Star Trek? For Free?
I was not an early adopter of Star Trek. My grandfather was a fan at least since the heavy syndication days of the 1970s. He frequently extolled the virtues of the show, its intelligent combination of philosophy and humanism. Plus, he was an amateur astronomer, so I guess the space part appealed to him as well.
At the time, I was more interested in Star Wars and its TV cousin, Battlestar Galactica. Star Trek seemed to consist mostly of people standing around and talking, rather than things blowing up. That's what sci-fi meant to me at the time.
It took years of watching the 5pm slot to get hooked, but I became a casual fan. There was something very comfortable about it, as if you were a valued member of the crew. That was part of the appeal. Thinking back, I remember now that my grandfather identified strongly with Dr. "Bones" McCoy. He was himself an educated Southern gentleman with strong humanist leanings, and a "doctor" to boot (just not an M.D.). Personally identifying with a character helps one appreciate a show all the more.
I just found out that you can watch any of the original Star Trek episodes for free. Courtesy of the CBS channel. (Yes, Star Trek was originally aired by NBC, so don't ask too many questions.) You pick whichever one and see the whole thing without video breaks. That's what I've been doing.
And maybe, ever so slightly, seeing a bit of my grandfather in the personage of Dr. McCoy.