Couch Potato - Live Long and Prosper

Yes, Fluffy Bear dragged me to see the new Star Trek movie last night.

It was preview night so all the die hard fans were out.

We were in line in front of a very cute girl with green skin. She was, I am told, an Orion Slave Girl.

She was kinda pissed because no one else in the very long line was dressed up. All the dress up fans had gone to the earlier show and, as they walked out, we saw:

• An African American in a Star Trek uniform with red shirt


• A female Vulcan in a gold sequinned dress


• A very cute girl in a very short red Star Trek dress


• People who had dressed normally but added Spock ears

The male to female ratio in the line was very favorable to my sex, until you looked more closely and saw the calibre of the men in question. Yes it was geeksville.

The entire spectrum was there, from the reasonably OK looking geek who seems like a viable mate he opens his mouth, through the kiddie-faced-socially-inept geek all the way to the long-greasy-haired-pot-bellied-beared-and-slightly-sweaty-smelling geek.

Still, it was fun to see a line for the Men's toilets and none for the women's. Finally!

We got good seats, but weren't prepared for the Fully Loaded Aspergers Experience that awaited us. Behind us sat two young men who started the evening with the geek version of penis comparison - discussing obscure science fiction movies and seeing who can remember particular scenes/facts better. During the main feature, they felt it was very important to give each other the benefit of an instant review of the the Director's choices. Thank God the sound was turned up pretty loud or I think someone would have organized a geek posse to take them down with a Vulcan Nerve Pinch.

The audience was very enthusiastic, whooping at the previews for Transformers and Terminator, booing at Angels and Demons and snorting derisively at G.I. Joe. The start of Star Trek itself was drowned in "woooos" and clapping. The appearance of Leonard Nimo was cheered as was - encouragingly - Simon Pegg. It was all very entertaining.

Loyal fans are hard to please. They know everything about how things were set up and why, and the slightest disloyalty, pandering or evidence of Director Hubris (e.g. "re-imagineering") is considered a crime punishable by Phasers set to Kill.

Everyone seemed very happy, which was a relief, not least of all because it meant I went home with an ecstatic Fluffy Bear, rather than one who would explain to me, for the next three days, all the things that were wrong, and why.

And, Simon Pegg was funny.

He he he.