It started simply--just a few tired teachers and worn-out moms discussing embroidery and quilting while students made the transition from school day to home evening. The kids were taking apart the space stations they built of bright plastic construction pieces.
"Reminds me of those Star Trek characters with the embroidered faces and quilted eyebrows," I said. My kids used to watch that show all the time while I was making supper. It was bad enough hearing it, but when I watched bits of shows the make-up gave me piercing headaches (speaking of needlework faces)! Trapunto might be a more descriptive term for the bad alien skin conditions.
We after-school adults pondered which Star Trek incarnation had the most annoying characters, and tried to remember names, while the little students located their lunchboxes and changed into soccer and gymnastics outfits. The parents aren't much older than my own sons, so we grew up in different Star Trek generations.
This evening I'm adding a list of the Star Trek shows to my bathroom drawer of insomnia reminders:
Star Trek (The Original Series) 1966-69 I can name seven of the eight main characters, and I still look for tribbles when I clean under the bed...Kirk, Spock, Scotty, Sulu, Uhura, McCoy, Chekov... (Chapel)
Star Trek: Next Generation 1987-94 Our Reading Rainbow hero, Lavar Burton, became Geordi, wore weird sunglasses, and hung out with Data and Capt. Picard...
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 1993-99 I couldn't bear to watch the Worf'n'Quark show...
Star Trek: Voyager 1995-2001 One unnamed son had his first celeb crush on Kate Mulgrew as Captain Janeway and wrote her fan letters. He still goes for strong, decisive women!...
(There's even a newer series, Star Trek: Enterprise. Thank heaven I was spared that! 2001-05)
Sleepy
Grumpy
Sneezy
Doc
Dopey
Happy
Bashful
Effa Dale
Billie
Vin
Loy
Alice June -- my mom's aunts
Eric Clapton
Ginger Baker
Jack Bruce -- the members of Cream
Bobby Gentry --the Ode to Billy Joe
John Glenn
Wally Schirra
Gus Grissom
Deke Slayton
Gordon Cooper
Alan Shepard
Scott Carpenter --the Mercury astronauts
© 2007 Nancy L. Ruder
