CHH

Dearest friends, on Sunday I lost someone very special and dear to me, my father. Some of you know this already but my father introduced our family to #StarTrek. He watched the original series when it aired in syndication in Pakistan and loved the show and its message of friendship, exploration, and the spirit of celebrating differences rather than fearing them. When my parents moved our family to the United States we came here like so many immigrants with very little to nothing and slowly they built a life here, a home, and they did it for us, the next generation, because of the promise of a better life. I remember he and my mother were so open about our culture and invited people of all faiths, and backgrounds to our homes and made it a point to find common ground and share delightful things about one another. In the early 80’s my father brought home our first television and when we turned it on for the first time, Star Trek was playing and that’s my first contact with the show and well, its been the centerpiece of my imaginative life ever since. I’m so grateful to have those experiences with my father, he would explain the things we didn’t understand and he would sometimes pretend to be the various ‘aliens of the week’ so my sister and I could be the crew of the Enterprise chasing him around the house with our pretend phasers and what not. That’s how we played it was very special. My father always indulged my obsession with the show, even if it meant breaking the bank sometimes. I had a Star Trek themed birthday party (i think it was age 11) and he filmed a mini episode with my friends on his video camera. Not to mention the very expensive collectibles I asked for and would show up at Christmas or my birthday. My father loved the relationship between Sarek and Spock because I think it reminded him of his own relationship with his father. When we saw Star Trek IV in the theater we saw it on a huge screen (one of those theaters that had two levels) and that sweet sweet THX sound (he was an audiophile too) and I remember him being particularly moved by the ending when Sarek and Spock speak after the trial and Sarek admits Spock’s friends showed great character. One thing he loved to do ever since I was a kid was mind meld with me. He was also, always up for a photograph. Just a few days before his death, I asked my father if we could make a photograph where he mind melded with me and even though he was already losing his strength he found the strength to give me this one last photo together and I’m so grateful. he said, “Remember” and i always will. #LLAP 🖖🏽💔✨