The truth is out there

I was slightly surprised to read that Sandy Wolfson's research suggested that many Trekkies show addict-like symptoms, as according to the summary of her research which she showed me last year (and indeed the summary on your research web page) the reverse seemed to be true. I found the press and radio response to the research much more interesting than the research itself.

Is it actually the case that a higher than normal percentage of Star Trek fans are immersed in the programme to the effect that they suffer withdrawal symptoms if deprived of it? Even among the self-selecting group who go to conventions and participate in fannish activities, I doubt this very much.

We all know about people who dress in costume or who spend thousands of pounds feeding their "habit", but then, we all know about football fans who have watched every home match for 30 years, or who have been to every league ground in the country. Do we really need to use the term "addiction"? Most Trek fans are people who are entertained by a television programme just as others regularly watch EastEnders or Coronation Street, and enjoy discussing it with others, just as fans of other soap operas may chat about last night's episode in the office. Star Trek is an ordinary television programme (or series of programmes) which for a number of reasons has attracted a large number of viewers. As I understand Dr Wolfson's research, it suggests that a small proportion of these viewers find it fills a gap in their lives. Well, there are worse TV programmes to be fans of. I suspect that the true obsessives are to be found among commentators who latch upon a perfectly uncontentious piece of research and pepper it with cliches. If Trekkies are so sad, how come journalists know all the catchphrases?

Andy Sawyer Science Fiction Foundation Collection, Sydney Jones Library, University of Liverpool