I’m fond of saying that everything I know I learned on Star Trek, but this is real dedication.

It’s the PhD thesis that boldly goes where no thesis has gone before. Djoymi Baker watched 700 episodes – 624 hours without ads – of Star Trek and its spin-offs, dating from 1966 to 2005, in the name of research.

She analysed the series armed with an exhaustive knowledge of the characters and storylines of ancient mythology – from Homer’s Odyssey down.

It may sound like torture for those with an aversion to William Shatner’s campy theatrics but, six years and 90,000 words on, it has earned Dr Baker a coveted chancellor’s prize for excellence at Melbourne University. And the respect of academics and Trekkies alike.

Does that mean I can get school credit for winning a Star Trek trivia contest?



  1. Improbus says:

    Where is my frik’n PH.D.? I have watched every episode of every Star Trek series (including the Animated one) at least once and I have most of them DVD. No, I don’t live in my parent’s basement.

  2. Tim Champ says:

    I deserve at least a Masters for my research.

    Ask my wife, she always makes fun of my Sci-fi addiction, Star Trek in particular. Somehow, though, she seemed to like Doctor Who when I first showed one to her the other day. Maybe she’ll get her Associates one day. 😉

  3. Smartalix says:

    I’m an original series fan, myself, but liked the last two seasons of Enterprise.

  4. Improbus says:

    OMG, Smarty is wearing a TOS uniform! Good thing he isn’t wearing a red shirt.

  5. gquaglia says:

    I grew up on the original, but I like the Next Generation and DS9 better. Voyager sucked as did Enterprise. The last 2 assumed inserting a alien in a tight fitting costume would make up for poor writing and crappy characters.

  6. Smartalix says:

    Yeah, but she did look hot.

    Improbus, I only wear the captain’s shirt! Too many people try to kill you in the red one.

  7. Improbus says:

    Rick Berman (the frik’n hack) is responsible for everything that went wrong with the Star Trek franchise. I hope he dies. Horribly.

  8. RonD says:

    ” Voyager sucked as did Enterprise.”

    I enjoyed Voyager, but not Enterprise. Only problem with Voyager is that Captain Janeway always sounded like she had been inhaling helium when she spoke. 🙂

  9. Improbus says:

    I thought that Captain Janeway had a cigarette and whiskey kind of voice.

  10. James Hill says:

    Take your pick…

    1. That’ll help you get a good factory job.

    2. PHDs are even more worthless than ever.

  11. gquaglia says:

    Take your pick…

    1. That’ll help you get a good factory job.

    2. PHDs are even more worthless than ever.

    But hey, you get to call yourself “Doctor”

  12. J says:

    I would like to read her thesis. I might be very interesting.

  13. A Person says:

    That is awesome.

    And, is that Brad Sherwood in the middle?

  14. I can assure you the thesis will be published. Meanwhile I think we should redesign the diploma and make it for Star Trek watching.

  15. David says:

    I read a book by a professor a few years back, “Gilligan Unbound”
    which looked at America’s world view through 3 prisms, original Star Trek, Gilligan and the X-Files.
    He already had a Phd. Go figure.

  16. James Hill says:

    The guy at the local porn/sex toy shop in Salt Lake calls himself “Doctor John”.

    Of course, he’s in prison right now for selling porn to a minior…

    And yes, there is a sex toy shop in Salt Lake. And no, I’ve never been there. Honest. Really.

  17. Sounds the Alarm says:

    James,

    Over by Rose Park? Right?

  18. Steve S says:

    I think it is so interesting how some people really enjoyed watching one ST series while hating another. I bet I have seen *every* episode of *every* series (around 726 total) and have thoroughly enjoyed each.

    Oh God, I just realized… I have no life!

    Steve

  19. RTaylor says:

    TV today is the equivalent of plays in Shakespeare time. They were short lived and meant for the popular culture. Like TV execs, theatre owners and playwrights wanted to sell admissions, not provide a platform for classics that would endure for centuries. It’s just another body of literature. Besides, there’s no new ideas, just fresh wrappings.

  20. mandarin says:

    The only question I can ask this person is:
    Who will win between a fistfight between Kirk & Picard?

  21. Bruce IV says:

    You don’t want a fistfight between Picard and Kirk – you want some sort of philosopical debate between Picard and Sisko – that would be more evenly matched perhaps.

  22. ChrisMac says:

    Enterprise is the only series i can watch over and over.. It’s smart
    Understandably some sci-fi fans don’t like it.

  23. Smartalix says:

    I must admit I’d rather see them bring back Firefly at this point instead of trying to foist off warmed-over TOS.

    http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/29/1230213

  24. J says:

    Firefly was a great show!

  25. James Hill says:

    STA… There’s one by Rose Park, but I was thinking of the one in Murray.

    Again, not that I’ve been there, or anything…


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