Date: Thu, Apr 17, 1997 6:29 AM EDT

From: RC

Subj: "Trekkies" screening comments

To: TrekDoc

First of all, I loved it. No buts. The film is well paced, entertaining and enjoyable.

I'm sure most "Star Trek" fans will (and did) enjoy it in its current form. Keep in mind that the crowd you showed it too was, as you wanted, fans. Showing it to them is like showing "Back to Back" to the LAPD and asking them if they like the way they're portrayed. Being objective doesn't mean you show only those things that put your subject in the best light. "Trekkies" is not a recruiting film, it's not a propaganda piece for "Star Trek" fandom, it's a documentary film about "Star Trek" fans and as such must show the colorful, unusual and often eccentric aspects of its subject, including some of the warts. Yes, you want to be sure the fans don't feel they're being made fun of because they're an important part of your audience. But some fans will always feel it makes fun of them because fandom is made up of many diverse individuals. As a group, and at the risk of offending some, I don't think most fans are very objective. They tend not to see themselves as unusual, it's just that the rest of the world is filled with "mundanes." (That's what we used to call them when I was really involved in fandom.)

I know some people felt there was too much of Gabriel. Maybe, but I loved him. I want to adopt that kid. I felt he was my anchor in the film. We met him, got to know him and then followed him around to conventions, club meetings, saw his costumes, designs and the graphics he's doing on his computer for his film. When he walked in the door of the convention, I felt "here was the person I know," and I was walking in with him. Maybe I'm the only adult "Trek" fan to admit this, but the truth is that Gabriel is probably more like many of us were at that age than we're comfortable admitting.

Good work and good luck,

Rick