Beyond Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers, the only television we grew up watching as a family, was the Mary Tyler Moore show, or reruns of the Dick Van Dyke show. As a very simple-minded child, this was an extraordinarily exciting experience, one that would often result with me on the floor and rolling around as I tried to understand why people on the television were laughing: I was not able to comprehend much of what was going on with either.

When Mir and Loy moved to Ann Arbor, we were introduced by them to Star Trek, Little House on the Prairie, and Dr. Who.  I found the latter too confusing to understand, that prior too frightening, however Star Trek was the most amazing thing I’d ever seen: I’d had no exposure to sci-fi whatsoever.

Captain Kirk and his campy comrades were my heroes, solving problems with their intellect as much as with their muscles or weapons – though, honestly: The lasers/phasers were what was emulated. Perhaps, all that was able to be emulated.

Next Generation popped up my first year of college, spotted in the common area of the dorm and bringing vast confusion at the characters in uniform. Eventually I was able to comprehend that the series was reborn and made a point follow. I remember having a conversation with my relatives, one Christmas, after we all sat around to watch an episode – Loy, front and center as he should have been – and someone made a snide comment regarding Wesley Crusher. It brought a rebuke from my Aunt, that he’d been written in to appeal to our generation. My cousin suggested they shouldn’t have!

Voyager began the year that we were married, and we used to sit and watch the show together. As children came along, we spent late nights often watching reruns of various iterations while we fed them in the middle of the night – how we finally got back into Dr. Who, as well.

The children do not have the same affinity that many of us held, through the years, but all carry an appreciation, anyway. They all enjoyed the movies, if, for different reasons. Star Wars – meh. But Star Trek – must see for all.

Somewhere there’s a short clip of us at the exposition that briefly visited, fighting off a cave collapse and then firing at some nasty aliens. I was surprisingly affected as we walked through, as memories flooded back of times and people past where Star Trek was enjoyed, of conversations that were provoked: With grandparents in the apartments in Ann Arbor and Loy’s enthusiasm to introduce us. Of the comfort and commonality found in a foreign land at the start to college. Remembering the Triumph over Borg as violence rained around me down on Second. Sitting with my wife in our first apartment – of course, she fell asleep. But we were together. The enthusiasm to share TNG with our eldest son, and the thrill of screaming “Kahn” at the top of our lungs with the youngest. During the lockdown, the whole family came together to binge-watch the entirety of TNG and it was wonderful to share that experience, together.