The Best Gifts for ‘Star Trek’ Fans
If there’s a Star Trek fan in your life then you’ve lucked out, we’re incredibly easy to buy presents for. There are decades worth of Star Trek content, from movies to comics to weird handmade zines, and so much merchandise aimed at fans that no matter the specific tastes of your person, there’s going to be something out there that they like. If the plethora of options has you feeling overwhelmed by the sheer amount of material out there, however, don’t worry—we’ve put together a list of gift ideas to help you get started. Just make sure you know which bits of Trek your person actually likes first and you’re golden (if you got me Captain Archer-themed anything, for example, I’d have to seriously reevaluate our friendship). Now boldly go and worship at the altar of seasonal capitalism.
Delta Shield comm badge pin
Seriously, if your beloved Trekkie doesn’t already have one of these lapel pins then they definitely need one. I still cherish the comm badge pin my godfather gave me when I was eleven for my Jadzia Dax costume, and before that, he used to wear it on his leather jacket. So the appeal is pretty ubiquitous across fan demographics. This particular one is gold and rhodium plated so it’s fancy, but you’ll find older ones made of base metal around on the internet if you look hard enough.
Captain Picard bathrobe
We can agree that of all the Captains, Picard definitely knows how to relax in luxury. Mr. Earl Grey Tea, silk pajamas, nice wine, and hot archeologists to drink it with—yeah, Picard gets it. So it makes sense that a luxury plush Star Trek bathrobe would be Picard-themed; he knows the value of relaxation and comfort. I honestly think this would be a great gift for the Star Trek Dads (and Parent-types in general), because you know they’re not going to buy something like a nice bathrobe for themselves.
Starship Enterprise tree topper
It’s a Starship Enterprise tree topper! I am childishly delighted by this, to be honest. I would have begged for it as a kid. It lights up! It plays the Star Trek theme if you plug it in and press the button! I’m genuinely so glad this exists in the world and you know, you know if you have friends that live a hardcore Trek lifestyle who also decorate for Christmas that this is the gift to make their lives complete. There’s a bunch of individual officer ornaments that you can buy separately (because they’ve figured out how to maximize getting us to open our wallets), that unlock additional features if you connect them up, so that’s the next few years’ Christmases sorted as well (unless they buy them for themselves first).
William Riker rubber duck
It’s Commander/Captain Riker in rubber duck form. I don’t know, I just find him charming. I’m told some people collect rubber duck versions of various characters and archetypes so if your Trekkie friend/family member happens to have a house full of those, this is clearly a double win of a gift. But even if they’re just a Trekkie and not a … rubber duckie? (I don’t know what the word would be) I still think this Riker duck makes an excellent gift because just look at him. He has a beard! A smug expression! A lil’ trombone! Don’t you want one in your bathroom?
Star Trek socks
The most traditional of Christmas gifts with a Star Trek twist. I’m probably weird in that I actually like getting socks for Christmas (as long as they’re fun socks anyway) but if you’re looking to include some just for laughs in your person’s package, or if they actually need socks, then I think some Star Trek socks are the answer. These ones are Star Fleet Academy Command Track socks, and I love that they’re so specific.
Star Trek trans pride shirt
We’ve all seen the meme right? The one using Good Place screencaps, with Eleanor asking since when had Trek been about wokeness and Chidi in front of the blackboard pointing to the date it first went on the air. Well, the meme makers are right, Star Trek has always been about a better, progressive future, even if earlier Treks don’t always meet the mark with modern hindsight. What better way to lean into that than with a Star Trek trans pride shirt? Featuring the ships trailing trans pride colors, wearing it is an excellent way to weed out those missed-the-point fans, and show a little allyship for the trans people in your circle if you happen to be cis. It’s a great gift for a queer fan or an ally is what I’m saying, and they have similar shirts with other pride flag colors if you want one that matches their specific identity.
Q cup
It’s Q but you can drink out of his head! I don’t know why that pleases me so much but it does. I love how cute he looks in this particular cartoony art style, and I can imagine Picard being really amused about getting to drink out of one of these if they existed in his world. They’re made out of ceramic with a silicon outer sleeve so they’re nicely insulated and won’t be full of all those alarming plastic-based carcinogens our old travel mugs had. If you like the idea but don’t want to being a Q into your house (fair) they have a number of other characters too.
Star Trek Christmas jumpers
I mean this one is self-explanatory but also very specific. If you’ve got a friend or family member who likes ugly Christmas sweaters and would appreciate a Star Trek-themed one then you’re in luck, because it turns out the perfect gift does exist and it’s this Kirk and Spock Christmas sweater. It even says “beam me up Santa” which is so corny I love it. Also a great option if you have some sort of ugly Christmas sweater tradition in your family and a Star Trek-themed one would improve the experience for the less enthusiastic participants.
Tri-dimensional chess set
Everyone who’s a Star Trek: Next Generation fan has wanted to play tri-dimensional chess and now, if you get them this tri-dimensional chess set, they can! It’s so cool that people have actually designed and figured out rules for this game, and of course, it’s the Noble Collection people who are selling it. With seven connected boards, I can only assume it’s incredibly complicated, and at £140 it’s also a pretty expensive gift. Maybe something to go in on with a group for a hardcore Star Trek fan.
Quark’s bar glasses
Perfect for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine fans this set of four pint glasses with the Quark’s Bar logo on them will let them pretend they’re actually on the promenade. Maybe a good choice for someone who collects pints and other drinks glasses in addition to being a Trekkie, or just someone who really loves Deep Space 9 and wishes they could have a drink with Dax. (It’s us. We wish we could have a drink with Dax.)
(featured image: TUBBZ)
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