Hello!
My father was a big fan of Star Trek, having watched it when it originally aired. But it was the magic of low-budget UHF stations that brought Star Trek into my world.
You see, when I was a youngster back in the late 70's and early 80's, UHF stations were fairly poorly funded television channels in the 29-39 channel range (at least, in my area.)
Because they couldn't afford original content, they didn't have proprietary shows like the big channels did. Channels 4, 6, 7, and 10 in my area had their own shows with huge audiences. But channels 29-39 could only afford to purchase the rights to air re-runs of old television shows. This meant I grew up watching the same sorts of television shows my Dad did. The Lone Ranger. Outer Limits. Twilight Zone. Bonanza. Gunsmoke. The Wild, Wild West. I Dream of Genie, Bewitched, Land of the Giants. Lost in Space. And... Star Trek.
When I first watched Star Trek I was not able to grasp all the nuances of the plots. I could see there was space ships and aliens, and sometimes there'd be a weird adventure where the crew was attacked by weird-looking flying pancakes.
As I grew older, I understood more and more of what was going on. It quickly became apparent to me that Star Trek was the very best of these old Sci-Fi shows. Then, around 1987 when I was twelve or thirteen, Star Trek the Next Generation came onto televisions. I would later come to understand that the first season was sub-par, but at the time I was amazed. It was so very futuristic, with interesting new concepts and actors. Sometimes I would note a TOS era episode that was repackaged for TNG.
It was during the run of TNG that I became aware of Star Trek conventions for the first time, and went to them occasionally with my father. I saw James Doohan, who surprised me by not having a Scottish accent. I saw George Takei, who surprised me with his ability to speak fluent Spanish to my father. I saw Marina Sirtis, too, who shared entertaining stories about working with her castmates, including a naughty tale about young Wesley Crusher. Hers was another accent that caught me by surprise. I believe I saw her at the last Star Trek convention I ever attended, which was held shortly after the TNG episode 'Pegasus' aired. I remember my father and I talking about how stupid the Federation was to swear off cloaking technology, handing a technological advantage to their adversaries. I must have been 18 or 19 at that time, and still living at home while attending college.
Often when I think of the best moments I spent with my father, Trek was at the heart of it. I think that is one of the reasons I love it so much. It was something we often shared. I am in my 40's now, and whenever I am able to get time off to visit the city of my birth, Trek is frequently one of the first things my father and I will speak of.
Cheers!