The First Time Sci-Fi Blew My Mind
Growing up with creature features, drive-ins, and the space stories that shaped a nerdy kid’s imagination.
Baker’s Log — Stardate 1.1
(Somewhere around 1979)
I can still remember exactly how it felt the first time I saw Star Wars.
I was about five years old, sitting in the balcony of the Everett Theater on Colby Avenue. If you’ve never been there, it’s not just a movie theater. It’s a full performance theater with dramatic curtains and balcony seating that makes you feel like you’re part of something bigger than yourself.
My dad had taken us there, and while we were waiting for the movie to start he told me about going there as a kid. Back then they had nickel movies, and he and his friends would sit in the balcony and throw popcorn down on the people below.
Honestly, that should have been my first clue that I came from a long line of nerds.
My dad was the first fandom person in my life, even if we didn’t call it that yet.
And if I’m being honest, he probably fancied himself a red-headed Captain Kirk.
He absolutely loved Star Trek. For years he had a model of the Enterprise that lived in the house like it was a perfectly normal decorative object — which, in our house, it was. Looking back now, it probably shouldn’t surprise anyone that I grew up believing starships were perfectly normal household décor.
We even had episodes recorded on BETA tapes, because this was long before streaming or on-demand anything. If you wanted to rewatch something, you either waited for it to come back on TV… or you recorded it yourself like a proper nerd.
Our house was full of sci-fi and horror long before those things were cool to talk about.
I remember watching the original The Thing on BETA — not VHS. And not the Kurt Russell version either. The actual OG one from the 1950s.
Saturday mornings in our house weren’t cartoons.
BAKERS LOG: STARDATE 1.1
They were black-and-white creature features.
The Creature from the Black Lagoon.
Old vampire movies.
Anything weird, spooky, or from outer space.
Looking back now as a parent, my dad also made a few movie choices that raise an eyebrow.
Like taking me to see Jaws at the drive-in when I was eight.
Or letting me watch An American Werewolf in London when I was ten.
Questionable parenting decisions?
Maybe.
But the upside is that I now have a deep and abiding love of horror movies, so I guess it all worked out.
I was also the kid devouring those old Time-Life books about vampires, demons, and the arcane — the ones that were probably meant for adults but somehow ended up being the most fascinating thing on the shelf.
But out of everything, science fiction was the thing that really rewired my brain.
And like a lot of kids of that era, I desperately wanted to be Princess Leia.
“Before nerd culture went mainstream, a lot of us learned to love our fandoms quietly. Bake It So is about loving them out loud.”
Not the helpless version people remember from posters.
The sarcastic, take-charge, blaster-carrying Leia who could run a rebellion while the boys argued.
And while we’re being honest here, I was also very much a Battlestar Galactica kid.
Definitely a Starbuck girl but also… I ALWAYS wished to have my own Boxey.
The Nostalgia Drift
Here’s the thing about growing up in the 70s and 80s as a girl who loved sci-fi.
You didn’t always talk about it.
Not if you wanted to survive middle school.
Girls weren’t exactly encouraged to love things like Star Wars or spaceship shows. If you did, you got teased. And by the time I had moved schools a few times and landed in middle school, I had learned a useful survival skill:
I learned how to hide that part of myself.
The books.
The movies.
The weird fascination with monsters and space exploration.
All of it went into a little invisible box labeled things we don’t talk about.
Which is a shame, really.
Because those stories were teaching us some pretty powerful things.
Curiosity mattered.
Courage mattered.
Standing up to empires mattered.
Even if you were the weird kid who liked space shows.
The Nerd Philosophy
The beautiful thing about getting older is that eventually you stop caring about the box.
Bake It So was born from that moment.
The moment when you realize you don’t have to hide the things you love anymore.
This blog is about loving things out loud.
The whimsy.
The weirdness.
The pure joy of finding something that makes you feel seen.
Maybe that thing is sci-fi.
Maybe it’s anime.
Maybe it’s music, horror movies, fantasy novels, or baking ridiculously themed desserts.
Whatever it is, it matters.
And one rule matters here above all others:
Never be the person who yucks someone else’s yum.
As long as nobody’s getting hurt and everyone’s consenting, people should be able to love the things they love without apology.
I’d also be lying if I didn’t acknowledge that nerd culture hasn’t always been the most welcoming place, especially for women.
But the good news?
That’s changing.
And spaces like this — weird, creative, joyful little corners of the internet — help make that change happen.
The Edible Artifact
This month’s theme is Infinite Bytes, a tribute to the science fiction worlds that raised so many of us.
Starships.
Strange new worlds.
Curiosity about the universe.
And in honor of the birthday of Leonard Nimoy — the man who brought the legendary science officer Spock to life — I’ll be hosting a small online popup with delivery or meet - up on March 26.
Think space-inspired sweets, science nerd energy, and a little edible tribute to the stories that made us dream about the stars.
Transmission to the Collective
Now I want to hear from you.
What was the first sci-fi story that blew your mind?
Was it Star Trek?
Star Wars?
Something totally different?
Every nerd origin story starts somewhere.
Heidi’s Nerd Notes
Currently watching
• Designing Women. I’ve decided my personality is a spectrum between Julia Sugarbaker and 50 cent.
Kitchen soundtrack
• The Beatles (always)
Creative rabbit hole
• Designing a few new cookie cutters for upcoming theme drops
Life’s too short to hide the things you love.
So go love them loudly.
May the frosting be with you.