I'm usually the first to say that Star Trek fans are unlike any other fandoms I've come across, and I will go to bat for them. That being said, with the 2025 TV schedule around the corner and upcoming Star Trek shows on the horizon, I will have to keep a better eye on some no-gooders causing trouble for a retiree. An old woman in New York has been sent tens of thousands of dollars in fines, and it's all due to a novelty license plate.
When Beda Koorey got a license plate that said NCC-1701, she likely thought she was just making a funny joke likening her car to that of the Starfleet flagship Enterprise. Unfortunately, the amount of hardship she's endured because of it has created a burden that led to tears of frustration. Koorey told CBS News she gets tickets and fines mailed to her from around the nation, from supposed Trekkies replacing their license plates with novelty plates. This includes parking tickets, speeding tickets, school zone violations, and even crimes worse than that:
I got a phone call from Ohio, a police chief looking for plates because they were involved in a robbery.
I get that Trekkies are used to the idea of a post-scarcity society, but that doesn't mean they can just steal money. As explained, it seems people are obtaining these plates on Amazon, and unfortunately, the government agencies sent the fees to Koorey despite her giving up her plates four years ago. If it's put a sour taste in her mouth about binging Trek with a Paramount+ subscription I don't blame her.
The traffic tickets and crimes are bad enough, but it also needs to be said that replacing your license plate with fraudulent ones is also highly illegal. It's certainly not the type of behavior fitting of a member of Starfleet, though I guess it's not a given people doing this are Star Trek fans. It might just be a popular tag that the criminal world has caught on they can take advantage of.
Unfortunately, Beda Koorey is the one who has to suffer for it. While she isn't on the line for any money, she does have to consistently mail out letters explaining the situation to various government institutions in many different states. I'd sooner go toe-to-toe with any of TNG's most dangerous villains than have a back-and-forth with a government agency.
If there's a message here for Star Trek fans to take away beyond that crime is bad, you shouldn't get an Enterprise license plate. After all, there are plenty of other great The Next Generation episodes to reference, and I'd be far more thrilled to see a Spock plate or one of the other best Trek characters than a ship registry.
Hopefully with more Star Trek content on the way in 2025, people can get back to watching the show and lessen their involvement in vehicle-related crimes. I'm ready for the new season of Strange New Worlds and, of course, the premiere of the Section 31 movie.