The Fan Who Wore a Star Trek Uniform for Jury Duty

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In 1996, Barbara Adams, a Star Trek fan arrived for jury duty (the Whitewater trial of Governor Jim Guy Tucker in Little Rock, Arkansas) wearing a Star Trek uniform.

She was a member of International Federation of Trekkers, a fan organization with a focus on service.

Adams was ultimately dismissed from the jury pool for talking to the press.

In 1997, she was interviewed in the film series Trekkies.

Mainstream Media Comments

Most mainstream press covered the topic with the usual miasma of disdain, lack of imagination, and poor research.

Academic Comments

From the 2014 book, "Media, Religion and Culture: An Introduction" by Jeffrey H. Mahan":

Why the uniform? "Star Trek expresses the values of justice that should guide her service. For her, the fan club serves as a center of meaning-making ritual activity that seems very much like religious community. The Star Trek films and television episodes are the sacred texts that provide the moral lessons that guide her practice.

Fan Comments at "The Trek BBS"

Fan comments touched on a number of subjects. The majority of them were not supportive of Adams, and most of their comments displayed anger, fear, and disappointment that her actions made Star Trek fans look bad in the eyes of the rest of the world. See The Geek Hierarchy.

Other comments: wearing a Star Trek uniform every day was an indicator of poor mental health, that she was in contempt of court and mocking the judicial system, she was trying to get out of jury duty, and that she confused real life with fan life. There was also discussion about what constituted a "good fan" and a "bad fan."

Some fans brought up IDIC.

It Made Fans Look Bad

...it is because of people like her that I have to add "Yeah, but..." every time I mention that I'm a Star Trek fan. Considering how loony I act at the best of times it is normally better for me not to bring it up at all.

Lots of fandoms take cosplaying seriously. But this is the only case I know of where a fan actually cosplayed in court. Great Bird , she made us look even worse than the furries.

Showing up for jury duty in costume does not make people think "wow, that Star Trek fan group does lots of community service work." It makes people think "wow, those Star Trek fans are disconnected from reality."

Ugh. The image of that woman in the Trek uniform is what ruined our image in the public eye for over a decade. We're still trying to recover from the 'Trekkies' debacle. Most Trek fans have a grip on reality, and just watch the shows for entertainment. The media and the mainstream see only these extremists who take things way too far.

Sports uniforms are a part of our current society, Star Trek uniforms are not. Someday they might be, but right now, they're just goofy anywhere but the TV screen or a Halloween costume...or maybe at conventions.

Ugh. She did a total, complete disservice to sci-fi fans and Star Trek fans in particular. Even if she wasn't even a real fan, just pulling a stunt to get out of jury duty, it was very, VERY embarrassing. People who cannot draw the line between special events where costumes and role-playing are OK (conventions, costume parties, themed charity events, possibly the opening of a Trek movie) and normal life have something very wrong with them.

Going around in real life in a costume is just...ugh. It sends completely the wrong signal about one's grip on reality, and this in turn reflects on all Trek fans, so I wish people would have respect for their fellow fans if no one else, and behave appropriately when they're not at special events. Unfortunately, the opinion most people get is that it's a problem with Star Trek fans and it just ruins it for all of us who ARE able to draw the line, and end up having to keep quiet so as to be taken seriously in our jobs and lives.

I've got a Starfleet Academy sticker on my car, but I find that wryly humorous. I wear a UFP baseball cap a lot, but that's along the lines of people wearing caps or t-shirts of their favorite sports team. I also wear my NRA cap, or my 7th Air Force tribute cap as often.

I find it an extremely sad situation. She seems like a very lonely, sad person who feels the need to go to such dramatic lengths to escape reality and hide in a fantasy world. Yes, we all do this to some degree. I have an active imagination and when I'm in an unpleasant situation I often have my own Star Trek daydream that I play out in my mind. But that's where it ends. I still function in the real world. I hope for her sake, and others like her, that she gets whatever help she needs.

I cringe as a science fiction fan. We get enough shite as it is.

I hear her reasons for it and they're okay (she's promoting principles she believes in, in a forum they, if not Trek, matters in) and it's not as though she needed to be wearing something else but chose not to - Jury Duty's dress as you like.

But she also wore the phaser and tricorder I think. Now if it were me, if I chose to wear some Trek-wear, I'd maybe wear the pin at most - some hint of what I'm trying to say. The uniform on its own I could forgive her (not everyone's as subtle as me), but the uniform and the plastic gadgets makes me wonder how detached she is from her surroundings.

She Was Stupid or Crazy

I thought she was about four cans short of six-pack with an IQ to match.

I agree that wearing it for jury duty was inappropriate, but as for her wearing it during her everyday life, why should we have a problem with that? If she wears it because she IS a little 'unstable' then i think she deserves our compassion rather than derision.

Of course you have the right to wear whatever you want. But she was crazy. I remember her quote from Trekkies saying "If my crew saw me take off my uniform, how could they respect me?" or something along those lines. If it was "I like the show", then that's different. But it wasn't, it was like she was leading some kind of cult.

This lady needed serious psychological care.

Wearing something ridiculously inappropriate to a serious occasion such as jury duty - a Trek uniform, biker leathers, a cheerleader costume, bunny ears - would indicate to me one of two things: The wearer has no respect for the occasion or the wearer is at least slightly nutty.

A Way to Get Out of Jury Duty

If this woman sincerely believed that a Star Trek uniform was appropriate, she's a nut. Sorry, but that is how it really and truly strikes me. If this woman did it to get out of jury duty or to make a joke out of jury duty, she should have been ashamed of herself. I expect she wasn't, but she should have been.

Wearing something ridiculously inappropriate to a serious occasion such as jury duty - a Trek uniform, biker leathers, a cheerleader costume, bunny ears - would indicate to me one of two things: The wearer has no respect for the occasion or the wearer is at least slightly nutty.

Older Women Shouldn't Act Like That

I could forgive an 18 year old kid or even 21 year old pulling something like that, when your that age it may even seem kinda wheels off hilarious, but she was a grown woman that looked to be in her 40s or 50s. For her it seemed more odd.

Grandstanding for Attention

...she really was more interested in garnering attention for herself and didn't have much respect for the proceeding. Which should be approached with respect and seriousness as you are potentially responsible for whether or not someone loses their freedom and goes to prison.

Had she simply worn her Starfleet uniform the entire time, but otherwise performed appropriately as a juror, I would think it was eccentric, but not necessarily an indication of any negative motivations on her part. But going and giving an interview to the press makes me seriously question her motivations.

I thought even though we are nerds, that doesn't preclude us from having respect for the justice system. A Star Trek uniform doesn't say "I'm taking this seriously" to me. But that's just my opinion, of course.

Open Minds (or Lack Thereof) and IDIC

She was CHOSEN to serve on that jury. Either lawyer could have had her excluded because of that costume. So could the judge. I'm not a trial lawyer, but I have done some trial work. (Yes, I'm a lawyer...) She'd have been easy to get her excluded on some ground if EITHER side wanted her out. You would not have had to use one of the limited number of challenges you get to use without reasons.

The fact that she was chosen, when there were probably nine people rejected for that jury for every one that served, should tell you something about how normal is normal. No one here has mentioned this, so I wanted to bring this up.

What's obvious is that the lawyers on both sides in that trial wanted somebody who was open to thinking differently than usual. People often have deep seated preset ideas.... this would be a good reason to think somebody in a Starfleet Uniform might make it more likely the jury will have to consider the facts, and not just run with the 'in' crowd because you are concerned about a herding reaction in the jury room.

So much for Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combination, huh?

All she did was wear a starfleet uniform in public, and people are saying she needs professional help?

I thought us nerds were supposed to be more accepting of eccentricities.

The one time I had jury duty (civil case) one of the members was in full biker regalia. You have to admit the uniform fit her quite well.

I thought she explained certain ideals that I do now find most Trek people hold, and I agreed with them.

Just by way of comparison, the Pennsylvania Dutch are very strict Christians. They are charitable and forgiving to a point that most of us would consider superhuman. They dress in what, like it or not, are basically costumes.

Hasidim are a bit more mixed, but for the most part are strict Jews. They do more outreach work (not uncommon for Christians to share their faith, but a lot less common for Jews) probably in part because their clothing attracts attention anyway. I'm a Jew, and I have had what to me is the weird experience of having liberal Jews think about Hasidim in much the same way you are describing the Jury Lady. People wear costumes in public for the purpose of drawing attention to ideas they feel those costumes represent.

Certainly, she was a little odd, but she did stress some of the principles Trek upholds, and made me aware, perhaps for the first time, that such principles existed.

First. The vast majority (probably all) who frequent this BBS live in countries that espouse personal freedoms providing that they do not infringe on the rights of others. She is not infringing on the rights of anyone, regardless of whether or not any of us would do the same thing. Second. Mike Have-Not is absolutely correct in his question, and Yeoman Randi is absolutely correct in her response. One of the main ideals of Star Trek is IDIC. I thought by now that tolerance would be more widely accepted, especially by those who follow ST.

Supposedly [IDIC] is not just something Roddenberry inserted into a script to drum up sales for Lincoln Enterprises, it's a fully fleshed-out philosophical and ethical system that, as Trekkers, we must abide by. And the core precept of that system is to excuse any silly thing another Trekker does.

You know, I like how some Trek fans unearth that little nugget "IDIC" to make their point, only to make themselves as detached from reality as this woman we are talking about if they think it will win them the argument.

While IDIC is a wonderful thought, like many things like Freedom of Speech, it has to have limits. How would you like it if a topless dancer reported to jury duty in her uniform? Or what if I reported for jury duty having not bathed or changed my clothes for a week? Heaven knows I've wanted to. But I shower and change daily because I know the world doesn't revolve around me and would take issue.

Right or wrong, she was a distraction at the trial. And whether it was her intention or not (and how could it not), she brought all the intention to herself. Talk about selfish. IDIC goes both ways, you know. It's not like a Muslim wearing a turban or a Native American wearing feathers and beads in public. Those have been a part of their cultures for hundreds, if not thousands, of years and have been seen throughout history. While she's wearing the costume of of a 40 year old science fiction franchise. IDIC is not an excuse for someone to flaunt their break from reality.

You know, IDIC is one thing. But Star Trek also espouses showing respect for the culture and customs of others. Showing up in the uniform from a fictional TV show along with a toy tricorder and phaser is being highly disrespectful, both to the court and to the person who's very freedom is at stake through the trial.

Further Reading

• Judge beams 'trekkie' juror from Whitewater case (March 14, 1996)