Hey folks, Harry here... and this sucks, cuz it should be called TREKKERS and TREKKERS 2, what's this TREKKIES shit, that's so "those" types of freaks... heh... Just kidding. The first TREKKIES is one fascinating and hilarious documentary... The international flavor of this one though... well, I'm really curious. Here ya go...
Long time reader, first time yadda yadda... Saw "Trekkies 2" tonight, and figured your loyal legions of lonely geeks might be interested.
Back in 1996, the "Trekkies" crew went around the country and shot a bunch of footage of Trekkers -- as they preferred to be called -- of varying degrees of geekness. Overall, these proved to be mostly harmless, obsessed fans of a sci-fi show. It balanced a healthy dose of laughter with a real sense of sweetness for the positive influence the "Star Trek" franchise has had in people's lives over the years. Though there was a lot to laugh at, the film was really smart in how it sort of laughed along with the geeks.
So what the hell do you to in "T2: Trekkies United?"
(they call it "Trekkies 2." Mine's better.)
Simple: Geeks Around the Globe!
So, the same crew helmed by Denise Crosby (famous as Natasha "Hey, what's that dark puddle?" Yar of "Star Trek: The Next Generation") pack up their gear and take a world tour of Trekkies/Trekkers in several different countries around the world. They also make a few stops in the U.S. to follow up on some of the Trekkers they filmed back in '96. Sort of a "where are they now" piece.
There are a few main things I learned from "Trekkies 2"
1) Geeks are geeks all over the world. Only the language is different.
2) French Trekkies are still in the closet, but the Internet is helping them come out -- at least to each other.
3) Not only is such a thing as a Star Trek cover band (tribute band?) but there are five in Sacramento alone. (but only one was any good)
4) There are two hottie Star Trek fans in bikinis down in Brazil. I booked my flight to Sao Paolo before I wrote this.
"Trekkies 2" is of a grander scope than its predecessor. The first one exposed the oddly amusing world of the Trekker/Trekkie -- and the debate surrounding those two different words -- while showing the audience how positive an influence it's been on the lives of its fans by offering an optimistic vision of the future where mankind finally gets it's shit together and stops screwing each other over long enough to explore the stars and get to stuff that really matters. By taking this same mission around the world, and showing the community of fans in various countries, "Trekkies 2" provides an amusing and sometimes even sweet and uplifting view of their world and ours.
Don't get me wrong. There's still lots of laughs. International Trekkies are just as funny as the domestic variety. In some ways, it seems they're even more hardcore because Trek stuff must be harder to get when you're overseas. There's plenty of prosthetics and geeks to go around, it seems. There's the German kid who's put about $20,000 and 5 years into his own fan film, resulting in a pretty decent set. There are the English fans who even have their own dreaded fanboy slang, the infamous anarondack (sure that's spelled wrong). There are the French fans who want to be as openly geeky as the rest of the world but are shunned by French society which views sci-fi as kiddy fare.
What was most interesting though was the visit to Serbia/Balkans/former Yugoslavia (can't keep those country names straight anymore without a program). Turns out the positive message of Trek had an even bigger impact in that war-torn and oppressed region, where it provided a real sense of hope for some folks. Every Trek fan there assumed they were the only one, so the first Trek convention held there had a real emotional impact for those in attendance. Here, they're so common they're nearly a joke. There... well, you just couldn't laugh at them because you could tell it was a real positive and uplifting influence on their lives.
And we can't forget our own domestic Trekkers. This time we get an update on Gabriel Koerner, the incredibly geeky but rather bright Trekker that everyone in the audience was certain would never, ever, ever get laid. Turns out he's done more than that. He's even turned his obsession into a career, he's been working as a digital artist on actual productions (check him on IMDB, he did "Battlestar Galactica" and is working on "The Day After Tomorrow" -- that big end-of-civilization picture coming in May). Honestly, I thought the update on Gabe was worth the price of admission alone.
Gotta be honest, I'm not sure if this is coming out in theaters or going straight to video. Didn't get a chance to ask. If it does come out, though, and you even remotely laughed at the first "Trekkies" you'll probably laugh at this one, too.
If you deem this fit to print, call me...
Ensign Expendable
