52 days before - Fandom Meme

I got this from my sister, and she chose Harry Potter, West Wing, and Star Trek. Surprisingly, she didn't have to do any stalking at all!

Fandom meme: Comment and I'll find (up to) THREE FANDOMS you apparently love. And then you answer these questions about them!

01: What got you into this fandom in the first place?
02: Do you think you'll stay in this fandom or eventually move on?
03: Favorite episodes/books/movies/etc.?
04: Do you participate in this fandom (fanfiction, graphics, discussions)?
05: Do you think that more people should get into this fandom?

What got you into this fandom in the first place?

Harry Potter: My sister. Well, the whole family, really. I think I was the last one in the immediate family to actually read the books. My sister kept telling me "You've gotta read these books, you've gotta read this books!" So, I did. At that point, only the first three had been published, but by the time I got finished reading Prisoner of Azkaban, I was hooked.

West Wing: I didn't start watching this until mid-way through the second season. It was one of those shows that I had seen promoted, but didn't have much interest in seeing, mostly because it appeared to be a show about politics. But my aunt in Columbus and her family convinced us to watch an episode. ("Shibboleth," I believe.) And we realized that this was an intelligent show about politics with engaging characters and witty dialogue. Who would have thought?

Star Trek: My parents used to watch Next Generation when I was a kid, and sometimes I'd watch it with them. Some of the episodes freaked me out, but a lot of the ideas in the episodes intrigued me. By the fifth grade I was a complete Trekkie (or Trekker, depending on who you listen to) and wanted all Star Trek merchandise I could get my hands on. (Well, okay, mostly just the books, like the chronology and encyclopedia, but still.) I pretty much wanted to know everything about the fandom, even when I couldn't see all the episodes that were on for whatever reason.

Do you think you'll stay with this fandom or eventually move on?

Harry Potter: I think I'll stay with this fandom for as long as the fandom lasts. I've gotten into the habit of reading the series every year, and will most likely continue to do that. (I would love, if I ever have the opportunity, to buy the British editions of the books, just because.) Wizard rock has, thanks to my sister, become one of the main music genres I listen to, and as long as the music continues to be good, I'll keep listening to it. I've dabbled in fanfiction, but I haven't done any recently. I kind of drift in and out of that aspect of the fandom. And every so often I'll visit fansites. So I probably won't be as intensely into the fandom as I have been in the past, but I'll still be a part of the fandom. And at the very least, I still be discussing the movies and what sucks/doesn't suck about them. Also, I would love to go to an HP convention at least once.

West Wing: To be honest, I've already kind of drifted out of this fandom. I still watch the episodes . . . in fact, we're in the process of introducing my brother to the series. (We've made it to season 3.) And my sister and I continue to quote our favorite bits of the show to each other on a regular basis. But I don't write fanfiction and, now that the series is over, I don't really visit the fansites or forums. It's still a great series and I still love watching it and talking about it, but that's pretty much where it ends.

Star Trek: Up until the most recent movie, I was kind of on my way out of this fandom as well. But the new movie kind of rekindled my interest, and so now I'm watching a lot of the old episodes again. I think I may eventually drift away from the intense portion of the fandom, but I'll always be a Trekkie. Nothing will change that.

Favorite episodes/movies/books/whatever?

Harry Potter: My HP phone number is 367-1542. Basically, when pressed, I say that my favorite book is Prisoner of Azkaban, but really, Azkaban, Half-Blood Prince, and Deathly Hallows are pretty much in a three-way tie for first place. But obviously, I don't hate any of them. Movies are a little bit of a different story. I'm deeply frustrated with many aspects of the movies, mainly because in the eyes of many misguided fans, the movies ARE the books. (In other words, they believe Ron to be as big an idiot in the books as he's made out to be in the movies.) My favorite movie is still the first one, as it actually stayed true to the spirit of the book. The . . . zip code, I guess it would be, since only five are out . . . is 15234. And unlike the books, I pretty much loathe movies 3 and 4.

West Wing: Ah, geez . . . okay, here we go. Season 1: "Pilot," "Take This Sabbath Day," "Celestial Navigation," "20 Hours in LA," "Let Bartlet Be Bartlet," "Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics," "What Kind of Day Has It Been;" Season 2: "In the Shadow of Two Gunmen," Parts 1 and 2, "The Midterms," "And It's Surely To Their Credit . . ." "Portland Trip," "Shibboleth," "Galileo," "Noel," "Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going to Jail," "Stackhouse Filibuster," "17 People," "Two Cathedrals;" Season 3: "Isaac and Ishmael," "Gone Quiet," "The Indians in the Lobby," "Bartlet for America," "Night Five," "Dead Irish Writers," "Stirred," "We Killed Yamamoto;" Season 4: "20 Hours in America," "Debate Camp," "Game On," "Election Night," "Process Stories," "Holy Night," "Long Goodbye," "Inauguration Day Part 1," "Inauguration Day Part 2: Over There," "California 47th," "Privateers," "Angel Maintenance," "Evidence of Things Not Seen," "Twenty-five;" Season 5: "Separation of Powers," "Shutdown," "Slow News Day," "The Supremes," "Access," "No Exit;" Season 6: "Liftoff," "A Change is Gonna Come," "In the Room," Impact Winter," "Faith-Based Initiative," "365 Days," "King Corn," "The Wake-Up Call," Freedonia," "A Good Day," "In God We Trust," "Things Fall Apart," "2162 Votes;" Season 7: "Here Today," "The Al Smith Dinner," "The Debate," "The Wedding," "Running Mates," "Duck and Cover," "The Cold," "Election Day" Parts 1 and 2, "Requiem," "The Last Hurrah," "Institutional Memory," and "Tomorrow." (Whew!)

Star Trek: Okay, I'm not even gonna try. I will say that my favorite series are Next Generation and Voyager. Some favorite Next Generation episodes include "Disaster," "Cause and Effect," "Parallels," and "All Good Things . . ." Some favorite Voyager episodes include, "Caretaker" Parts 1 and 2, "Deadlock," "Twisted," "Basics" Parts 1 and 2, "Future's End," Parts 1 and 2, " "Day of Honor," "Infinite Regress," "Timeless," "Shattered," "11:59," "Drone," and "Endgame." Favorite movies include Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Star Trek Generations, Star Trek First Contact, and Star Trek (the most recent one.)

Do you participate in this fandom (fanfiction, graphics, discussions)?

Harry Potter: I have written some fanfiction. I've also written a few songs. I participate in discussions when they're not completely inane (eg someone explaining to me at length why Draco and Hermione should have gotten together.) I have a lot of HP discussions with my sister. I have made a few HP graphics with a collage maker on my computer. And as I said before, I listen to wizard rock, and would love to go to an HP convention some day.

West Wing: Not really anymore. Only in the sense that I watch the episodes and occasionally discuss them with my sister. I have also been known to use certain episodes for school assignments. But that's about it.

Star Trek: Occasionally. As I said, I still watch the episodes and occasionally will discuss the benefits of one series/movie over another. I've been doing that more lately with the release of the most recent Star Trek movie. But the last Star Trek book related thing that I bought was about seven years ago. I will occasionally browse the bookstore for anything new, or check out the Star Trek website . . . but that's about it.

Do you think that more people should get into this fandom?

Harry Potter: Yes, mainly because I think more people should be reading good literature. Harry Potter isn't really just a fad. The books became popular for a reason: they are good books, and people should read good books. I think there are people who would legitimately enjoy the series, but are reluctant to join because they believe--not unreasonably--that anything this popular can't possibly be any good, or at the very least that it won't live up to the hype. At the very least, more people should read the books. I recognize that the fandom isn't for everyone, but really the fandom has kind of become part of the Harry Potter experience. So while people don't necessarily have to jump into the fandom with both feet, I think more people should dabble in certain aspects, just a little.

West Wing: Again, I feel like more people should watch West Wing, because it is (for the most part) good television. Most of the episodes balance substance AND fluff very well, and I think it's wonderful that there is a TV series that is able to do that. Now whether they should be involved in the fandom or not is another story. Honestly, the fandom has kind of dwindled since the end of the series, so I think at this point, it's probably just enough to watch the episodes.

Star Trek: The trouble with the Star Trek fandom is that it's pretty widely fragmented. Star Trek is over forty years old, and so you've got fans in multiple generations, fans who grew up on Kirk and Spock and think it'll never get better than the original series, and fans that grew up on DS9 and Voyager and can't understand how people could not favor those over William Shatner's abominable acting. I do think more people should be involved in the fandom . . . but for the right reasons. The Original Series was incredibly innovative for its time, which is what attracted people to it, I think. But the recent series and movies have done a lot more with character development than the older stuff, which I think makes them better quality shows. Unfortunately, they kind of have this Star Trek stigma attached to them, so people are reluctant to watch them if they have, in fact, experienced Shatner's abominable acting. So if people are going to become involved in the fandom, I hope it's because they enjoy watching and discussing the complex character developments of Data or Seven of Nine, or discussing the implications of certain events in an episode of DS9 or Voyager, and not because those special effects are so freaking cool.

If you'd like participate, leave a comment, and I'll pick three fandoms that you appear to like. (Obviously, this won't work if you comment anonymously.) Hope you enjoyed my geeking out!

-Matt