What Makes a 'Star Trek' Fan? Costumed Trekkies Share Stories (Slideshow)

Ready for Combat

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Hao Le, 43, loves all things space and science fiction. He is dressed in Capt. Kirk's combat outfit worn by Chris Pine in the newest movie, "Star Trek Beyond." 

Le said he has two favorite characters: Capt. Kirk and Spock, the latter of whom was played by Zachary Quinto in "Star Trek Beyond." 

Netflix Binge

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Jennifer Artesi, 33, is a new fan of "Star Trek," having fallen in love with the franchise after looking for something new to binge watch on Netflix. 

"We started with the original series and just kept going — "Next Generation," then "Deep Space [Nine]," then "Voyager," and then we even watched "Enterprise." We were hooked after 5 minutes." 

One of the things Artesi enjoys most about the TV series and movies is that the timelines continue fluidly. She also loves the culture created by the series. 

Artesi is not dressed as anyone in particular, but she is wearing a red engineering dress and a black Vulcan-like wig. While she has many favorite characters, Quark is an inspiration for her as an actress. 

"Star Trek" Role Models

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Fiona Agnew, 26; Nika Jablonski, 27; and Amy Longden, 26, love "Star Trek" because anyone can be a Starfleet cadet and contribute something to the designated crew's mission. 

"It has been a part of my life since I was born because my mom was a Trekkie — her ears are slightly deformed because, as a child, she played Spock so often that she broke the cartilage in them," Jablonski said. "It was what I watched when I got home from school, and it shaped who I wanted to be and what I have done with my life." 

With the characters of "Star Trek" as her role models growing up, Jablonski has gone into work involving diplomacy and human rights. 

New "Star Trek" Fan

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Natalie Vasco Lopez, 34, is a new &"Star Trek" fan and agreed to come to "Star Trek:" Mission New York with the promise that she would be able to dress up. Lopez created her own character depicting a runaway Vulcan that did not like her people's lifestyle of suppressing their emotions. Upon running away, she met and fell in love with another runaway Vulcan, with whom she has a matching tattoo, as seen on her arm. Although Lopez is not representing a specific "Star Trek" character, she chose to wear blue like her fellow Vulcan, Spock. 

Do you have a favorite "Star Trek" story or memory? Share it in the comments below!  

Follow Samantha Mathewson @Sam_Ashley13. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.

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Samantha Mathewson
Contributing Writer

Samantha Mathewson joined Space.com as an intern in the summer of 2016. She received a B.A. in Journalism and Environmental Science at the University of New Haven, in Connecticut. Previously, her work has been published in Nature World News. When not writing or reading about science, Samantha enjoys traveling to new places and taking photos! You can follow her on Twitter @Sam_Ashley13.