October 11, 1995. Copyright, 1995, Graphic News. All rights reserved

STAR TREKKING AT THE SCIENCE MUSEUM
By Nicholas Booth, Science Editor

LONDON, October 11, Graphic News Ñ If you fancy boldly going where no-one Ñ save a handful of very famous actors Ñ has gone before, then take a trip to London's Science Museum where a Star Trek  Exhibition is unveiled today. Full-size sets from the TV series as well as original costumes (some of which are beautifully tailored) are on display along with original hardware and props. Museum staff wearing Star Trek uniforms will also be on-hand to make sense of warp drives, matter transportation and, of course, Chief Engineer Scottie's eternally-overheating dilithium crystals.

The Star Trek  Exhibition acknowledges the debt the sci-fi series owes to real science and its enduring popularity. It is reckoned that somewhere on planet Earth an episode is being shown on television 24 hours a day every day of the year. Originally, three series were made in the 1960s before poor ratings led to its cancellation in 1969. A series of movies followed, the most recent of which is the 7th instalment, and has now been followed by three more television spinoffs, the latest of which, "Voyagers", starts on Sky on October 19th.

If anything, Britons are more keen on the series than Americans Ñ per head of population, we actually spend more on memorabilia and merchandising spinoffs. The films alone have grossed more than £370 million, there are over 60 million books in circulation, 200 conventions are held a year around the world, and a wine bar in central London is dedicated each Saturday night to the series. (The uninitiated should beware - die-hard fans are "Trekkers" not "Trekkies"!)

The exhibition at the Science Museum, reveals just how prescient some of the ideas turned out to be. The phasers used to stun the Star Fleet's enemies, are obviously based on lasers which are now commonly available, and the United Nations has called for such weapons to be banned. The Exhibit also shows a communicator Ñ which many thought far-fetched in the sixties Ñ next to the latest generation of handheld portables. 

And while we cannot build warp drives, transporters or medical tricorders, the ideas behind them do have some basis in reality. Given the recent publicity he gave for the possibility of time travel, it should be remembered that Professor Stephen Hawking himself appeared in an episode of Star Trek - The New Generation  playing a hand of poker with Albert Einstein and Sir Isaac Newton.

The exhibition runs until 25th February 1996, with a number of special events planned over the next few weeks. On October 19th, Mr. Sulu (actor George Takei) will beam down to the museum, followed on November 15th, by Mr. Spock himself (Leonard Nimoy). Sadly, the series' originator, Gene Roddenberry, has not lived to see the 30th anniversary of the series next year. But the former airline pilot has voyaged boldly where none of his cast ever did in reality Ñ in 1992, the year after his death, Roddenberry's ashes were flown aboard the Space Shuttle. 

Sources: The Science Museum, Paramount Pictures

EDITOR'S NOTE:  This exhibition will tour around Britain after next February, but at the time of writing, venues have not been confirmed. For further information call Chrissy Cottle at TPS Publicity on (0171) 630 7964.

The Science Museum is at (0171) 938 8000
Web Address: http://www.nmsi.ac.uk

ADMISSION PRICES		Museum & Star Trek		Star Trek Only

ADULTS				£8.00					£4.95

CONCESSIONS:
	Children			£4.50					£2.95
	Students			£4.50					£2.95
	Unemployed		£4.50					£2.95
	O.A.P.s			£4.50					£2.95

For advance bookings, call First Call on (0990) 661030 and educational groups, (0171) 938 8184.