Katharine shines with her enthusiasm for Star Trek and the ideas we believe in.

We appreciate her friendship, and the character and responsibility she has demonstrated as a member of our crew.

As a Founding Member, Katharine has played an important role in organizing our Club and helping us to develop standards that have made us successful.

Katharine gave the presentation below as part of an assignment for her college class. Worthy of an "A+", her words shine true for ALL Trek fans.

Space ... the final frontier. How often have you heard those words? Probably not as often if you are not a fan of Star Trek. Trekkies or Trekkers, as we are affectionately referred to, are fans not only of the television shows and movies but also of Gene Roddenberry's, the creator's, vision of the future.

Mr. Roddenberry believed in an exciting future where firstly, prejudices were set aside, secondly, where advances in technology improve our lives, and thirdly, humankind helps each other.

The original television series, Star Trek, was produced in the 1960s, a tumultuous period in our country's history. Civil rights, and women's' rights were two issues that were especially prominent. Mr. Roddenberry wanted an outlet to discuss these issues but had to be sensitive to the television network, NBC at the time, its censors, and its advertisers. He created morality plays to veil the real issues. For example the famous Star Trek episode, "Let that be your last battlefield", with Guest Stars Frank Gorshin and Lou Antonio, examined two characters. One was black on his left side and white on his right. The other was black on his right side, white on his left. Their hatred is so strong for one another, their races destroy each other, thus they are the only two left, and must set aside their hatred. 

Secondly, scientists have been inspired and influenced by science fiction and have actually invented some of the technology we see on the show. A prime example of this is the cell phone. Everyone has seen Captain Kirk flip open his communicator and say, "Scotty, beam me up!" Nowadays, a touch of a button connects us across the street or across the country. There are even phones, which respond to voice commands.

Thirdly, Star Trek is portrayed as a universe where poverty, want, and illness have been eliminated. Humankind is benevolent and helpful. This is the inspiration for our Star Trek fan club. We are involved year-round with a variety of activities that benefit our community. The USS HAVEN welcomes fans of ALL ages. We support student groups in our local schools. We provide an outlet for fans to share their interests and ideas. We believe in an exciting future.

INSPIRATION

As you can see, Star Trek is more than just phasers and photons. It has opened minds to new ideas, it has inspired ideas to improve our lives, and has inspired hope for a peaceful, plentiful future.

For additional information about our Club, Email our Director, Norm Liddell