Memorabilia from the original 1960s series of Star Trek is to boldly go where no memorablia has gone quite so boldly before when it is auctioned off in London in October. Items from the cult series are usually guaranteed to generate the interest of people across the globe but higher prices than ever are expected from one of the finest collections to go to public auction for nearly twenty years.

The hottest item in the auction, with a cool one million dollar price tag, is an original girdle as worn by Captain Kirk in the final series. ‘It would be like a Catholic owning the very first vulgate Bible… only we can wear it,’ said Star Trek historian, Andrew Bleakbladder. ‘If you remember episode s3e21, “The Savage Curtain” — stardate 5906.4 to those of us living by the only reasonable calender — well, this is the very same girdle that Scotty accidentally de-materialised during Kirk’s negotiations with the Excalbians. Of course, this show went out in 1969 and the network censors still didn’t know whether it was acceptable to show pendulous male breasts during peak hours. Needless to say, Kirk saved the day and the girdle went on to star in eight series of T.J. Hooker.’

Also making the auction room are a rare set of Spock’s ears complete with headband (pictured above), Bones’ scowl, and the original (and most infamous) split infinative in the history of the English language. Collectors are already thought to be making large sealed bids for the fake Russian accent used by actor Walter Koenig who played Pavel Chekov. The accent, which has its own listing on the Internet Movie Database, has been since used by William Hurt for the film version of Gorky Park, and more recently, Harrison Ford in K-19: The Widowmaker.

Proceeds from the auction will be used to build the world’s first working warp-coil. William Shatner, speaking from Lebanon where he is working as a peace negotiator on behalf of George Bush, gave the auction his blessing but then added: ‘But who… gives a damn… about Star Trek? Please get me out of here! There are bombs… and shooting… and I’ve run out of bagels!’

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