Yesterday was the 20th anniversary of Gene Roddenberry’s death and I honestly remember it like it just happened. I was in my first year of high school (9th grade) and I remember crying over his death in band class with a fellow Trekkie. That was a time in my life that I was really into Star Trek. I even had a picture of the The Next Generation crew in my locker.
Gene Roddenberry and Star Trek really gave me a look into what it can mean to be a geek. It was around this time that I started going to one day Star Trek conventions with my dad. Shockingly, your dad can still embarrass you even if you are at a Star Trek convention. He would try and ask stars like James Doohan science questions that of course an actor wouldn’t be able to answer.
We also got to go to a three day convention in East Lansing, and I got my first taste of what conventions are really like. This was the first time I ever cosplayed or heard Filk. It was an incredible experience! It had been years since I went to a Star Trek convention but I got to go to the new TrekTrax Atlanta earlier this year and it was like stepping back in time.
I’m not sure I would be the geek I am today if it hadn’t been for the works for Gene Roddenberry. I hope he is resting in peace out in the stars.
