Giant Paramount Auction of Star Trek Items

Alien54 writes "The first official studio auction of memorabilia from all five 'Star Trek' television series and 10 movie spinoffs, to be held from October 5 to 7 in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of the original 'Star Trek' series, was announced by Christie's on Thursday. CBS Paramount Television Studios is cleaning out its vaults for the sale, comprising more than 1,000 lots totaling some 4,000 items. Items to hit the block include props, weapons, prosthetics and set dressings unearthed from five Paramount warehouses, as well as many special and spectacular items highlighted in the various shows." Update: 05/21/2006 14:57 GMT by SM Several users have provided us with the direct link to the auction site for easy viewing.

Re:boneheads

[Detritus]

I think you overestimate the general public's interest in Star Trek. Most museums are doing well if they can pay their bills. They aren't money machines.

Best Part of Star Trek Cannot Be Bought

[reporter]

I am a lifelong fan of "Star Trek".

However, I am not a fan of Star-Trek conventions. 99% of the content of a typical convention is whoring (a.k.a. selling) memorabilia: photos with the aging actors, cards, spacecraft models, etc. The entire convention is lined with booths hawking memorabilia.

Yet, the best part of "Star Trek" cannot be bought. It is a story about how humankind transcends the suffering and limitations of life in the 20th century and 21st century. The Enterprise's entering warp is a metaphor for our breaking the bonds of our limitations as we soar to a greater, better future.

The best part of "Star Trek" is the message of hope. (I have read the profiles of many felony convicts and have yet to come across one who is a Trekkie.)

Hope is not what Christie's auction will sell. This auction is a bigger, more expensive version of a typical convention.

the little items

[v1]

There are basically two variety of memorobilia collectors... those that want the big things, like the captain's chair or a wardrobe item etc, and the people that look for the little nicknacks. Probably the wisest collector would go for the little items, as they can have more of them and display them easier.

Hmm... I'm not a big trekkie but I can think of a few items that would be nice. That flue of Picard's would be nice. Maybe a few isolinear chips. A comm badge. (STTNG please, those from the movies are gawdy!) Or that huge hunk of crystal dilithium that was in the enterprise's warp core.

Get a bunch of the touch pads from the doors or holodecks and use them for light switch wall plates. :)

And of course the computer display props. From what I've read, most of them (the ones that were not animated) were backlit reverse-glass paintings. Those would make awesome wall decorations in a chosen room of the house, hang 'em like paintings.

I also hear the props in the captain's ready-room are very popular. hah... remember the episode where the enterprise had an alien computer virus and picard ordered tea and got the teacup with the what.. bird of paradize flower in it? "now THAT should not have happened!" That would be a fun one to have.

Probaly the most fun props to have are the ones that not many people will even be considering.

Though previous poster is right, that flute is going to go for a lot more than $300. I'd expect it to draw $1500-2500. Key props from emotional/memorable episodes are bound to go for a mint.

Re:Best Part of Star Trek Cannot Be Bought FANS!

[davidsyes]

It would be nice if they'd give some of those sets or rights to the sets to Star Trek Hidden Frontier. I am so sick of the bluescreen background sets that are not proportionate to the characters. I am tired of the characters looking like drop-ins to a set, with the obvious "halo" effect around the actors.

Tragically, CBS/Paramount and Christies will probably make a killing off of this, but the fan-based Web Trek activities could benefit immeasurably in terms of quality and maybe even respark a whole now surge of Trek fan return. Hiddent Frontier deserves to have better sets, assuming they will have a warehouse in which to store them and the money/donations to pay the storage rent.

But, Star Trek Exeter (or is it one of the others?) rebuilt the NCC-1701 bridge based on the actual bluepints so that their bridge doesn't suffer the close-up fisheye effect on STHF. I am, however becoming less bothered by HF's drop-in bluescreen sets, and have been enjoying the first 5 seasons over this past week.

It's amazing the scripts HF, Exeter and the others are turning into fun, tear-jerking, rally-evoking and reminiscence-fueling episodes.

And these people are doing it though donations or their own money. I think STHF, however, is FANTASTIC in that they put in one season or even one episode all of my favorite ships. They rotate characters, double-bill actors, and touch topics Paramount would NEVER EVER touch, at least not the way STHF does. Moreover, HF has funny intros to each act one or the beginning of each opening act of a complete episode.

I hope some of the people affluent enough to OWN this overpriced memorabilia will lease or lend it to STHF, Exeter and the other fan-created episodes.

Fortunately, Paramount has not quashed them. It is almost as inspiring as the judge who slapped down the guy trying his second time to sue/nullify GPL. Thank you Paramount for permitting us to have fan films go where no fan films have gone before. With each STHF and Exeter episode I can freely download and watch, your "generosity" neutralizes a little bit more of my reticence and disdain for "typical Hollywood". (I say that because I am loving the STHF scripts, and I like the fact that EQUAL OPPORTUNITY has extend to "full-figured" bridge crew, ships' captians and so on. REAL Hollywood would probably NEVER financially back and AIR such series divergence from profitability.)

Hmmm, how apropos... slash image word: "births"