“I’m going…into the future.”
These were the final words of Star Trek fan Daniel Craft.
In late December 2012, Craft’s story exploded on the r/startrek subreddit. His friend, who went by the username ideeeyut, called upon the power of Reddit to plead with director J.J. Abrams to invite Craft to an advance screening of Star Trek Into Darkness, which is scheduled to hit theaters in May 2013.
Abrams answered their call and agreed to the screening of the sequel, which Craft reportedly “loved.”
News of Craft’s Jan. 4 death was posted to the Facebook page of the New York Asian Film Festival, which Craft had helped organize.
“His wife and brother were with him when he went, and he wasn’t in any pain,” the update read, in part.
“I’m very glad that JJ Abrams did the right thing and showed him Star Trek Into Darkness before he passed. Rest in Peace,” user David Konow commented.
Redditor GradyHendrix, who had identified himself as a close friend of Craft, updated Reddit with news of the passing.
“At a time when he didn’t have a whole lot to look forward to, r/StarTrek, JJ Abrams, Damon Lindelof, and Bad Robot performed a simple act of kindness for a total stranger and gave Dan something to be excited about for a couple of days. The movie did exactly what movies are supposed to do, it helped him forget about his problems for a couple of hours. It doesn’t sound like much, but in this case it was,” GradyHendrix wrote.
Redditors responded with their condolences, and praise for the Star Trek community’s response to such difficult situations.
“The Star Trek community is such a beautiful thing. This man died happy because such a wonderful group of fans and people rallied around him. RIP Dan. We’ll see you on the other side,” andawarmgeek commented.
“Say hey to the Gamma Quadrant for us, Dan,” dufuslequack commented.
Fellow fans weren’t the only people mourning Craft’s loss. In a Jan. 13 tweet, Zachary Quinto, who plays the young version of Spock in Abrams’ Star Trek films, tweeted his own sentiments.
“my heart is with the family of dan craft. “may flights of angels sing thee to thy rest,” he wrote.
Photo via Daniel Anderson Craft/Facebook