Editorial

But the same is true of the fans. And some fans become part of the tapestry a book (or series of books), comic book, movie, or television show creates. I've mentioned elsewhere on this site that I am a big fan of Star Trek. In fact, Demensions is once again linking with the Official Excelsior Campaign (note the snazzy new URL for them), trying to bring Captain Hikaru Sulu of the U.S.S. Excelsior to the small screen for Paramount's fifth Star Trek series.

Why did we stop linking with them? And why are we back as part of their team?

Because I learned a lesson today, thanks to Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, and the rest of the Galaxy Quest crew.

I just finished watching the movie for the first time before sitting down to write this editorial. Not only did I enjoy the movie immensely, laughing uproariously at all the inside jokes regarding Star Trek and other science fiction movies, but the movie left me with a sense of belonging to something greater than myself.

Does that sound familiar? It should; Star Trek fans have been saying that for years. Like many others, I believe that Gene Roddenberry had a profound vision of what our future should be. Mind you, not how it might be or even probably will be, but how it should be. A future free of earth-bound prejudices; a future filled with the celebration of "Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combination." Gene Roddenberry's vision of the future held true through the entire original series (starring William Shatner and Lenoard Nimoy) as well as through "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (with Patrick Stewart and Brent Spiner). However, even though I enjoyed "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" (led by Avery Brooks and Nana Visitor) and even those few episodes of "Star Trek: Voyager" (starring Kate Mulgrew and Tim Russ) I've been able to watch, they strayed considerably from Roddenberry's vision.

The latter two shows were darker, grittier, to be sure, but they also had some of the greatest episodes of science fiction TV ever. But they weren't Roddenberry's shows. They didn't completely hold true to the ideals Roddenberry put forward. Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking DS9 or Voyager; they are good shows -- they just weren't Roddenberry.

So what does this have to do with "Galaxy Quest" and a possible "Excelsior" show?

"Galaxy Quest" reminded me why Star Trek is so important. Tim Allen's character, who in turn plays Commander Quincy Taggert, is swept away along with his "crew" into a real-life sci-fi adventure. It's fun to see the actors thrust into actually being the parts they played on their fictional TV show. But the more important point behind the movie is that Allen's character finally "gets it." He finally understands that his old show wasn't about him, or space aliens, or special effects. It was about having the courage to do the right thing, to be as much a part of the team as the leader of the team, and to inspire others to follow that vision.

Again, the characters of Benjamin Sisko and Kathryn Janeway on the last two Star Trek series are leaders. It's just that their creators failed to keep Roddenberry's vision in their hearts and on the screen. Avery Brooks is an inspiring actor and Benjamin Sisko as a character does inspire. And Mulgrew's Janeway is a leader I wouldn't mind following anytime. But it's the shows I'm really talking about, not their stars. DS9 and Voyager simply don't provide that vision of a bright, shining future filled with the promise of mutual respect, cooperation, and enjoyment of that infinite diversity as did the first two shows.

And that's why I'm having Demensions give the Excelsior Campaign another shot. Captain Hikaru Sulu, as portrayed by George Takei, is a product of Roddenberry's vision. The very name "Excelsior" (the same phrase used by Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee for decades) means "still higher" according to Mirriam-Webster OnLine. Instead of worrying about whether or not the Dominion will conquer the Alpha Quadrant or whether the Voyager will ever make it home to the Alpha Quadrant, Star Trek is supposed to be about defending unbreakable principles, and reveling in the joy of exploration, both of space and of the self.