April 1968 concept drawing by H.M.S. Associates (Aurora subcontractor) showing Spock facing off with alien birds instead of a three-headed snake.
H.M.S. Associates concept drawing. 4/28/68
1972 Aurora: Aurora initially conceived a Spock figure concept around 1968, shelved it only to later revive the project years later via Aurora UK. Aurora UK officially released the 1:12 scale Mr. Spock kit (Model No. S922) in 1972, featuring Spock standing on a rocky base alongside a strange, non-canon three-headed serpent and alien vegetation. The image on the box cover is of the original handmade model, not the kit and is reversed; Spock’s phaser is in the wrong hand and the Delta insignia is on the wrong side.
1973 Aluminum Model Toys (AMT): The earliest version features a wide, horizontal “panorama style” landscape box. It displays a prominent “amt” logo inside a small red square in the lower-left corner and no stylized Star Trek franchise lettering.
1974 (S956)
1975 (S956): A completely reimagined retail box to aid retailers’ shelf space.
1975 AMT Catalog
1976 (AMT Acquires Tooling): AMT officially bought the Spock figure’s steel tooling outright from Aurora in 1976.
1979 AMT/Lesney Products (under Matchbox partnership): This version marked the most extreme design shift. To capitalize on Star Trek: The Motion Picture, AMT modified the physical plastic mold. They removed the three-headed serpent entirely, updated Spock’s classic uniform to the movie version, and switched his right arm to a pointing gesture instead of holding a phaser. The box features a stark black starfield design highlighting the updated movie figure. (Kit ID: #S973)
“To modify Spock, AMT had taken the phaser out of his hand and just had him point his finger for some reason, and completely omitted the entire base section that had the snake heads emerging from a pit. Here is a picture of the tool (the correct term given to a steel mold for injection casting) showing how the modification of the base was done. An insert was put in place (shown as a bronze coloured section in the lower left quarter of the picture) that effectively destroyed the original version. The top left quarter of the tool, which contained the snake heads, was simply blocked off (picture courtesy of Jamie Hood at Round 2). But a few years ago, after Round 2 had acquired AMT, they decided to restore the kit to its original condition, re-tooling the missing section that the 1979 insert occupied.” –You’ve Been Modified, Mr. Spock!, SmallArtWorks.substack.com, 12/19/242009 Round 2 Models (under the AMT brand): Round 2 restored the modified tooling back to its original layout, bringing back the classic “Spock vs. Snake” diorama after it had been out of production for over 30 years. It was distributed in two primary styles: a standard vintage-style cardboard box (#625, above) and a highly sought-after embossed collector’s tin box (#624, below) that featured a prominent vertical Star Trek retro logo.
Available Now! Star Trek™: The Original Series Space Serpent Attack! Ornament – $36.99
This is an official promotional still featuring Jess Bush as Nurse Christine Chapel by photographer James Dimmock for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. The image was first distributed to media outlets ahead of the show’s series premiere. Comparing the ornament to the publicity image Chapel is captured in the identical three-quarter stance, looking toward her left shoulder with the same facial expression. She is holding the same white medical PADD flat in her hands, positioned across her midsection. The sculpt captures her white jumpsuit from the pilot, complete with the distinct honeycomb patterned texture on the shoulders and upper sleeves.
Available Now! Star Trek™: Strange New Worlds Nurse Christine Chapel Ornament – $23.99
In nearly any other year on the Monday after Comic-Con International in San Diego, the last thing I’d be doing is penning a rundown of our 2026 Star Trek Keepsake Ornaments after repeating this information uncounted times to visitors to our Hallmark space in the convention’s exhibit hall.
Well, 2026 was not that year. While I can’t go into details, please know that our choice to drop out of convention spaces this year was not an easy one. Our absence freed needed time for us to discuss different ways of connecting with fans interested in making Keepsake Ornaments a part of their favorite property collections. I’m eager for what’s next with Keepsake Ornaments in general and our Star Trek ornaments in particular. On that note, allow me to share some info about what’s in store for Star Trek’s diamond jubilee.
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Shuttlecraft Galileo NCC-1701/7
Galileo in stores now
Let’s start with what I regard as our tip of the hat not only to 60 years of Star Trek history but also to 35 years of Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments’ association with the property. In 2024, when I began concepting Star Trek ornaments for this year’s line, the first thought I had was to return the voice of Leonard Nimoy to Star Trek Christmas trees after age, mishaps, and modern LED light strings might have taken it away.
Getting one of our talented Keepsake artists to sculpt a detailed and screen-accurate Shuttlecraft Galileo would not be so tough, that I knew. Adding the original audio that Mr. Nimoy recorded especially for Hallmark’s second-ever Star Trek Keepsake Ornament, released in 1992, seemed nearly impossible. Hallmark sound engineers puzzled over this with me. We considered recording the audio played through the original ornament’s tiny speaker but ruled that out once we plugged the decades-old ornament into a vintage light string and heard it. We considered finding a way to play the sound chip directly into a computer to create a new sound file. We even (briefly) considered using software enhancement to bring more clarity and depth to audio printed on the original chip before rejecting that idea.
I decided to reach out to my pal and former Hallmark colleague Lynn Norton, who you will recognize as the sculptor of many a Star Trek ship for Keepsake Ornaments, to see whether he might have saved a digital file of that recording. I played the hunch as I know Lynn is terrific about preserving the history of Hallmark’s collaborations with Star Trek. He informed me with regret that he had nothing like that among his archives.
“What I do have is the cassette tape of the full recording session with Leonard Nimoy for the ornament,” Lynn wrote in his emailed reply. “Is that something you’d want?”
Why, yes, Lynn. I’d like that very much.
I remember feeling the hair on my arms stand up as I read that revelation. What an artifact! Lynn said he socked that tape away as a souvenir for his wife, Tina Hacker, who wrote the line for Mr. Nimoy to record. Lynn said they had not played the tape in decades. He wasn’t even sure whether it would play. We set up a lunch meeting (because I never turn down an excuse to eat) and he loaned me the cassette.
Chris Johnson of Hallmark’s New Media Studio acquired a cassette player with a direct audio feed into a laptop just for the occasion. He fast-forwarded and rewound the tape to loosen it up, decided to record the first test of the tape, and hit play. Almost immediately, we were transported to the moment when Leonard Nimoy first read the line “Shuttlecraft to Enterprise. Shuttlecraft to Enterprise. Spock here. Happy holidays. Live long and prosper.”
The full session contained multiple takes of the line and lasted just under four minutes. The sound quality of the tape was wonderfully high; I felt like we were in the room as it was being recorded originally. Chris immediately checked the digital capture of the tape, which sounded noticeably slow but clear, then rewound the tape to transfer a second playthrough. The tape, however, did not cooperate. As soon as it slowed and started to strain against the player, he shut it off to avoid snapping it. Our first capture would have to do.
In listening to the transfer, we each noticed some drag in the tape. Chris was able to speed up the playback by small increments until Mr. Nimoy’s voice—Spock’s voice—sounded just as it did in the ornament. With multiple playbacks, we discovered that the ornament used the actor’s very first take excepting the phrase “Happy holidays,” which was pulled from his second take because of a slight quaver in his voice. We copied the edit, earned approval from CBS, and that file is what you hear in the Galileo ornament, which now operates on batteries rather than a connector for power.
We also chose to supplement the 1992 ornament’s audio with an audio clip from the final moments of “The Galileo Seven,” which features the trusty shuttlecraft and many of its capabilities.
U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-G
Enterprise G in stores now
Back in 2018, Keepsake Ornaments produced a new take on the original U.S.S. Enterprise when artists brought a metal ornament to the tree. I have wanted to see a run of metal Enterprise versions ever since, so we’re giving this a try to see whether other fans and collectors agree with me. We started—or perhaps “resumed” is the better word—this treatment with the Enterprise-G, which previously was available only as an event exclusive made from traditional materials.
U.S.S. Cerritos
Cerritos in stores now
Lower decks! Lower decks! When taken across my 21-year Hallmark career, I’d say the most frequent request for an ornament I’ve ever fielded was for the Enterprise-B. Since we fulfilled that request in 2024, cries have come from far and wide for the Cerritos. Who am I to argue?
Space Serpent Attack!
Space Serpent Attack! in stores October 10th
The second Keepsake Ornament to honor iconic examples of Star Trek products is this representation of the Mr. Spock model kit first produced in 1972 (if the internet is to be believed). I loved this depiction of what the model kit box described as “Star Trek’s Most Popular Character.” This kit was one of several I built back in the day that my mom painted for me as she was much better at it than I was!
Nurse Christine Chapel
Nurse Chapel in stores October 10th
I’m very happy to bring this rendition of one of Star Trek’s original characters to our Christmas trees as a Nurse Chapel ornament is long overdue. We see her as she appears in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds because I saw this as a chance to represent the future of Star Trek given that half of our 2026 ornaments hail from the original series.
Shuttlecraft Einstein NCC-1701/6
Einstein available October 8-11 at Hallmark.com
We all have our favorite Star Trek episodes. Among mine is “The Doomsday Machine,” a second-season entry of the original series. Beyond the terrific script by science-fiction author Norman Spinrad and the ominous score by Sol Kaplan (one of only two he composed for the series), the episode features one of the top guest performances in all of Star Trek in William Windom’s portrayal of the tragic Commodore Matt Decker. I’ve wanted to get Matt Decker into a Keepsake Ornament for years. The opportunity presented itself with our new sculpt of the original series shuttlecraft. In October, you can bring the Commodore’s ill-fated attempt to save uncounted Federation lives to your tree with our limited-edition ornament of the Shuttlecraft Einstein.
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As always, I am thankful for this forum to connect with you all, for your support of what we do at Hallmark, and for your interest in sharing not only your enjoyment of Star Trek but also your belief in what the show has represented for 60 years. We’re hard at work fine-tuning our offerings for 2027 and I’m already brainstorming ideas for 2028. I look forward to telling you all about it.
Selling at Warp Speed – Enterprise tree ornament is a hot item
Captain’s log, stardate 12/19/91:
A tourist from Detroit has skipped New York City’s Christmas sites to comb Hallmark stores in Manhattan looking for it.
One store at Roosevelt Field Shopping Center in Nassau County has 150 people on a waiting list crossing their fingers hoping to get it.
And 200 people a day are calling the consumer affairs office of Hallmark Cards Inc. in Kansas City screaming for it.
This object of desire is a $20 replica of the Starship Enterprise from “Star Trek” with blinking red and green lights. It is Hallmark’s most successful Christmas ornament since they launched the Hallmark Keepsake Magic Christmas Ornaments line in 1973.
At a time when it seems like nothing is selling, there doesn’t seem to be a store anywhere where the Starship hasn’t sold out.
If you didn’t buy the 5-inch-long Enterprise when it first hit area stores in July, or put your name on a waiting list along with legions of other wishful owners, there’s little hope you can get it
“This is the most demand we have ever had for a single ornament? Helgager, spokeswoman for Hallmark cards. “There are waiting lists in some stores of as many as three hundred people.”
The ornament was designed to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Star Trek television show. It also coincided with the pre-Christmas premiere of “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Coun-try.” The death of the show’s creator Gene Roddenberry apparently has also boosted interest in the already popular Star Trek paraphernalia.
“Those factors I’m sure had a lot to do with the phenomenon of the ornament,” Helgager said.
Hallmark won’t release production statistics but Helgager said there are 11,000 stores in the United States that could have ordered the ornament. Hallmark store owners in the New York area said they ordered a few dozen ornaments each back in July.
The starship first hit the shelves along with other Hallmark ornaments in July as part of a special pre-season preview for collectors and others.
“It was an immediate sellout,” said Ron Falbee, owner of LeMarc’s Hallmark Stores at Roosevelt Field Shopping Center. There are 150 people on his store’s waiting list.
“They still want it,” he said, “even if it comes in January.”
Kevin Dilmore tests out the Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator Arcade Game at the Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, Nevada back in 2013. This is the very machine that would be photographed a decade later when bringing the 2025 Keepsake to fruition.
The cabinet graphics would be recreated by Orville Wilson from art on a brochure for the game. The gameplay heard in the ornament and seen on the display was captured while Kevin played an online emulator of the game.
(No word if a Kevin Dilmore pose-able action figure will be available at a later date.)
The 2025 Hologram Janeway ornament, available in October, has its roots from a promotional image from First Contact Day in 2021.
Monday, April 5, 2021: “Star Trek: Prodigy” Panel (5:30PM ET / 2:30PM ET): Kevin and Dan Hageman are joined by Star Trek: Voyager’s Captain Kathryn Janeway herself, Kate Mulgrew, who is reprising her role in animated form in Prodigy, as they talk about the highly anticipated upcoming CG-animated kids series. -“Clear Your Calendars and Make Room for STAR TREK’s April 5 FIRST CONTACT DAY Celebration” TrekCore, 5/30/21
Although we had an early look at the Prodigy characters in October of 2020, it was during this panel that we had our first look at Janeway’s Prodigy look.
April 5, 2021 Star Trek: Prodigy promotional image.
TrekCore even went a step further to inform us as to which season of Star Trek: Voyager this new Janeway-Prodigy look was grounded in.
October 2025 marks the arrival of our second-ever Seven of Nine Hallmark ornament—this time in a miniature format. It’s been a full 25 years since the release of the original Seven ornament, which featured our favorite former Borg in her iconic blue catsuit. That earlier design drew inspiration directly from Star Trek: Voyager promotional imagery and quickly became a fan favorite. This year’s ornament inspiration, however, seems to take a different approach altogether. Rather than revisiting familiar promo shots, the new miniature appears to draw from a more recent source: the highly detailed EXO-6 1/6 scale Seven of Nine figure released in 2022. That collectible included a range of interchangeable hand options and showcased an attention to character-specific detail that seems echoed in this latest ornament.
This 1:6-scale figure re-creates this iconic character in exquisite 1:6 detail. Standing approximately 11.5 inches tall, every element, from her purple cat suit and matching holsters for phaser and tricorder to the Borg implants, is authentically reproduced. The original portrait sculpt of Jeri Ryan has an authentic, hand-painted likeness. –EXO-6.com
2024’s miniature Spock ornament appears to be inspired from a 1978 publicity still for Star Trek: The Motion Picture. In the publicity photo Spock’s head is turned to the right, toward the camera, while the ornament has Spock’s head a bit straighter.
Publicity photo (left), Hallmark ornament promotional image (right).Publicity photo (left), Hallmark ornament (right).A publicity photo of Leonard Nimoy (left), Deforest Kelly (right) and William Shatner (center) in characters of Spock, McCoy and Kirk during the filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, 1978.Publicity photo before special effects were added to the windows.
“I still am pinching myself that it actually exists. Keepsake Artist Orville Wilson and Hallmark sound engineer Chris Johnson did masterful work bringing this to life considering the lengths we went for source material. The sculpt is based on dozens of photos I took of a sit-down cabinet on display in the Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, Nevada. The cabinet graphics were recreated by Orville from art on a brochure for the game I picked up on eBay. The gameplay heard in the ornament and seen on the display was captured while I played an online emulator of the game.” -Kevin Dilmore
Screen graphic of the Kobayashi Maru from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
The Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator arcade game by Sega was the first official Star Trek arcade video game. Released in January 1983, it was inspired in part by the Kobayashi Maru simulation seen in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Its vector graphics display was meant to mirror those seen in the beginning of the film. Leonard Nimoy and James Doohan provided the voices of their Star Trek: The Original Series characters.
SEGA’s revolutionary “cockpit” arcade cabinet.
The arcade game was released in two versions. The standard “upright” game cabinet model was fashioned after similar games of the day, with standard screen and control layouts. In addition, a special “Captain’s Chair” sit-down model was fashioned to simulate that on the bridge of the refit USS Enterprise as seen in the first three Star Trek films. Its controls were built into the chair in which the player sat, with the game screen situated in a separate console in front of the player. In both cases, the game included a rudimentary voice simulator which used Scotty’s voice to give you command, and Spock’s to welcome you aboard and announce entry into each sector. (Neither was the actual actor’s voice, but a computerized impersonation.)
Arcade screen graphics.
The player steers the ship by a rotary knob (situated either on the upright console’s front or the sit-down chair’s left-hand arm), while control for impulse, warpdrive, phasers, and photon torpedoes are a set of four game buttons (next to the dial on the upright or on the right-hand arm of the sit-down’s chair). The game screen is divided into three sections. The upper left shows the player’s score as well as the ship’s amount of shield energy (green line), photon torpedoes (red boxes) and warp energy (blue line). The upper right gives an overall view of the sector, including enemy ships and starbases (with which the ship can dock to re-energize shields, restock torpedoes, re-fuel the warp drive, and repair any damage suffered from attacks). The lower part of the screen shows a direct forward view (similar to the viewscreen on the Enterprise bridge).
We finally get to lay our eyes on the 2025 Hallmark Star Trek lineup and it is spectacular. Nine ornaments in all representing six Trek series! Of course we knew about Prodigy’s Janeway and Picard’s U.S.S. Titan but there is also a big Borg table decoration, TNG’S Guinan, a Lower Decks two pack of Boimler and Mariner, a Star Trek arcade game and even minis of U.S.S. Voyager and Seven of Nine in her plum catsuit! WHEW!!!
We will delve deeper into the individual ornaments later but for now let’s just soak these in…
Miniature ornaments…
With word spreading about Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments’ 2025 assortment, I’m back to share some background on our Star Trek offerings for this year.
Representing Star Trek: The Next Generation, we have Guinan in a pose inspired by her appearance in the season 2 episode “Q Who.” Available in October.
Representing Star Trek: Picard, we have the U.S.S. Titan NCC-80102-A as seen in season 3. Available in October.
Representing Star Trek: Prodigy, we have Hologram Janeway, the U.S.S. Protostar’s holographic training advisor. Available in October.
Representing fan-favorite Star Trek official products, we have a re-creation of 1983’s Star Trek Strategic Operations Simulator Arcade Game in its sit-down “Captain’s Chair” cabinet. This ornament features a lighted display and original sounds from the game. Available in October.
Indulge me in a little elaboration on this ornament. How many of us wanted to own this arcade game? How many of us actually do? Well, as far as I’m concerned, this ornament is the next best thing to it. I still am pinching myself that it actually exists. Keepsake Artist Orville Wilson and Hallmark sound engineer Chris Johnson did masterful work bringing this to life considering the lengths we went for source material. The sculpt is based on dozens of photos I took of a sit-down cabinet on display in the Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, Nevada. The cabinet graphics were recreated by Orville from art on a brochure for the game I picked up on eBay. The gameplay heard in the ornament and seen on the display was captured while I played an online emulator of the game. I hope you relish it as much as I!
To celebrate the fifth anniversary of Star Trek: Lower Decks, we have a two-pack of Ensigns Beckett Mariner and Bradward Boimler. Available in July.
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Star Trek: Voyager, we have two miniature ornaments:
—Seven of Nine in a plum variation of her outfit prescribed by the Emergency Medical Hologram, which debuted in season 5. Available in October.
—The U.S.S. Voyager in a scaled-down version. Available in October.
To celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Star Trek: The Next Generation two-part episode “The Best of Both Worlds,” we have the Beware the Borg! Table Decoration. When connected to its included power cord, the cube can be set to either a continuing colorful light display or a light display accompanied by atmospheric sound effects of a Borg cube interior. When the button is pressed, the cube plays a three-act performance of dialogue and sound effects from the episode.
There you have it—our complete lineup for 2025. Or is it . . . ?
U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-B (Nexus Damage), Star Trek Generations™ Keepsake Ornament – To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Star Trek Generations feature film, this lighted event-exclusive Keepsake Ornament depicts damage sustained by the U.S.S. Enterprise-B while encountering the Nexus ribbon.—Only 3,200 Produced! $35.
Hallmark at San Diego Comic-Con: This year at San Diego Comic-Con, July 25-28, fans will have the chance to purchase highly sought-after event exclusives and more limited-edition fandom must-haves from both Hallmark booths. All products on display will either be for purchase or sneak peeks!
Hallmark For All Fankind Booth #3348: Variety of pop culture products from sci-fi to gaming to anime and more available for purchase and 2024 sneak peeks on display, plus a button giveaway!
Hallmark at New York Comic Con: The same Six Exclusive Ornaments and Rainbow Brite Exclusive Pin PLUS a Ghostbusters Exclusive Pin will be available at the Hallmark Booth at New York Comic Con, October 17-20. Other on-site activities planned for the event released closer to the date.
Comic Con Exclusive Product Details: The event exclusives will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis at the Hallmark booths when the convention opens each day. Sales permit one of each exclusive product to be sold per person, per transaction while supplies last.
Allotments will be divided evenly each day of the two comic conventions. Additionally, a small quantity of some of the exclusives will be made available for Keepsake Ornament Club Members. For more information on KOC membership, visit Hallmark.com/KOC.
Pros: The detail in the folds and creases of Chekov’s tunic is remarkable, especially given the small scale. It’s a testament to how refined the Storyteller series has become. Cons: No Chekov screams from the agony booth? A missed opportunity for both drama and delight!
Okay, FOR THE RECORD, I had the audio pulled for the agony booth scene. Just imagine the lights on the base swirling as Chekov screams.
SPOCK: Captain, I am pleased that you frustrated Mister Chekov’s plan. I should regret your death. KIRK: Why? SPOCK: I do not desire the captaincy. I much prefer my scientific duties. I am frankly content to be a lesser target. KIRK: Logical, as always, Mister Spock. (Chekov screaming) SPOCK: The agony booth is a most effective means of discipline. I presume you’ve ordered full duration. KIRK: I haven’t decided. SPOCK: Indeed. His act warrants death. KIRK: I said I haven’t decided. SPOCK: That is, of course, your affair.
This is a big moment in the story. It’s our recognizing that Spock knows something is up. But I was told that no one wants blood-curdling screams coming from a Christmas tree.
I’m not sure when the official announcement is planned regarding our 2024 convention exclusives. I’ll say that the announcement likely will be of interest to this group. 🙂
Image from “Mirror, Mirror” showing the absence of the Terran Empire symbol on the saucer section.
In regard to the Terran Empire insignia, I do hear ya but that’s how the licensor was wanting things back then. We were not the only ones in that situation.
Those are fair comments. Not just ornaments but any consumer products produced early in a TV show’s run feel like missed opportunities as time passes. I do have a soft spot in my heart for this one for a couple of reasons. Doug Jones is a great friend of us who work at Hallmark’s booth at Comic-Con International in San Diego, so I enjoyed capturing his character in ornament form. I also got the chance to give one of these to Sonequa Martin-Green when we attended a Star Trek convention in Las Vegas in 2019. She had not seen it before I gave it to her, and her joy was very apparent.
Pike: Our mission? We explore. We seek out new life and new civilizations. We boldly go where no one has gone before.
Uhura: Cool…sir.
Pike: Let’s take her out, Lieutenant Ortegas. Warp factor two. Hit it.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds “Strange New Worlds” Season 1, Episode 1
What you hear is what you get. 🙂 I was happy to be allowed to pull voices from multiple characters for the audio storytelling despite only Captain Pike being represented in the ornament. I’m looking forward to doing that more.
