Chance and Change

It is a universe of chance, one little thing can change the world, and that is the way it actually works.

I had the opportunity to spend a little time at a recent science fiction convention with two of my favorite people, Bjo and John Trimble. While they are getting a little older, they are still sharp as can be and still mobile. Over the years, Bjo has lost none of her sass, and I say that with great affection. She pushed me in the right artistic direction with a chance meeting more then 40 years ago. We became good friends with the Trimble family over the years and they have adopted us into their huge, extended assortment of relatives, fannish friends and acquaintances.
 While many of their accomplishments have been properly recorded, I was curious enough to ask Bjo and John about some of their exploits directly. I am sure that they have been asked many times about events in their lives, but they did not hesitate to regale us with stories from their past. What struck me most, was the series of chances that happened on their way to saving the classic science fiction TV series, Star Trek.

It was a very improbable series of chances that Bjo became acquainted with Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. It was a chance that they were on the set of the show when they learned that it would be canceled after the second season. On their way home, it was a chance remark by John that launched them into a letter writing campaign that would save the show for a third season and thereby make it a candidate for syndication which increased its popularity in the following years. It was pure chance that they pushed all the right buttons that made the studio executives change their mind about the series. The rest is, of course, history.

After the convention, we invited them to the children’s museum for a tour of the newest exhibits and dinner. Bjo and John have always been great supporters of Lynne and the museum and were excited to see all of the changes there. On our way back from dinner, after more stories and good food, I chanced to say to John, “You know, you really did change the world.” To say that Star Trek has had a massive influence on the world of science fiction and on science itself and all the great number of people involved in them, is a vast understatement. John looked at me and smiled. “Yes we did.” And that was all he said about it.

(Dinner with the Trimble daughters, Bjo and John and Lynne and I.)

[image error]