Geek Chronicles
Trekkies director Roger Nygard shares his Six Days in Roswell.
      by Sarah Kendzior

Trekkies/Roswell producer Roger Nygard.

While Nygard's interest in what he deems Americana is not limited to sci fi and occult fandom ("I might be making a documentary about country music fans"), genre followers have proved the crux of his non-fiction endeavors. "It seems like science fiction is the common thread among the fandoms that are more rabid," explains the producer, a lifelong sci fi fan. "That's just a theory. But you can find a following for everything. Remember a show called Small Wonder?" he asks, referring to the mid-1980s series about the child robot who, despite wearing the same outfit every day for several years, goes undiscovered by the residents of her town. "There are Small Wonder conventions! It came into my attention when I was researching the various fandoms. For some reason, that was one that stuck in my mind."

And what are the roots of the convention phenomenon? According to Nygard, they go way back. "These people have found a place where they can go and find people who hold similar opinions that they do, and where they won't be mocked and ridiculed by their neighbors for having these 'unusual' beliefs," he says of the Trek and Roswell devotees. "That's why the Pilgrims first came to America, because they were mocked for their unusual beliefs. That's what has set this country apart from other countries in the world, in that it's a haven for free speech and freedom of opinion." Not to mention Captain Pike chairs. "Star Trek and UFO enthusiast conventions -- people go to be with others who share their opinions and views," he explains. "This is no exception."

And eager to share they were. According to Nygard, few of his documentary subjects expressed hesitancy about having their obsession captured on film. "It was actually harder to get them to shut up once they started, than it was to get them to start talking," laughs Nygard. "Star Trek fans in general have a really good sense of humor about themselves. Anyone who goes out in public dressed in a Trek uniform is not afraid of attention -- they love attention. Barbara Adams, for instance, who was the Whitewater juror in Trekkies, she sent me a letter claiming she was so pleased that someone let her voice her point of view, intact. Regardless what people thought of her or the other people in the movie, she felt she had a chance where she could say why it was she does what she does, without being edited to a 30-second sound bite taken totally out of context."

Those interviewed for Six Days in Roswell expressed similar sentiments. "We premiered the film at this year's 2000 UFO celebration at Roswell," Nygard informs. "It showed for a week there, it was a gala event sponsored by the local newspaper. They came out of the theater, and they were laughing and raving about it. I got their reactions, because I want to include that on the DVD release. They all felt that it was very even-handed and hilarious at the same time."

Denise Crosby shows off a homemade fan tribute in Trekkies.

However, a cursory glance at the IMDb affirms that the feeling is hardly unanimous, especially among the Star Trek fan base. "Oh, you can't please everybody," the director responds. "Just the fact that we called it Trekkies pissed off a lot of, um, Trekkers. But I do think I tried to be non-judgmental. I set out to make a piece of entertainment. I come from the world of narrative films. I had never intended to make a documentary prior to that, but the opportunity came along courtesy of Denise Crosby. What ended up happening is that I really found I liked my subject matter a lot. I like people, they fascinate me. I didn't have any agenda, any pre-established agenda, in approaching the subject matter -- 'Trekkies are weird' or 'Trekkies are okay'. If I had made a film that was all 'Up with Trekkies!' it would have been propaganda so boring that not even the rabid fans would want to watch it. I just try to portray people, in their element, as they are, and let them do the talking without any voice-over commentary. Some people can watch Trekkies or Six Days in Roswell and think these people are weird. Other people can watch it and say, wow, those people are fantastic -- they're just like me! Or both, for that matter."

Irrespective of fan reaction, Nygard plans to continue his take on the genre fringe with his next two films. "I've got another project in the works now, dealing with the paranormal," he reveals. "You can tell your readers that if they've had any paranormal experiences to drop me an email, and maybe we'll go pay them a visit. We're looking for anything unexplainable. It's pretty much wide open -- anything unexplainable or paranormal." For those whose experiences run more to the decidedly earthly, if not exactly normal, there's always the Trekkies sequel. "I'm sure we're going to do one," confirms the director. "It's just a question of when. I'd like to check in on our original profilees and see what they're up to, then find a few new ones as well. I'd also like to go overseas and talk to the foreign fans; some of the extremes that they are going to make our domestic Trek fans look tame by comparison. I'm hoping to get it initiated in the beginning of 2001."

For now, Nygard is more than content in his role as chronicler of the geekily inclined. "Documentaries are addicting," he says. "It's so different from making a narrative, where you never quite reach the extremes of your imagination that you had thought of in your script. You always try to come as close as you can. With a documentary you never know where the end of your story is, you sort of go where it takes you," he concludes. "It's more about the journey."

For more information about Trekkies and Six Days in Roswell, visit TrekDoc.com and Roswell6.com. To purchase Six Days in Roswell, visit Beatnik Home Entertainment.

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