Own a piece of Star Trek history: Picard’s Ressikan flute is going up for auction next week

Sir Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard as Kamin in Star Trek: The Next Generation “The Inner Light"

JUNE 24, 2021 - Just utter the words “Inner Light” to any fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and chances are they start hearing a very particular melody in their head, played on plaintive pennywhistle. Composer Jay Chattaway noted in a 2018 syfy.com interview that his lyrical composition is “the most requested piece of music from the Star Trek library.”

Now the instrument played by Jean-Luc Picard in that fan-favorite episode can be yours, thanks to an auction being held later this month by the company Prop Store. The Ressikan flute, which was previously sold by renowned auction house Christie’s for a whopping $48,000, is expected to fetch as much as $70,000 this time around. 

According to the item’s listing, “The flute itself is one of the most memorable and important props from the show and it was toured around the US prior to being sold in a previous auction, with fans regularly asking to see and hold it.” But if you decide to break the bank and grab a piece of Star Trek history, be prepared for the bad news: the flute doesn’t actually create musical notes. It was a prop for Patrick Stewart to use, with the real music dubbed in afterwards.

The flute isn’t the only thing up for sale during Prop Store’s Entertainment Memorabilia auction. There are over 1,300 original props, costumes, and other items for sale from iconic franchises like Alien, Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones, and many more. Of those, Star Trek accounts for 75 lots, including scripts from TV shows dating back to The Original Series, costumes from both TV and movies, vintage toys, and even pieces of V’ger from Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

Head over to propstore.com to see it all. The auction opens next Tuesday, June 29th at 9am PT.