"What is Trek?", asked a film historian in the year 2100.

"A great, unusual idea thought of by someone a long time ago. It was one of those few ideas that lasted longer than others, like 'Star Wars' and 'James Bond', if you've read about them."

"The first show was something new, sci-fi with a twist, with thought.
And when they discovered that the people wanted more, after twenty years from the first show, they created more."

At this point, he used to get a glow of nostalgia and sentimentality about him.

"And it worked, it expanded the world that the first show created. Then, a few more came, to bring more variation to the theme.
Many movies were made, yes. And in the end, people were glad that they'd been able to see this.
Other great achievements have been made in sci-fi, but this was the first of its kind."

"Of course", he used to say, (I think he had rehersed it a lot) "their view of life in the galaxy was a bit off, the aliens didn't look at all like that, did they? And those ships looked like luxury yachts in comparison!! But they had the right spirit, and for that we must thank them."

(pause)

This is what my father used to say when first meeting a new class of students of film history, "Trek appendix". And as the last man alive to have seen the last Trek episode back when it originally aired, he had a special place in his heart for it.

I don't know why I am talking about this here on his funeral, he's done many other things that people will remember him by.

But I think, for him, it started with Trek, with that first class of students back in 2100.

And I like to think that it ended with it too.

------------------------------------------

(In memory of Kirk, Picard, Sisko and Janeway)

------------------
"Babies haven't any hair;
old men's heads are just as bare;
between the cradle and the grave
lies a haircut and a shave."

------------------
Star Trek Gamma Quadrant
Average Rated 8.32 out of 10 Smileys by Fabrux (with seven eps posted)
***
"Oh, yes, screw logic, let's go for a theory with no evidence!"
-Omega 11:48am, Jan. 19th, 2001
***
Card-Carrying Member of the Flare APAO
***
"I think this reason why girls don't do well on multiple choice tests goes all the way back to the Bible, all the way back to Genesis, Adam and Eve. God said, 'All right, Eve, multiple choice or multiple orgasms, what's it going to be?' We all know what was chosen" - Rush Limbaugh, Feb. 23, 1994.

We don't know about him yet so...

------------------
"Babies haven't any hair;
old men's heads are just as bare;
between the cradle and the grave
lies a haircut and a shave."

Space: Above and Beyond, Andromeda, Voyager and Farscape. I remember when we were hearing snippets about Voyager - it seemed so FANTASTIC! This Female Captain, the Maquis, which had been built up well in TNG and DS9... a FULL Vulcan, two 'exotic' new aliens - this girl who only lives for NINE YEARS! A Grotesque Alien who is a know-all and jack-of-all-trades. Two groups working together on the one ship... A HALF-KLINGON Female ENGINEER!! A HOLOGRAPHIC DOCTOR All these ideas sounded GREAT... now look at what we get. A 'not by the book captain' an alien 'babe' Vulcan - a prodical pilot girl/asian (Harry Kim and Wesley procreate and we get a girl!) A southern 'engineer' Paris + McCoy + Lucarno + Jock/Jerk. Another 'wierd-ass' alien who we know nothing about who'll be the human 'sounding board' + and English military pratt. Who cares if I'm judging this show before its on - I'm judging between pre-show 'feels' - Voyager seemed wonderous - this seems flat and lifeless. It doesn't evoke any sense of WOW.

------------------
Homer: I'm gonna miss Springfield. This town's been awfully good to us.
Bart: No, it hasn't, Dad. That's why we're leaving.
Homer: Oh, yeah. [pokes his head out the window] So long, Stinktown!

I devoted this thread to the magic and splendour of past Trek. Not so much to distrust what will come, but to try and find some closure on that which has been. The tenth movie will come first, yes, but I just wanted to think a while about the first four shows and what they had.

ST:E will be something else. Let's hope that it can measure up to its predecessors.

------------------
"Babies haven't any hair;
old men's heads are just as bare;
between the cradle and the grave
lies a haircut and a shave."