Official BEST TREK EXPERIENCE Thread

[Transwarp]

Who, me? <bewildered expression, looking around for escape>

Uh... um... Okay, so about the poll at the start of this thread... <stall them! buy some time>

I voted for Kirk and Janeway as best Captains, even though on technical merits Picard probably beats out Janeway. I just couldn't force myself to pull the Picard lever because Picard, for all his brilliance, allowed Leslie Crusher to set foot on his ship and did not shove him out an airlock at the earliest opportunity as he so richly deserved. So Janeway gets the nod, even if she *didn't* space Neelix. At least Neelix had a hot wife.

<stunned silence as they learn just how shallow I really am. Start edging for the exit>

Um, been fun. Gotta go. <door slams in face. no escape. must come clean>

Okay. Yeah. About this best trek experience. Well, you see, it's like this... I'm not really a trekkie. <ducks and cringes, expecting barrage of shoes>

When TOS was on, I sort of casually watched it, but it must have competed in a time slot with something else my parents liked, 'cause I don't remember getting to see it much. When it came out in reruns years later, I watched it, and I sort of casually watched TNG when that came out. I thought Data was cool, but Leslie Crusher gave me a rash, and I didn't much care for Riker, and Whoopee Goldberg (Guinine, or something like that?) was... was... words fail me. I never watched DS9 or Voyager or Enterprise when they were on the air, either. In fact, didn't watch much TV at all, really. And I've never been to a Trek convention or put on a pair of Vulcan ears or bought a phaser or trek action figure.

So I'm not a trekkie, or a... a... whatever you call Star Wars fans (a warrie?). I'm a fan of science fiction in general. Started with Tom Swift books as a kid and haven't looked back. Heinlein, Asimov, Clark, Sturgeon, et. al.

Eventually, through the miracle of bittorrent, I obtained all seven seasons of Voyager, and watched them on my computer. A one hour TV episode is perfect for a Sales Engineer collapsed on the bed of his hotel room after a long day. (A movie can be too long if your tired.) Then I watched DS9. Then other sci fi series I missed. (SG1, SG Atlantis, Battlestar Galactica (new one), Babylon 5, Dark Angel, Sara Connor Chronicles, and Farscape) A friend gave me season one of Enterprise on DVD, and I was hooked. Despite the usual star trek silliness, it's still my favorite trek. There are NO holodecks. NO touchy-feely Ship's Councilors, NO kids or civilians on board. The technology was more primitive and didn't always work. And there was Trip and T'Pol, whose relationship was abused and mangled and mishandled in just about every way possible by the ham-fisted, clueless, brain-dead writers, producers, and whatever else you call all the people responsible for creating and airing a show. The writers blew it, but there was undeniably chemistry between those two characters. It was that chemistry, and my anger at how their potential had been wasted, that led me to this site. And the rest is history.

Sorry, no greatest trek experience to relate. Certainly nothing like Panyasan graced us with.

Cogito, you're up! <runs for exit>

[WarpGirl]

LEAVE WESLEY ALONE!!!!!!! But I loved the rest. I mean how perfect is it, one of the best Trek fanfic writers ever, (and I've been reading since age 10) is not technically a Trekkie! Give the man a drink!

[panyasan]

Loved your story, Transwarp! Very funny too. The reason I started writing fan fic was the same. Happy you graced us with your excellent stories.

[justTripn]

Well, official Trekkie or not (It's WESLEY, not LESLIE, lol), you have good tastes in books and TV shows. You joined the group for your own honest reasons. Just like everyone else here. (I remember one of the best writers in the community (now I'm also including House of Tucker) announcing that they weren't actually a Trip and T'Pol fan, but the T'nT FANFIC was so good that they felt inspired to contribute a story, which was so well recieved that . . . well, the rest is history.) Whatever inspires you to be creative. Like you I, I think Enterprise best of the Trek. People who know I'm a Trekkie expect me to have the original series memorized, and I look at them blankly as they spout lines from that show. Thanks for sharing!

[Cogito]

Who, me?

I wanted to respond to Panaysan's experiences but everything I try writing about that seems trite and inadequate. I'm glad you were strong enough to bring your family through it, and here's hoping that all your little miracles are happy ones from now on.

So, you want to know what my greatest Trek experience was? It's not easy to say, because I'm not a trekkie. No, really, I'm not.

TOS was the first SciFi I remember seeing on TV. Looking back on it, the cardboard scenes look laughably primitive by today's CGI standard, but in those days it seemed extraordinarily realistic and it was the first space-oriented TV show that was really believable. I did watch TNG, and Voyager, and DS9, but by the time those came out the space/SciFi context was the eye candy but it was the characters that I wanted to see. And they were all good fun in their own way (hmmm, :infeasibly-well-endowed-borg-smiley: ) but none of them really caught my attention other than as an entertaining way to spend an hour a week.

Ent started off the same way but I found the characters more interesting this time. I suspect those cat suits had a lot to do with it if I'm honest. Anyway, I followed this show rather more closely than the others and took it rather more to heart when the writers had them do silly things. Such great opportunities wasted, but let's not get into that. I didn't turn to fanfic until after the Scottish episode. For some reason I found myself watching a TnT fan video, and that lead me to another and another, and somewhere along the way I found a reference to HoT. That was my first epiphany. I'd never encountered fan fiction before – for any show. I suppose I must have known that fans would write their own stories for their favorite shows, but I would never have expected any of it to be any good. And here I think was probably my first 'Trek greatest moment': there was an epic story there which I enjoyed immensely. When I finally reached the conclusion of the story I found a link to something called a “menu page” and there in front of me was a whole page of links to more stories. OMFG! And at the bottom was a link to a whole new set of stories. OMFG OMFG! The story of course was “No Greater Love”. I've read a huge amount of Trek fanfiction since then, but this moment, this story, was the thing that put TnT fanfic on the map for me.

The second great moment happened several years later. In the meantime I had read just about every TnT story I could lay hands on, and quite often I found comments at the bottom dated several years ago from people saying how great it was. One story that I particularly enjoyed, which is now firmly established as one of my all time favorites, was Div Paths. So it was quite a thrill to find that the story had been updated quite recently. Until now I'd been lurking in the dark, but I wanted to let the author know how much I appreciated his effort. So I signed myself up, and logged in, and wrote a short comment saying some silly thing or other about how much I enjoyed the story and how intriguing the scenario was. And the next day, right there in my email inbox, was a personal reply from Rigil Kent, thanking me for my comments. Yes, THE Rigil Kent! Wow!

I'm quite ashamed now that I put so little effort in over the years to thanking the authors who have entertained and amused me. I'm trying to do better, honest I am, although the results are still a bit variable.

Anyway, those are my greatest moments, such as they are.

WarpGirl, what was your greatest moment?

[WarpGirl]

I KNEW IT! I knew you'd call me out. And can I say AWESOME story. Okay y'all are gonna be like "oh WG!" But hey it's MY moment...

It was 1997 and after 3 breathless seasons of cheering on the Federation Starship Voyager I was finally gonna have my moment. and were actually going to get together FOR REAL my one semi-trekkie sister had been tormenting me for the past 3 years saying "not gonna happen" but I held firm to the implacible faith that the moment would arrive. I had too, my entire emotional make up was depending on it to get me through the next 10 years...

You see I was a very sick and very angry young girl: Covered in surgical scars, and no self esteem and the only thing going for me was a brain that could have gotten me out of school before 18 had I been healthy. But what boy wants a girl covered in scars, possibly smarter than him, and well, a raging lunatic most of the time? Well wanted and yeah while it is TV it gave an 11 year old hope. Hope that maybe one day if I live long enough, a handsome funny guy won't care that I'm covered in scars, or smarter than him, or that I'm a raging lunatic. Maybe just maybe I could have a "helmboy" of my very own who wouldn't mind my "big scary klingon side."

Well I got it! Courtesy of Alelou's episode. Which I proceeded to tape and watch so many times the tape wore out. And lord did I crow to my sister about it, I drove her up the wall! And of course declared that there would now be a wedding and a baby. (I was gonna have it all!) And needless to say in 2001 my 15 year old self cried tears of joy when that Trek moment came true too.

As for my hope that "one day my Pilot will come" well... It hasn't worked out the way I had planned. The Sith detour almost killed the hope. But hey, I'm still alive. And I'm quite stubborn. And my "big scary Klingon side," my scars, and my brain haven't gone anywhere so... I'm still waiting.

2nd and 3rd Runners up. Finding HoT then Here!

[panyasan]

That is truly an amazing story, WarpGirl. It's amazing how the characters we see in the show can mean so much to us because we can relate to our own lives on some level and can touch us emotionally. (Needless to say for me personally there are many aspects of TnT that relate to my own life).

I sure hope WarpGirl you will meet your pilot boy.

[WarpGirl]

Please YOUR story was something special, me I was just a romantic 11 year old who hasn't quite gotten cynical enough yet. But truth be told, from physical insecurities to strained paternal relationships B'Elanna and I have more in common than I care to admit most days. She saved me in lots of ways. And the fact that I've been ga-ga for Robbie McNiell since Murder she wrote didn't hurt.

[Silverbullet]

WG, it is the Girl inside that counts. If some guy who you think the world of can see past your exterior to the Girl who lives in the exterior I am sure that he will find what he has been looking for.

You would be surprised how many people have learned to hide their intelligence. It is safer at times.

People can accept that others can run faster, jump higher, lots of things be more attractive but the one thing that many cannot accept is that others are smarter than tyey are. One of the dumbest persons I have ever met swore that nobody was smatter than him.

so, even if it hurts to not be seen as smart as you arfe it is not a great sacrifice.

SB

[Distracted]

And here I think was probably my first 'Trek greatest moment': there was an epic story there which I enjoyed immensely. When I finally reached the conclusion of the story I found a link to something called a “menu page” and there in front of me was a whole page of links to more stories. OMFG! And at the bottom was a link to a whole new set of stories. OMFG OMFG! The story of course was “No Greater Love”.

Cogito, I think it's quite possible that you have made my decade. Or maybe even my century. My face hurts from smiling so much. Thank you.

So, who's next, Warpgirl?

[WarpGirl]

Uh Dis Look up! I did mine.

[Distracted]

Yes. And a very nice story it was. But now you've got to tag the next person. If you did, I missed it.

[WarpGirl]

CRUD! eeek! SORRY blond moment! hmmm... KTR you're up!

[panyasan]

And here I think was probably my first 'Trek greatest moment': there was an epic story there which I enjoyed immensely. When I finally reached the conclusion of the story I found a link to something called a “menu page” and there in front of me was a whole page of links to more stories. OMFG! And at the bottom was a link to a whole new set of stories. OMFG OMFG! The story of course was “No Greater Love”.

You got me reading that great story again. http://triptpolers.houseoftucker.com/fi ... love.shtml
or here at TRIS http://www.triaxiansilk.com/index.php?p ... ory&id=952

[justTripn]

WarpGirl, I LOVE that story! Awwwhhh!!!!! You know, that's about the only love story they did right, the and one. I recently watched the episode where Blanna starts risking her life in the holodeck because she learns her friends in the Maqui were killed and she becomes depressed. Tom wasn't able to help her with that one but he tried. It was very moving, the whole thing. Amazing that they got to have a baby and everything. Hang in there, and keep looking for your prince. I'm guessing he's out there somewhere online, maybe a fellow Trekkie. And this was Alelou's episode where they first got together???!!!! Whoa.

Cogito, I totally know what you are talking about. I joined about the same time as Rigil Kent and Distracted, and Rigil and Elessar were posting stories right next to my first stories (D's I think were already up, I believe, but I went back and read them and No Greater Love was amazing). So I thought this was the average quality of fanfic! That is I thought it was unbelievably great and I would never have to buy another book, lol, and I didn't for a couple years. This also explains my joy at showing up at Vulcon and being able to hang out with these wonderful talented writers/fellow fans.