Star Trek turns fifty this week, and we are a gaggle of Star Trek fans. I’d love to know how you, not your chapter (though that might be involved) or bigger event this weekend (hey – we have that event this weekend! You should totally come to San Antonio on Saturday), but YOU the Trekkie(er) will enjoy the fact that the font of all our joy turns the big five oh Thursday.

For me, I’m gonna keep it simple. I’ll don my Star Trek shirt – the red one, like my childhood hero Scotty wore. That’s right, I live dangerously! I’ll pour a nice Saurian brandy, from the real deal bottle, into one of my Enterprise whiskey tumblers and sit back (sadly not in an authentic replica Captains chair – that was way too expensive) with my co-geek/lovely wife and stream “The Man Trap” followed by every other first episode from each series. Even Voyager (blegh!).

That’s a solid 5.5 hours (counting the Animated series) – so I probably will not go to work Friday. That doesn’t hurt my feelings, and it frees the day up for more slovenly marathoning of the ‘Trek. Not a pretty picture, I admit, but hey – that’s my plan – I never said it was for the faint of heart. I’m going to devolve into the sweaty basement child that I’ve been accused of being by claiming the title Trekkie all my life.

That is something that has been fun to think about these past few days. I have loved ‘Trek pretty much since I was capable of forming and retaining actual thoughts. I watched the show with my Grandfather (that and Zorro!) and there has never been a time in my life that Star Trek isn’t on. I read an article, years ago, that somewhere on this planet, Star Trek is being broadcast pretty much constantly – and probably has been for my meager 35 years on Earth. I have never known a world without Star Trek – and wouldn’t want to.

I hope when I am fifty, I am half as excited about as I am Star Trek turning fifty. It might be celebrated in a similar fashion; a questionable shirt, a bottle of something odd, and streaming some entertainment (hell there might be holodecks by then!) – but I doubt I’ll as thrilled as I am this week!

So that’s me – what about you? Are you going to sit in a pile of tribbles and go through all the best quotes? (Not) cook up a big meal of gagh for you and your friends? Remind yourself why Romulan Ale is not for diplomatic occasions? How are my fellow Trekkies(ers) observing this auspicious occasion?

Regardless of your method, let’s all wish Star Trek Happy Birthday, surely the best of times!

-Jeremy Carsten
RC, STARFLEET Region 3