Mexican Jewelry Trek

While reading up on vintage Mexican jewelry, as one does, I encountered the work of Sigi Pineda and was struck by one particular form he uses again and again, which strongly suggests the iconic Starfleet insignia. Pineda’s work, dating to the mid-1950s, was designed first. These are some examples of his jewelry, which could easily adorn a Starfleet uniform, and wall hangings, which would look at home on any Starfleet admiral’s office wall.

It’s generally believed that William Ware Theiss, Star Trek’s original costume designer, derived the insignia from the red chevron of the NASA logo, designed in 1959, but it’s impossible to ignore the similarity to Pineda’s work. Was Theiss aware of these sleek, midcentury-modern designs? Maybe they had just entered the general gestalt, or perhaps it’s all just an uncanny coincidence. Theiss is gone, and we’ll never know.

Slingshot around the sun: Star Trek Convention 1975, New York

When I was a wee Trekkie, I was lucky enough to attend seven New York Star Trek conventions from 1974 to 1977. Sadly, I didn't save the program from the very first one, but I did save the rest. I've been meaning to digitize them for ages, but it never rose to the top of my to-do list -- until now. It just took a nudge from my orthopedic surgeon (i.e. I'm laid up after foot surgery).

This is the program from the con held Feb. 14-17 at New York's Commodore Hotel, called (drumroll please) ... Star Trek Convention. Yup. Just what it says on the tin. Guests included Gene Roddenberry, William Shatner, George Takei, Isaac Asimov, David Gerrold, and more.

This program (like all the others from back in the day) is packed with publicity stills and behind-the-scenes candids. Back in those prehistoric, pre-internet times, these were like gold and made the programs treasured souvenirs. Also of interest to fandom historians (if such exist): listings of zines and fan clubs. There's also a recap of the previous year's con from superfan Joan Winston. Enjoy!