I admit it freely, I'm a geek. But I blame my parents. After all, isn't that what they're for?
My dad is a child of the '60s and knower of all things Star Trek. In high school I warned boyfriends not to be afraid of him. He won't laugh and probably won't smile, I'd tell them. But that's just because he's Vulcan. There were endless family jokes about "the rock" and the "piece of foil" used in every original episode. Once a week dinner was in the family room (against mom's will) so we could watch The Next Generation. We even suffered through DS9 together, if only because it was still part of the Star Trek family.
My husband had an easy in with my dad right from the beginning. Doug actually knew more facts than my dad thanks to great studying with his older brother aptly named Scotty. The Voyager series began just as Doug was finishing boot camp. I solemnly promised to watch every episode and recount it long distance to Chicago and then Florida so Doug didn't miss anything.
Over the years we've made countless references to Trek, even joking about having our own Wil Weaton/Wesley Crusher boy-genius in our son Alex. Our New Year's party was supposed to include a Star Trek role playing game, but alas, illness and sibling travel plans changed our course.
Last year Doug and I were very excited to meet Tuvok... I mean Tim Russ. Our son Geoff met him too, but knew him as Principal Franklin on iCarly. Never fear, we made sure to use this opportunity to assimilate Geoff into the wonders of Star Trek. Having many of the action figures and all the miniature ships doesn't hurt. We also bought several copies of Mr. Russ's CD for family Christmas presents. He is quite the talented musician!
At work my boss refers to me as "Number One," something I'm sure none of the other girls have connected to Trek. He being of the generation of my parents, I know he gets a chuckle out of this inside reference to Picard and Riker.
Tonight, however, I found myself making a compulsive gesture triggered entirely by watching sooooo many episodes of Star Trek. While watching Sanctuary on Syfy (yes, I know my geek is showing) there was a part where two characters came across a body. My first response was to reach up, tap just below my shoulder, and call out "Bridge, to Captain."
So my question for you tonight becomes... why don't I have a working communicator pin yet?
Riley Wuckert
3 years ago
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