# Is it fair to say Star Trek created modern Fan culture? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 30, 2017, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-fair-to-say-star-trek-created-modern-fan-culture/790203 "2017-06-30T16:10:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2017, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-fair-to-say-star-trek-created-modern-fan-culture/790203/1 "2017-06-30T16:10:54Z")
Conventions. Cosplay. Routine scholarly analysis. Fanatical extrapolation of details from within the show or work. Regularly produced extended universe media. Star Trek fans did all of that first or nearly first. Now much of this is very common for dozens of other works but Star Trek seems to have blazed the trail. Would it be fair to say it essentially created Nerd sub culture? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2017, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-fair-to-say-star-trek-created-modern-fan-culture/790203/2 "2017-06-30T16:37:06Z")
[No](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fiction_convention#History). ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2017, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-fair-to-say-star-trek-created-modern-fan-culture/790203/3 "2017-06-30T16:39:45Z")
[Also](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosplay#History), ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2017, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-fair-to-say-star-trek-created-modern-fan-culture/790203/4 "2017-06-30T16:42:47Z")
[Plus this.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlockian_game) ---
**Author:** ![igor\_frankensteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/839c29/32.png) [@igor\_frankensteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/igor_frankensteen)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2017, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-fair-to-say-star-trek-created-modern-fan-culture/790203/5 "2017-06-30T16:44:03Z")
Also no. In addition to Science Fiction fan behavior going back a long way, fan nonsense in general goes back as far as humans do. The only thing that changes about humanity, are the details of how it’s core set of values, behaviors, yearnings and so on, are expressed. ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2017, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-fair-to-say-star-trek-created-modern-fan-culture/790203/6 "2017-06-30T16:52:15Z")
As Miller noted, the excesses of modern fandom basically start with Sherlockians. For one thing, the whole idea of a “canon” defining what is and isn’t part of a fictional universe started with them, and the 60 Holmes stories and novels are still referred to as the Canon. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2017, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-fair-to-say-star-trek-created-modern-fan-culture/790203/7 "2017-06-30T16:58:17Z")
I’m a little surprised we haven’t had a dedicated SF fan drop a spittle-flinging rant about conflating _Star Trek_ with actual SF, and the mortal sin of claiming _Star Trek_ invented SF fandom. I mean, I’m a smidge offended 😉 , but I reserve spittle for more weighty and invective-worthy subjects. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2017, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-fair-to-say-star-trek-created-modern-fan-culture/790203/8 "2017-06-30T17:14:37Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > I’m a little surprised we haven’t had a dedicated SF fan drop a spittle-flinging rant about conflating _Star Trek_ with actual SF, and the mortal sin of claiming _Star Trek_ invented SF fandom. > > I mean, I’m a smidge offended 😉 , but I reserve spittle for more weighty and invective-worthy subjects. How about a link to a [costumer](http://www.strangelandcostumes.com/history.html) ranting about (and [getting facts wrong](http://kotaku.com/where-the-word-cosplay-actually-comes-from-1649177711) on) all those kids today calling it cosplay? ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2017, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-fair-to-say-star-trek-created-modern-fan-culture/790203/9 "2017-06-30T17:16:03Z")
> [@Nonsuch](#): > > As Miller noted, the excesses of modern fandom basically start with Sherlockians. For one thing, the whole idea of a “canon” defining what is and isn’t part of a fictional universe started with them, and the 60 Holmes stories and novels are still referred to as the Canon. One of my most recent **Let’s Make MrAtoz Feel Old** experiences happened when a young lady in her late teens was shocked to find out that I, an old codger of fifty, knew the word “canon.” As far as she knew, that word was invented for anime. Everything is older than you think it is. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2017, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-fair-to-say-star-trek-created-modern-fan-culture/790203/10 "2017-06-30T18:24:49Z")
Obviously there were Sci Fi fans before Star Trek and I know there were sci fi conventions before Trek conventions and you can find examples of people doing all of these things but Trek fans in the 60s and 70s created the templet and wrote the rules almost all modern fandom follows today. They made it more mainstream and turned it into something the average person may have heard about. ETA: Sherlock Holmes is a good one I hadn’t thought of. Good point. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2017, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-fair-to-say-star-trek-created-modern-fan-culture/790203/11 "2017-06-30T18:45:48Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > Obviously there were Sci Fi fans before Star Trek and I know there were sci fi conventions before Trek conventions and you can find examples of people doing all of these things but Trek fans in the 60s and 70s created the templet and wrote the rules almost all modern fandom follows today. Still no. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2017, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-fair-to-say-star-trek-created-modern-fan-culture/790203/12 "2017-06-30T19:34:38Z")
> [@Nonsuch](#): > > For one thing, the whole idea of a “canon” defining what is and isn’t part of a fictional universe started with them, and the 60 Holmes stories and novels are still referred to as the Canon. One might argue that the whole idea of a canon defining what is and isn’t part of a fictional universe started much much earlier, with the [First Council of Nicaea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Council_of_Nicaea). 😉 ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2017, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-fair-to-say-star-trek-created-modern-fan-culture/790203/13 "2017-06-30T20:19:27Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > How about a link to a [costumer](http://www.strangelandcostumes.com/history.html) ranting about (and [getting facts wrong](http://kotaku.com/where-the-word-cosplay-actually-comes-from-1649177711) on) all those kids today calling it cosplay? Basically the main difference is that a costumer is interested in creating or re-creating a costume, while a cosplayer is interested in re-creating or creating a character. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2017, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-fair-to-say-star-trek-created-modern-fan-culture/790203/14 "2017-06-30T20:30:41Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Basically the main difference is that a costumer is interested in creating or re-creating a costume, while a cosplayer is interested in re-creating or creating a character. IMHO, that is a bit of [an artificial division](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3CsTlH4QOg). ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2017, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-fair-to-say-star-trek-created-modern-fan-culture/790203/15 "2017-06-30T20:50:29Z")
Congratulations. You two have just committed fandom. Please don’t get any on the sofa. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2017, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-fair-to-say-star-trek-created-modern-fan-culture/790203/16 "2017-06-30T21:36:03Z")
Look up Goethe’s The Sorrows of Young Werther: there was merchandising, fanboys were making pilgrimages and cosplaying that shit in 1775. It was banned in some places because of copycat suicides. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2017, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-fair-to-say-star-trek-created-modern-fan-culture/790203/17 "2017-06-30T21:59:39Z")
> [@Penfeather](#): > > Look up Goethe’s The Sorrows of Young Werther: there was merchandising, fanboys were making pilgrimages and cosplaying that shit in 1775. It was banned in some places because of copycat suicides. Did you see that episode of _History Bites_? Hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2017, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-fair-to-say-star-trek-created-modern-fan-culture/790203/18 "2017-06-30T22:01:41Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > One might argue that the whole idea of a canon defining what is and isn’t part of a fictional universe started much much earlier, with the [First Council of Nicaea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Council_of_Nicaea). 😉 Theology was the original fan-wank. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2017, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-fair-to-say-star-trek-created-modern-fan-culture/790203/19 "2017-07-01T00:37:41Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > Trek fans in the 60s and 70s created the **templet** … Is that anything like a template? :dubious: 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Trafalgar\_Laura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trafalgar_laura/32/2907_2.png) [@Trafalgar\_Laura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trafalgar_Laura)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2017, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-fair-to-say-star-trek-created-modern-fan-culture/790203/20 "2017-07-01T01:25:09Z")
It’s hard for me to say positively, but from what I understand, slash fiction as it’s currently recognized supposedly originated with Star Trek fanzines in the US (it seems to have emerged entirely separately in Japan.) The story is that the term “slash” came from the marking between Kirk and Spock’s names to indicate a relationship (Spock/Kirk), versus a + mark to indicate the two together in stories as just friends and coworkers. Whether this was a great contribution to fandom or a horror that can never be undone is up to the reader. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-fair-to-say-star-trek-created-modern-fan-culture/790203.md?page=2)