Letters to the stars (and what they sent back) in Kim's Star Trek Story
Leonard Nimoy as Spock and William Shatner as Captain Kirk, in a promotional photo from Star Trek
FEBRUARY 4, 2022 - Some treasures are meant to be shared! Listener Kim reached out to me recently looking for a new home for her collection of Star Trek memorabilia. She was looking for them to go to someone who would “take care of them and enjoy them” and after much deliberation, I decided that person was me. I told Kim I’d have them on one condition: that she share with me and Daily Star Trek News readers how she came to have them all. So without further ado, I present to you: Kim’s Star Trek Story (told in her words, and pictures).
I got the photos by writing to the original stars – Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner at the TV Studio address. When I wrote, obviously telling them what a huge fan I was and how much I loved their characters, I had absolutely no idea if I would get a response or not. When I got one answer, you know I went for the rest! Star Trek was brand new when I was a teenager so the show was really “out there” and out of the norm. It was good, serious stuff compared with the previous black and white TV shows like Lost in Space, and I was glued to the TV every week for a new episode. What made it so popular (and still does) was the comradery between the characters, the wonderful storylines and the great scripts. The whole letter writing campaign to save it was a huge win for the fans, and the rest is history.
I was such a fan, I had all of James Blish’s original paperbacks and every book you can imagine about “the making of.” We had a local Star Trek group that would meet downtown at the Milwaukee Library. I can remember attending meetings where we talked Trek and watched the then hard-to-get blooper reel that was attended by people dressed in character including blue skin and antennae and, once, Darth Vader from Star Wars. The people on the street didn’t know what quite to make of us. It was great fun! So wish I could get to the Chicago show this year in April but these old bones wouldn’t be able to take the walking.
When ST Next Generation came out, I have to say that I was excited and a little worried – would it, could it be as good? Well, we all know the answer to that now, and while they didn’t have Spock, how can you not love Data? Thus, the B&W photo from him, and the new captain, I may not have gotten a signed photo but that letter – yowsers! Captain Picard wrote to me!!! LOL! And because I loved STNG so much, I joined the official fan club and was running to the theater every time a new movie came out.
Meeting George Takei was so fun. He went to a local mall, and I stood in the crowd and listened to him with a hoard of other people and was fortunate enough to actually be able to speak to him in person. Such a nice man. I only had a paper bag on me so that’s what he signed – LOL! At the same time, my friend in Green Bay (Bud) had James Doohan come thru so the two of us were ecstatic and shared copies of the autographs with each other (xerox or not – still cool!).
Paper bag with George Takei’s signature, with a photocopy of a friend’s autograph from James Doohan
I wish I had some really fun stories for you, but I really don’t. I have just always been and still am a huge fan of Star Trek. To be honest, I have been disappointed in some of the other Star Trek series, but I have high hopes that Strange New Worlds is going to take us back to what the original series gave us – great characters who care for each other and whom we can all love, wonderful stories with that special talent that gives us those fantastic scripts. LIVE LONG AND PROSPER!
[Author’s note: this part of Kim’s story came later in our email thread]
Glad you enjoyed the stories. The only other one I can think of is about a friend who was also a huge fan – and so were his kids, especially his son. As a teenager, the son (after watching another show) told him that someday he was going to be a doctor on a real Star Ship Enterprise. That’s the kind of hope that original show gave us – and still does.
And, I have a surprise for you. I found a letter dated December 23, 1988 from Susan Sackett on behalf of Gene Roddenberry thanking me for my “enthusiasm” on the release of STNG. It’s on official Star Trek Next Generation stationery and typed (remember those old machines – I learned to type on a manual!) – I will send it along with the photos, etc.
Isn’t it funny what a crazy teenager can do by writing letters … who knew? It just became a fun thing for me. Many requests went unanswered, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.
