U.S.S. ENTERPRISE (NCC-1701)
The Starship Enterprise was my first fictional, in-animate love. Other kids were falling in love with their dolls and stuffed animals, I fell in love with my model of the Enterprise, so much so that as a six year old I actually cried after the destruction of the Enterprise in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. I mean real tears, it wasn't pretty.
The characters of Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty and all the rest were wonderful role models for a young outsider trying like hell to understand the world around him. If I found myself lonely and out and about, I could pretend that I was on an alien planet or exploring an abandoned starbase. Nothing stimulated my imagination like Star Trek, it was a series that could literally go anywhere and do anything. Later, with the introduction of Star Trek: The Next Generation I found the next generation of role models in the characters of Picard and Data, two of that series' strongest moral centers. When in a predicament, I on occation ask myself, what would Spock or Picard do? I rarely ask what Kirk would do as it would likely land me in jail or riddled with STD's.
(From top; U.S.S. Grissom; U.S.S. Reliant; U.S.S. Enterprise)
The Enterprise type was the only Starship we the audience saw until Star Trek: The Motion Picture, when the Enterprise was "refitted" (In reality it was a whole new ship and Model, though we're supposed to believe that it was still the old Enterprise just in a new guise.) And in that film it was still just the Enterprise, until Star Trek II: The wrath of Khan with the introduction of the U.S.S. Reliant and in Star Trek III: The search for Spock we were introduced to no less than five new ships including, the U.S.S. Grissom, U.S.S. Excelsior and a Klingon bird-of-prey. after that I found things to get a bit cluttered as we were introduced to ship after ship none of them having the same impact as the first few, it soon became old hat.
Now, thirty years in retrospect I find myself stuck in the 80's, building and re-building the same types of models; all of which are either the hero ships from the first series or movies, or designs derived there from.
These objects have so affected me that I find that I'm surrounding myself with them, immersing myself in the world of Star Trek. Given what Star Trek is and the ideas and ideals it attempts to convey, I can't think of no better obsession, indeed - it was the ideas presented in Star Trek (and familial influence) that gave me the moral center and compass I now possess. As such, I would like to thank those that have expanded the Star Trek universe and those that dared to espouse such beliefs even in a time when such things were blasphemy.
I would also like to add a side note for the late Leonard Nimoy, you gave me a compassionate hero and persona in the character of Spock and yourself. You will be missed.
(Live long, and prosper)
-Spaced out blogger
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