March 12, 1999<\/span>\u00a0|<\/strong>\u00a0Perhaps you thought Barbara Adams, that prospective juror who showed up for a Whitewater trial in full Starfleet Commander regalia, seemed a little peculiar. If so, then Trekkies<\/em>, Roger Nygard\u2019s slight but likable documentary about Star Trek<\/em> fanatics, will confirm that first impression.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Like thousands of like-minded aficionados, Adams is a true believer who feels compelled to dress the part and walk the walk, whether she\u2019s attending yet another Star Trek<\/em> convention or simply making her way through the \u201creal\u201d world. Pressed on her much-publicized trial appearance, she matter-of-factly explains: \u201cI wore my uniform just as any member of the military would wear theirs.\u201d And when she\u2019s out of uniform, she still insists on being addressed as \u201cCommander\u201d by co-workers and customers at a print shop in Little Rock, Ark.<\/span><\/p>\n Adams\u2019 eccentricities are a source of considerable amusement for friends and strangers alike. But when you see her in the context that Nygard so vividly provides in Trekkies<\/em>, she seems — well, \u201cnormal\u201d might be overstating the case. But she\u2019s definitely restrained, comparatively speaking.<\/span><\/p>\n After all, Adams has nothing on Dr. Denis Bourguignon, the Orlando, Fla. dentist who has outfitted his office as a Star<\/em> Trek<\/em> shrine. (At \u201cStarbase Dental,\u201d Bourguignon, his wife and their staff wear Starfleet uniforms as they work on their patients.) And even when she waxes most enthusiastic about Star Trek<\/em> philosophy — \u201cInfinite diversity in infinite combinations,\u201d and that sort of thing — Adams never indicates that she would seriously consider surgical enhancement. David Greenstein of Woodland Hills, Calif., readily admits that, if he just had enough money, he would have his ears enlarged to Vulcan size.<\/span><\/p>\n It should be noted that even Greenstein\u2019s wife — who, like her husband, is interviewed while wearing a Starfleet uniform — thinks his wishdream is a bit much. On the other hand, it should also be noted that she sees nothing excessive about dressing her pet poodle in Starfleet attire.<\/span><\/p>\n Trekkies<\/em> is a tricky piece of work. On one hand, Nygard obviously thinks the Star Trek<\/em> fans are comical in their fanaticism. Yet Nygard\u2019s amusement never gives way to mean-spirited hectoring, and the documentarian is fair enough to reveal that the fans — well, OK, many<\/em> of the fans — are in on the joke as they laugh at themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n During one especially funny sequence, interviewees struggle to maintain straight faces as they none-too-seriously debate whether \u201cTrekkie\u201d or \u201cTrekker\u201d is the preferred nomenclature. (Kate Mulgrew, star of Star Trek: Voyager<\/em>, makes a strong case for the \u201cTrekker\u201d label: \u201cTo trek means to go some place.\u201d) At another point, a convention organizer recalls auctioning a glass of water that had been sampled by John De Lancie (a.k.a. Q of Star Trek: The Next Generation<\/em>.) Although De Lancie was conspicuously ill when he did the sampling, the winning bidder immediately guzzled the remaining water. \u201cAnd after he drank it,\u201d the bemused auctioneer notes, \u201che yelled out: `I\u2019ve got the Q virus! I\u2019ve got the Q virus!\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Trekkies<\/em> is surprisingly benign, even affectionate, as it gives us an upclose-and-personal look at Star Trek<\/em> conventions and conventioneers, and examines how the hard-core devotees keep the faith while maneuvering through a universe of non-believers and jeering skeptics. To be sure, you might not want some of these people as next-door neighbors, or even as temporary traveling companions on long-distance airline flights. For example: Gabriel Koerner, a 14-year-old fanatic who often sounds like he\u2019s channeling Dan Aykroyd, has all the appeal of fingernails on a blackboard.<\/span><\/p>\n But there is something positively wholesome about the cross-generational camaraderie that Star Trek<\/em> inspires in true believers. As a precocious youngster says at an intimate gathering of the faithful, \u201cThis is the only place I know of where you can goof off, and grown-ups goof off the same way.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n William Shatner makes only a fleeting appearance \u2013 and, no, he doesn\u2019t yell, \u201cGet a life!\u201d \u2013 while both Patrick Stewart (Next Generation<\/em>) and Avery Brooks (Deep Space Nine<\/em>) are conspicuous by their absence.\u00a0 But other cast members from all four Star Trek<\/em> TV series periodically pop up to comment on the long-living and still-prospering phenomenon. DeForest Kelley recalls the adulation he and his co-stars received at their first convention appearance (\u201cWe were like a bunch of over-age Beatles!\u201d) Brent Spiner savors his status as a sex symbol among female fans known as \u201cSpiner Femmes.\u201d James Doohan nearly sobs as he remembers his efforts to sustain a suicidal fan.<\/span><\/p>\n But don\u2019t expect any of Star Trek<\/em> alumni to provide a logical explanation for three decades of fanaticism. \u201cEven now,\u201d admits Leonard Nimoy, \u201cI still have an ongoing process of trying to understand all of this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/body><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" March 12, 1999\u00a0|\u00a0Perhaps you thought Barbara Adams, that prospective juror who showed up for a Whitewater trial in full Starfleet Commander regalia, seemed a little peculiar. 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