Guest Trek Blogging #1

My name is Scott Shriner, and I'm a Trekaholic.

Always have been, always will be. I'll take it wherever I can get it. I'll wear that raggedly old Deep Space Nine sweatshirt that my wife hates forever. I will eventually buy all the Trek shows on DVD despite the fact that the assholes at Paramount have ludicrously overpriced them. Are you a Trekaholic, too? Well, it's a condition that's hard to diagnose. You may love Trek in general, but hate "Voyager." Can you hate "Voyager" and still be a Trekoholic? That's a tough question. Hmm…how can I boil it down?Look, let me give it to you straight, OK? Do you own the two-disc DVD of "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan?" Good for you; let's watch it sometime & talk about how it's the best Trek movie all time----you'll get no argument from me. But c'mon, everybody loves that movie. Doesn't mean you're an addict.Do you own the two-disc DVD of "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier?" You may be a Trekoholic, like me. You have my condolences.
So I'm a nut for this stuff. I think Trek is great---in all its forms. I watch ALL the shows. No ifs ands or buts….I know who the Medusans are and I know who the Xindi are. If you know who either of them are, you're quite possibly a fan. But if you know who both are, it means you really are on the Enterprise for the long Trek haul.That being said…Trek is not perfect. It's had moments of perfection, but it's not perfect. It has had its ups and downs. Wow, has it ever. And I feel inspired, on this 38th anniversary of Gene Roddenberry's creation, to cast aside all the bullshit expectations I have about how good Trek should be and deliver an affectionate, but honest, "state of the Trek" report. I'm always the one defending Star Trek to those who have arguments against its merits; well, now I want to truly debate those arguments, and perhaps make some of my own. What's the current status of Star Trek, what led it to the state it's in, and what it's future will be…that's what I want to talk about.Have ya got awhile? Good. Let's get Trekkin.