Late To The Game

The Wonderful World Of Pop Culture

Next year will be my fortieth spin around that big ball of flaming gas at the center of our solar system.  That means that I’ve been a nerd for almost forty years.  My passion for and dedication to certain imaginary universes throughout my life have burned bright for a select few characters and tales.  Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Batman are three fandoms that I’ve been a part of for pretty much my entire life.  Sure, there are other characters, stories, books, films, and shows that I’ve loved over the years, but those three in particular have always had a special place in my heart.

I’ve become a passionate member of other fandoms over the years, some of which have been around a whole lot longer than me.  For multiple reasons, I was somehow late to the game on these shows, books, etc.  For instance, take Star Trek.  Even though Trek has become a pretty big part of my life, it wasn’t until Star Trek II:  The Wrath of Khan that I really took notice of the series.  I was born well after the show was taken off of the air, and even though it ran in syndication and on cable television, I was unable to watch it for the simple fact that my family lived too far out of town for cable and none of the channels that we caught with our antenna showed the program.

My brother was old enough to have seen most of the old series in syndication, and he was my sole source for all things Trek until I became an unknowing (at the time) pawn in a dating game involving one of my relatives.  I was lucky enough to have a relative that really, really loved science fiction and fantasy, and that relative also had a significant other who was deemed too much of a rebel by said relative’s parents.  In order to keep my relative from going astray, I was sent with the couple on dates to act as a buffer.  That meant that I got to see all of the really cool 1980’s science fiction and fantasy films with two people that I believed were as cool as a person could ever be (and I still believe that about BOTH of them to this day).

Wrath of Khan got the Trek ball rolling in my life and whenever it was announced that Star Trek:  The Next Generation was coming to television, I was ecstatic…..until I found out that the only channel that aired it in my area was also one of those channels that I could only watch whenever the planets aligned perfectly and there was a frost on the ground!

Eventually I made it to a college dorm and cable television, which meant that I played serious catch-up on ST: TOS and ST: TNG.  DS9, Voyager, and Enterprise all came later and, with varying degrees of interest, I watched them.  However, TOS is, was, and always will be my favorite Trek.

Another show that I fell in love with long after its inception (and cancellation, in this case) was Firefly.  I actually saw Serenity before seeing the television series and found it to be bland and not-at-all cool in any way.  After finally seeing the series a few years ago and then re-watching the film, though, I’ve grown to love the entire series and the film.

I consider myself a Browncoat and have a mad crush on Jewel Staite.  I’ve had the opportunity to meet her, but I’ve never actually committed to getting in line and talking to her.  Eventually I will meet her, but she’s always made me very nervous.  It’s nothing personal against her, I just get very nervous in her presence.  She’s one of a very short list of actors and actresses that make me a bit afraid to meet.

The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis, were always at the back of my mind as a book series that I wanted to read.  I had already consumed some of Lewis’ other works such as Mere Christianity, The Problem of Pain, The Four Loves, and (my personal favorite) The Screwtape Letters, but I was two books into Harry Potter before I ever picked up my first Narnia tale.  The films that were released a few years ago whet my appetite, but I didn’t fully commit to the series until after the first film was released.  After seeing it, I decided to read all of the stories and I fell in love with them.

Another series or, perhaps better stated, another character that I was late to take interest in was Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow.  I always viewed Oliver as a second-rate Batman and a Robin Hood wannabe.  It wasn’t until the New 52 and the CW television series hit that I took a greater interest in the character.  I actually got hooked on the show via The Flash crossover episodes.  I’ve read a few of the comics as well, but the show is what I really enjoy.  I’m working my way through the series and hope to be caught up by the end of the current season.

Finally, one show that I’ve never really gotten into but have always wanted to learn more about is the reimagined Battlestar Galactica.  Again, my brother was my sole source for the classic show, and I everything he taught me about it, but when the new series came out, it just didn’t hold my interest.  I felt that something great was waiting in the wings, but after missing a few episodes and lacking the drive to catch up on them, I gave up on the show.

Oddly enough, Caprica was much more interesting to me.  Of course, it didn’t last nearly as long as its predecessor, but seeing how much I enjoyed it has made me wonder if I should give BSG another shot.  I have friends that love the series, so maybe I can look to them for even more inspiration.

As always, thanks for reading.  I hope to meet some of you this weekend at the Louisiana Comic Con in Lafayette, LA.  Look for Charlie Brown on Saturday and The Discount Dark Knight on Sunday.  I hope to see you there!