I love Star Trek. There… I said it. And when I say love, I mean LOVE!! More than I probably love my husband. Love, love, love, love… So when I had a chance to visit Vulcan during the last ACE Communities Ignite tour… well. You can only imagine.
My trip to Vulcan was to present them with their ACE Communities Award and to get a real feel for the community. It was a chance for a true ‘in-the-trenches’ view of what makes Vulcan tick.
What I discovered during my visit was very interesting. Vulcan, it seems, is a place in flux. It’s a community taking a serious look at both its cultural and pop cultural identities. And in Vulcan, that is a tricky exploration. Because, despite the rather impressive statue of the Starship Enterprise on the proverbial doorstep, not everyone in Vulcan necessarily loves Star Trek as much as I do.
Shocking, I know.
As part of their journey to becoming an ACE Community, Vulcan expressed an early interest in expanding arts and culture in their town. To answer this need they have already set up initiatives like a new concert series (starting with Blues Legend Tim Williams on Feb. 12th) and are working towards other related events. And yet, much of their identity as well as their economy are driven by events like their Spock Days/Galaxyfest. Without a doubt, the number of tourists that visit Vulcan per capita is enough to put the big cities to shame.
Still, Vulcan’s foray into the sticky realm of identity has really made me wonder: is pop culture the same as culture?
My first instinct is to say yes! Of course it is… as a huge addict of pop culture, I would argue that much of our music, film, literature, and art is rooted in the drama of real life. Or, in Star Trek’s case, the drama of fantasy life. The pull between our real lives and escapes from the same are what makes us human. It defines us and thus, defines our community.
In Vulcan’s case, however, the question is do they really want their identity to be driven by a galaxy far, far, away (no wait… that’s Star Wars), on what the town has to intrinsically offer despite its trademark name, or a little bit of both?
This is a question that I’ll ponder as I happily wear my plastic Vulcan ears and sip from the Gothic Spock mug I purchased from the Vulcan Tourist center. In my mind, it makes sense to celebrate one’s community for both what is has and for what it can be – even if what you’ve got is a little …. out of this world.
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