Trekkies 2 (DVD)
Directed by: Roger Nygard
Starring: Denise Crosby and a bunch of trekkies

Star Trek fans have been an obvious target of derision for many years now; their love for a fictional universe and its characters often goes above and beyond what most people would say is normal or healthy. The 1997 documentary Trekkies set out to both poke fun at and validate the dedication of a wide variety of Star Trek lovers, and it did exactly that. There were Star Trek fans who were unhappy with some of the weird images it portrayed, however, and those fans will probably be none too happy to find out that the filmmakers have decided to revisit the material for a sequel. Personally, I couldn’t be more pleased.

You’d think that seven years later, material for another Trekkies movie would be hard to come by. After all, Trek itself is on the ropes as of late with the only active Star Trek TV series (Enterprise) staving off cancellation, and the last Star Trek feature film (Nemesis) performing poorly at the box office and putting the future of the film franchise in question. But Denise Crosby and director Roger Nygard needed only to peek outside the confines of the United States to find a limitless supply of wild and crazy Star Trek enthusiasts that would make Trekkies 2 a reality.

It’s clear from the start that Trekkies 2 does not possess the same level of hilarity that the original Trekkies had going for it. Most of the new people introduced in this movie are not as interesting or as memorable as the ones featured in Trekkies, and in fact, the best moments in the sequel are the ones where we revisit personalities like the ultimate fanboy Gabriel Koerner and Whitewater Juror Barbara Adams. However, this may be because Trekkies 2 strives to showcase the true extent of Star Trek’s fandom in all its shapes and forms as opposed to getting well acquainted with just a few nutty individuals. Some of the fans featured in this documentary simply aren’t all that wacky, but this may have been a conscious decision to balance out the images of Trekkies that are portrayed in the film (so as not to offend any more “Trekkers” who take themselves a little too seriously). But as Star Trek writer/producer Brannon Braga points out, a movie about all the boring, everyday Trekkies would not be all that fascinating… and Trekkies 2 proves this at times.

But don’t for a minute think that Trekkies 2 does not have its share of classic moments. In their worldly travels, the filmmakers meet up with a guy in England who turned his entire flat into an authentic- looking Star Trek: TNG set complete with transporter (and nowhere to sleep), a priest in Italy who conducts his services by teaching lessons from Star Trek episodes, and they even find Star Trek fans amidst the people of previously war-torn Serbia.

There is also a feature on “filk” music (the pursuit of folk singers who write songs about Star Trek and other sci-fi characters) and a number of Star Trek tribute bands including Stovokor, a Klingon metal band. There is also interview footage with some Star Trek actors and writers mixed in, which are pretty interesting as well… especially the segment about the weird stuff that the writers receive in the mail.

The movie wouldn’t be complete without revisiting Lieutenant-Commander Barbara Adams, the woman who wore her Star Trek uniform while attending jury duty. In her hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas, we meet some of her co-workers (including one simple fellow who thinks Star Trek would be better if it was “more like Star Wars”), and also a rather loopy member of her fan club who firmly believes in ET’s.

Gabriel Koerner ends up stealing the show however. Best known from the first movie for the line, “This is the worst possible time you could call me!”, he has become a cult hero to many. This time around, not only do we get to meet his wife (no, that’s not a typo) but we also learn that he is working as a visual effects artist now, and in fact contributed some of his CGI work to this movie. He is also working on a fan film, which is included in the special features on the DVD.

Nygard and Crosby treat the people they interview with respect and a certain restrained curiosity, and as a result the movie has a good-natured feel to it. Of course, it helps having Crosby involved because she gives the film credibility; it doesn’t feel like someone from outside the Star Trek world looking in and making fun, it feels like someone from inside the Star Trek world trying to understand and celebrate the fans instead.

Trekkies 2 was a direct-to-DVD release, and this is probably the best way to see the movie because some of the extra features are essential. The audio commentary track with Roger Nygard, Denise Crosby, and producer Mike Leahy serves up mostly obvious facts and personal tidbits about the making of the film, but it is the deleted scenes and fan films that complete the experience. There are a ton of deleted scenes, many of which should have been included but were probably cut for timing reasons. The two fan films are Brian Dellis’ “The Final Frontier: Revisited”, a rather dull but briefly amusing Western take on Star Trek (complete with audio commentary — who does this guy think he is??) and Gabriel Koerner’s “Really Bad Star Trek” (an appropriate title).

One thing is clear after seeing Trekkies 2, and that is the universal appeal of Gene Roddenberry’s imaginative worlds, characters and ideas. It also offers proof that obsessive fans are every bit as crazy in the rest of the world as they are in North America. I don’t see Trekkies 2 as being better than the original, it’s more like a companion to it, and it’s worth owning whether you’re a Trekkie, Trekker, or simply a closet fan who refuses to admit to their love for the final frontier. — Sean