When Star Trek: The Next Generation
first began airing, I recall being a bit skeptical. This was a
completely different crew, with none of the familiar characters I loved,
and at first, I found it a little hard to warm up to them, especially
since it seemed like they took things so seriously, particularly
no-nonsense Captain Jean-Luc Picard. I soon learned to love this new set
of officers, however, and I appreciated Picard’s more professional
manner. He wasn’t going to get into the sorts of shenanigans Kirk did,
and he certainly wouldn’t be as prone to seducing members of nearly
every culture he came across. While Data quickly became my favorite
character, I enjoyed Patrick Stewart’s regal bearing and am generally
inclined to look upon Picard more favorably than Captain Kirk.
In 1995, Hallmark released an ornament each featuring Captain Kirk and
Captain Picard. The following year, I received both of them for
Christmas. While Kirk is seated in his chair, evidently on the brink of a
big decision, Picard stands at the ready for action, about to enter the
Bridge, unless I’m much mistaken. He stands inside an octagonal
chamber, which is open at the back and the front, which is wider. The
ornament is five and a half inches tall. At its widest point in the
front, it measures three and three quarters inches wide, while it’s two
and three quarters inches in the back. The chamber is beige, while
inside it are squares of silver, with a red stripe surrounded by two
black stripes in the middle on both sides. He stands on a blue
trapezoid, which adds a nice bit of color.
The main feature,
of course, is Picard himself. He wears shiny black boots and long black
pants. His uniform shirt is also partially black, though the bulk of it
is a deep maroon color. As with Captain Kirk, the lines between his
shoulders and torso stand out, and it seems as though his arms should
move, but he is entirely stationary. Upon his chest is a silver insignia
atop a gold oval. Both of Picard’s arms lie at his sides, with his pale
hands dangling down. His face wears a concerned expression; I
especially like the detail on the mouth. The top of his head is quite
bald, but a fair amount of silvery hair can be seen below his ears if
you look at him from the back.
It’s obvious that Hallmark
hoped fans would buy Picard and Kirk as a set; each of the boxes
advertises for the other, and the basic idea of each ornament is
similar. Hence, the two ornaments have basically the same strengths and
drawbacks. It’s a good likeness, and it’s high quality; after 13 years,
mine is still in excellent condition. On the negative side, while the
ornament stands easily on a flat surface, it doesn’t hang from the tree
as naturally, since it’s so tall. It’s difficult to find a branch that
will support something so bulky, especially when it also means finding a
branch somewhat removed from the others so that it isn’t constantly
bumping into different branches.
As with Kirk, though, the
main disappointment is that this ornament has no interactive elements.
The quick list of stats on the back features “Make it so” as Picard’s
“Famous Words,” and that seems a very appropriate choice. Why couldn’t
we have heard it too? I would much rather have a sound chip in my
ornament than blinking lights or articulation, but either of those
elements would have been nice as well. Of course, they also would have
made the ornament more expensive.
If you are a fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation
in general and Captain Picard in particular, you might want to consider
inviting him to adorn your Christmas tree. He seems to be fairly
readily available online, so plunk down 11 bucks and make it so!
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