Welcome! As part of its ongoing mission to document the Art and Production History of Star Trek, this site will present technical articles on Star Trek prop and costume authentication - focusing on The Original Series - with detailed photos and episode screenshots to complement the information presented; as well as feature pictorials to showcase Star Trek memorabilia in private & public collections, present rare Behind The Scenes TOS imagery & discuss other topics.
Gerald Gurian is a 40+ year collector of screen used Star Trek memorabilia and a passionate fan of TOS
     
- Star Trek TOS At Auction Part I - Gurian Collection Highlights - Greg Jein TOS Hero Type II Phaser
-Authenticating a TOS Communicator -6 Myths About Star Trek Prop Design -Star Trek 3rd Season Command Tunic
- Design Features of TOS Tricorders -Star Trek Props At National Air & Space - TOS Leatherette Tricorder
- TOS Federation Sciences Dress -Desilu Studio TOS Prop Fabrication - Unreleased Allen/Gurian Prop Photos
- The Beautiful Women of TOS Part I -TOS U.S.S. Enterprise 11' Filming Model - Captain Kirk's Chair from TOS
- Spock Ears -TOS Control Panels & Displays - Mr. Spock's Science Station
- TOS Soundstage at Desilu -TOS Shatner Romulan Pants - The Beautiful Women of TOS Pt. II
- TOS Galileo Shuttlecraft -Greg Jein TOS Cage Laser Pistol - TOS 3rd Season Midgrade Type II Phaser
- Dr. McCoy's Sickbay on TOS -TOS Balok Puppet Head - Captain Kirk "Mirror, Mirror" Tunic
- Greg Jein TOS Hero Tricorder -1992 Smithsonian TOS Cast Video - TOS 1st Season Command Tunic
- TOS "Where No Man" Silver Contact Lenses -TOS Special Effects: The Transporter - The Art of Matt Jefferies
- TOS "Space Seed" Gold Mesh Jumpsuit -Gorn Costume from "Arena" - Rare TOS Behind-the-Scenes Videos
- TOS Stunt Type II Phaser -1993 Bill Theiss Estate Auction - TOS Shatner Command Dress Tunic
- TOS Elasian Royal Guard Tunic -TOS Finnegan Silver "Shore Leave" Tunic - TOS Science Officer Tunic "The Cage"
- TOS Shatner Early 1st Season Command Tunic -William Shatner TOS Tunics At Auction - TOS Shatner Late 1st Season Command Tunic

Friday, April 6, 2012

President Reagan and Star Trek

Given the recent media attention paid to Democratic President Barack Obama's affection for Star Trek; it would be remiss not to point out that there are some equally strong connections between the GOP and Gene Roddenberry's creation. Setting aside for the moment the fact that Captain Kirk actually met with his hero, Abraham Lincoln - the 1st Republican President - in the 3rd season TOS episode "The Savage Curtain" (first airdate: Mar. 7, 1969); there is evidence that a much beloved and more recent Republican Commander-In-Chief - none other than President Ronald Reagan - was also a fan of the Star Trek television series and movies.

It is documented, on two occasions as President, that Reagan had personal screenings of just released Star Trek films. On June 23, 1984, while visiting Camp David with White House Deputy Chief of Staff Michael Deaver and Mrs. Deaver, our 40th President watched "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" - which had opened only a few weeks earlier on June 1st. And on December 20, 1986, during another stay at Camp David, the President and the First Lady viewed "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home", which had just premiered in North America on November 26th. Below are copies of pages from the President's schedule, as archived at The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library, that confirm the Star Trek film screenings ...



In 1991, Ronald Reagan visited the set of Star Trek: The Next Generation during the production of the two-part episode "Redemption" (which comprise the 100th and 101st episodes of the series, being the fourth season finale and fifth season premiere). Below are a pair of photos taken during the visit, where Star Trek writer Michael Piller and Producer Rick Berman are seen standing on either side of the President. While on the set, President Reagan was introduced to Gene Roddenberry as well as Patrick Stewart. Stewart can actually be seen standing at the extreme right in the first photo below ...



According to reports at thereaganrecord.com, during this 1991 visit, when President Reagan was asked for his impression of the Klingons, he quipped "I like them. They remind me of Congress." It was also reported that the former President, who was known for his gracious and humble behavior, promptly knelt and picked up Gene Roddenberry's cane when the ailing Star Trek creator accidentally dropped it during their conversation - even though Reagan was nearly ten years older. Reagan later remarked, "I felt as if I had been knighted."

In his 2004 memoirs about his father, "In The Words Of Ronald Reagan" (Nelson, Thomas, Inc.), President Reagan's eldest son Michael wrote the following passages in which the Star Trek set visit was discussed:

"Even after he left office, Dad was fascinated by dreams of a bright future for humanity. In 1991, he stopped by Paramount Studios and watched the filming of an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Between takes, Dad chatted with actor Patrick Stewart and producer Gene Roddenberry about the show and Roddenberry's optimistic vision of the future - an optimism that was in many ways similar to his own.

There is an unfair stereotype of older people as being hopelessly stuck in the past. Ronald Reagan shattered that stereotype. As governor of California, Dad once met with a group of students who complained his generation was out of touch. "You don't know what it's like," one student told him, "to grow up in an age of atomic bombs, space travel, and high-speed computers." And Dad replied, "You're right. My generation didn't grow up with such things. We invented them."

And so, it seems that both Republicans and Democrats alike - who seem to be at opposite ends of so many issues these days - can find common ground on their enjoyment of the Star Trek phenomenon.