Its been a weird week for me. Its a week where we lost some BIG BIG BIG names in Star Trek fandom. I mean, Robert Walker, Jr. (Charlie X), D.C. Fontana and last night, Rene Auberjonois left us. Its odd for me as a man in his 40s now, watching his heroes slowly retire, drift away or pass away. In a world that is constantly telling you to "grow up" or that movies, comics and games are things for children... its pressure. And I would be lying to you if I said I never agree. Because sometimes I do. That maybe I had these things and I had my time with them. Those times are over and I have to move on.
But if you look around my home, you'll see its filled up as an entire museum of my life. Especially my early years. I have toys on the wall. I have in boxed Nintendo games. I have shelves and shelves of DVDs, Blu-Rays, Comics, Books, Magazines, LPs, CDs and so many other things. I still drink out of Star Trek 3 Taco Bell glasses from 1984. I watch old cartoons like The Real Ghostbusters or Scooby Doo. I play Mario and Ghostbusters for Ps4. On and on and on. I'm a giant man-child and I don't think I will ever grow up. I've come to terms with that and I like that about myself. I think my kids like that about me too. We share in these things together. Lately I've been turning my youngest into a Ghostbusters fanatic. He's got a jumpsuit and a proton pack and he plays the video game constantly. He's got toys for it and we watch the cartoon together. Its awesome!
The geeks have grown up and now they are making the media. Some get it right, some miss the mark of what made that thing so great. But really, it doesn't matter. We have SO MUCH of the right thing. Like STAR TREK. Okay, so older fans don't enjoy the new stuff. But we have so many old episodes, books, comics that get it right. I'm willing to bet that all the ranty fans online haven't seen or read all of it. Why focus on the bad? And okay, I wasn't a fan of the 2016 Ghostbusters movie. I gave it an honest chance but I felt like it wasn't funny and it missed the mark. There were things I liked about it, but ultimately, I wasn't into it. That is okay. Did I need to go online and threaten the makers or the actresses in it? Of course not. Why do people do that? I don't get it.
Perhaps the best thing about me growing older is that not only did I never leave these things, but I also left my elitism behind. I remember a younger, angrier version of me who judged anyone who didn't like this movie or that band. I sometimes playfully act that way in front of younger co-workers who talk excitedly about anime or Pokemon and I say, "Whats a Pokemon?" Cause it is funny to "play" like I'm an old angry man, just barely tolerating the youngsters around me. But inside I am enjoying that they like something. They can dress up and play and collect, just like I did. Its actually awesome. It feels good to have let go of my elitism and put down the swords of a gatekeeper of the old cool things, so that when someone asks about it, I'm not all, "you weren't there for that and its only for me!" I'm more like, "wow... you got so much cool shit you missed out on. Let me show you." And I'm really happy to open the door for anyone who wants to check it out. I think its a much better way to be.
As I look to my left I got a shelf with an Enterprise ship and an Ecto-1 car on it. Both are screen accurate and immaculate looking. If I had these things as a kid, I woulda lost my mind. But I have them now. My kids have them. For all the wrongs that happen, there is a lot of right things to embrace as well. So why dwell in the negative? I am entertained by the ranters and naysayers who tap into the anger and use it as entertainment. Like the RED LETTER MEDIA youtube folks, or the ANGRY VIDEO GAME NERD. That is for entertainment. But those actual ranters... the ones who boycott and threaten and use their anger to spread hate and vitriol everywhere.... that I don't get. What is that? How can you spend your time dwelling in that head space? I feel sorry for you. Cause there is so much good shit out there. All you gotta do is go find it!
Aging is weird. Everyday I wake up, someone I liked is gone. A project I like ends. A creative team I liked has left a project. But then, new cool shit comes up. Its refreshed. Reborn. Because there will always be cool things to come. I can't tell you how excited I am for the rest of the season of The Mandalorian. or Star Wars Episode Nine. Or Star Trek Picard. Or Ghostbusters Afterlife. or the Creed movies. On and on and on.
Being an old geek ain't so bad. Drop the hate an enjoy it. There's no better time than now.
-T
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