstand the “G’s”. At least, not on this planet. The list goes on and on. Yeah, Star Trek and all Star Treks are television shows and movies. Entertainment. Yeah, some take it to an embarassing extreme. Some have used Trek “logic” in thier daily lives. Some have gone on to bigger and better things in thier life because of Star Trek. Some of us wish for a Star Trek future. Even though we will never see it. But, all and all, Star Trek and all the spin off’s are “great” escapes from reality. Entertainment. P.S.: Take a look at my e-mail address.

Jon:

I think some people might take it to an unhealthy extreme, but not all fans are like that. Star Trek isn’t an escape from reality; on the contrary, it serves to remind us that the world we live in leaves a lot to be desired. Without reminders like that, wherever they might come from, we’d all get too caught up in our trivial daily affairs to sit back and try to change the world we live in.

I grew up watching Star Trek, and it really helped to shape the way I think. Though the problems and solutions they encounter are fictitious and often technologically absurd, they taught me, at an early stage, how valuable the ability to analyze a situation and improvise can really be. Just as Geordi La Forge always he bypasses some imaginary circuit using some other technobabble, I now look for unconventional solutions to problems I face in my every day life. That way of thinking gives me an enormous advantage over my coworkers, allowing me to solve problems in fields I know nothing about, based solely on how my questions are answered.

Star Trek also teaches tolerance and kindness, not just through instruction, but through example. The episodes often show how every person in a situation is affected when people are discriminated against, lied to, cheated, or otherwise harmed. You might think it’s corny or even complete hogwash, but taking the time to sit down and watch a few episodes with an open mind would quickly change your mind.

To be honest with you, I think that shows like Star Trek are more educational for children than sesame street. Children are much more receptive than we’d like to think, and we may be wasting their potential by subjecting them to a bunch of fat, colorful babies(teletubbies) that can’t even form a complete sentence. If we expose them to entertainment that guides them through the problem solving process, rather than simple memorization and rudamentary social drama, I think our future would be a much better place.

Now if you think I’ve put too much thought into that, or that my concerns are somehow based in fantasy land, I think it’s time you questioned your own affinity for the “real” world. It’s so much easier to pretend that the issues that Star Trek addresses don’t exist, isn’t it?

Jon,

I think you’ve entirely missed the point of Star Trek. When people ask me why I love Trek, or why I devote the time necessary to be the captain of one of the largest clubs in the country, I explain it this way:

When Star Trek was originally aired, it was at a time in history when we really didn’t know how long the human race could survive. There was conflict in Viet Nam, social revolution, and a culture that was changing rapidly and disrupting the way people had been raised to view the world. Most fiction about the future, whether it was television or literature, showed us a universe where the human race didn’t fare very well. We either killed ourselves off with our ignorance, or we were overrun by aliens.

Star Trek, on the other hand, offered a positive view of the future. It showed a time when human beings had gotten over most of the crap, and actually made it. Ethnicity didn’t matter, and the world was at peace. Money wasn’t an issue, and nobody was hungry any more. Star Trek gave us an image of hope, and a common future.

It’s still true today that we’re not sure how long we’ve got. Why do you think people turn to fiction at all? We need something to distract us from the unfortunate truths of our world. Star Trek was merely ahead of its time, and this earned it the fan following that it still enjoys today.

I agree with #25 about the value of Star Trek in teaching children. I have two small children, and we frequently talk about the moral issues in Star Trek. Interestingly, I am rarely the instigator of these talks. For instance, my young son asked me at dinner the other night, “Mom, why would the Klingons develop a creature that would seek out and kill tribbles? Isn’t it wrong to kill for no reason?” You can imagine the discussion that followed. We have also talked many times about why Kirk would let someone go without killing him, why Picard talks and Kirk fights, and such matters. I see these as valuable teaching lessons.

I also agree with #25 about the value of out-of-the-box thinking. I am a trained scientist, and now a business woman. I have no doubt that Star Trek taught me at an early age how to question and to consider thoughtful alternatives.

I don’t know how old you are, Jon, but I’m guessing it’s pretty young. I am inferring this from the fact that you would presume to insult others for simply enjoying a TV show. I also get the impression that you haven’t yet learned that each person needs something to enjoy or they become angry and sad, and they lose hope.

Most of my friends envy me when I go off to a convention and get to wear a costume. I get (once or twice a year) to be a kid again, and laugh and smile, and it’s fun. They also envy me when I get to do all kinds of community service with my club, like volunteering for science fairs, telethons, halloween events and trash pickups, or walking in the MS or diabetes walks. It makes me feel happy and useful to do all of these things. I think you should give it a try.

@ Bob Hahn

Nice one, but as usual, you seem like an observer of SciFi and not a student of it. Or you were being sarcastic?

SciFi, or Science Fiction, is generally Science fact mixed with fictional situations and characters (but the backdrops, or McGuffuns, simetimes can be in fact characters or locations present or in history – even history revisited – at least one episode of TOS was openly acussed by some in the press as anti-semetic at worst, revisionist at best).

The science fact is 99% of the time based on either prototype, plausible by either hypothetical or theoretical extension, or already in production. The “flip phone” is a good example – the flip came first, not it’s “appearance” as a communicator on TOS!

That is Star Trek. Even the planets of Star Trek with a premise of reality – itself stemming from the 5-year Mission Statement.

Star Wars’, otoh, characters, situations, indeed its very premise (the “Force” and its interpreters, the Metachlorians (sp?) ) is Fantasy more than SciFi, but certianly mostly SciFi where ships and propulsions and military protocols (or its dissenters/foil, such as Han Solo who would rather negitiate through kissing than philosophical deabte with a princess).

And as far as plot goes, Rodenberry already knew that he was going to retell most, if not all, of the Bard’s work. Star Wars? It’s Cowboys & Indians meets Camelot. Not that that is a bad thing.

@ jon (or Jon ?)

There were enough characters on Star Trek (all versions and upgrades) who were indeed married. Kirk, at one time, was married – I believe twice, his second to Carol Marcus, and had a son to her – possibly out of wedlock (?) (who later dies at the blade delivered unceremoniuosly by a Klingon, in The Search for Spock, and just as father gets to know son! You Klignon bastard!)

Spock’s father and HUMAN mother were married (although perhaps not legally recognized in some planetary systems). I think even Spock went thorugh a ceremony on shore leave in the Spores episode and later (or earlier ?) was almost b’trothed to a Vulcan princess – if he would only fight a johnny-come-lately rival suitor.

So, jon: wherefore of you speaketh?

Incase y’all haven’t guessed….. jon is a heckler…. he’s trying to stir the pot and having fun doing it. How much of a geek is he if he has nothing better to do than to heckle star trek fans on-line?

While it’s easy to say “That’s not true, there were plenty of married people in Star Trek,” once you start listing examples you’ll notice that in most cases they had very little screentime as a married couple (the most notable exception being the O’Briens, who represented the healthy two-parent family on both TNG and DS9). Most likely the main casts were more or less kept single for the same reasons as on any other television show; to leave them open to a love interest of the week.

Hi….okay so i know theres like alot of argueing going on here….please feel free to continue after my little contribution…..i was just wondering….does your gender have anything to do with which Star Trek you enjoy most? Because as your data shows the majority of ST fans are male….and the most popular series are TNG and TOS….now i’m a 13 year girl….and i never really got TNG or TOS…is that just cos i’m female….or are there lots of guys who also just like VOY?……i dunno i was just wondering…..oh and please stop bashing fans of a TV show….it’s stupid to make people feel ashamed to watch something they enjoy….there shouldn’t be any labells in the first place….whether some fans are socially challenged or not is really not of any importance to you or anyone…it really gets you down once you tell people you watch ST and suddenly they look at you differently….just stop it okay….if you dont like it…dont watch it :) x

Ah you’re just saying all this complicated stuff because you ARE a fan, and you DID show up at the convention.
For us to believe your wacky theories, is like some guy coming back from some commie convention and coming back an’ telling us “They aren’t THAT scary”

JON – September 24, 2006
Star Trek is escapism.It’s like Dorothy for some people..”.somewhere over the rainbow happy little bluebirds fly,why can’t I (etc.)”.

Sounds like JON’s suffering from a case of severe depression.

“Depressed people have distorted perceptions of themselves, their circumstances, and the people who affect their lives. Primary to these distortions is the emphasis placed on the negative.”

Don’t be such a downer Mr. Glass half empty. With more people like you in the world, there wouldn’t be a planet to live on anymore!

jon – September 27, 2006
“you know what’s weird about the characters on Star Trek?They were never married.It’s like they were designed for an audience of pre and adolescent boys to live vicariously through.Perhaps that also contributes to the theory that hardcore fans are in a state of emotional arrested development”

So I guess all those screaming girls waiting to meet Jonathan Frankes at the STG series finally were just adolescent boys pretending to be girls. Right.

P.S Hannah :) – August 29, 2009

My favorite is Voyager too. (grew up with STG). I find it suprising that they put 7 of 9 in the survey but not janeway or B’elanna. Completely weird since they didn’t mention the show at all. They need to make another trek show with a kick ass captain (male or female). So far the latest phenomena of that was Janeway!

Huh. Putting in that there’s a healthy little community of lesbian trekkies.

I found this very interesting that there are myth problems fandom. Change a few words this story can be said about the furry fandom. In addition it points back how the Media instead of reporting or portraying a fandom truthfully , molds the fandom to fit their preconceptions