Sometimes you find comfort in unusual places. It was 1997 and I was living in Japan, teaching English to middle school kids. I lived in a tiny village, and in those early days especially, I was pretty lonely. Except for my good friends Jean Luc and Data.
The teacher who had lived in my apartment before had left a huge box of VHS tapes – there were enough episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation to keep me company for the duration of my time there. Don't worry, I made real life friends in Japan, but that show – those characters navigating the galaxy – were an important touchstone as I explored my own new world.
