It’s a little bit more complicated to explain why I’m a fan than just those four words. I don’t think I ever looked to be a fan of anything. I think it just happened. It happened because of great storytelling that had me so hooked I was thirsty for more. It happened when I read my first comic book, (Super Villain Team Up #2 starring Sub Mariner and Dr. Doom), when I saw the Six Million Dollar Man run past my TV screen, when I went and saw saw Star Wars the Empire Strikes Back with my best friends, it happened when I saw Indiana Jones and the raiders of the Lost Ark, and it also happened when I bought my very first comic book(Batman #284 The Return of Dr. Tzin Tzin).
I became a Fan Because of my Asthma
I will tell you, though, when it all definitively started. It started when I was about 4 or 5 years old. I was a kid that had pretty severe asthma. Back then(wow, I never thought I would be old enough to say that…I’m 51 now) I would be in the emergency room 3 to 4 days a week getting an epinephrine shot just to help me breathe. I was in the hospital so often that everyone knew me by my first name. It would be especially cool when I had really bad attacks because of the flu or pneumonia and I would have to stay in the hospital for a week at a time. Unlike other kids, I kind of enjoyed it…it was like a vacation where I could read my favorite comic books(The Six Million Dollar Man magazine September 1976 issue) or watch my favorite TV shows unencumbered.
Because of my Asthma, I Was Introduced to one of the Greatest TV Shows Ever Created
But, I digress. One night, when I was having a bit of a hard time with my asthma, I went into my parents room and saw that my dad was still up. He had this little 13″ TV by his side of the bed and he was watching a show that I never saw before called Star Trek. As I crawled into bed with my parents, my eyes became wide with excitement as I saw Captain Kirk take charge like I never saw anything I ever watched before. He was a man of action and decision. He was a man aware of his limits but also challenged them. And he had a great group of officers around him that treated him with respect as he did in return. The episode that got me hooked was “Spectre of the Gun”. Wow a Western and a Starship all in one TV show…it didn’t get any better than that. I forgot all about my breathing and my asthma was abated as I got lost in this new world that I had discovered.
After That Night I Was Obsessed With Everything Star Trek
After that night I was obsessed with everything Star Trek, Captain Kirk and Spock. I was so enamored with Captain Kirk and just thought he was the greatest hero who ever lived. My obsession became solidified one Christmas morning when my parents bought me the Mego Star Trek bridge playset that had that really cool spinning transporter. And to make it even sweeter I also got a Mego Captain Kirk and Spock. Holy cow was that cool! I played with that toy for hours. So that was my entry ticket into the world of being a fan that I wouldn’t give up for anything. To this day, I get excited when I think about the many different things I became a fan of and it all started with a Starship Captain named James Kirk, his faithful science officer named Spock and the rest of the Starship Enterprises crew. But, that was only the beginning. My world suddenly exploded with new heroes to look up to and emulate. Because of great storytelling and imagination, these characters and TV shows helped create the fan that I am today. I will leave you with a great quote from Captain Kirk from the episode Return of the Archons. “Without freedom of choice there is no creativity. The body dies.” Considering the times that we are living in, with rampant cancel culture, we should all heed those great words.
4 Responses
Hey, great memories Tim,I remember that small t v and watching Star Trek in bed, also bringing a stack of your favorite comics to read while hospitalized after an asthma attack, Star Trek and your comic book heroes superman, batman etc. were like medicine for you…
Excellent writing, brilliant observations, great sentiments, and a wonderful story about a little boy who had to suffer with asthma, and how he dealt with it. I did the same thing when I was little, with asthma. I discovered books!!
Great job, T.J.!