The latest season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds comes out on July 17, 2025. When you count movies and short films, there are nearly 1,000 installments of Star Trek, with more on the way over the next few years. With such a huge backlog of episodes, collectors can find a ready market for props used in the shows. Some are relatively cheap, while others are eye-wateringly expensive.
The most valuable types of props are those known as “hero” props—highly detailed props intended for close-ups, often held by main cast members. Somewhat cheaper are general props used by extras. Finally—and least expensively—there are replicas.
The Original Series and Movies
Phasers, communicators, and tricorders are among the most famous props from Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS). When a prop can be linked to a key actor in the show, prices rise astronomically. This trend is known as “screen matching.” For example, a phaser wielded by William Shatner in his legendary role as Captain James T. Kirk sold for close to $1 million at an auction in 2024.
In TOS, communicators were hand-held devices that actors memorably flipped open to talk into. Shatner was provided two communicator props during the run of TOS, known as “Alpha” and “Beta.” “Beta,” which had long been thought lost, was rediscovered and sold for $780,000 in 2024.
During TOS, a phaser rifle is seen during one early episode—“Where No Man Has Gone Before,” in which Captain Kirk’s friend and fellow officer, Gary Mitchell, is imbued with godlike powers. Mitchell’s sanity begins to slip, leading him to declare himself a god, ultimately forcing Kirk to stop him with the help of the phaser rifle. It was never used again in the series. The one-of-a-kind prop sold for $615,000 in 2021. Interestingly, the same prop sold in 2013 for $240,000, showing incredible appreciation in value. This is due to its increased age, but perhaps also down to the new era of Star Trek that began with Discovery in 2018, bringing in a new legion of Trekkies.
Less valuable than TOS are hero props from the movies. One of the best Star Trek films—The Wrath of Khan—saw the Enterprise crew forced into a terrifying dogfight against Kirk’s old nemesis, Khan Noonien Singh. In 2023, a hero phaser from the film (likely wielded by Chekov actor Walter Koenig) sold for nearly $30,000 in 2023.
One method of picking up Star Trek–related props for low prices is exploring the world of replicas. Replica phasers, communicators, and tricorders can be bought for a fraction of the cost of an original item. Though they will never have been handled by William Shatner or Leonard Nimoy, they can still hold enormous sentimental value for die-hard Trekkies. A well-made replica of a phaser from Star Trek III: The Search for Spock sold for just $90 in March 2025.
The Next Generation Era
The Next Generation aired in 1987 and spawned two other shows set in the 24th Century: Voyager and Deep Space 9. In The Next Generation, phaser rifles—now known as the Type 3—were seen on screen frequently. One produced for the series, albeit not classed as a “hero” model, went for over $16,000 in 2023.
Voyager introduced the first lead female captain in a Star Trek show, Kathryn Janeway. In the first episode, her ship gets stranded 70,000 light years from home, and the series charts their perilous journey back to Federation space. Voyager was only moderately well-received at the time but has since had a resurgence, and in recent years, it has often topped streaming charts, even beating TOS and TNG. Many Voyager props can be bought relatively cheaply, but will likely see significant rises in value over time. One captain’s chair used in the show sold for over $40,000 in 2024. A non-hero hand-held phaser prop used in the show sold for just $8,000 in 2023.
Deep Space 9 was relatively popular at the time. Initial seasons explored the Federation’s relationship with a powerful military neighbor, the Cardassians, and the politics of a post-occupation world in the form of the planet Bajor. Later seasons changed direction, falling into a darker military sci-fi plot involving a long-running war that pushed the Federation to its limits. A well-made hero Cardassian phaser prop sold for just $5000 in 2023—a real bargain.
Quark’s Bar was the scene of many running plots in the show, and its detailed set included several unusual props, many of which sell for surprisingly small amounts. A screen-matched table mat went for $1350 in 2023.
Modern Trek
One issue with collecting props from modern shows is that many are either still in production or only recently wrapped. It usually takes some years before props start filtering through to the auction market. However, there are items available for the discerning collector.
Discovery aired in 2017, heralding a new era of Star Trek. Since then, several series have spawned, typically to commercial success but with mixed responses from long-time fans. The ongoing series Strange New Worlds is intended to act as a bridge, combining episodic plots with the same sense of fun and wonder that made TOS so special.
Klingons featured heavily in Star Trek: Discovery as the main antagonists. Most Trekkies weren’t happy with the redesign, and later shows have returned to the design used in The Next Generation era. A “hero” Klingon dagger prop from Discovery sold for $7,800 in 2024.
Star Trek: Picard brought back veteran actor Patrick Stewart, thrusting the beloved character into a series of dark and gritty plots, each of which invariably involved the fate of the entire Federation hanging in the balance. Being such a recent series, very few props are available. A screen-matched bottle of Chateau Picard from the characters’ French vineyard sold for $3000 in 2024.
Final Thoughts
The most expensive props will always be those from TOS. Given that it ended in 1969, nearly sixty years ago, surviving props are scarce. Fans of the ’90s series and modern Trek can happily find plenty of material to collect, some of which will be surprisingly cheap. The replica market is the way to go for those of us on limited budgets.
Matthew Doherty is a writer, editor, and teacher specializing in all things history-related. His work has been published in the UK Defence Journal, the Small Wars Journal, and The Collector. He holds an MSc from the University of Edinburgh and a BA from the University of Leeds. In his spare time, he also writes science fiction stories.
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