Slashdot Mirror
Trek Prop Collecting
bluethundr continues: "And while we're at it. I admit it. I am an Okudagram collector. I go nuts and drain my bank account every time I see one of the control panels from the Enterprise (which I believe to be authentic and usually TNG's D, as that's all my bankroll will allow) on eBay and my home server room looks like a federation outpost. If you weren't aware, the Okudagrams from the show come in the form of black-tinted plexi that has a patterned film applied to it with photographic gels to add color and vellum affixed to said plexi with black masking tape. The idea is to backlight them for the effect they achieved on the sets of lighted control panels. Collecting these things, you get a feeling for what's authentic hollywood material and what's a cheap fanboy knockoff. I can't help but wonder if I am the only /.er to engage in this eccentric hobby... By the way, several control panels from the 1701 (including Spock's Science Station computer!) as well as an array of other authentic stuff from the 60s is also to be had for a (very) tidy sum on "the world's online marketplace"....By the way, I am trying to curb this habit of mine, hence this submission. :-|"
Something smells like NERD around here.... *checks armpits for odor* Oh crap, it's just me! *droooool* But seriously, after all the pounds that Shatner put on during the series, I'd be worried that the chair has already developed its own ass groove that, while priceless in trek history, just would not work well with my own ass.
You're only as smart as your brain.
This is pretty cool, although I can think of a number of other things I would prefer to use the minimum $80,000 bid on.
:^D
I wonder about that stain on the base. Looks like coffee. It would be interesting if that was the result of an accident (on set, or after the chair was given to the collector), or was caused by Captain Kirk holding a drink which was dropped due to an incoming photon torpedo.
As time went on I went to University and lost interest around the time of Deep Space Nine, when Berman took over and made it into a 'franchise'. I think I've seen a total of 10 episodes of Voyager, but it didn't really 'inspire' me. Sure, the films give me a bit of a 'buzz' - I've bought them on DVD - but that was about it.
Now, some 10 years later, I'm moving house and find all my old stuff - the uniforms I made, the books, etc. So I decide to eBay the books (a collection of around 100 Trek books, including original 1960's editions) and it goes for £50. That's about $75 in your money. Pathetic, isn't it? I see the huge amount of Trek crap on eBay, and there's lots of people selling it but nobody really buying it.
Now I'm not even bothering with the rest of the stuff like the comics, etc. because the hassle of me shipping them to a buyer outweighs the benefit of the money in my bank account - may as well just stuff them in the attic and wait until someone comes along who might want them.
I can't seem to find any decent conventions or clubs in the UK either - all the clubs which sprang up (anyone remember Ten Forward, or the National Starfleet Alliance?) have long since disappeared.
Perhaps we've all just grown up. Or the constant milking of the 'franchise' left us all with sour tastes in the mouth. Me, I'm married with a kid now and enjoy watching Enterprise with my wife, and still I can't bring myself to throw out the old uniforms. They'll do for a fancy dress party I suppose ;)
Smegma.
"I did not sleep with that ensign..."
The chair really belongs in a museum. It would really be a shame if some private collector snatched it up somewhere and put it in his rec room to never see the light of day again.
Take the cheese to sickbay, the doctor should see it as soon as possible - B'Elanna Torres, "Learning Curve"
Learn to Play Go
I have to say I feel that looking an auction for a studio prop that starts at $80,000 in a world while around one quarter of children go to bed hungry.
Are you suggesting that I pay hungry kids to let me sit on them? You cynical bastard!
wouldn't it be cool to perform some sort of sexual act while sitting in Captain Kirk's chair?
oh come one.. any poor sod can sit in front of his monitor playing Personal Whack-A-Mole without plonking down $80K.
... oh, did you mean with someone else?
-'fester
Before anyone sells their house for this low-budget TV show prop, give that Hoagy guy a call... if he can build his own cityscape he can probably set you up with a real nice Kirkholder for much less!
Props to Hoagy. He should be working for Hollywood.
Mark Baard had an exclusive break on this story with WIRED back on May 22:0 . tml
http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,52700,0
He subsequently posted comments from William Shatner to his personal website:
http://www.baard.com/
So yes, you somehow missed it.
TNN dropped the "Nashville Network" from its name, and is re-inventing itself as a "normal" cable channel. Most likely due to declining ratings. How better to get an instant leg up than to purchase a series guaranteed to bring the kind of viewers your station wants? While they watch Star Trek: The Political Correctness, endless advertising for other TNN programming is constantly broadcast. TNN is operated by MTV Networks, a division of, wait for it...Viacom
TNG isn't science fiction at all...it's a drama, set on a starship. The series is about the interactions between people and cultures. The writers merely put [TECH] when something is required to be explained, and someone else comes up with the technobabble later. They never discuss science-y, Tom Clancyish things like the exact capabilites of the ship's sensors or weapons. How many photon torpedoes does it take to get to the chewy candy center of a Romulan warbird? The world may never know.
Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
I [pause] did not sleep [pause] with [pause] that ensign
Robots are everywhere, and they eat old people's medicine for fuel.
Ever watch those appraisal shows on PBS or BBC? Tens of thousands of dollars for 19th century gradeschool needlepoint, thousands for 1930's tin toys, the list is much longer and far more frivolous. Value is created by a complex matrix of criteria and rarely reflects an object's utility. Is a quartet of stamps with an inverted bi-plane really worth that much? In this regard Trekkers are no worse than any other collectors.
Too bad all the dot-coms are gone. One of them would have paid a bundle for it as part of their "branding strategy", and then some lucky employee would have gotten to take it home when they folded.
I've got some karma to burn so here goes. I am required to use Politically Correct terminology for various disabled, diseased, and ethnic conditions. Now I suppose an extreme Trekkie could be said to have a disability of perspective but that is taking a ridiculous thing (PC) too far.
There is no such thing as a `Trekker'. It is a pathetic attempt to regain the last shard of self respect they lost when Shatner told them to move out of their parents' basement and get lives. There's the trekkie who girlfriend is going to dump him if he doesn't give up being the head of his college Vulcan council, he gave up the pussy for the pointed ears. Another trekkie showed up for OJ trial jury duty in her Starfleet uniform.
In case the point isn't clear, Trekker is a pathetic attempt of people who take a tv show waaaay too seriously to wrap the mantle of Political Correctness around themselves. So Trekkies, move out of your parents' basement! Get a girlfriend! Get a job! Show up for jury duty in sensible clothes! Get a life!
Get the people building their own aircraft cockpits (on slashdot recently) together with the people with the Star Trek bridge parts, and make a working simulator.
The one which caught my eye says:
The list of items on the block is here. It includes such things as:
- Star Trek - "Mirror Mirror" crewman sash - $400.00
- Star Trek - Amok Time - Vulcan wristbands - $400.00
- Prop tribble from Star Trek - $475.00
- "Star Trek" playback disc of the song "Hey Out There" from the episode "The Way to Eden". - $400.00
- Star Trek - Frank Gorshin pants ("Let That Be Your Last Battlefield". ) - $400.00
I think I might bid on this one: Gorn head mask - Star Trek - Arena - $1000.00Yeah!
Edith Keeler Must Die
"Everyone assumes that if you are into computers, you are into all things trek. It was a bad, dumb show."
I'm curious what you consider to be a good show, then. I seriously think you're judging ST for the wrong reasons.
The reason that Trek is popular among geeks is that the depicted world of the future is more pleasing to live in if you're a geek.
For example: You can tell the computer "go find me some porn I like!" and boom, you'll get porn you like. Today, we haveta scour the web manually for that. That sucks.
Another example: I want a burger and fries right now. But *gasp* I have to walk for 15 minutes to do that! That sucks! In Star Trek, you'd walk up to your replicator, say "Burger and fries, Burgerville style." And boom, you have a burger and fries, Burgerville style.
Here's yet another example: I have to walk 3/4ths of a mile to work every day. This sucks! Well, in Star Trek, I could just say "Beam me up!".
One more example: Isn't it a pain in the butt to get a phone number of some chick? Face it: Most chicks don't wanna talk about computers, and none of them are impressed if you're running Linux. (Actually, you lose points for that, as a woman I dated pointed out.) Well, fear no more! In the Star Trek universe, you could just say "Wiggam to Portman, c'mon girl, my tricorder says that your hair is not in need of washing!" You couldn't do that today!
As you can see, the world of Star Trek is quite appealing and serves as an acceptable template for the future. Geeks have a lot to be happy about when the world churns out one more Trek-like device.
"Derp de derp."