Red Alert! This is a major new announcement. Longtime associates know that a few years back I made a New Year’s Resolution to read 52 books in a year. And I did it. (Starting with “Gravity’s Rainbow” made this a particularly remarkable feat, if I do say so myself.) The following year I pledged to see 365 movies. Doing so is what probably nabbed me the $5000 from IFC’s “Ultimate Film Fanatic.” Now — a new vow. I will watch, in the order they were presented to the viewing public (as best as I can ascertain) every single Star Trek episode. That is — every single episode of The Original Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space 9, Voyager, Enterprise and, yes, the seldom seen Animated Adventures Series (they’re being released on DVD in November.) It is a bold step. One that puts me, I admit it, in an extreme category with people I may not otherwise wish to associate. But I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to do it. And then I’ll really be one of them.
I’m not waiting til New Year’s because, frankly, there is no way I could do it one year. It will take longer. (It better take longer. I plan to do other things with my time than watch Star Trek!) Like Picard says, “A continuining mission. . .”
So this blog will have a new category — The Star Trek Project.
I will review each episode on a 5 Enterprise Insignia system. 
means bloody awful (Data running around with Sherlock Holmes on the Holodeck) means bloody awesome (Evil Spock has a beard or 7 of 9 is photographed from the rear.)
For record keeping I will list by episode name, series name (TOS, ANI, TNG, DS9, VOY, ENT) and Season Number. I may go back to the films again in between. (I’d like to see them with commentary track anyway.)
I will also let readers know when it is the first time I am seeing an episode. I’ve seen all of TOS (I think), most of TNG, much of VOY but hardly any DS9 or ENT. And no ANI.
I’ve been a Star Trek fan since middle school. I’ve written in the past how it comforts me. Just the sound effects have a calming effect (you can click here to read what the hell I am talking about.) When we were shooting Body/Antibody, I would sometimes come home a giant wired ball of stress and slapping a Trek DVD in the machine would lull me to sleep in 30 seconds. So I am not going to deny my fandom anymore. Let’s see where this experiment takes me.
When I am done with this, will I then go on and start reading those “expanded universe” books? Will I teach myself Klingon? Will I go (shudder) to conventions? Only time (or a wormhole) will tell. . .
