Star Trek Costume Fabric 

Costume Fabric Worn by Captain James T. Kirk

Accession Number: 2024-ST-TOS-KF-01
Object Type: Television costume relic (fabric fragment), displayed within an autographed trading card
Date: 1966 - 1969
Origin: United States, Desilu Productions / Paramount Television
Material: Textile fabric (screen-worn costume material); printed card stock; ink (autograph)
Dimensions: Fabric fragment embedded within a standard trading card. Overall card dimensions approximately 2.5 × 3.5 inches
Provenance: The textile fragment embedded in this card is production-used costume fabric worn by William Shatner while portraying Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek: The Original Series. The material originates from studio wardrobe assets preserved and later released through officially licensed archival channels. The accompanying autograph was personally obtained by the collector and independently authenticated by SWAU (Star Wars Autograph Universe).
Acquisition: Relic card obtained through licensed archival release. Autograph acquired in person by the collector in 2024.
Collection Status: Permanent Collection

What This Artifact Represents

This artifact represents the material culture of Star Trek: The Original Series, a television program that transformed science fiction into a framework for ethical leadership, social progress, and optimism about humanity’s future. The costume fabric itself was part of the visual language that defined Captain James T. Kirk, a character who embodied command, exploration, and moral responsibility during the height of the Space Age.

As a physical remnant of a televised production, the fragment reflects how fictional narratives can exert real cultural influence, shaping public imagination during a period marked by Cold War tension, the Space Race, and rapid social change.

About This Specific Piece

This specimen is a fragment of screen-worn costume fabric used during the production of Star Trek: The Original Series. The fabric was worn by William Shatner while portraying Captain James T. Kirk, making it a direct material witness to the creation of one of television’s most influential characters.

Unlike props or replicas produced after filming, costume textiles move with the performer, absorb lighting, and become inseparable from the physical act of performance. This fragment once formed part of Kirk’s iconic uniform, a garment that became synonymous with leadership, decisiveness, and human-centered authority. Its survival reflects the growing recognition of television costuming as an important form of cultural and historical artifact.

Interpretive Note

When Star Trek: The Original Series premiered in 1966, it offered a vision of the future grounded not in conquest, but in exploration guided by responsibility and cooperation. Captain Kirk’s uniform—bold in color and unmistakable in design—projected confidence while remaining approachable, reinforcing the series’ belief in ethical command and human judgment.

This fabric fragment endures not merely as memorabilia, but as a material trace of televised storytelling that helped redefine science fiction’s role in society. It stands as a reminder that ideas about leadership and the future are often carried forward through popular culture, preserved today in the smallest surviving fragments.