Featuring: Frank D'Amico, Anne Murphy, James Doohan, DeForest Kelly, Leonard Nimoy, Nichelle Nichols, William Shatner, Walter Koenig, George Takei, Jonathan Frakes, Kate Mulgrew, LeVar Burton, Brent Spiner, Michael Dorn, John de Lancie
Narrator: Denise Crosby
Director: Roger Nygard
Producer: Keith Border
Cinematography: Harris Done
Music: Walter Werzowa
U.S. Distributor: Paramount Classics
A short time ago in theaters not too far away, anything associated with Star Trek, even a low-budget piece of documentary fluff like Trekkies, would have drawn a crowd. But that was when Star Trek was still a cultural icon, before bad writing and overexposure reduced it to a shadow of its former glory. These days, Trek is regarded primarily as a show past its prime; never has that been more obvious than with the release of The Phantom Menace. Star Wars fans have taken over the zealot's podium from Star Trek aficionados.
Trekkies doesn't have a clear purpose. It's a muddled, meandering affair without a thesis or a point to prove. One of its ideas is to present an overview of Star Trek fandom, showing that, although some Trekkies (or Trekkers) go overboard, there are at least a few normal ones out there. But, in trying to get as many laughs as possible, the movie dwells on the real fanatics: a dentist who dresses in a Starfleet Uniform when seeing patients and whose practice, "Star Base Dental," is cluttered with Trek memorabilia; the Whitewater juror who wore her Star Trek uniform to court; and the oddball who would get his ears surgically altered to resemble Spock's if he had the money. The film also takes us inside a Star Trek convention, but, once there, fails to give us much insight into or appreciation of what draws so many thousands to these events every year. And the various interviews with former and current cast members simply re-hash stories that have been told before.
It's unclear whether Star Trek fans will enjoy this portrayal of themselves or be offended by it. Many of the die-hards are notoriously thin-skinned (recall William Shatner's now-famous Saturday Night Live appearance when he cried out "Get a Life!"), and may not like the mocking tone that director Roger Nygard has adopted. Trekkies come across as maladjusted individuals, who, despite above-average intelligence, are socially retarded and incapable of functioning within the constraints of acceptable norms. However, while this might make for a fascinating sociology dissertation, Nygard stays on the light side, going for quick, facile jokes. And, while there are times when Trekkies is hilarious, it doesn't take long for the humor to become tiresome. At 30 minutes, I might have enjoyed the movie's unfocused approach; at 90 minutes, I found myself spending an inordinate amount of time looking at my watch (I even tapped it once to see if it had stopped).
Trekkies is narrated by Denise Crosby (who played the role of Tasha Yar in the Next Generation TV series before going on to do a number of soft-core direct-to-video productions), and features soundbytes from members of the casts of all four series. The Captains are represented by William Shatner and Kate Mulgrew (the former looking poached; the latter appearing fresh and chipper); mysteriously (and wisely) absent are both Avery Brooks and Patrick Stewart. The film also takes time to focus on a number of fans. The most interesting is a boy who is developing an impressive-looking Star Trek film on his home computer. The most bizarre is a woman with an obsession for Data (she calls herself a "Spiner Femme"). Like a pinball bouncing from bumper to bumper, Trekkies' topics zigzag from Star Trek's social value to which name - "Trekkie" or "Trekker" - is more appropriate to why there's such high demand for Kirk/Spock porn stories. Those hoping this movie might dispel the image of Trekkies as weirdos will find that all it does is to reinforce the stereotypes.
Paramount obviously spent next-to-nothing on this film, which was shot on video then acquired for a minimal fee (the budget was so low that the film makers didn't have the wherewithal to purchase the rights to Star Trek clips or music, and, without these, Trekkies has an incomplete feel). The release date of May 21 (two days after The Phantom Menace) is calculated. While many casual Star Trek/Star Wars fans share an appreciation of both series, the die-hards are mortal enemies. So Trekkies gives the Trekkies a place to go while everyone else is gorging themselves on the latest chapter of George Lucas' epic. And, despite a dwindling fan base, that should be enough for Paramount to make back the few farthings expended to bring this inconsequential documentary to a limited number of theaters.
© 1999 James Berardinelli