Trekkies to boldly go bonkers over memorabilia
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Your support makes all the difference.The people who love Star Trek really love Star Trek. So quite how those fans will respond to the excitement of a sale of all things Trekkie - treasures gathered from the five television series and 10 feature films dedicated to the good folk of the United Federation of Planets - is unclear. It is possible if not likely, that some will go a little bit bonkers.
A jewel box of props, uniforms and other memorabilia including a pair of Vulcan pointy rubber ears, is currently being catalogued and photographed in New York in preparation for an auction by Christie's in the autumn.
Among the items for sale are a green laptop-style computer that was used by Captain Kathryn Janeway in the sixth franchise of the series known as Star Trek: Voyager and which was shown between 1995 and 2001. It is estimated that it will fetch between $1,500 (£800) and $2,500. Also for sale is a shirt bearing the logo "Go Climb a Rock" that was worn by William Shatner's seminal character Captain James Kirk in the fifth Star Trek film, the 1989 offering Final Frontier. A blue spacesuit worn by Shatner in the 1984 film The Search for Spock, is also being offered.
Christie's officials believe one of the most sought-after items will be a replica of Captain Kirk's chair on the bridge of the Enterprise that appeared in the first of the series, written by Gene Rodenberry.
"I think it was so different than anything else that was on," Cathy Elkies, the official overseeing the sale, told The New York Times. "Remember, we had five channels back then, so we weren't inundated with programming the way we are now. It was so original, it was so different, it was gripping, there was always something that hooked you in - and Captain Kirk was very cute."
Despite her fondness for the show, Ms Elkies was not a hardcore fan of Star Trek before she started work on the sale. She was among Christie's officials who exhibited the collection in Germany earlier this year. She said: "The funny part was, I couldn't always tell if it was German or Klingon that they were speaking."
The items have been held in storage in Hollywood by Paramount Studios, some since the original 1960s series went off the air. It was the decision last year to cancel the planned "prequel" Star Trek: Enterprise that led Paramount to sell off these props. Previously only a handful of such items have been sold.
For British Trekkies, the collection will be on display at Christie's headquarters in London from 3 to 8 August. A limited-edition version of the catalogue will be available for an out-of-this-world price of $500.
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