#NerdsUnite: Best Gifts To Get Any Star Trek Fan

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's Marcela De Vivo

Giving your friends presents is always fun, but perhaps no one is better to shop for than an obsessive collector. Not only are they likely to truly savor a well-chosen gift, but the advent of the internet has offered possibilities that are only as limited as your imagination. Trekkies are no exception among pop-culture addicts, and with eBay and other online stores, you can track down a galaxy of clever gift ideas.

1) Star Trek wine

Take me to your liter!  You can kill two birds with one stone if your friend is a oenophile as well as a Trekkie with this limited release from online wine merchants Vinport.  Beginning at a suggested retail price of $24.99, this mixture of reds comes in three different labels, each of which features a specially designed print celebrating a stone-classic episode of the show, including the legendary “Trouble With Tribbles.” 

The artwork here is truly dynamite, so if your friend is not so much of a wine person, the company sells suitable-for-framing prints.

Why not throw in a Klingon-themed corkscrew while you’re at it?

2) Leonard Nimoy/William Shatner albums

Over the years, Trekkies and lovers of novelty music have treasured the musical output of stars Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner.  Nimoy’s Spock’s Music from Outer Space is a particular tongue-and-check classic, with a straight-faced Mr. Spock speak-singing goofy tracks like “Twinkle Twinkle, Little Earth.” 

Shatner’s 1968 offering The Transformed Man is another delight, with Shatner blending over-the-top deliveries of Shakespeare monologues with histrionic interpretations of songs like “Mr. Tambourine Man.” 

Shatner’s so-bad-it’s-good legacy of music gained such attention over the years that he even made a more serious album that flirted with alternative rock, self-consciously titled Has Been, and it’s legitimately good. No true Star Trek fan should be without at least one of these albums.

3) Star Trek games

 Appealing to a rabid fan-base for forty years, Star Trek has boldly gone into business with about every possible product tie possible. Over the years, this has meant an avalanche of Trekkie-friendly games, ranging from original board games to spaced-out versions of old classics like Monopoly. 

For a group of proud sci-fi nerds ready to show off their trivia chops, SceneIt’s Star Trek installment of its popular DVD identification game is a great party present.

4) Star Trek cooking ware

The best presents are so often things with a daily, practical use, so if your friend loves to cook, spice up a humdrum utensil by making it Trekkie. There are plenty of novelties out there, so simply cross-search “Star Trek” with anything your friend uses on the regular-- pizza cutters, oven mitts and cookie cutters are all in existence, ready to help you put some great kitsch in the kitchen.  Yes, there is even a Star Trek cookbook.

5) Into Darkness merch

With the current hot release of J.J. Abram’s latest take on the franchise, Star Trek:  Into Darkness, the market is ablaze with a new wave of posters, promotional materials and clothing, giving plenty of options for anyone in love with the current wave of ST films. 

For a more social gift, take a group of fans out to see Into Darkness in IMAX if it’s playing in a theater near you. 

6) Replicas and other fan memorabilia

Another realm of staggering dimensions is that of collectible miniatures and toys commemorating the various incarnations of the show. Of course, a model of the Starship Enterprise is a natural choice, as would be either an action figure or mounted figurine of your friend’s favorite  character or episode. There are so many coffee-table Star Trek books in circulation that there are a number of guides just to navigate ST print material. 

As you may have guessed by now, if you can imagine it, it probably exists somewhere online.  Star Trek tea?  Tea. Earl Grey. Hot. awaits you. Golf club covers, underwear, smartphone covers that look like Enterprise communicators-- there’s something for every Trekkie! The best idea is simply to incorporate another side of your friend’s personality with their love of Star Trek and start browsing. 

Don’t let the fun stop there--think about getting some novelty wrapping or gift boxes to fully customize a theme gift. 

May the force be...er, gift long and prosper!

#nerdsunite

Marcela De Vivo is a freelance writer from Southern California who writes on everything from personal health and fitness, to gaming and technology, to business and marketing. She has many friends that are fans of Star Trek that would love any one of these gift ideas. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter today!