I have to admit I'm really jealous of your life. You probably think it's nothing spectacular, but as someone newer to star trek, I know that I won't get to have those kinds of awesome experiences you had with a sore that's important to me. Thank you for sharing your memories with us.
Hi, Sweetie. I’m sorry it has taken me so long to answer you, but it’s in part because I’ve been thinking quite hard about what to say. You are right that I don’t think my life has been spectacular, not by any means; yet I do realize that I lived at a unique time in fandom that can never be repeated. And trust me, I feel very fortunate and deeply grateful about this!
I know this probably won’t help, but I’m going to say it anyway:
There are several aspects of modern fandom that I envy you for. We were so starved for anything Star Trek-related in those early years, I think you can hardly imagine. We had one series, 79 episodes, and the only way we could see them is when our local TV station happened to air them. You’ve got wall-to-wall Star Trek, with 24/7 access, and even a current series putting out new episodes as we speak. We waited ten years after TOS was cancelled to see any new Star Trek (except the very brief animated series).
Your on-line access to an ever-expanding body of fandom art and writing? In the early days, I know I would have given a body part to have had such riches! And if you are an artist or writer, the ability to share your work with an audience without taking out a second mortgage on your home in order to produce a fanzine … believe me, I envy you that as well.
I’m not dismissing how you feel, but I really hope you can see that we both have had benefits – different benefits – by coming into fandom when we did.
LLAP, dear heart. I’m glad we are in this fandom together now.