^This. I'm a Trekkie. I don't dress up in a Starfleet uniform in my spare time. I don't speak Klingon. And I like a lot of other things besides Star Trek and sci-fi. I don't buy into the notion that you need to call yourself a Trekker to somehow distance yourself from "those other super-obsessive, sad fans over there" (whoever they might be). Trekkie is a great and perfectly serviceable word. Why not reclaim it? As you say, everyone has their own level of 'devotion' to the wonderful creation that is Star Trek and silly distinctions like this are besides the point.
Anyway, I'm a Niner too!
Definitely agree with both of you.
I'm a Trekkie, it's the recognised term for Star Trek fans. Trekker doesn't sound right to me.
I've always thought that a Trekker was someone who didn't really want to be identified as a hardcore Star Trek fan (or geek). Outside of Trek and sci-fi fandom, nobody even knows the term Trekker.
There are so many different definitions of both Trekkie and Trekker though. Some people say a Trekkie dresses up and learns Klingon while Trekkers aren't that religious about it, others think the complete opposite. The fact is they're the same thing, people just choose which they think they are.
I really don't get the point in calling yourself a Trekker though, and people who think the term Trekkie is offensive must be a bit crazy
I'm proud to be a Star Trek geek, and I call myself a Trekkie, its the mass understood definition, and why should we divide ourselves up?! We should stick together as we are still in a small group on this planet, at least.