From James T. Kirk all the way to Philippa Georgiou, there have been more than a dozen captains of Star Trek ships but none is likely more attached to their vessel than Capt. Jay Roach.
The Halifax native has created his own Star Trek ship in his home and dubbed it the Star Trek Acadia.
With Star Trek Day approaching on Sunday, he appeared on Global News Morning Halifax to give Paul Brothers a tour of the Acadia.
“It pretty much will do anything you can do on the show,” Roach said. “And if it doesn’t, give me five minutes and I can make it do it.”
In his basement, Roach has what he calls his “engine room,” where he displays his collection as well as has a few TVs.
“I also have a lounge,” the captain explained. “You can change the graphics on the curtains. I can do four different scenes.
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He said he can also make other changes to make the room appear more like a number of different ships.
“So if I get bored, I just change the backdrops,” Roach said.
Roach was interviewed in a room that works as a TV studio, Captain’s Bridge and media room — all in one.
“All the screens can be interactive as well,” he said.
Roach says his Star Trek Journey began decades ago, with a trip to a movie theatre.
“I think I was probably nine years old. I’d been a fan of Star Trek forever and my mother took me to see Star Trek The Motion Picture,” he said. “I think the 12-minute beauty shot of the enterprise really got me and allowed me to visualize and try and create what I’ve created here.”
With his passion having existed for four decades, he has no idea what the bill is for the Acadia.
“I don’t even know how much I’ve got sunk into this,” he said. “I’ve been collecting for 40 years. I was collecting before the internet was a thing. I was going through magazines at comic book shops that I was getting in the States and ordering stuff.”
Roach will be in full costume on Sunday at his day job as it is Star Trek Day, which is an honorary day for Trekkies since the first episode of the original series first hit the airwaves on Sept. 8, 1966.
For those looking to get in on the fun, one website offers 50 different ways for Trekkies to celebrate the day including binge-watching the show, baking cookies, visiting Riverside, Iowa, which is where Kirk was born or even learning Klingon.
To get your Klingon journey started, “yIn nI’ yISIQ ‘ej yIchep” means live “long and prosper,” according to Klingon Wiki.
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