I love Star Wars but Star Trek: The Next Generation really cemented my feet in nerdom. I had grown up watching Star Wars and playing with the toys, but it was a little too mainstream to really make me a top-shelf nerd.
Then came Star Trek: The Next Generation.
I absolutely love TNG. I started watching reruns of the show every week night at 7:00pm. My knowledge and love of the Star Trek universe began growing at an exponential rate. Soon I wasn’t only watching reruns but I was watching the new episodes as well, learning the subtle differences between the 2nd and 3rd season uniforms.
More than anything I feel like my junior high years revolved around Captain Picard and the crew of the NCC-1701-D. During junior high I had more bullies than friends so TNG provided some amount of escape. My love for the TV show pushed me to invest what little money I had into Star Trek books, toys and cards. I don’t know how many hundreds of dollars I spent on Star Trek: The Customizable Card Game cards but it was a lot.
Now my love for TNG is tempting me yet again to spend hundreds of dollars.
Throughout this year, the remastered Blu-rays of Star Trek: The Next Generation will be released one season at a time. Entertainment Weekly has a video comparing the original footage with the new and the difference is stunning. There is no price yet for the new box sets but I’m already thinking up ways to save money in order to purchase them all.
I know I don’t need every episode of TNG on Blu-ray, especially since they’re all available on Netflix Instant. Even though I don’t need them, I still really want them. All together the seven seasons are probably going to cost upwards of $700. That $700 could easily be spent on something better or nobler.
Children could be educated.
The impoverished could be fed.
Student loans could be paid down.
All of those are great but I still want to see Q, the Borg, the Klingon Civil War and Guinan’s eyebrow-less face in HD.
I’m always torn by my desire to spend money on frivolous things. I know it’s not great but does that mean it’s bad? I’m not entirely sure and it may be one of those grey areas of the Christian faith. But if I’m not spending my tithe and I’m sponsoring two kids in Africa, should I feel free to buy something, even if it is the definition of frivolity?
I don’t know. But if I do buy the all seven season of The Next Generation on Blu-ray and the guilt outweighs the joy, I’ll be sure to let you know.
How do you reconcile frivolous purchases with everything else in your life?
Thanks for these candid comments, Scott. While I am not myself tempted to upgrade my TNG DVDs (I hoarded Christmas and birthday gift cards for too many years to complete that collection!), I face the same struggle when it comes to other things. Another of my “soft resolutions” this year is to spend less on my own entertainment. As you say, the money could go for far, far better things (than I have ever done before; a far better resting… whoops, sorry. Had a Star Trek II moment there.)
In a sermon on Luke 10 (the man with the bigger barns), Basil the Great: “The bread which you hold back belongs to the hungry; the coat, which you guard in your locked storage-chests, belongs to the naked; the footwear mouldering in your closet belongs to those without shoes. The silver that you keep hidden in a safe place belongs to the one in need. Thus, however many are those whom you could have provided for, so many are those whom you wrong.” Rough stuff, but, I think, true.
That said, I haven’t taken a vow of poverty; and I indulge myself far too often still. I think it’s probably a “growing edge” for most Christians in affluent North America – and there will always be room for growth.
Thanks for the quote. It was great.
Far be it for me to be burdened with your conscience. I am fortunately not a preacher and have my own conscience to deal with. For a more pragmatic approach:
http://www.amazon.com/Star-Trek-Next-Generation-Complete/dp/B000RZIGVS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1325980991&sr=8-2
and give the other $400 to the poor if you desire.