New Year's Eve

On December 31st I wrote a post detailing my experience with this blog. I discussed the ups and downs of the year and tried to sort through my feelings about Star Trek in general. Also, I mentioned that I only had the two newest films to watch. I wasn't too worried about those four hours so I kind of moseyed around a bit, not really wanting to believe that the year would really be over.

Finally, in the afternoon, I popped in 2009's Star Trek. Scott and I watched it and loved it all over again. (I'll write posts just about the new movies in the coming days.) Afterward, I wanted to take a short break so we went out to get some cheeseburgers.

While we sat in the drive-thru line we talked about the finish of the blog, how far I'd come, how unbelievable it was that it was almost over.

"I can't believe it's been a year since we watched the pilot at my dad's house," I said.

Scott said, "Yeah..."

Then came several seconds of silence followed by a revelation. It had been a year. I watched The Cage on the last day of 2012, not the first day of 2013. At the time, I wanted to be sure I could write about it on January 1st and I knew we'd be traveling and it just seemed like a great way to ring in the new year. He continued, "I think you have to watch it."

I thought about what might happen if I didn't. I mean, it's not like the Star Trek police were going to come after me. And, if I didn't finish, would that mean I could extend my year? Could it not be over? Could I somehow prolong the experience of My Year Of Star Trek by just not finishing?

I only truly contemplated this possibility for a few moments. Deep down, I knew I was just trying to find some last-ditch way of not finishing. Or, rather, of not being finished. I hated the thought of it coming to an end so much that I briefly considered the idea of failing in my task as somehow letting the project fall into limbo. But no. That just wouldn't do.

"Yeah. I have to watch it." I clutched my sack of cheeseburgers and stared at the clock. If we went straight home, queued up Into Darkness, watched it straight through, then turned on the pilot, I'd just make it.

And that's exactly what we did. Watching The Cage again, after an entire year of Star Trek was the perfect way to finish 2013. The "almost Trekness" of it was like the kind of fevered dream you have just before real inspiration hits. It's not quite Trek. A lot of the ingredients are there, there's a ton of potential, but it's just not quite right. Lucky for me and you and generations of Trek fans, someone at NBC gave it a shot.

I was in awe every minute of this viewing but I was a little anxious since, with each of those awe-infused-minutes that passed, I was getting closer to midnight. Finally, at 11:45, I was done. I had watched every episode of every Star Trek series and every film in 2013.