FANDOM FRIDAY: Jacobi Edge On How STAR TREK Affected Their Thoughtfulness

Hello! Happy Fandom Friday! This month I interviewed Jacobi Edge, a friend of mine who I am so happy to introduce you all to. Jacobi and I met at school and bonded over our shared love of Star Trek!

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DSTN: Tell us a bit about yourself and your life outside of Star Trek.

Jacobi Edge: As of the time of this article being published I’m a second-semester freshman in college, studying creative writing. My career goals are undetermined at the moment, so I’m following my passion of writing until I figure something out. I’m in a fencing club along with a club for LGBTQ+ students on campus.

DSTN: How and when did you get into Star Trek? What show was your first?

JE: I have the vaguest possible memory of watching TNG’s episode “Family” as a child, and then as a teenager I returned to it, remembering I had really liked the characterization of Picard and his brother.

DSTN: What is it about Star Trek that you love?

JE: I know it’s a generic answer at this point but I do have to say hope. Hope that humanity will come together and work through its problems and eventually find others to work with. Hope that in the future we won’t resort to eugenics or the like, because we don’t feel the need to ‘fix’ disabled people, but we will accommodate them and treat them with dignity. As someone who identifies as disabled, that being a theme was big for me. (And yes, I have watched DS9, but that was the outlier, and clearly shown as what not to do.)

DSTN: Has Star Trek impacted your life in any way? If so, how?

JE: I believe it truly has made me a more thoughtful person. From watching how the characters deal with diplomacy to watching their interpersonal relationships develop, I’ve gotten a good sense of what could possibly be right or wrong.

DSTN: If you have one, tell us a story that you have about Star Trek/being in the Star Trek fandom?

JE: I actually met George Takei, before I watched the original series, but I thank my lucky stars every day that I did. Genuinely pleasant human being to talk to, and it was wonderful to watch him in a live show.

DSTN: What is your favorite Star Trek show and why?

JE: I do believe that of the ones I’ve fully watched, TOS is my favorite. I have a soft spot for older television in general as well as older science fiction. Don’t get me wrong, I love tragedies and horror that newer Treks have brought in, but sometimes I do need a show with whimsy and props of unrealistic design.

DSTN: Do you have a favorite character(s)? If so, which one and why that one?

JE: This question aggravates me. I love all of the characters so deeply for their personal journeys. Yes, there are characters who are objectively written better than others but that’s when I turn to the novels about the under-developed characters or even look into fan interpretations of the characters. All this being said, my favorite character from my favorite show is Leonard “Bones” McCoy. A deeply caring man who has to overcome his fears and jump into the fray to help his friends.

DSTN: What's something you want the readers of DSTN to know about you?

JE: That I am a big fan of Enterprise and am always looking for people to discuss Trek in general with!

DSTN: So, you are a trans and neurodivergent person. Has Star Trek helped you come to terms with that identity in any way? How so?

JE: The episode “The Outcast” destroyed me, so there’s that. I am easily brought to tears, I admit but that was particularly difficult. But it the oddest way it did make me proud to be who I am. That no one has changed me, and no one will.

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I hope you all enjoyed getting to know Jacobi! They’re a great friend of mine and a wonderful Star Trek fan!

If you want to be featured in our monthly Fandom Friday column, beam an email over to us at info@dailystartreknews.com and tell us why you think you should be included.