A guy named Alex contacted me a year ago to ask if I would contribute to his new Star Trek site. His idea was to interview active fans, “especially those that go above and beyond like bloggers, YouTubers and others like you.” He would send me questions and post my answers on his site.

He had already engaged with John Champion of the Mission Log podcast and Trekland’s Larry Nemecek, so it was nice to be asked.

I emailed my answers but then his site disappeared from the Internet shortly after, and messages to him bounced back as undeliverable. I hope Alex is okay.

So I am posting those answers here, just so the effort was not entirely wasted. There is some solid advice about starting your own collection.

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What inspired you to start collecting Star Trek memorabilia?

There are two facets to my collecting. The first is a love for Star Trek, particularly the original series, and it makes me happy to look around my Star Trek room and see a bunch of collectibles. The second is that I enjoy collecting itself. That means if Star Trek did not exist, I would likely collect something else. (Probably Humphrey Bogart memorabilia; I am on a quest to see and own all 74 of the movies he was in.) It’s good to have a hobby, and it’s a lot of fun to learn about a topic and then pursue items related to it.

So being a Star Trek collector is about both the show and collecting.

Having said that, I bought my first items at around 11 years old, so I never really decided to become a collector. I just bought a couple of things, then a couple more, and I realised I was enjoying it. And now I have thousands of items.

Can you recall the first piece of Star Trek memorabilia you acquired?

Yes, it was a used copy of The World of Star Trek, by David Gerrold — autographed by Gerrold. I purchased it in a great sci-fi bookstore in Toronto (Ontario, Canada) called Bakka. It still exists, although it has moved to a new location. I then bought a couple more Star Trek books at the same store, and that was it for me. I was a collector.

So it began with books, but then my collecting took a big jump forward when I attended my first science fiction convention. I discovered there are things called dealers rooms and they are packed with stuff to buy. Amazing!

How has your collection evolved over the years?

I have gone through phases, and I think most collectors do this. In the 1970s and 1980s, collectors bought pretty much anything that said “Star Trek” on it, because there was so little memorabilia. We had books and blueprints and the Mego toys and, if you went to a convention, a lot of 8×10 photos and some homemade items. That was me, starting in about 1979. I bought all of that. 

I spent a lot of time getting autographs at conventions, mostly on 8x10s, and then I went through phases: books (non-fiction and novels), collectible plates, comics (notably the wonderful Gold Key line), cards, and then later the high-end models and figures that started to come out and also vintage toys.

The years 1964 to 1979 are now for me the most interesting era of Trek collectibles, for a few reasons. First, fans kept the show alive in the 1970s; if not for them, there would have been no new Star Trek after 1969. Second, that stuff is older, so it’s more fun to collect. And third, items from then are rare, especially the toys. These were made to be played with and they were, and then most often thrown out. 

My current focus is on production-related information and material from 1964 to 1969. I own a number of memos and outlines, and I have gigabytes of scanned documents.  

What’s the rarest or most challenging item you’ve ever obtained for your collection?

I have a few items that are literally one of a kind. The oddest one, and one of my favourites, is a piece of artwork drawn for the wrap party from the 1971 Gene Roddenberry movie Pretty Maids All In A Row. This was passed around at the party and signed by the cast and crew. I don’t know who did the drawing but it is signed by Gene Roddenberry, William Ware Theiss, Angie Dickinson, and Anita Doohan (James Doohan’s wife), plus many others.

The movie itself is terrible but it holds an important place in Star Trek history, and I will write a large article on the piece one day.

I also own the story outline for Amok Time, typed by Ted Sturgeon and given to Gene Roddenberry; a few other original typed story outlines and scripts; some personal (not convention) autographs by Matt Jefferies; and some letters and memos signed by Roddenberry. All of those are one of a kind.

Are there any specific gaps in your collection that you’re actively working to fill?

There are a couple of large gaps but I can’t say I am actively trying to fill them, because the items are rare and really expensive. I do not have the 1967 Leaf cards or the Mego Mission to Gamma VI playset (but I do have a vintage Enterprise playset in great shape). I would love to own anything related to Wah Chang’s Trek work and an original Jefferies set drawing. And every collector dreams of owning a screen-used prop, but those are incredibly expensive and there are a lot of fakes.

I have some small holes in the line-up, but I am enjoying filling those slowly, rather than just hitting eBay for everything. For example, I am missing a handful of the DC TOS comics and I decided it’s more fun to get those issues by flipping through boxes in stores and at conventions.  

How has your passion for Star Trek influenced other areas of your life?

My passion for the show informs who I am today. The original series taught compassion, it said loyalty and friendship and honesty are important, and it advocated for science and scientists, for a rational approach to solving problems based on evidence and experience.

My passion for collecting also influences where I can live. If I move someday, my new home has to have a large Star Trek room. I have one now and the walls and shelves are full.

Do you have any favourite stories or anecdotes related to your experiences as a Star Trek collector?

Many, but I’ll mention only a few.

In my early teens I did not have a lot of money and so I didn’t get autographs, but then I started watching the autograph areas at conventions and I realised that what people are actually buying is a few minutes with someone who was there, on the set of this show we love, and the autograph they take home is a reminder of that experience. So I started paying for autographs at conventions, and I have a number of stories on my site about the conversations those few dollars got me. (Nichelle Nichols, Leonard Nimoy, George Takei, Howard Weinstein, William Shatner and William Shatner, and Shatner and Nimoy.) 

And one time I found three amazing autographs I did not even know I had, when I opened an old colouring book. That story is here. 

My favourite story, though, is about a convention pretty much everyone had forgotten. I was digging through a storage box and I found the program for Toronto Star Trek ’76; I had bought it years earlier because it was signed by Walter Koenig. I found out nothing was written about the con, and so spent three years interviewing people and writing the definitive history of the show. That story lives on its own site now. 

Can you share any tips or strategies for effectively managing and growing a Star Trek memorabilia collection?

If you have not yet chosen what to collect, go with something small. Stamps bore me but collecting them would be very convenient, as you really just need a few binders on a shelf.

But if you’ve chosen Star Trek, collectors should begin with autographs, because they’re a lot of fun. Get all your first signatures on 8x10s. The photos are cheap, they’re easy to display, and the signatures themselves show up well. I have seen people get models signed, for example, and curved plastic surfaces are tough to sign and the autographs often look crummy. 

Also, I recommend you set some limits on what you collect. I decided early on to only collect original series. I have seen every minute of every Star Trek show and movie and a lot of it I like, but I only collect TOS. That has been a good decision. Some people only collect models or comics or books. Whatever it is, setting some limits is often a good idea.

Once you have a sizable collection, go through it once in a while. Pull books off shelves, open storage boxes, go through your piles of magazines… You then enjoy the stuff you already have and will probably find things you forgot you purchased. That has happened to me many times. 

Are there any items you’ve been searching for but haven’t been able to find?

Here’s an odd one, but a real example: I tried for many months to get in touch with author and collector Allan Asherman. He had been very active in the 1970s and 1980s but had stepped back from public life. I really wanted to talk to him about early fandom and his collection. I emailed, sent actual letters, and talked to a number of people who knew him and tried to communicate my interest. And then he died in September of 2023. If he received any of those inquiries he chose not to speak with me, and of course had every right to make that decision, but I do hope he at least heard I was interested. If he then decided against it, that’s fine. I wish I could have talked to him about early fandom.

Another is a research initiative that has gone nowhere. John D.F. Black wrote an envelope story for The Cage called From the First Day to the Last. Of course, Roddenberry’s The Menagerie script was made instead. Part two of Black’s script exists but I and other Star Trek historians have not seen part one. It is not even in the library of papers at UCLA. I have asked everyone I can find. I would love to read that.

What is your favourite Star Trek series and character?

The original series, no question. And my favourite character is one of the big three — Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. My choice changes daily. Outside of the main cast, I really like Richard Daystrom, Matt Decker, Vina, Gary Mitchell, Sarek, and Edith Keeler.