I have always been a fan of Star Trek,
so when the original series began running in syndication again when I
was in fifth grade, I was thrilled. Suddenly, it seemed like Star Trek
was everywhere. That Christmas, my favorite commercial was the one in
which Leonard Nimoy stopped into a Hallmark and patiently listened as
the clerk enthusiastically described the new Shuttlecraft Galileo
ornament. When her spiel was finished, the man who Is or Is Not Spock,
depending on which autobiography you read, flashed her a gesture
familiar to any good Trekkie. “Oh, I know, ‘Live Long and Prosper,’
right?” she gushed. “No,” Nimoy smiled. “I’ll take five.”
Undoubtedly Nimoy knew a lot more Trekkies than we did and had a lot
more money to plunk down for Hallmark ornaments. But we did buy one, and
every year it’s one of the ornaments I most look forward to hanging up.
The ornament is inspired by the season one episode The Galileo Seven,
which finds Spock, McCoy and Scotty, along with four redshirts, on a
dangerous mission on board the titular shuttle. The episode first aired
in 1967, while this ornament was released in 1992.
The
ornament is simply the shuttlecraft, which is light gray in color,
except for the underside and the nacelles, which are dark gray. The gold
loop for the hook is the only thing on the flat top of the shuttle. The
slanted front has three gray windows, “Galileo” in red script and
“U.S.S. ENTERPRISE” in black print below that. The two sides are mostly
identical to each other, with “Galileo” in the same red font near the
front and “U. S. S. Enterprise” in the same black font near the bottom,
surrounded by a red stripe. Above that is “NCC-1701 / 7,” also in the
black print. The only difference between the two sides is that one has a
double door. “NCC-1701 / 7” is also in black on the nacelles,
surrounded by a red stripe. Along the back of the shuttle is a row of
windows, this time actual holes rather than representations in paint.
After 17 years, the words have shown a little bit of wear, but it’s
still easily readable despite the slightly speckly appearance. No part
of the shuttle, which measures three and a half inches long and one and a
quarter inches high, has broken. Of course, as much as I like the
shuttle itself, my favorite element of this ornament is the “Magic Voice
and Light!” promised by the box. Light-up features are always fun, but
what I really love is hearing Spock’s voice coming out of the ornament.
Just plug the green plug into a Christmas light port and press the
button, and you can hear him say, “Shuttlecraft to Enterprise,
shuttlecraft to Enterprise. Spock here. Happy Holidays. Live long and
prosper.” Now, one might argue that logical Spock would be unlikely to
open hailing frequencies for such a frivolous statement. But this
episode ends with the crew chuckling over Spock making a rather
emotionally motivated decision, so it seems somewhat
episode-appropriate. And if you really want to get silly, plug it into a
string of blinking lights and hear his transmission break up (though
the box instructions frown on this).
This ornament is large
enough that it stands out but small enough that it’s not awkward to find
a place where it will hang on the tree easily. And if you want to keep
the shuttlecraft set up year-round, it stands easily on flat surfaces.
I’ve admired many Star Trek ornaments over the years, and I’ve
owned three. This one is my favorite. If you love Spock as much as I do,
the Shuttlecraft Galileo might just be worth a trip to eBay or
www.hookedonhallmark.com, where it is currently available for $10. Have a
very prosperous Christmas!
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