No Plans to Leave
A DeLorean and a Doc Brown Cosplayer in the Parade at the 25th Annual Dragon Con in 2011
In my last post, I explored the fact that my Catholicism has always been a part of me, even if those who know me via school, fandom or writing weren’t aware of that. Today, I’m going to look at the reverse: many of the people who know me either professionally, or via parish activities, are surprised to learn that I don’t just enjoy watching popular science fiction shows - I’m a flat-out fan. More than that, I have no intention of leaving fandom and, in fact, plan to get a little more involved over the next few years.
I’ve been a Trekkie since 1983, when I was still far too young to go to conventions or do more than read books and magazines. It stayed with me and expanded into other fandoms as I got older: my first convention was Toronto Trek 2000 and I’ve made it to Dragon Con nearly every year since I was first able to go in 2011. I’ve also been to a couple of other conventions such as the one-time Women of Voyager that was held in 2001, and some of the Slanted Fedora events held around the Triangle Area of North Carolina. I’ve also been active on various message boards from time to time.
But my biggest activity within fandom is the writing of fan fiction. As of this blog post, I’ve written at least one fan fiction item in a dozen different fandoms; my work is primarily in the various iterations of Star Trek (my first love), but I’ve been known to dabble in a list of fandoms that is as diverse as Castle, Early Edition and Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda. Fan fiction writing is a surprisingly social activity, and within it, it’s possible to find quite a bit of good advice and help concerning craft. For those who want to use it to learn how to write, it’s a veritable gold mine - as long as you understand that you absolutely cannot make any money from it.
I’ve also met some friends whom I still consider quite dear as a result of fandom. That’s why it surprises me when people are surprised to learn about me being “one of those basement-dwelling nerds” who’s active in fandom. My response is, why wouldn’t I be? And why would the fact that I’ve gotten married and gotten more active in my parish preclude continuing to be a fan? These activities are not mutually exclusive.
The usual response I get to this question is that a lot of speculative fiction is antagonistic to Christianity. This is a fair criticism of the genre; however, it’s worth noting that there are significant works that are very much in line with Christian teachings. It’s also worth noting that, like any popular entertainment, the impact of speculative fiction on a person is partially based on their own choices about how much they intend to let it affect them. As an example, while I love and adore Star Trek, I won’t hesitate to openly criticize its atheistic and materialistic worldview; and I have skipped a handful of episodes when showing it to my stepchildren.
One need not give up one’s beliefs to enjoy something, and there’s far more good than bad in fandom. Also, for the record, most fans actually don’t live in their parents’ basements; all walks of life and professions can be found among fans. So, interestingly enough, can most social and political viewpoints. After all, Snoop Dogg and Barack Obama are Trekkies - and so were Ronald Reagan and Colin Powell.
I have admittedly let my participation slide as a result of my recent life changes, but that can be remedied simply by reallocating some of my time. Fandom (or, more specifically, the folks I’ve met there) has been there for me through some very trying times in my life, such as the end of my first marriage and a job loss that led to me ending up in foreclosure. It’s also been there to help me celebrate achievements and mark life events; and along the way it has helped shape me into the person I am today.
That’s not a bad thing, as the influence has been positive. Given that, why would I want to leave?
Originally posted at https://collingwest.blog/2021/no-plans-to-leave/.