PopCult Rudy Panucci on Pop Culture

The 2016 PopCult Gift Guide: Star Trek

giftguide-graphic-0082016 marks the 50th anniversary of Star Trek, and there’s a ton of merchandise out there commemorating this event. We’re going to look at just a few items for the Trekker, Trekkie or Trek-head on your holiday shopping list.

First up, we have a really cool item that we saw at Toy Fair, the Star Trek U.S.S Enterprise NCC-1701-A RC from Air Hogs. This real flying model comes complete with a celebratory 50th Anniversary display stand, and is a limited edition RC spaceship, perfect for collectors and enthusiasts alike.Check out our video here…

81klww9cbcl-_sl1500_Made with Trekkies in mind, the Air Hogs Star Trek U.S.S. Enterprise RC features an authentic replica design with details that are sure to impress even the biggest fans! Plus this U.S.S. Enterprise Remote Control spaceship has real lights and 10 authentic Star Trek sounds, including a phaser sound effect!

You should be able to find this at any store that sells Air Hogs, but again, Amazon has a pretty sweet deal on it right now.

socksStar Trek Spock with Ears Crew Socks

Who wouldn’t want to have socks with ears?  I mean, these are socks bearing the likeness of Mr. Spock, the half-human/half-Vulcan first mate on the Enterprise, played by the late, beloved, Leonard Nimoy. How could you not want them.

You can putter around your house in your sock feet and order “Mr. Sock” to take you to another room. These would be great to wear to a formal occasion where you’ve been told not to embarrass anybody.

Or you can wander the streets wearing nothing but these and when confronted by people scream “Something illogical is afoot!”

These will set you back less than ten bucks from various online retailers.

Video

91mdoo9n1hl-_sl1500_Star Trek Beyond was this year’s theatrical entry in the rebooted Star Trek Universe, and  it had a somewhat mixed reaction among long-time Star Trek fans. In “Beyond,” the Enterprise crew explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a mysterious new enemy who puts them and everything the Federation stands for to the test.

There are purists who hate these new movies, and there are folks who love them and are eating them up with a spoon. It is available in multiple video formats, but before you buy it as a gift, make sure your intended receipient will welcome it.

Star Trek Beyond is available anywhere videos are sold.

If you want to play it safe, there are a couple of video collections that may just do the trick.

91vht1nub8l-_sl1500_Star Trek: The Original Series – The Complete Series (Remastered) presents the original Star Trek TV show, remastered with upgraded CGI special effects. Again, there are purists who may freak out over this, but for fans of the original series who want to share their passion with a younger generation, more accustomed to computer animated graphics, this might be the best way to go.

The twenty-five set disc is available on DVD for under fifty bucks, and on Blu-Ray for under sixty. It’s perfect or fans of the original series who want a physical copy to add to their library, and it is a whole new experience seeing these classic shows with upgraded effects. You can find it at some brick and mortar stores, but your best bet is Amazon.

81tf8mm6ofl-_sl1500_Leaving purist pursuits behind, we have Star Trek The Next Generation The Complete Series which weighs in at a whopping 48 discs, but still sells for under a hundred dollars. This was the second live-action television show in the Star Trek Universe, set a couple hundred years after the original series with an all-new crew manning the rebuilt Starship Enterprise.

You’ll get seven seasons of the show on DVD and they are well worth watching. This show captured the sensibility of the original series and brought it further into the future, building on the Star Trek mythos with the introductions of The Borgs and the mad diety, “Q.”

You can find this on Amazon with a decent price, but you may want to be wary of some of the video options. The Blu-Ray set seems to be a UK release with dodgy compatibility on US video systems.

There are countless other toys and games, and in fact we’ll probably show you a Special Star Trek item on our “Big Dollar” day during the gift guide, but these ideas ought to give you enough to boldly go and start your shopping.

The 2016 PopCult gift Guide continues tomorrow, so head over to the transporter room and beam yourself down.