Star Trek, and Other Things That Mess with Your Head
Spend too long in an alternate universe and you might just find that reality becomes a little blurred.
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Maybe it’s just me. Perhaps I have something of an obsessive personality. I’m not entirely sure, but what I do know is that if I enjoyed reading a book once, then I will enjoy reading it two or three more times just as much. If I enjoyed one episode of a TV program then I will want to immediately watch the next ten episodes. If I really liked a movie, then I won’t be happy until I’ve watched it several times, watched all the special features and probably done a few internet searches for good measure. And let’s not talk about how often I decide to eat the same meal every day for a week!
I don’t watch ordinary TV much because I get frustrated waiting for the next episode of whatever my favourite show is, so I prefer to buy the DVD box sets and watch them at my own pace – relentlessly. Recently I’ve been watching a lot of Star Trek. I’ve seen every episode many times of course, but I still have just as much fun watching.
I’ve noticed that every so often, someone will be introduced to the Starship Enterprise and will freak out at their first sight of Worf’s head. Now if you’re not familiar with the Star Trek universe you might not know about Worf’s knobbly Klingon cranium, but rest assured, if you suddenly bumped into him at the supermarket you’d be in for a shock!
But, as I watched yet another naïve alien species staring open-mouthed, it occurred to me with, I admit, a slight flicker of pride that I certainly wouldn’t react so rudely if I suddenly saw a Klingon in the supermarket. Oh no, I would be fine because I’ve been fully prepared by years of watching Star Trek.
Image via Wikipedia
It really did take several moments for the absurdity of that thought to settle on me fully, at which point I began to realise how easy it is to inhabit this make-believe world of aliens, warp speed, transporters, matter replicators and phaser rifles, and how disappointing it is when the time comes to turn off the DVD player and actually walk to the kitchen on your own feet to actually prepare a meal with your own hands. Oh how I wish for food replicators! Maybe that way I could get a decent, un-burned scone!
Ah, the ’scone debacle’ – a story for another time I think!
‘The West Wing’ had a similar effect on me for a while. I bought each season as soon as it became available and then immersed myself for hours watching episode after episode. More than once I was actually confused when an image of the American President appeared on the BBC news and it wasn’t President Bartlett! I mean, George W Bush, who is he? And where are CJ and Sam and Josh and Toby?
Image via Wikipedia
“Stop watching TV!” I hear you cry. “It’s messing with your head!”
Maybe, but there’s no escape – books have the same effect. I love to read, and because I read too quickly I like very long and complex books that don’t finish before I’m ready for it. There’s a Tom Clancy novel – I can’t remember which one – which has a storyline where peace is miraculously achieved in the Middle East. Honestly, not long after I read this book, I was shocked to see a news report about renewed trouble in that region. ‘What’s going on?’ I said to myself. ‘I thought they sorted all of that out!’
I’m just getting started with ‘Heroes’ so I fully expect to start dodging imaginary flying men within the next few weeks, which should be fine as long as I don’t start believing that my body has miraculous self-healing properties.
So there you have it – that’s how Star Trek (and other things) can mess with your head. My only consolation in the whole thing is that in the event that Earth is invaded by an alien race, as long as the visitors look something like any of the Star Trek species then I will probably be the only one who is completely relaxed about it!
Image via Wikipedia
Liked it
Enjoyable and fun article, I have the same tendency to watch boxsets of my favourite stuff for hour after hour, glad it’s not just me!
Very well said, nice to have company here in obsessive land
Amusing piece, I’m glad I’m not the only one who prefers series box sets and need to watch films several times. I don’t think you’re a Trekky though. The way it messes with the head is part of having a very active imagination. It’s a lot cheaper for us than those who cant watch the same film twice yet still buy dvds (mysterious). I recently did that with babylon 5 that took a long time.
I’ve been a Trekky since I was occasionally allowed to stay up and watch it when I was 6 or 7. I remember being terrified of the episode of the rock-like mother in the tunnels who, as it turned out, was just killing crew members (the ones in the red uniforms, the ones in yellow always made it)
to protect her eggs.
There are people who take language classes to learn Klingon – I’m not quite that obsessed, and I would never eat gachk (that may be mispelled, as I said, I didn’t take the class)
I would like for my doctor to get one of those medical tricorders that you wave in front of the person and it tells you whatever is ailing the patient. Also a hypo spray gadget to replace barbaric needles.
I’m pretty sure I heard something on the news a while ago about them inventing something like a hypospray aimed at delivering insulin for diabetics – or at least trying to anyway!
Enjoyed reading your article, and the pictures are great. I catch the reruns every now and then.
i really liked it, and i love that kind of movies…
I’m not a movie buff but I sure am an Alina buff. Well written girl.
glad they didn’t mess me up.. I was also riveted to this techy shows..
Great article, Alina! I can relate fully to this concept of repeated watching / reading. We don’t watch much in the way of TV shows, but we’ll watch movies. My kids and I are huge fans of the Lord of the Rings series … and we’ll often use inspirational quotes at odd times. My kids swim on a swim team, and when my oldest son is doing his flip turn at the halfway point of a 50 meter swim, I’m right there yelling, “For Frodo! For Frodo!” We have also watched the movie “Facing the Giants” at least 10 times … and we used a lot of “movie moments” last fall when I was coaching my youngest son’s football team. And books too, yes … my parents and siblings and I are fans of a book “Gascoyne” by Stan Crawford … and we recite pieces of it from memory to each other frequently. I’ve read that book more times than any other book. Funny how that works. Thanks for the article! I’m glad there’s someone else out there who does this sort of thing.
Coming from a fellow television watcher (and one who hates commercials) I can really appreciate this piece. I do tend to watch movies over and over again and love reruns of my favorite shows. Sometimes it’s very easy to blur reality with fantasy. We all really get wrapped up in these shows and act like they are real. Well done! I enjoyed reading this.
A fun read! My own TV obsession is Doctor Who, which I could quite happily watch for weeks on end without a break. Then of course there is Star Trek (any series, particularly Voyager), then the X-Files and then anything written by people called Austen and Bronte and Elliot. Oh and then there is Stargate, Desperate Housewives, Dexter, 6 Feet Under, Rome and The Godfather Trilogy,,,
I guess what I am trying to say is – you are not alone!
)
groaznic
Groaznic Gina? De ce ai spus ‘groaznic’?! Vezi, inteleg limba Romana!
Very funny
)
I have recently been hooked on Supernatural and Doctor Who. Like you, I love to see everything ASAP! I don’t like waiting a week! Then it’s pre-empted by something else! lol Box sets are a great thing. Here in Canada our lovely Canadian station the CBC does not air the Christmas episodes of Doctor Who – very frustrating! Those episodes are also the first episodes of each season. So, I HAD to get the box sets to see those ones
For awhile,I believed i was concerned Star Trek was a passing away franchise. Then JJ Abrams came along. Good touch. The scene with kid Kirk was a tad too quirky in the movie, however it was awesome in the movie trailer. Star Trek XI breathed new life into this much loved Roddenberry world. I’d like to see all of this Enterprise cast returning for extra outings. I was raised with the original series. Heck, my father got us a color TV just so we could watch Star Trek each and every Friday night. These days, I’m stuck on these new characters. In MHO, they have breathed life to their characters and made them their own. I, personally, am awaiting more.
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