Suddenly, there are a lot more trekkies out there.

This weekend, J.J. Abrams' "reboot" of "Star Trek" scored $76.5 million at the box office, which means millions of movie fans thrilled to the exploits of Capt. James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise.

For a change, the public and movie critics were on the same page. "Star Trek" scored a whopping 96 percent on the movie-review clearinghouse Rotten Tomatoes.

As someone who fondly remembers seeing the original "Star Trek" series on its first airing (I was 4, and remember my mother ironing while we watched), let me offer a hearty welcome to you newbies.

Though we trekkies have been the butt of pop-culture jokes -- we live in our parents' basements, have never had sex, and need to "get a life" (as the original Kirk, William Shatner, memorably urged in a "Saturday Night Live" sketch) -- the fact is that we live normal lives just like everyone else.

Barack Obama referenced "Star Trek" on the campaign trail and requested a copy of the new movie for the White House theater, according to the D.C. Web site Politico. Other notable trekkies include former Vice President Al Gore, physicist Steven Hawking, billionaire Richard Branson, musicians Mick Fleetwood and Tom Morello (of Rage Against the Machine) and such otherwise cool people as Quentin Tarantino, Daniel Craig and Ben Stiller.

One nice thing about being a trekkie is that membership is simple. There are no dues to pay, no meetings to attend, no homework. The only requirement is to enjoy "Star Trek." Sure, you can memorize old episodes, get involved with a fan group, attend a convention, buy memorabilia, put on a uniform or learn Klingon if you want. But no one's forcing you to.

Before you get too deep into Trekdom, know that you'll be walking into the ongoing debate about what a trekkie is. It's the "Star Trek" universe's version of the riff between Catholics and Protestants.

Some fans believe "Star Trek" begins and ends with the adventures of Capt. Kirk and Mr. Spock and their shipmates, from the original series through the first six movies. Others are more expansive, and allow room in their hearts for the spinoffs that followed: "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (which spawned four movies), "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," "Star Trek: Voyager" and "Enterprise." (Actually, not many Trekkies embraced the prequel "Enterprise," which may be why it lasted only four seasons on UPN.)

My colleague, Tribune TV critic Vince Horiuchi, is among those who apply the label "trekkie" to fans of the original series (like himself) and "trekker" for those who support the subsequent variations. (Horiuchi's fan status could be called "ultra-orthodox" -- or a "Taliban trekkie," as my friends at X96 dubbed him after he panned the new movie as "not the 'Star Trek' I know.")

I have always considered myself a trekkie, not a trekker, even though I was a big fan of "Next Generation" and "Deep Space Nine" ("Voyager," not so much). I see the difference as one of attitude: If you take it all way too seriously, you're a trekker; if you have a sense of humor and perspective, you're a trekkie.

Being a trekkie isn't about which part of the "Star Trek" canon you follow. It's about embracing the hopeful vision that the human race won't destroy itself, but instead survive earthbound problems and explore the galaxy. Being a trekkie is to believe there's nothing final about "the final frontier."

Sean P. Means writes the Culture Vulture in daily blog form at blogs.sltrib.com/vulture