When Star Trek hit TV in 1967, I wanted to watch it more than anything. But it came on at 9 p.m.—past my bedtime. Summers were different. I could stay up late for reruns. Two seasons later, the show disappeared from TV, but it never left my imagination.
College wasn’t in the budget after high school, so I joined the Navy. My dad had served on a destroyer in Korea, and, honestly, I loved those bell-bottom uniforms. Maybe it was the Star Trek influence too—ships, stars, adventure.
After the Navy, I used the GI Bill and enrolled at community college. The plan was simple: start small, transfer big, earn one of those glossy university stickers for the back of my car.
Drafting 101 changed everything. Halfway through the semester I knew—I wasn’t cut out to be an engineer. I wanted to be a draftsman. Two years later, I had my associate degree. A good degree, sure, but “Delgado Community College” didn’t exactly scream prestige. No sticker for me.
Years later, while waiting the 108 days for my new Miata, I gave in. I was finally getting a sticker. But not Penn State. Not Notre Dame. The only school that made sense was one that hadn’t even been built yet. The place where James T. Kirk himself trained: Starfleet Academy.
Driving one of the first Miatas in Aiken, South Carolina, turned me into an accidental celebrity. At stoplights, people stared. At gas stations, strangers peppered me with questions: “What kind of car is that?” “How fast does it go?” “What’s the gas mileage?” It was flattering… and a little eerie.
One chilly Sunday, I pulled into the Food Lion parking lot with the top up. As I walked toward the store, a young guy came running up, out of breath and excited.
“Where did you get it?!” he blurted out.
I grinned, ready with my well-practiced Mazda story. Augusta, deposit, three-month wait. But as I talked, his face twisted in confusion.
Finally he cut me off.
“Not the car,” he said. “The Starfleet Academy sticker.”
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While editing this story down for the Mt. Hood Miata Club newsletter submittal, I got to thinking, could I get one of those stickers today? Well, sort of. I only found one place in Atlanta that had one left. I wasn’t exactly right, as it had the word “MEDICAL” between “FLEET” and “ACADEMY” that I had to cut out. And there is a gap between “STAR” and “FLEET,” which is incorrect. Not sure I like it, so it might not stay.
And when I said I edited it down, I meant I ChatGPT’d it down. Which is scary, because I actually like its version better than mine. I even reworked the title using ChatGPT and it gave dozens of options, but I settled on “Beam Me Up Miata” for the newsletter. I’m still going to keep my old long-winded one that’s called “Brian Goes To College,” available under Miatatude above.