Me? A Trekkie?

I'm an avid reader, and love film.  However, long-running television shows have never been my thing.  Sure, there have been a few that were worth the time, namely Rome and Deadwood (which I still need to finish).

Of course, my love of those two shows most definitely has something to do with my love of history, which has been one of few constants throughout my entire life.  As mentioned in a previous entry, my love of the western goes back many, many years.  My first exposure was easily through the John Wayne and Clint Eastwood movies that were mainstays on TBS and TNT during my childhood.  The Sergio Leone masterpiece "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" has, and will probably always remain my favorite film.

It is the perfect example of what television series lack.  Masterful execution in directing, interesting characters, the best soundtrack imaginable, and the plot featuring three admittedly shady characters chasing for a sizable sum of Confederate gold in an area one can only assume is the border between the United States and Mexico.

Also, I have never been a huge fan of science fiction.  Well, most science fiction.  As a child and teenager, I loved Star Wars.  Sadly, the man responsible for that love is also responsible for my current disdain for the series as a whole.  My beloved "holy trinity" of science fiction was ruined as I was exiting high school by the ceasing of the trinity actually consisting of three parts (and plenty of books, many of which I read).

For years, I lashed out against science fiction as a whole, as I was quite angry that an expansion of the series had so much promise, but was executed so poorly.  In order to even admit to liking Star Wars, it must always be noted that I cannot accept that those movies even exist.

At the urging of several friends, I began watching the classic British science fiction series Doctor Who around June or July of last year.  Being me watching a television show, only a few episodes were watched at first.  I wasn't that impressed.  Eventually I got through several more episodes and was hooked as I had never been hooked on a series before.  Once it was rolling, it took me two weeks to finish the first series.  It was impressive, but then this guy happened...

Never had I been consumed in a series like this.  The premise is simple.  An alien traveling through space and time in a space ship shaped like a police box.

It's so much more.  Hard to explain why, but it is.  Maybe it's his enthusiasm or seeing the best in the human race in so many situations.  Within six months the first five series had been fully consumed by myself.  That's a record.

Now, with all of my newfound time since leaving the newspaper business, I've turned my attention to a different show, which is oddly enough also science fiction.

I had caught the odd episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation during its original run, but was never really a fan.  Star Trek II-IV were a mainstay of favorite movies when I was a kid.  The episodes of the original series were always corny, but that is their appeal, in my opinion. They just really weren't my cup of tea, especially in terms of a weekly television series.

It must be my always accumulating age or something, but I'm enjoying the series.  Over the past week I'e watched maybe six or seven episodes and have loved them.  I like the mix of action and science presented in the series.

With my fickle nature, series come and go.  The Doctor is definitely a mainstay, but will Trek stick around or go the way of Star Wars?

Only time will tell.  Wish I had a Tardis so an immediate answer could be given.