As a kid growing up in the 1990s, I must say Star Trek has given quite an influence to me. I remember that I used to like Data very much, and being an android seemed to be a great thing, having no feeling whatsoever.

And of course who was not mesmerised by the charisma of Captain Jean-Luc Picard? The firm and bold (or bald? hehe) captain was a perfect example of a true leader.

..And yes, I used to have a crush on Wesley Crusher.

So when I heard that there was a Star Trek exhibition, I was so eager to go. My friend Arris had gone there on the first week and it gave me more pressure to go there. I finally went there when my friend Mahdesi, a super trekkie, told me of a special price for its entrance fee (we paid 50,000 instead of 250,000).

The exhibition was held at Gandaria City, a new hip shopping mall in the south of Jakarta which was actually rather difficult to access. It occupied quite a big lot outside the mall (so it was not inside the mall) and it ran for more than a month (31 May – 13 July 2014)

We (i.e. Titing, mas Tirta, and I) had a great time walking through the exhibition. We could see the sketches of the enterprise, a timeline of all the Star Trek movies and series (so you could see when Spock actually came to Earth and when Lieutenant Sulu eventually became a Captain etc), and the costumes and equipment.

I think I got a bit too excited when I saw the photos of the characters displayed at the exhibition. I was like, “Whoaa George Takei!”, “Look! Patrick Stewart! It’s Captain Jean-Luc!” “Wil Wheaton! Wil Wheaton!”, and “Simon Pegg! Zachary Quinto!” I really felt like a teenage groupie at some point.

The costumes were I think one of the highlights of the exhibition. Not only that you could see the evolution of the costume design from time to time, but also the designs for each creature in their various lines of work. A pair of klingon footwear for example, they have some sort of claws that came out from between their toes. The suit worn by Spock to volcanoes had very delicate weaving with circular tessellation. I really think that the vulcans have the best sense of fashion.

Another highlight of the exhibition was the transporter and the star ship bridge, where visitors could pose as if they were actually being beamed up or being the captain of the ship. Whoa.

There was also a merchandise shop but they were all very expensive. The t-shirts were very cool though, and I would love to have one of the costumes.

But yes, it was a super cool exhibition. It really made me want to see all the Star Trek movies and TV series.

*Spock Salute*

ps: Much thanks to Mahdesi for the cheap ticket pass. You’re super awesome.