I'm someone who's known by his output: whether it's audio podcasts, YouTube videos, print magazines, or college curricula, I'm always making something intended for broad, public consumption. That level of productivity means more passive pastimes often fall by the wayside: I don't watch as many movies as I used to, and I watch hardly any television. That's not a knock against those media — the number of spoons required to maintain my nomadic lifestyle in a pandemic has sometimes left me wishing I had less productive hobbies.
YouTube's algorithm seems to have identified my unspoken desire, as after every video, I'm presented with countless thumbnails leading to both iconic and niche scenes from Star Trek. Whether it's Data using the Vulcan neck pinch, Garak using a Cardassian security code, Rom coming up with the idea for
self-replicating mines, or Guinan urging Picard to go on an away mission, these are all moments that lead me to recall greater arcs and journeys I've taken with these characters.
With the exception of The Next Generation, I've seen each series of Star Trek all the way through only once each — yet I remember them all vividly. These YouTube vignettes give me the opportunity to revisit those shows without investing additional years of viewership. I remember holding my breath as Reginald Barclay finally established real-time communications with the USS Voyager. When Admiral Paris inquired about his son, Janeway said "He heard you, Admiral" — which was possible only because Tom was on the bridge at that moment. What Janeway left unsaid was that the admiral's son, a former Maquis, had risen in the ranks and trust of his peers to earn a station on the bridge. The shock and pride his father must've felt at that moment… I don't need to rewatch seven years of Voyager for this moment to once again evoke those emotions.
In my own life, I move every month or so, leaving a trail of memories across the country and the world. I rarely revisit my former haunts, so I shoot one second of video every day to remind myself where I've been. The resulting annual seven-minute compilation video can't capture a full year of memories — but it serves as a springboard, a touchstone, from which I remember everywhere I've been and everything I've done.
These YouTube clips serve the same purpose. I don't know that I'll ever slow down long enough to rewatch the Dominion War play out across seven seasons of Deep Space Nine… nor do I know that I want to, as the first time doing so was magical in a way that can't be recreated. But I've allowed YouTube to distract me from my missions and slow me down long enough to remember how important and powerful these shows are, one scene at a time.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of us who have made our own journeys in the past year, with many more still to come.