Trekkies 2

Trekkies 2 doesn't have the same heart as the first one, but it's still a fascinating look into Star Trek fandom. The best parts are when they are catching up on the lives of the people in the original Trekkies documentary. I'm not a Trekkie, but this film makes me wish that more people were Trekkies.

The original Trekkies was a raw, politically unconcerned look into the lives of followers of the greatest TV sci-fi franchise, and one of America's great marketing successes. It was fun, Trekkie/Trekker- friendly, and yet not entirely uncritical. Trekkies is much more of a fan movie, and despite the fact that some of the scenes are actually better than most of what appeared in the original, this isn't half the film the original was.

There are many directions Trekkies 2 could have gone in. It could have been a rebuttal of the Star Trek mythos - perhaps engaging some of the writings of Robert Justman and Herb Solow. It could have dealt with the themes of the series directly and engaged their commercialization and their near abandonment after the cancellation of DS9, or perhaps the hiring of sex symbols as a way to boost ratings once the writing team began to fall apart. It could have focused on sociological issues within Trek fandom - such as the somewhat schizophrenic politics of the older and newer generations of Trek fans, or the amazing marketing of the franchise. Instead, Trekkies 2 is mostly more of the same stuff we saw in Trekkies, with a few nice new stories (the segment on Trek-based punk rock and metal bands was the highlight of the film for me), and a lot of plugs for the now defunct Enterprise series.

Don't get me wrong, as one of the original Trek fans (from TOS in its original run to the present), I love this film. I just can't in good faith, recommend it to any non-fan. If you're not a Trekkie, see the original Trekkies. It's a lot more fun.

Trekkies 2 is the logical continuation of Trekkies, as it follows the Star Trek phenomenon outside the borders of the United States, to the far reaches of the civilized world. Which makes me wonder why they focused as much as they did on the United States as well…I think I would have preferred the international angle exclusively. That said, it is still an enjoyable, and at times touching, look at a fan experience that is both benign and in many cases, beneficent. What this documentary has to offer is the striking realization that Star Trek (in its various incarnations) has become a mythology and even a religion for the disaffected of much of the world, and that its influence seems to be expanding, despite the concerns of fans as to the future of Trek. Substitute a belief in an afterlife with a belief in a better future, and you have a group of acolytes who have faith that they'll get there, if they embrace the precepts of Trek. There are no agnostics when it comes to Star Trek. Either you're a believer or not. As of this writing, the fate of the latest Trek show has been sealed, and the future of the franchise is in doubt. But those of us who have loved Trek since its inception in 1966 know better. After some time off to re-group and re-think, we know that Star Trek cannot die, just as faith in the future cannot die. Just wait and see.

The follow-up to the hilarious 'Trekkies', that focuses on die hard Star Trek fans, a.k.a 'Trekkies' ('Trekkers' and 'Trekkons'), this time the world over. Glad to see the star of the first 'Trekkies' the great Gabriel Koorner, re-appear and his quest to loose his virginity; which turns out to be his most fruitful mission (to date). A heady mix of the 'very sad' and the 'really funny'.

I am a big fan of the original star trek and the next generation, and I'm also a fan of the first film about trekkies but, this one was just beyond tedious, and slow. it wasn't as good as the first one. the first had funny, interesting, moments, and they always had great interviews with the trekkies. this one was more of a "hey, look at all the stuff i have", it was like watching antiques roadshow, except it was the fans themselves guessing how much everything was worth. it was interesting to see some of the people doing their own fan films and plays based on star trek but, aside from that the best part was the recaps on who we saw in the first film. it was interesting to see how they were now, and how they were effected by being featured in the film, widely regarded as one of the best documentaries ever made. this film is forgettable at best, and i wish they tried harder to make things a little more about the fans and not about how much money they have spent on star trek.