Star Trek: 10 Things You Must Know When Dating A Trekker

9. Trekker Versus Trekkie

trekkie-versus-trekker Debate rages in the world of geekdom over the correct terminology for Star Trek fans. Apparently Trekkies are seen as over zealous obsessives who blindly follow anything vaguely Trek and froth at the mouth at the mere mention of Wesley Crusher. Whereas Trekkers are the real fans. The term Trekker, or so legend would have it, was started in the 1970s to try and make a distinction between those fans jumping on the Star Trek band wagon, who became known as Trekkies, and the real fans who were in from the start, the Trekkers. If you think you are now beginning to understand let me throw a spanner in the works by saying Gene Rodenberry (creator of Star Trek) stated Trekkie as the correct term but Leonard Nimoy apparently prefers Trekker! I think Trekkie tends to be used by media outlets who have a vague knowledge of Star Trek to describe the fans and it is used in a slightly derogatory fashion. So I€™m with Spock, Trekker is the best term. Either way my advice is tread carefully as there is a fine line between Trekker and Trekkie and no one seems to agree on the difference, not even the actors and creators of the show.
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