Geek national holiday

A pair of tickets sits above my computer for 7 p.m. Thursday. I was surprised to see advance tickets on sale not for a 12:01 a.m. showing but for the evening before. But I'm not complaining.

The best description of the opening of Star Trek I've seen was in the Arizona Republic, which in its summer movie preview called May 8 a "geek national holiday." I am not quite as psyched as I was in the days before Serenity debuted, but I confess to being anticipatory.

I was there, in front of the family TV set, at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8, 1966. I loved space movies, and NBC was launching a new science-fiction show that its creator called "Wagon Train to the stars." By the end of "Man-Trap," I was sold and never looked back. I have developed some philosophical objections over the years, but I still love these characters and am looking forward to seeing them reinvented with a new set of actors.

I am not a geek or a Trekkie in the sense that I'll show up in Vulcan ears or a Starfleet uniform. But I'll be there with my mind wide open, ready and willing to be blown away.

And for old time's sake:
Best TOS episode - "The City on the Edge of Forever," of course.
Best TNG: "The Inner Light."
Best DS9: "The Visitor."
Best Voyager or Enterprise: Sorry, I don't care as much.
Best Trek spinoff series: Deep Space Nine.
Best Trek movie: Galaxy Quest, er, Wrath of Khan or First Contact.
Kirk or Spock: Spock.
Ginger or Mary Ann: Beverly Crusher.