Thursday, September 8, 2016

Star Trek's 50th Birthday

Most people who post about this can probably tell you when they first encountered Star Trek.  I am not one of those people.

I do know that I was a fan by high school.  A friend of mine had Trek novels and I devoured them.  I cheerfully followed the adventures of Kirk and company and still own a number of paperbacks that tell their tale.

I enjoyed (mostly) all the subsequent series.  I married a fellow Trekker and together we followed Trek in all its forms.  We have even followed the recent reboot, and enjoyed seeing a new look at an old friend.

Star Trek is partially responsible for me becoming a fiction writer.  Years ago I heard of an anthology called Strange New Worlds which gave non-professional writers a chance to write Trek stories.  Not only did this introduce me to my future mentor, Dean Wesley Smith, and result in my first professional sale (yes, I have a published Star Trek story out there), my experience in trying to get into the anthology gave me the courage to try my hand at fiction in general.

So thank you, Star Trek, for all you've brought to my life.  For Vulcans and tribbles and strange new worlds.  For great entertainment, and for helping me in the pursuit of my passion.

Happy birthday!