It's not a disease and we don't need a cure

If, in a conversation about William Shatner's space flight, the talk drifts to his work with Star Trek and your friend says "I'm not terribly familiar; I never watched much of it," you might want to keep a couple of things in mind:

1) Ignorance about Star Trek is not a disease and should not provoke a reaction of shock and horror. It does not need to be "cured."

2) Some people, based not on hatred but simple indifference and lack of interest, have consciously CHOSEN not to watch, memorize, follow, or be passionate about Star Trek. Those folks are people too; again, they are not broken and do not need to be fixed.

3) The mere phrase "never really got much into Star Trek" is neither a challenge nor an opportunity to evangelize. Most non-Trekkies are perfectly willing to stand back and let you enjoy it without passion or prejudice; they just don't want to watch with you. Heck, who knows, if you're nice to them, they may even whip up tasty snacks for you to enjoy while you're watching.

4) You'll find most of these outsiders perfectly willing to respect Mr. Shatner's many notable accomplishments. Some will half-understand your Captain Kirk jokes, while others will give you a blank stare. Most of them think the idea of "Captain Kirk" finally achieving real-life space flight is a cute gimmick, and they bear him and the project no ill will whatsoever. I've heard firsthand that many are happy it was a success.

These same precautions can also be used to guide your dealings with people who have no interest in, and no knowledge of, another important part of the canon . . . something involving "Wars" and an "Empire" and . . . wookies? (Is it wookies?) And robots with names that sound like model numbers.

Representative of both marginalized groups will tell you they are happy, compassionate, productive, loving people who simply prefer to consume other narratives. But they're harmless and don't want to be cast off as "unclean." You need not shun them. Their situation is not contagious.

In other words, LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE ABOUT STAR TREK. I've watched enough to know it's not for me. In return, I PROMISE I won't nag you into insanity about watching the Steelers or Friends or Schitt's Creek with me.