Julien's Auctions held a Star Trek auction on Saturday, November 9, 2024, in Los Angeles, and Star Trek fans spent a jaw-dropping $3.6 million on props from Star Trek: The Original Seriesand other Star Trek TV shows and movies. Held as part of Infinity Festival, Juilien's Big Long & Prosper Auction featured rare screen-used costumes, jewelry, and props, as well as concept art, screenplays, and more in over 200 lots. The Bid Long & Prosper Auction was held at The Aster Hotel in Hollywood, and it was streamed live on YouTube and at juliensauctions.com.
I was fortunate to be a guest at Star Trek's Bid Long & Prosper Auction, thanks to Christopher Black, the founder of Good Form PR. The auction was a featured event at Infinity Festival, a multi-day series of exhibitions, panels, screenings, and special events centering on "story-enabled technology." Infinity Festival delves into cutting-edge gaming, technology, A.I., media, and entertainment involving the arts and storytelling. Naturally,Star Trek holds a special place at Infinity Festival.
Star Trek Fans Spent $3.6 Million On TOS & TNG Props In An Exciting Auction
TOS Props Sold At Record-Setting Prices
Julien's Bid Long & Prosper Auction was a four-hour event held live at The Aster and streamed on YouTube and at Julien's Auction's website, where fans could register and bid on items. The items fetching the biggest amounts were a "hero phaser" used on screen by Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) in Star Trek: The Original Series, which went for an astonishing $910,000! A communicator also used by Kirk sold for $780,000. You can watch the 4-hour YouTube stream of the auction above, and I recorded video of the phaser and communicator's bidding, which you can watch below:
Bid Long & Prosper was the first auction I ever attended, and while I had no hope of being able to compete with the amounts Star Trek fans were bidding, it was more exciting than I anticipated to watch the items being sold at exorbitant prices. Seeing props like Captain Kirk's phaser and communicator fetching literal fortunes, and Kirk's screen-worn tunic and trousers going for $455,000, while ragged and worn props like the USS Enterprise's helm and navigation console being sold for $260,000 was jaw-dropping.
Even Tribbles don't come cheap, as one went for $1,300.
If I could have afforded it, I might have bid for the original Star Trek: Deep Space Nine space station miniature, which sold for $254,000, or the signed "What You Leave Behind" script that went for $7,800. Captain Kathryn Janeway's (Kate Mulgrew) bridge command chair from Star Trek: Voyager nabbed $41,275, while an original bridge chair from the USS Enterprise in Star Trek: The Original Series was worth even more, fetching $44,450. A red female TOS uniform sold for an incredible $114,300, while two T'Pol costumes won by Jolene Blalock on Star Trek: Enterprise each sold for over $19,000. Even Tribbles don't come cheap, as one went for $1,300.
Star Trek Actor & Producers Discussed The Franchise’s Past, Present & Future
John Billingsley, Trevor Roth, and David C. Fein Were Guests At A Star Trek Panel
Before the Bid Long & Prosper Auction started, a special 9am panel titled Star Trek: Legacy - What It Takes To Build and Maintain an Iconic Franchise was held live at The Aster. The panelists were John Billingsley, who played Dr. Phlox on Star Trek: Enterprise, Trevor Roth, C.O.O. of Roddenberry Entertainment, and David C. Fein, the producer of Star Trek: The Motion Picture - The Director's Edition. The three guests discussed various aspects of Star Trek's history, why Star Trek endures as a franchise, and how Star Trek continues to evolve.
David C. Fein gave a fascinating rundown of how Star Trek: Phase II turned into Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and how Robert Wise came aboard to direct. John Billingsley credited Star Trek: Enterprise's writers for creating the Denobulan species, and he talked about playing Dr. Phlox as part of the NX-01 Enterprise's first voyages in space. Trevor Roth discussed how any new Star Trek project must adhere to certain important tenets in order to be recognizably Star Trek, but that the franchise needs to continue to evolve and stay relevant. All in all, it was a fascinating discussion about the past, present, and future of Star Trek.
Star Trek's Auction Is A Reminder Of The Franchise's Enduring Popularity
There's No Franchise Quite Like Star Trek
I've found that being a Star Trek fan is a continuing education as Star Trek spans generations, with millions of other fans bringing infinite diversity and perspectives in infinite combinations. Julien's Bid Long & Prosper Auction was particularly eye-opening in terms of the intense devotion of Star Trek fans, especially toward Star Trek: The Original Series. I can't wrap my brain around spending close to a million dollars on props from a sixty-year-old television show, no matter how much I might personally love it. But the proof of this brand of Star Trek love is right there in astonishing hard numbers.
Spock's robe and headband worn by Leonard Nimoy in
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
sold for $45,000.
Star Trek will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2026, and the franchise is still going strong with new series like Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, and even a new streaming movie, Star Trek: Section 31, on Paramount+. It remains to be seen whether the new Star Trek will stand the test of time like The Original Series has, but the spirit of Gene Roddenberry's optimistic vision remains even as special effects improve and the medium changes. Hopefully, the artifacts sold at Julien's Bid Long & Prosper Auction keep on living long and prospering the way Star Trek has.
Custom image by Ana Nieves
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