I was just listening on the radio to an interview with a man from the Midlands who has created a replica of the Starship Enterprise, or very tiny parts of it given its intergalactic cruiser status, in his very tiny bedsit flat.
It had started off as a project to take his mind off his marriage break up and soon became something of a) an obsession and b) the fulfillment in adult life of a childhood fascination with all things sci-fi.
The reporter was a bit flippant in his approach to the interview and persisted in a line of questioning which, in a nutshell, was trying to force the Trekkie to admit that he had completely wasted his time over the last 2 years of assembling an authentic control panel for the Transporter Room and in the pursuit of an endeavour which was of no sense, function or logic.
In fact the exercise had proven to be completely therapeutic and to a certain extent calming and reassuring. This would be a stark contrast to the usual responses to the trauma of a break-up of getting drunk, buying a motorbike, having a Tattoo and subscribing to a dodgy website promising imminent delivery of a mail-order bride from parts east.
Undertaking such a project does call for a very high degree of accuracy and authenticity not to mention potential cost for materials. The approach was on the basis that if the original TV series props were fashioned and fabricated by joiners and model makers then what was to stop a DIY enthusiast from acheiving much the same outcome. First stop was the home improvement warehouse for the timber and fixings for the main frame and surfaces. The bedsit flat at only 50 square metres will have contravened many regulations for safe working practice and I feel a bit sorry for neighbours , either adjoining or above and below who may have felt they were living with a construction site.
I can vaguely remember the actual control consol from watching the TV series. It was a large desk, which with lights, paddles , switches and those big handle type mechanisms resembled a keyboard or organ. It was usually an expendable crew member on duty in case any undesirables were beamed aboard or with Scottie in control if the landing party were returning having destroyed a planet and were a bit upbeat and quite well humoured even with that dour Spock.
The interviewee did say that he had to send off for the circuit boards and dials in the interests of getting the scale, appearance and sights and sounds just right. I cannot imagine what sort of business would be sustainable if their main product range consisted of knobs and things as seen in the movies. I am convinced that an internet search along those lines would place a number of images on the hard drive of your computer which may be difficult to subsequently explain away on a convincing and plausible basis.
The interviewer was intrigued about the practiciality of actually living amongst the replicated Enterprise. In order to accommodate the fittings there appears to have been some surrender of basic comforts. A window to the main bedsit room had been boarded over to give additional display space with the consequence that there was now no view of the Midlands or natural light. Given the occupants obviously spatial imagination this will not have been an issue. The delicate subject of sanitary arrangements was raised. I cannot ever remember Kirk or the crew taking a toilet break or fidgeting about from leg to leg if caught short on the surface of a hostile planet. The dark,glistening stain of fresh urine up a galactic landscape was never an artistic issue in the programme. The Trekkie's response was to purchase a WC with a push button flush operation which he considered to be the closest thing to his imaginations for the bathroom facilities on the starship. Other domestic apparatus were not mentioned but it would be interesting to see what was used as a kitchen sink.
The downside of the whole enterprise was that the guy was still single. Apparently his return to the dating game had not matched him up with anyone who could appreciate his dedication and enthusiasm. I find that a bit disappointing but not in any way surprising. There was genuine sadness with the disclosure that the offer of the console to the London Science Museum and later the UK Space Centre had not been taken up. The options left after this frankly narrow minded attitude were either to dismantle the thing, not however a serious option, or go full ahead with creating more props. It was not necessary to always dress up as James T. or a crew member in order to enjoy the diorama in the bedsit. The chap did admit to having a few homemade uniforms but these were only worn for interviews from what was evidently a global interest in what he had created.
As for his estranged wife and four children they sincerely hoped and prayed that it was just a phaser he was going through.
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