On the Horizon of Decade Two The Starship Obready
From September of 1966 to December of 1967 Norway Productions and Desilu Productions (thanks to Lucille Ball’s interest), followed by Paramount Productions from January 1968 through June of 1969 produced a television series set right here in the Milky Way galaxy, round-about the year 2260. The show starred a former Montrealer in a leading role; that of Captain of the Uss-enterprise (NCC-1701), a rather volatile, passionate fellow by the name of Captain James T. Kirk, and yes, played by actor William Shatner.
At the time, I’m not sure that Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and his associates could have anticipated the impact and longevity the series would maintain, with a hold on a very attentive audience….especially after the show was cancelled by NBC after just three seasons. This original 79-episode series would become (and remains) a titan of the times, going into syndication in the 1970s and then spawning a movie series, and one new series after another as new crews explored new life and new civilizations… boldly going, and going…and still going.
Also a former Montrealer, Bruno Signori has resided in Magog for most of his life. That name may ring a bell. Bruno is the acting ‘Admiral’ of the Starship Obready, the Eastern Townships own Star Trek fan club; that is also a community entity unto itself. Bruno was featured in Dishpan Hands roughly a decade ago, as his leadership with this group grew. This week we revisit Bruno’s experience leading him to such dedication to the Star Trek world, and the impact that has had on the Townships as well.
Bruno tells us of the roots of his interest in Star Trek:
‘I saw my first Star Trek show when I was ten years old, as the TV show was re-run in syndication after school. There were other great sci-fi shows out at the time, but Star
Trek stood out as a great adventure series.’
While the main characters number somewhere in the vicinity of 40 in total, hundreds of secondary characters, special roles, guest stars and countless extras have been involved in the main and resulting series and the films. In discovering the series, characters Captain James T. Kirk, Mr. Spock and Dr. Mccoy (all original series characters), faced a new world and new civilization every week, and made an impact on Bruno to last a lifetime.
Star Trek is known for facing subjects that are not always comfortable – and characters that often lead their audience to initial snap judgments, nudging viewers through opening their minds to different cultures and ways of being – Bruno addresses what to him is an outstanding element that continues to have an impact on his life: ‘The human element that is quite present in each series and in the movies is the capacity to overcome our differences and to come together as a whole – to unite not despite our differences, but because of them, and the strength that comes from bringing those infinite diversities and infinite combinations together in a race of intelligent beings.’
The Starship Obready fan club has attended a few ‘cons’ aka conventions – in Montreal, but Bruno highlights acknowledgment of the OG series going gold – ‘The 50th anniversary is the year that we remember the most, as we visited Place des Arts for the 50-year voyage concert, and the Starfleet Academy Experience at the Aeronautic Museum in Ottawa. Both experiences can be seen on Youtube.’ Irrepressible, Bruno’s enthusiasm for shared experience rises above though, ‘But, I must admit that the greatest experiences are those where we share our goals and experiences with other groups like Starbase 24 in the UK and the Trekyards series on Youtube that has shown us tremendous support through its host Stuart Foley.’
Bruno also gives a nod to the support of Sherbrooke resident and Fleetyards artist Alain Rivard (and yours truly in recognition of days past at CJMQ radio station).
When asked about his favourite series, Bruno expresses love for all of them, but again, a particular soft spot for the original series, and when it comes to favourite character, his answers are swift:
‘My favourite character has always been Mr. Spock (played by Leonard Nimoy) of the original series. His dedication to solving problems in a logical manner has always been an inspiration to me, and the fact that he is half human shows us through his struggle how we must, ourselves, constantly balance emotions and that logic to make that right decision in life.’
There is a runner-up in terms of favourite characters as well:
‘Captain Jean-luc Picard (Royal Shakespeare Company veteran actor Patrick Stewart) is my second favourite character because of his command style, which is inspirational in seeking out peaceful resolution to all tense situations, and always seeing the counsel of his crew before making a final decision.’
A little over a decade ago, Bruno Signori rounded up four of his Star Trek family fans – they opened a Facebook page and managed and ran a website for five years. Today, their main sharing vehicles to local and overseas fans are the Facebook page and Youtube channel. While the club does not have official club status, they maintain an independent status as a separate entity that runs on its own merits as a non-profit organization.
When asked about community involvement, Bruno notes a few outstanding events:
‘The most memorable events over the years have been our fund-raising events most notably, our Bowl-a-thon for Suicide Prevention Centre JEVI, and the walk around Lac Des Nations for Autisme Estrie.’
The group has been present at Star Trek film premieres (in uniform of course), local parades and events. Currently, with vicepresident Sébastien Belisle, Bruno Signori and the Starship Obready are aiming fundraising at a more specific group of people or individuals experiencing a time of need – they wish to help families with disabilities or illness not covered by medical aide, placing the family in need, struggling to make ends meet to support their loved one(s).
The Starship Obready crew is eagerly awaiting the second season of Star Trek Picard, the second season of Lower Decks and the premiere of Star Trek Strange New World starring Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike.
In contemplating the second decade of the club’s existence, Bruno responds again with the community that the Star Trek world is known for – ‘The objective of the Obready for the next ten years will be to go forward yet again to help those who need our assistance, thus following Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry’s vision that we will all come together one day to be an evolved society no matter what race, religion, belief system or sexual orientation we are from.’