I haven't made it to the new Star Trek movie. Yet. Big yet there. I love sci-fi, not necessarily books, but sci-fi movies. Something appeals to my nerd and my sense of wonder simultaneously, whether it's Event Horizon or Blade Runner. For better, worse, or a bit of both, it's interesting to watch a director's take on our potential. I guess by saying potential, I really give myself away--my favorite part of sci-fi is how technology changes the human experience, or how we interact with it. Star Wars without R2D2 or C3PO? Nope. Looper? Never. And other than the obvious, like the Maxtrix or the Force, there are guiding principles and ideas in which great sci-fi actually teaches us about our humanity.
So, although I own no Vulcan ears and wouldn't profess to be a super fan, I'm always down for a new installment of Star Trek. And while my nerdiness never made me watch all the installments of The Next Generation on FOX, I do like Patrick Stewart. Obviously, he also gets X-Men points, but that's not what I'm getting at here. I always thought he was a good actor. I never read any crazy press about him. He just seemed like a decent dude who landed some career-defining roles and had a big audience of fans. But then I saw a video of him at a comic convention (see previously mentioned fan base) and now I have quite a bit of respect for him as a person. He spoke very openly about growing up in a home in which his mother was abused and because he witnessed that, he has been an advocate for a UK group that provides services for victims of domestic violence. He also spoke of how he's learned that his father suffered from PTSD from his service in WWII, so he now also does work with an organization that assists vets returning from war zones. I admire him for not blaming, but rather working to understand the totality of the issues within his family and instead of continuing to be a victim, discussing these issues and working to help others.
It's easy to forget how much our childhoods define us. While we might grow up, we never grow out of our experiences. The real key that defines us as adults is what we do with those experiences. If we had a stable, loving environment, it's easy to take it for granted. I'm only now really beginning to realize what chaos can do to a child.
"I do what I do in my mother's name because I couldn't help her then."
You could hear the little boy in his voice as he said that.
"Now I can."
