COLLECTIBLES FOR GEEKS

While on a Science Fiction / Fantasy theme -- at least of the small or big screen -- I might as well address an issue that some of us geeks, or old-timers, will bring up when periodically shooting the breeze about the fantasy television shows or movies we remember from our youth. Occasionally, the subject of the collectible potential of the futuristic vehicles featured within them does come up. During the conversation, we might ask each other what would we would find to be most desirable in acquiring and then quickly hiding in our garages. ('Rosebud' from the brilliant and classic film, Citizen Kane, is immediately disqualified as it doesn't have cool blinking lights.)

One of the first choices for some of us, and perhaps the first choice for me, would be the original 11-foot Enterprise miniature built for the original Star Trek television series. Unfortunately, the Air & Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, owns it, so this priceless little item has to be scratched off the list. About ten years ago I heard that the museum insured the model for $1,000,000... so it isn't going anywhere. Second choice might be the 17-foot submarine Seaview model from the old Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea series. This particular one was used for shots showing the vessel running on the surface. There were two others, smaller versions, used for the 'underwater tank' shots. (How do I know this stuff, anyway?) I heard that the big miniature was, or is, displayed at the L.A. Planet Hollywood; time to pick up an expensive hamburger.

From this point there is a somewhat lengthy list of collectible equipment: Robby the Robot (from the 1956 MGM feature, Forbidden Planet), the Jupiter 2 (the flying saucer/home from the awful TV series, Lost in Space), any of the props from both Star Wars and Star Trek, and so on.

Comments can be posted if you think I missed anything (wink). I must be reminded as I'm speaking from personal preference above; and I'm not that much of a geek, it's not as though I have a list hidden away somewhere.

Let's be real, the extreme geek's first choice would be some collectible in the form of warm flesh... someone like Bionic Babe.

Next blog entry... Back to Reality.