There are plenty of pointy-eared fellows heading to Christmas trees for 2011. Santa’s elves? Nope. This time, we’re talking Vulcans and Romulans—and they will be available to Star Trek fans this month. For Hallmark’s 21st year of creating Keepsake Ornaments with a Star Trek theme, three new designs celebrate iconic characters, starships and moments from the original Star Trek series:
Romulan Bird-of-Prey—One of the most intimidating ships ever to face the U.S.S. Enterprise will join the fleet of Keepsake Ornaments in 2011. The Romulan Bird-of-Prey features light in areas including the ship’s plasma torpedo launcher and an underside hull decorated with a colorful bird from which the ship gets its name. It is the latest creation by Keepsake artist Lynn Norton, who has sculpted nearly every Star Trek ship that Hallmark has turned into a Keepsake Ornament since the very first one: Starship Enterprise in 1991. This Keepsake Ornament is 4 ½ inches wide and battery powered (batteries are included). $32.95
"Mirror, Mirror"—Valerie Shanks sculpted this classic scene of Dr. McCoy trapped in sickbay by Spock’s villainous counterpart from the Mirror Universe as depicted in the episode. Press a button on its base and play a dialogue clip of Spock initiating the mind meld that led him to discover McCoy’s true self. This Keepsake Ornament is 4 ¾ inches high and battery operated. $29.95
Spock—Enterprise’s Vulcan science officer consults his trusty tricorder in this pose depicting him in his familiar blue uniform. Sculpted by Anita Marra Rogers, it is the second in a Keepsake Ornament series titled Star Trek Legends, which will feature a character from the original series each year. This Keepsake Ornament is 4 ¼ inches high. $14.95
All three Keepsake Ornaments will be available for sale starting July 16 during Keepsake Ornament Premiere Weekend at Hallmark Gold Crown stores across the country.
Exclusively for Star Trek.com, here’s what Keepsake artists have to say about their work and their love for Star Trek on its 45th anniversary year.
Anita Marra Rogers on Spock
“My favorite part of doing an ornament like this one is trying my best to get my sculpture to look like the person I’m sculpting. This is the seventh time I have sculpted Mr. Spock for a Keepsake Ornament. The first time was back in 1996. Mr. Spock always has been really cool to me, but these days, he reminds me a lot of my son. My son is very intelligent, very logical and shows very little emotion. They even almost have the same hairstyle. If he had pointy ears, he would be a Vulcan! And my son’s name is Leonard, so considering Leonard Nimoy plays Spock, they have that in common.
As much as I enjoy the show, I didn’t really start watching Star Trek until I started working on the ornaments. When I was young, I was more into Lost in Space. Can I say that? Now, I especially like to watch the movies when they come on. My favorite thing about Star Trek is getting to enjoy the amazing level of creativity that goes into thinking up the imaginary people and aliens and spaceships and planets and everything. It’s so interesting to me to see what comes out of other people’s imaginations.”
Valerie Shanks on “Mirror, Mirror”
“’Mirror, Mirror’ is my absolute favorite episode. I love Spock with his beard—sizzling! But I love the whole series. I remember watching the show when it originally went into syndication and I was about 13 years old. I was hooked. I wanted to go into outer space. I wanted to see Mr. Spock—I had a major crush on him. I saw Gene Roddenberry when he came to a convention in Kansas City more than 30 years ago. I was so thrilled. I had posters on my bedroom wall from when he came to the convention—good thing my husband was really hooked on it then, too! But that was the first time I had gotten to see the original pilot episode, and seeing how wonderfully they incorporated that into ‘The Menagerie’ made me fall in love with the show even more.
It’s a real pleasure when I get to work on Star Trek Keepsake Ornaments. I strive to make the faces of the characters look as much like them and be as complimentary to them as possible. I have done paintwork and decal work for Star Trek designs before, but this is the first to have my name on it. This is my dream job, and it’s really my dream to work on something relating to Star Trek—and I think the collectors are going to love what we have coming up for them next year, too.”
Lynn Norton on Romulan Bird-of-Prey
“When it became evident that Keepsake Ornaments’ Star Trek ships were growing in popularity, I was asked by the planning team to identify possible candidates for the future. The Romulan Bird-of-Prey has been at the top of my wish list for more than 15 years. As the first alien ship ever to be seen in the original television series, it is an icon that defined and expanded the story of the Star Trek universe. I've always admired the filming model that was designed by Wah Ming Chang. Its deceptively simple appearance belies a complex interaction between hard angles and complex curves that made it a challenge to sculpt. I hope you enjoy the results as much as I do.
The greatest compliments I've ever received have come from the venerable Star Trek designer Rick Sternbach. He stopped by the Hallmark exhibit during the 30th anniversary celebration in Huntsville, Alabama, and pored over my original sculptures of ships—many of which he had designed for the shows. He was truly amazed by the attention to detail I was able to achieve at such a small scale. After all this time, he will occasionally greet me during online fan conversations and comment on the latest Star Trek Keepsake Ornaments.
Even on a fifteen-inch black and white television, I was hooked on Star Trek from the very beginning. Science fiction and fantasy had always been a staple in my love of books, movies and television stories, but this was something different. The complex visual effects and narrative suspended belief. More so, the writers’ liberal uses of allegory gave it an immediacy that imagined a possible future with alternative outcomes for war, economics, technology, gender and racial interactions. Besides that, it was and is a masterful creative endeavor that doesn't seem to have any limits. I can't wait to see what is beyond the next nebula.”
----------------Kevin Dilmore is a senior writer at Hallmark Cards supporting Keepsake Ornaments and the Keepsake Ornament Club. He also is an author of Star Trek fiction whose latest book, Star Trek Vanguard: Declassified, is on sale now. For additional information about Hallmark's Keepsake Ornaments, visit their official site at http://www.hallmark.com/online/product/keepsake-ornaments/.
