Why is Christie's doing this auction? Why now?

Christie's has long been proud to be the market leader in collectibles and famous estate property. From Clark Gable and Marlon Brando to Barbra Streisand and Eric Clapton, Christie's has consistently been the house of choice to handle high-profile collections. Over the past 40 years, Star Trek in its various incarnations has had a monumental influence on pop culture, inspiring a global fan base to become one of the most popular franchises in television and movie history. By taking on the first official studio-sponsored auction of Star Trek to commemorate its 40th anniversary, we expect it to join the ranks of our previous ground-breaking auctions and become a seminal pop-culture event for fans of all generations. In terms of worldwide appeal and potential revenue, we anticipate this collection will be most comparable to the recent highly successful Marilyn Monroe auction. We are proud to host this rare and unique collection of items representing each chapter of the Star Trek story, from the very first television series to the most recent movies and series.

Why is Paramount releasing their Star Trek items for auctions now?

This year, Star Trek's 40^th anniversary will be celebrated at countless events around the globe, supported by the fans, actors, and all those involved in the franchise's long and storied history. Over the past 40 years, Star Trek has affected the lives of many people around the globe, and continues to do so today. It has affected scientists, technology, and even the space program — the bridge of the Enterprise has been studied by NASA, the Air Force, Navy, and DARPA [Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency] — and has been hailed as a marvel of modern design. Star Trek has uniquely impacted several generations of fans — from the current baby-boomer generation who grew up with the show, to today's tech-savvy youth who continue to support the franchise in all its new incarnations — and has launched the careers of many of Hollywood's most respected actors and actresses over the years. In honor of this historic moment in pop culture, CBS Paramount Television Studios has decided to open its legendary vaults from Star Trek for the first time, with the goal of giving back thousands of unique and memorable items to the fans of all walks of life who continue to support the franchise.

Is the auction a sign that the studio is abandoning Star Trek by selling off all its items? Is the fact that the studio is trying to clear its Star Trek collection a sign of the decline of its popularity?

Absolutely not. In fact, to the contrary, Star Trek's popularity has continued to grow over the years, having expanded from just TV at first, to now include motion pictures, novels, games, collectibles, conventions, magazines, comics, and countless other sources of new material and events being put out each year to expand the Star Trek universe on a daily basis. CBS Paramount Television Studios and Christie's are proud to give back to this great community of fans now, in honor of Star Trek's 40^th Anniversary, by opening our vaults for the first time to them.

Does Christie's usually tour its auctions? Why is this one being toured?

A number of Christie's high-profile auctions of collectibles have gone on tour to share the items to the interested public, including the Marilyn Monroe and Eric Clapton collections. The Star Trek Collection is unique, however, in that there is extraordinary public demand from across the globe to view the auction items. As such, we are building on the extensive fan community already in place to allow fans from all over to view some of these exciting items in person. From our first exhibit in Germany at Europe's largest Star Trek convention, to showings at the official Star Trek convention in Las Vegas, and a 40^th Anniversary Gala & Celebration in Seattle, we are catering to fans from all walks of life who would like to take part in this historic pop-culture event.*

What are some of the highlights of the auction? Most memorable items?

The collection includes items representing each chapter of the Star Trek story, from the very first television series to the most recent, Enterprise. The items for auction range from costumes and small props, to models, large-scale props and sets.

Auction Highlights include: a replica of Captain James Kirk's chair from the original television series made for the 1996 Deep Space Nine episode "Trials and Tribble-ations” (estimate: $10,000-15,000); two console sections made as replicas, also for "Trials and Tribble-ations," of the Enterprise bridge from the original television series (estimate: $6,000-8,000); over 60 special-effects models, including the Enterprise-A miniature used for visual effects in "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country," and a Romulan Warbird used in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (estimate: $10,000-15,000); costumes worn by all major Original Series main characters — Captain Kirk, Spock, Scotty, and Uhura — as well as from the later generations of Star Trek — Captain Picard's Starfleet jumpsuit and Deanna Troi's Starfleet mini-dress worn in the pilot episode for The Next Generation.

If this is the first studio-sponsored auction, does that mean that other memorable items not included have been taken by cast and crew over the years? What has happened to other iconic items not included in this auction?

While there have been small-scale unofficial auctions in the past of some Star Trek collectibles that have been lost to the studio for one reason or another, none have ever been on the scale of this one. Over 1,000 lots from the official archives of CBS Paramount Television will uniquely include material from all of the Star Trek television series and movies over the years. As part of this, for instance, the original costumes worn by several generations of Star Trek's most famous main characters — from Kirk and Spock to Captain Picard — will be brought together side-by-side in this auction, allowing for a truly rare event in the franchise's history. This auction will commemorate not just one aspect of Star Trek, but the entire spectrum of its history over the past 40 years.

What is so special about this auction? Haven't there been other Star Trek auctions before?

This auction marks the first time that CBS Paramount Television Studios has opened its vaults on official Star Trek items to the public. Over 1,000 lots from the never-before-released archives of CBS Paramount Television will include material from all of the Star Trek television series and movies, encompassing costumes, props, weapons, set dressings, detailed models of the Enterprise and various alien ship and space stations. The collection includes items representing each chapter of the Star Trek story, from the very first television series to the most recent show, Enterprise. Never has a collection of this scope and depth come to the auction market, nor will it ever again.

How will the auction work?

Because of the large amount of public interest in this auction, we are announcing it months earlier than we normally would, to allow time for an extensive tour of some of the auction's highlights and top items. This traveling exhibit of highlights will begin May 19-21 in Germany at Fedcon, the largest Star Trek convention in Western Europe. Pre-sale highlights viewing will then take place at Comic-Con in San Diego, July 20-23; Christie's South Kensington, London, August 3-8; the Creation Entertainment's Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas, August 17-20; PlanetXpo's 40^th Anniversary Gala & Celebration in Seattle, September 8-10; and then Christie's Los Angeles, September 12-16. After all that, the auction will be brought to New York City for a showing from September 29-October 4. The auction itself will take place October 5-7.

UPDATE: Admission to the auction will be by ticket only to registered bidders and up to one guest. Ticket recipients will be chosen via lottery for each day of the sale. All those wishing to be entered in the lottery should pre-register to bid no later than September 15th and will be notified by mail if successful.

Is this auction related to the new Star Trek movie?

The Star Trek Collection is in celebration of the 40^th Anniversary of Star Trek. We can't discuss any of the recent rumors about the new Star Trek movie, as motion pictures are handled by our sister company, Paramount Pictures. Any future movie news will be available on Star Trek's official site, STARTREK.COM. We're not surprised that a new Star Trek movie is now in the works, and we're sure that the enormous popularity the franchise continues to have around the world will ensure that it continues to evolve and develop in the coming years.

Christie's has long been the house of choice to handle high-profile collections, as witnessed by the recent success of the Marilyn Monroe auction. Over the past 40 years, Star Trek in its various incarnations has had a monumental influence on pop culture, inspiring a global fan base, and becoming one of the most popular franchises in television and movie history. By taking on the first official studio-sponsored auction of Star Trek to commemorate its 40th anniversary, we expect it to join the ranks of our previous ground-breaking auctions and become a seminal pop-culture event for fans of all generations. We are proud to host this rare and unique collection of items representing each chapter of the Star Trek story, from the very first television series to the most recent movie.

Could you please explain the difference between CBS Paramount TV and Paramount Pictures?

Since the 1960s, Paramount Pictures consisted of a movie division and a television division. Within the past two years, they split and the movie division is a part of Viacom while the television division is a part of CBS Corporation. Called CBS Paramount Television, this division is involved in this auction and many other aspects of the Star Trek franchise.

*Items to be included in the Highlights tour include:

Vulcan Kolinahr Necklace
Captain Kirk's Insignia
Starship Enterprise-A Miniature
Type-2 Phaser made for "Nemesis" - Hero Version
Type-2 Phaser made for "Nemesis" - Stunt Version
Admiral Kirk's Blue Leisure Suit from "ST:II"
2 Chateau Picard Wine Bottles
Bridge Dedication Plaque for Enterprise-E
Captain Kirk's "Go Climb A Rock" T-Shirt
McCoy's Blue Leisure Suit from "ST:II"
Romulan Warbird Miniature Model
Runabout Miniature
Picard's Flute (includes case)
Security ID Badges
Zefram Cochrane Sculpture
Kira's Bajoran Earing
Picard's Starfleet Jumpsuit (includes boots)
Jeri Ryan's (Seven of Nine) Jumpsuit
Costume Notes for Brent Spiner (Data)
Cardassian Circuit Panels
Vulcan Tapestry
Captain Janeway's Desktop Computer
Prop Data Modules from Enterprise