A Mysterious Artifact from Star Trek's Ancient Past
1976, to be exact
Welcome to Star Trekking, my attempt to share points of interest and random intersections in the final frontier.
Today we’ll need some help as I ask you to cast your mind back.
The year was 1976, and here in US America we were primed to celebrate the country’s Bicentennial.
I rode the Freedom Train.
I collected coins.
I watched Bicentennial Minutes.
But most of all, I remember the logo.
It was everywhere, burned into the very recesses of my brain.
Heck, I may have had a T-shirt like this.
And there were plenty of media tie-ins, such as The U.S. of Archie.
But there was one tie-in I knew nothing about until this year.
My wife and I were strolling through an antique store where a rack of pinback buttons caught my eye. I still have fistfuls of pinbacks that I collected and wore in the eighties (Oh, hello, Star Trek V logo) but they live in a bucket in a back closet. There aren’t a lot of occasions where I’m eager to pin a big button on my jacket.
Anyway, one pin caught my eye and my wife immediately told me I should buy it so who was I to disobey?
And it took me a moment to comprehend the message, but when I did I was, of course, delighted.
See what they did there?
I did some quick googling but can’t find anything out there about the Star Trek Decicentennial. Who made the buttons? Were they handed out at a particular convention? Do you have any info about it? Let me know.
For me, the mid-seventies were the glory days, when I watched Star Trek every afternoon after school. I cashed in a savings bond my grandfather gave me and used the proceeds to buy some very important historical documents. The Blish novelizations gave us the closest thing to video on demand. Well, until we got the glory that was the FOTONOVEL.
Speaking of Star Trek V, the Inglorious Treksperts have posted a commentary track. Share your pain with them.
This weekend we here in US America once again celebrate our independence. I plan to gorge myself on burgers and take my family to a baseball game and maybe even light some fireworks.
And I think I’m going to wear my new pin.
E plebnista, friends. E plebnista.
Until next time, remember -
The human adventure is just beginning.
That Star Trek pin was an incredible find. I also remember being a kid during that Bicentennial summer. That logo was everywhere. Clearly, a Star Trek fan was inspired by the iconic logo to create a Star Trek version. I have never seen it before but it would be a welcome addition to my Star Trek pin collection. Qapla!