Trekkie

That's "Trekker"!

There are a lot of different ways to make a character into a Hollywood Nerd, from making them interested in science, giving them Nerd Glasses, or removing all social capabilities whatsoever. But all you really need to do is add one small characteristic: an interest in Star Trek. In fiction, only geeks like Star Trek, and all geeks like it. Those who are particularly obsessed are called "Trekkies".

Star Trek: The Original Series was a prematurely canceled television show from the 1960s that had quite a few movies and spinoffs afterward (see the page for more details). It developed one of the earliest cult classic television followings and its fans were always regarded as a little "out there" due to their devotion. Nowadays that sort of dedication is not strange at all and it's relatively common for a fandom to give its more intense fans nicknames (such as bronies or twihards). Regardless, Trekkies are still remembered above all the others.

This is a relatively widespread stereotype, although realistically not everyone interested in Star Trek is automatically a Trekkie, or even a nerd at all, and not all nerds have to like the show. But in fiction, all nerds are Trekkies, all Trekkies are nerds, and nobody just likes Star Trek - if you like it, you love it.

In Japan, the Gundam franchise fills much the same niche as Star Trek does in the west -- the franchise has often been referred to as "Japan's Star Trek" due to a number of similarities: Both shows were prematurely cancelled due to poor ratings in their initial airings, only to gain massive followings in syndication, and become probably their country's most iconic science fiction series, with dedicated followings and seemingly endless spinoffs. Thus, where a western show would use a Trekkie, a Japanese show is likely to use a Gundam fanatic.

In addition to Star Trek and Gundam, this role can occasionally be filled by other movies/shows, though due to the fact that the nature of the trope requires some Popcultural Osmosis, the writer will generally use Star Trek, as its role has already been established. One of the most common replacements is Star Wars, which, incidentally, is occasionally mentioned as a rival to Star Trek.

Note that there are examples of characters who are in no other way considered nerds (although many are still losers), but may still show their inner geek with an interest in the show.

See also Geek Reference Pool.

Anime and Manga

 * Nagi Sanzenin from Hayate the Combat Butler is an example of the Gundam fan variant (as well as a general Otaku). In the episode where she works at a DVD store, she is unhappy with a customer's choice of DVDs and gives him Gundam instead - everything from Mobile Suit Gundam to Gundam Seed Destiny (in the manga) or Mobile Suit Gundam 00 (in the anime).
 * Genshiken: most of the Otaku cast is a Gundam fan. So much so that they even spoof Gundam-like in the second season's opening with Madarame as Char in a red and gold Mobile Suit and Sasahara as Amuro. As well as an entire episode constructing a Gundam model.

Film

 * Given that Galaxy Quest is essentially a tribute to Star Trek, it's no surprise that the Show Within a Show's fans are essentially this.
 * The 1997 documentary film, Trekkies, and its 2004 sequel Trekkies 2, are of course all about the reality behind this. Both films starred Denise Crosby, who played Tasha Yar on Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Literature

 * The Night of the Living Trekkies combines this with the Zombie Apocalypse.
 * One of the later Animorphs books has the group encounter a group of Trekkies. It doesn't end well for them.

Live Action TV

 * William Shatner's famous "Get a life!" skit on Saturday Night Live.
 * In the episode of The Kumars At Number 42 where they interviewed Patrick Stewart, Sanjeev wears a Starfleet uniform, against the wishes of his father.
 * It's established in Criminal Minds that Reid is a complete idiot when it comes to pop culture in everything except, well, Star Trek.
 * Played with in Degrassi the Next Generation: "You outgeek everyone, James Tiberius Yorke."
 * In JAG, Bud gets closer to an enemy and convinces the guy to give Bud what he wants through their mutual love of Star Trek.
 * The four main characters, the archetypical nerds, are all huge trekkies on The Big Bang Theory.
 * A "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog" bit has Triumph turning this on its ear. He goes and makes fun of hundreds of Star Wars geeks... then to poke fun at them he brings out a guy dressed as Mr. Spock - who proceeds to flip them all off.

Music
"The only question I ever thought was hard Was, do I like Kirk or do I like Picard"
 * Weird Al Yankovic, "White and Nerdy:"

Theater

 * In early drafts of Avenue Q Trekkie Monster was an avid Star Trek fan, but that got changed due to potential copyright issues. Now he's into internet porn, although he's still named Trekkie Monster.

Web Comics

 * "Don Luke Piccardo" in Evil, Inc qualifies in spades. Everything he does is Trek-themed...EVERYTHING.
 * Half the cast of El Goonish Shive. Susan, Tedd and Justin are the most prominent examples. Tedd and Susan have frequent slapfights over Star Trek. Also,  is revealed to be one as part of her Hidden Depths.

Web Original

 * Linkara of Atop the Fourth Wall

Western Animation

 * The Futurama episode "Where No Fan Has Gone Before" reveals that Fry is a Trekkie. The episode revolves around an extreme Trekkie floating energy cloud named Melllvar who kidnaps the cast of Star Trek: The Original Series. The episode also mentions that Trekkies formed a major religion that was exiled from Earth because they were too insane. Leonard Nimoy's head also makes regular appearances (even in the pilot).
 * Family Guy: Peter surprisingly seems to be a Trekkie, considering that he takes his family to a Star Trek Convention in "Not All Dogs Go To Heaven." Stewie is one as well, to the point that in the same episode he kidnaps the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation because they never picked him during the Q & A session at the convention. It didn't work out very well.
 * An episode of Dexter's Laboratory has Dexter and two of his friends as Kirk, Spock and McCoy expys (Irk, Spork and McBoy, respectively), going to a Star Trek expy ("Star Check") convention. (They unfortunately get stuck at a Barbie expy Con instead.)
 * In A Goofy Movie, during the school song about what they are going to do during the summer, two nerds sing about how all they're going to do during the summer is read comics, they are dressed as Spock and Kirk, and have severe braces, acne, and both are wearing glasses.

Real Life

 * In the mid-nineties, during the Whitewater trials (loosely associated with then-President Bill Clinton), an alternate juror named Barbara Adams made national headlines by wearing her Star Trek uniform to the courthouse every day.