When Star Trek: The Next Generation first began airing, I recall being a bit skeptical. This was a completely different crew, with none of the familiar characters I loved, and at first, I found it a little hard to warm up to them, especially since it seemed like they took things so seriously, particularly no-nonsense Captain Jean-Luc Picard. I soon learned to love this new set of officers, however, and I appreciated Picard’s more professional manner. He wasn’t going to get into the sorts of shenanigans Kirk did, and he certainly wouldn’t be as prone to seducing members of nearly every culture he came across. While Data quickly became my favorite character, I enjoyed Patrick Stewart’s regal bearing and am generally inclined to look upon Picard more favorably than Captain Kirk.

In 1995, Hallmark released an ornament each featuring Captain Kirk and Captain Picard. The following year, I received both of them for Christmas. While Kirk is seated in his chair, evidently on the brink of a big decision, Picard stands at the ready for action, about to enter the Bridge, unless I’m much mistaken. He stands inside an octagonal chamber, which is open at the back and the front, which is wider. The ornament is five and a half inches tall. At its widest point in the front, it measures three and three quarters inches wide, while it’s two and three quarters inches in the back. The chamber is beige, while inside it are squares of silver, with a red stripe surrounded by two black stripes in the middle on both sides. He stands on a blue trapezoid, which adds a nice bit of color.

The main feature, of course, is Picard himself. He wears shiny black boots and long black pants. His uniform shirt is also partially black, though the bulk of it is a deep maroon color. As with Captain Kirk, the lines between his shoulders and torso stand out, and it seems as though his arms should move, but he is entirely stationary. Upon his chest is a silver insignia atop a gold oval. Both of Picard’s arms lie at his sides, with his pale hands dangling down. His face wears a concerned expression; I especially like the detail on the mouth. The top of his head is quite bald, but a fair amount of silvery hair can be seen below his ears if you look at him from the back.

It’s obvious that Hallmark hoped fans would buy Picard and Kirk as a set; each of the boxes advertises for the other, and the basic idea of each ornament is similar. Hence, the two ornaments have basically the same strengths and drawbacks. It’s a good likeness, and it’s high quality; after 13 years, mine is still in excellent condition. On the negative side, while the ornament stands easily on a flat surface, it doesn’t hang from the tree as naturally, since it’s so tall. It’s difficult to find a branch that will support something so bulky, especially when it also means finding a branch somewhat removed from the others so that it isn’t constantly bumping into different branches.

As with Kirk, though, the main disappointment is that this ornament has no interactive elements. The quick list of stats on the back features “Make it so” as Picard’s “Famous Words,” and that seems a very appropriate choice. Why couldn’t we have heard it too? I would much rather have a sound chip in my ornament than blinking lights or articulation, but either of those elements would have been nice as well. Of course, they also would have made the ornament more expensive.

If you are a fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation in general and Captain Picard in particular, you might want to consider inviting him to adorn your Christmas tree. He seems to be fairly readily available online, so plunk down 11 bucks and make it so!

This Holiday Write-Off review is my third entry for the Twelve Ornaments Before Christmas Write-Off.

Shuttlecraft Galileo
James T. Kirk

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 11