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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.
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.
The one which caught my eye says:
"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."