I Won Captain Kirk's Star Trek Communicator from Gene Roddenberry's Son

It's surreal. I own Captain Kirk's communicator.

When I heard of the contest sponsored by Roddenberry.Com, the website of Majel Barret Roddenberry and Eugene Roddenberry - Star Trek creator's wife and son respectively, it sounded perfect. The Theme: What Roddenberry Means To Me? The aim was to express how Gene Roddenberry influenced your life. The grand prize was a Communicator prop replica - the walkie-talkies Kirk used which now look like fat cell phones. As an admirer of his enormous contribution to entertainment and pop culture, I didn't hesitate to enter.

I love Star Trek and clearly remember watching the first time. I even remember the actual scene. Squire of Gothos featured the super powered alien being called Trelane and he danced with a female member of Kirk's crew. I was about five years old. Before then my TV viewing consisted of Tom and Jerry, Warner BrothersLooney Tunes and the Batman television show. Such light viewing fare didn't prepare me for the wonders of a galaxy spanning starship like the Enterprise. Star Trek warped into my life and it's never left it.

As the years passed, I supplemented my Star Trek experience with the animated series - also created by Gene Roddenberry. Once again, there was something special. Essentially Roddenberry fully translated his groundbreaking show over into an animated format. Make no mistake; while it played on Saturday mornings amidst the other kiddie cartoons, it wasn't childish fodder to amuse freshly liberated tykes on weekend furlough from grammar school.

By high school, I wasn't watching Star Trek, but reading it. I had discovered the novels courtesy of a good friend and these books not only kept the sci-fi show alive for me and others, but expanded the universe Gene Roddenberry had originally created in the 1960's.