The Themed Convention : Star Trek Fandom and Mythos

Following the Gotham and Metropolis Blog, here is the blog that was listed to follow:

The Themed Convention

 

 

 

Star Trek  represents modern myth, and as such it legitimizes fan participation in numerous activities, particularly themed conventions. Myth explains the meaning which fans have assigned to both

Star Trek  and the archetype characters it has created.

Star Trek acts as a secular myth for contemporary times by providing cultural symbols and meanings that serve as a model for the formation of a distinct subculture. Themed conventions represent the way in which fans come together to more fully participate in the myth, solidifying the place

Trek  holds in their daily lives,and allowing for the continued evolution of a vibrant subculture.

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Myth acts as a model for all aspects of human behavior, all cultural practices, and ultimatelyassigns value to life. The

Trek  myth is quite real to members of fandom, and like all myth, it issubject to continued reinterpretation on the individual level at varying points in time by the believers in the myth. Despite this, it is possible to identify core meanings in

Star Trek .

Theutopian future, concept of IDIC (infinite diversity in infinite combinations), and the humanisticstudy of the humanity are ideals shared across fandom.

Star Trek  is a futuristic portal, allowingfans to learn from the past, make changes in the present, and strive for a

Trek  future. Fans havefound compatibility between the messages of 

Trek and personal beliefs, incorporating the mythinto their daily lives with ease.

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Themed conventions provide a platform for understanding the utilization of myth. Fans gather and translate the myth into a cultural binding force, legitimizing their subculture. Fans agree that participation is required, that the myth must be experienced. Fans participate in the myth inseveral ways. They create alien personas, take on the persona of their favorite Trek  character or species group with whom they identify with ideologically, collect merchandise for the purposesof owning a piece of the myth, perform songs and plays, and seek out their favorite actors inorder to complete the meeting of the myth experience. These conventions allow fans to escapethe constraints of contemporary society and fulfill their desire to exist in and experience theutopian future of Star Trek 

.

Star Trek  Conventions offer an arena for fans to share their interpretations concerning stories and characters and to more fully participate in the myth. Convention participation strengthens the place of myth in their daily lives

. Star Trek as modern myth possesses the power to bring meaning to life and to transform life according to all patterns inherent in myth. Themed conventions are a celebration of that power and of the desire of fans to harness that power to change their world. 

 

NEXT BLOG: EARLY NOV 2014 due to speaking schedule for travel and conventions:  Bronze Age of Comics !

 

 Notes1.

 

For more on myth and the anthropological perspective, see, Claude L`evi ± Strauss,

 Myth and  Meaning: Cracking the Code of Culture

. 1979. Shocken Books. New York;

 

CamilleBacon-Smith,

 Enterprising Women: Television, Fandom, and the Creation of Popular 

 Myth. 1992. University of Pennsylvania Press;

 

Wendy Doniger, Other  People¶s Myths:The Cave of Echoes

, 1988. Macmillan.

 New York. Bronislaw Malinowski, ³Myth inPrimitive Psychology´, In

 Magic, Science, and Religion and Other Essays

.1992 [1948].Waveland Press. Illinois.2.

 

For more on Star Trek and fandom, see, Peter J. Claus, ³A Structuralist Appreciation of Star Trek´, In

The American Dimension

. Montegue and Arens, editors. 1976. AlfredPublishing.

 New York;

 

Henry Jenkins,

Textual Poachers: Television Fans and  Participatory Culture.

1992. Routledge. London and

 New York; John Tulloch and HenryJenkins,

Science Fiction Audiences: Watching Dr. Who and Star Trek 

. 1995. Routledge.London and  New York.