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Star Trek Cast Celebrates 45 Years, Part 5

Star Trek Cast Celebrates 45 Years, Part 5


Star Trek officially debuted 45 years ago this week, with the episode "The Man Trap." No one quite realized it at the time -- how could they? -- but life would never be the same after that. Gene Roddenberry's so-called "Wagon Train to the Stars" went on to become iconic, one of the most important and influential entertainment franchises in history. Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei and Walter Koenig have graciously agreed to help StarTrek.com commemorate Star Trek's 45th anniversary by each answering several questions in person, by phone or via email. So, visit StarTrek.com daily between now and Saturday to read their replies.And here's question number five:

What's your most cherished Star Trek keepsake?Nimoy: I cherish the pair of Spock ears which are encased in a frame and sit on my desk. They’re last pair I wore on The Original Series.Nichols: Uhura's original earpiece... so lovingly presented to me on the last day of shooting in 1969 by Prop Master Supreme Irving Feinberg. Subsequently, I was presented with a second earpiece in 2009 under a display globe that reads "Nichelle Nichols - Uhura - Thank you for communicating your special message of love and peace." Koenig: The only thing I have, really, is the leather outfit from The Voyage Home. And I’m trying to sell that! But that’s the only I have. I have the full outfit -- the pants, the jacket.

Takei: The Captain Sulu uniform from Star Trek IV. They gave me the uniform. I thought, “I should not keep this in my closet. I need to share it with a larger public.” I’m a board member and former chairman of the board of the Japanese-American National Museum. So I donated the uniform to the museum, and we got a lot of Star Trek traffic. They may not have been interested in Japanese-American history, but they came to see the Captain Sulu uniform. Shatner: You know, I don't have any. I've been remiss on any of that kind of thing.

Click here to read part 1 of this article, here to read part 2, here to read part 3 of this article, and here to read part 4.

Tomorrow, the surviving TOS cast answers the question What would you like to say to the fans who've been there since the start or just are coming on board now?