Trekkies

It's probably not a good idea to offend your target audience, which is why the makers of "Trekkies" may not live long and prosper after all.

Not to say that it's mean-spirited, but this extremely tongue-in-cheek documentary is a "warts-and-all" examination of the "Star Trek" phenomenon through the eyes of some of its most devoted fans.

In other words, it's not always pretty. It is, however, a surprisingly watchable, if superficial, attempt to shed some light on "Star Trek's" longevity.

The film was executive produced and is narrated by Denise Crosby, who played both Lt. Tasha Yar and the Romulan Commander Sela on "The Next Generation" television series.

Together with director Roger Nygard and photographer Harris Done, Crosby has conducted a series of interviews with fans of the series and movies, both old and young.

Included are looks at Barbara Adams, the so-called "Star Trek Juror," who showed up for duty at the Whitewater trial wearing a Starfleet uniform; Denis Bourguignon, a Florida dentist whose office is bedecked in Trek memorabilia; and Joyce Mason, host of the syndicated "Talk Trek and Beyond" radio program.

Also featured are Anne Murphy, one of the so-called "Spiner-femmes," devoted to "Trek" actor Brent Spiner, and David Greenstein, a Californian pondering whether to have his ears "bobbed" like Mr. Spock.

To their credit, Crosby and Nygard don't try to make these Trekkies look ridiculous. Instead, in some cases, they let the fans' words condemn them.

And though it often strays from the subject, the film is fascinating and funny enough for even casual "Star Trek" fans.

For example, some of the actors seem as odd as the fans — perhaps even more so — such as a moment when "Voyager" star Kate Mulgrew attempts to explain the difference between the terms "Trekkie" and "Trekker."

Also, be advised to not leave the theater during the final credits or you may miss standup comedians performing some extremely funny "Star Trek"-oriented material.

"Trekkies" is rated PG for some vulgar sexual talk and female partial nudity (Klingon cleavage).