[press release]
TO BOLDLY GO!
ROYAL MAIL REVEALS NEW STAR TREK SPECIAL STAMPS!
Issue Date: 13 November 2020

• Royal Mail has revealed images of new Special Stamps that celebrate the iconic, long running Star Trek franchise
• Star Trek was first broadcast in the UK in 1969 and has featured British acting talent throughout its history
• 12 stamps depict the captains from six principle TV series, plus additional crew members: Captain James T Kirk; Spock; Captain Jean-Luc Picard; Commander Deanna Troi; Captain Benjamin Sisko; Doctor Julian Bashir; Captain Kathryn Janeway; Captain Jonathan Archer; Lieutenant Malcolm Reed; Captain Gabriel Lorca; Lieutenant Ash Tyler; and Commander Michael Burnham
• A further six stamps, presented in a miniature sheet, feature characters from across the movies of the Star Trek franchise, and are all played by British actors: Montgomery Scott; Shinzon; Tolian Soran; Klingon Chancellor Gorkon; Carol Marcus; and Krall
• January 2020 saw the launch of Star Trek: Picard, in which Patrick Stewart reprised his iconic role for a new adventure
• The 12 main character stamps are new illustrations by London-based artist Freya Betts; the images portray the iconic characters alongside reflective details, including starships, in the background of their respective series
• Star Trek was created by American writer and producer Gene Roddenberry and first aired on US TV in 1966
• The long-running space-opera has so far produced more than 780 TV episodes and 13 movies
• Screened globally, it has been a cult phenomenon for decades and has catchphrases that are in common use
• The full set of 18 stamps, available in a Presentation Pack, retails at £14.80 TBC
• The stamps and a range of collectible products are available now to pre-order from www.royalmail.com/startrek and go on general sale on 13 November

Royal Mail has revealed images of a new set of Special Stamps that celebrate the iconic, long running Star Trek TV and film franchise.

Star Trek was first broadcast in the UK in 1969 and has featured British acting talent throughout its history.

The set comprises 12 stamps that depict the captains from six principle TV series, plus additional crew members: Captain James T Kirk; Spock; Captain Jean-Luc Picard; Commander Deanna Troi; Captain Benjamin Sisko; Doctor Julian Bashir; Captain Kathryn Janeway; Captain Jonathan Archer; Lieutenant Malcolm Reed; Captain Gabriel Lorca; Lieutenant Ash Tyler; and Commander Michael Burnham. Six of these characters are played by British actors.

A further six stamps, presented in a miniature sheet, feature characters from across the movies of the franchise, and are all played by British actors: Montgomery Scott; Shinzon; Tolian Soran; Klingon Chancellor Gorkon; Carol Marcus; and Krall.

Star Trek was the brainchild of pilot turned writer-producer Gene Roddenberry, who envisaged a science fiction show where thrilling interstellar action was combined with a thoughtful exploration of moral issues.

With its ethnically diverse cast and optimistic vision of a united future, Star Trek launched on American television in September 1966; its mission to transport viewers on a journey into the farthest reaches of the universe, telling epic stories, filled with excitement and intrigue.

The long-running space-opera has, to date, produced more than 780 episodes and 13 movies. Screened globally, it has been a cult phenomenon for decades and has produced catch phrases that are in common use.

The 12 main character stamps were illustrated by London-based, illustrator, Freya Betts. Each stamp portrays the characters alongside reflective details in the background of their respective shows, including the iconic starships.

Inspired by his time serving in the US Air Force, his love of CS Forester’s nautical adventure stories and science fiction movies such as 1956’s Forbidden Planet, writer-producer Gene Roddenberry first pitched Star Trek to TV companies in 1964. The show would follow the crew of an Earth-based starship, originally called the Yorktown but later renamed the Enterprise, as they explored the galaxy, making weekly stops on alien planets and encountering all kinds of non-human life.

Signing a contract with Desilu, a production company owned by comedy star Lucille Ball, Roddenberry brought in skilled writers and other collaborators to help him develop Star Trek into a weekly series that would resonate with American TV audiences. After several false starts, the show was first broadcast on the NBC network in September 1966. It was first broadcast in the UK in 1969, with repeats over the next decade building its popularity and cementing its place in popular culture.

Star Trek wasn’t the first sci-fi show on television, but it was by far the smartest, posing vital questions about the future of humanity while filling the screen with the bizarre creatures popular with viewers. But the heart of the show was its memorable cast of characters, a diverse group led by the noble Captain James T Kirk and committed to the peaceful principles of the United Federation of Planets.

In 1987 Gene Rodenberry launched Star Trek: The Next Generation which introduced a new Enterprise and crew under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, which ran for an astonishing 178 episodes. Further series have followed, with this year seeing the launch of Star Trek: Picard, where actor Patrick Stewart reprised his iconic role for a new adventure.

Philip Parker, Royal Mail, said: “For more than 50 years Star Trek has enthralled and inspired generations of loyal fans with extraordinary adventures and an optimistic vision of humanity’s future. We celebrate the Star Trek Universe with stylish new stamps of its iconic characters.”

The full set of 18 stamps, available in a Presentation Pack, retails at £14.80.

The stamps and a range of collectible products are available now to pre-order from www.royalmail.com/startrek and go on general sale on 13 November.

Actors who feature in the main 12-stamp set:
William Shatner; Leonard Nimoy; Patrick Stewart; Marina Sirtis Avery Brooks; Alexander Siddig; Kate Mulgrew; Scott Bakula; Dominic Keating; Jason Isaacs; Shazad Latif; and Sonequa Martin-Green.

Actors who feature in the miniature sheet:
Simon Pegg; Tom Hardy; Malcolm McDowell; David Warner; Alice Eve; and Idris Elba.