Gifts For The Discriminating Kirk Fan

Written By: Randy Hall

Published: Issue 31

It happens every year. No sooner does Halloween go by than the department stores replace displays of ghosts and goblins with those of Santa Claus and his elves. (And here I am, just barely letting go of summer!) Well, it's time to start thinking of the upcoming holiday season, including what to get friends and family members for Christmas (with so few conventions this time of year). I suspect that many of you would like to get or give something that reminds you of the legendary Captain James Kirk. With that in mind, I have a few suggestions regarding holiday gifts for the discriminating Kirk fan.

If you're loaded with quatloos to burn, Christie's in Los Angeles is auctioning off several items from the time of Classic Trek. These include a pair of pointed ears worn by Leonard Nimoy while portraying the Enterprise's logical first officer, Spock. And they cost a mere $2,000! If you think that's expensive, you should see what's expected for a plaster cast of William Shatner's head that was used to design special make-up enhancements, such as Kirk as a Romulan from "The Enterprise Incident." That's expected to draw up to $6,000 because it's described as "Captain Kirk, frozen in time, and exactly in his prime." And you'd better hurry because these items will be auctioned off November 15!

Meanwhile, back on planet Earth, the Franklin Mint has come up with a unique gift for the holidays. It's a model of a toddler who's dressed in a captain's shirt from the original series and carrying a small duplicate of the Enterprise, with some Tribbles to boot. If you're into cute, this is a great little gift that can be paid for in monthly installments. And there is the usual assortment of ships and figures the Mint produces all the time. For more information, go to www.franklinmint.com and check it out.

Another great place to find gifts for your "inner Trekkie" is Quark's Bazaar in the Star Trek Communicator magazine. The latest issue, #130 with the Voyager cast on the cover, has several new items worth looking at. My favorites are some new uniforms that aren't the cheapest but look great (at least, on the page). I'm VERY interested in the movie uniform jacket, even if it does cost $275. And there are costumes as worn by the cast in the episode "Mirror, Mirror," including Kirk's outfit with the golden sashes for $100. (By the way, they also carry the rank pins and other accessories needed to make your ensemble complete.) If you can't find a copy of that magazine, turn your World Wide Web browser to www.fanmedia.com/startrek and shop 'til you drop!

If anyone's missed one of the Shatner et al books, this is a great time to catch up ... or get started. If your local bookstores don't have them all, try checking amazon.com or other online stores. And if you're caught up with those, there are other great books by Shatner and other collaborators, like the TekWar and Quest for Tomorrow series, as well as an amusing and heartfelt look at conventions and the people who attend them called, entertainingly enough, Get a Life!

And if you're fortunate enough to have a convention in your area between now and December 25, you can surely find plenty of posters, pins, T-shirts, and dolls (pardon me, action figures) featuring the captain to fill any stocking on the fireplace.

Let me leave you with one final tip. When I first got into Star Trek back in the mid-1970s, very little merchandise was available for the general public to buy. One Saturday night, I was looking through a bookstore when something caught my eye. It was the original Star Trek Companion, with the wheel that went around inside the cover and gave all sorts of great information about Classic Trek. Well, I didn't think anyone in my family would be able to find it and get it for me for Christmas, so I instituted a new tradition. Since then, if I find something I really want but don't think anyone else will get it for me, I buy a "Christmas present for myself." This way, I have never missed a great Trek gift, including that Companion (which I still have, even though I've long since worn it out).

Got any other ideas regarding holiday presents for Kirk fans? Drop me an e-mail at the address below and I'll be glad to share it with your fellow BBKers.

Convention Calendar

One of my favorite Classic Trek guests will be appearing at the Slanted Fedora convention in Huntington, West Virginia, the weekend of November 18-19. That's Robin Curtis, the "second" Saavik, who's a fun person on and off the stage. For more information, check out www.sfedora.com.