I've been a Star Trek fan my entire life, since my dad first exposed me to TOS when I was maybe 5 or 6. When I was growing up I was the kid who dressed as Star

I've been a Star Trek fan my entire life, since my dad first exposed me to TOS when I was maybe 5 or 6. When I was growing up I was the kid who dressed as Star Trek characters for middle school Halloween parties when everyone else was seemingly obsessed with Star Wars. I never understood it. I attribute that to one character: Spock. With his unshakable discipline and faith (ha!) in logic as the method to explore our problems ("Fascinating!"), I identified with him more than any other character - because he didn't fear the unknown. As the series and universe progressed, and Data in TNG seemed to fill that void I couldn't help but notice the subtle commentary. Spock, half human, seemed to desperately try to repress his humanity - and therein show us why being human is all the more important - Data, literally a machine, a pure logic system, sought to become more human. There's a lesson in there somewhere. Maybe it's just a commentary on the cultural zeitgeist of the times of the two series, but for me it's simply to not fear the future or what's out there, even if there are bumps along the way. Spock is a deep, and lasting character that I'm sure will remain influential. House of Cards can wait, tonight. Plotting a course for Regula 1.