Clubses

Recently, DQ sent me an email ranking the various "Star Trek" TV series and inviting me to share my own list. I explained that it's difficult to be objective when the shows I watched while actively involved in fandom still feel more significant (and always will).

There were once three public science-fiction clubs in my city: one dedicated to "Trek", one to "Doctor Who" and another not devoted to any particular franchise but rather celebrating sci-fi in general. 

The first and second of those were quite well attended, the third far less so. It met in a more out-of-the-way venue and didn't promote itself in the wider community to the same degree. Also, there were broken friendships...

This was long before streaming or DVD box sets, when downloading an entire telly program was simply not an option. At club meetings, we watched stuff on VHS or Beta, grateful to view recordings of new episodes posted to committee members by contacts overseas.

We wolfed down hotdogs, jaffles, crisps and chocolate bars; guzzled cans of soft drink. We bought merchandise from the local dealers in geek media. We contributed to newsletters. We played the occasional science-fiction themed word game. We listened eagerly to special guests. We tried to demonstrate our insider knowledge as we lovingly poked fun at "Babylon 5" or whatever.

Odd/funny things I remember:

* One fan accusing another of attempting to poison him with an out-of-date can of cola.

* JH participating in a hilarious radio interview to advertise the "Trek" club. The DJ tried to get things rolling by stating a piece of trivia. JH: "Yeah, I know." Dead air...

* Our little band deliberately submitting wrong answers on pen'n'paper quizzes, e.g. I believe PB claimed that the USS Enterprise was powered by "space wind".

* Too-serious club members who were too easy to bait by questioning their firmly held notions.

* Noisy kids running around in Klingon facepaint. BS reckoned they shouldn't be allowed to attend meetings unless they could recite the bridge crew.

* A committee person being accused of embezzlement. Pretty sure he denied it but stepped down regardless.

* The same peeps repeatedly scoring the best door prizes. (Sour grapes on my part?)

* Winning a club's short-story writing competition in which there were only two entrants! My competitor's tale was about Time Lady Romana and he insisted on using her full name of Romanadvoratrelundar. Mine was about a guy who realised time was being messed with after he ate a dodo sandwich.