Troy Nelson and his younger brother Andrew are almost inseparable.
The two youngest of six, they were born two years apart. They lived together in their childhood home in Bremerton, Wash., for more than half a century. Near their home, there is a park bench where they carved their initials as children.
The Nelson brothers never married or had children. They worked together in the same senior home. Even once, when they were teenagers, they dated the same girl while working different shifts at the same pizza shop. It took a week until they realized it.
“Two parts of one body,” Evan Browne, their older sister, said of their relationship in an interview.
On Feb. 28, Andrew Nelson, who has been treated for cancer for many years, came to feed the chickens and ducks that Ms. Browne to his brothers. He had a heart attack and died. He was 55. Hours later, Troy Nelson, overcome by grief, passed away. He is 57.
“He’s talked about it before,” said a tearful Browne, 66. “He said, ‘Hey, if Andrew’s going, I’m leaving. I’m checking out.’ Andrew would say the same thing, then it really happened.”
What Troy Nelson left became a sensation. After his death, family members posted pictures on social media of his massive — and, actually, the keyword is massive — collection of “Star Trek” memorabilia, which has now been shared thousands of times.
The furnishings took up two living rooms and a bedroom, all lined with bookshelves, according to Elena Hamel, one of the brothers’ nieces. The centers of the rooms are lined with additional bookshelves – all packed to the brim – to create hallways. There are jewelry cabinets that serve as display cases.
The shelves contain action figures. Dolls. Model ships. Posters. Ornaments. Lunchboxes. Legos. Lots of toy phasers and tricorders. (For non-Trek fans, the phaser is a weapon, and the tricorder is, essentially, a fancy smartphone.) Multiple “Star Trek” lamps. (Yes, there are “Star Trek” lamps.) Trading cards. Comics. Trek-themed Geeki Tikis (stylish tiki mugs). Life-size cutouts of famous characters. A life-size captain’s chair.
While it’s impossible to account for every private collector in the world, Troy Nelson’s collection is almost certainly among the largest — if not the The largest.
The final additions to the collection came in the last weeks of his life: Stuffed bunnies in “Star Trek” uniforms. “I’ve never seen a collection that big,” said Russ Haslage, the president of the International Federation of Trekkersa “Star Trek”-themed nonprofit that Haslage founded with Gene Roddenberry, created the franchise.
Haslage’s organization opened in 2020 a “Star Trek” museum in Sandusky, Ohio, which received donations of memorabilia from estates. Those collections “pale in comparison” to Mr. Nelson’s, he said. (Haslage contacted the family to inquire about donations from the collection.)
The older brother’s love of “Star Trek” began with the original series, which he watched with his siblings.
“That’s our dinner,” said Ms. Browne. “When we had dinner, we sat in front of ‘Star Trek.’”
Troy Nelson began collecting in the late 1970s. The first thing he got was a model version of the Starship Enterprise. Then came the Star Trek conventions. It remains a mystery to his family why the franchise attracted him.
“I really can’t say. I mean, other than the fact that he was brainwashed with it at dinner time,” Browne said with a laugh. “It seems ridiculous. When we grow up, it’s like, ‘Dinner is at this time. And if you don’t get here by this time, you won’t be able to eat dinner.’ So maybe this is a relief for him.”
Troy Nelson often scours sites like eBay for items he doesn’t have. On several occasions, he expresses frustration at losing an item before he can bid on it. Until he knows the reason.
“Andrew’s got it for him,” Ms. recalls. Browne.
Obsessive “Star Trek” fandom has long been a part of pop culture, especially since the franchise — which has spawned several television series, movies, novels and comics — is a long-standing institution. There are documentaries that have studied the subject, like “Trekkies” in 1997. It has been depicted in “The Simpsons,” “Saturday Night Live” and “Family,” and be a story line in a episode of “The West Wing,” among many others. For dedicated fans, collecting collectibles is not uncommon.
“When you collect these things, you’re closer to the genre that you’re so excited about,” Haslage says. “When I first started in 1979, I was taking everything I could get because it was cool, and it was a piece of the whole ‘Star Trek’ mythos. If you had these pieces, you were part of the universe in some way. “
It turns out that collecting is a pursuit that runs in the family.
Andrew Nelson collects mall swords, Ryobi-branded tools and statues of female warriors, like Xena, the warrior princess.
Browne’s house is walled with thousands of broken pennies and her living room windows are filled with glass sugar and creamer bowls.
Browne’s father, Bud Peers, collected salt and pepper shakers, guns and knives. Troy and Andrew’s father, Norman Nelson, collected scrap metal and wood.
Hamel has 17 Christmas trees, all fully decorated with separate themes.
Browne’s son, Michael, 36, collects anything and everything related to black bears.
“When you have a large collection like that and it’s displayed like that,” says Hamel, “and it’s something that’s important to you, it’s often really calming to be in that space. It’s just everything you love. It’s calming.”
As far as Browne knows, Troy has no history of mental illness or any previous suicide attempts. After Andrew’s death, she receives a distraught and frantic call from Troy with the news. He told her he was on his way.
said Ms. Browne called him when he got to the Tacoma Bridge. No answer. And again, on the Manette Bridge. No answer. When he arrived at their house, the back door was open. And then he found her. The phone call was the last time they spoke.
Troy Nelson didn’t leave a note, but left a few items carefully organized by his computer, including a house key, funeral plans for two siblings, and bills.
“I don’t really know what I thought,” said Ms. Browne. “All I could do was scream.”
The Nelson family is boxing up Troy’s “Star Trek” collection to prepare it for auction. Andrew’s ashes will be placed in an urn carved in the likeness of supermodel Bettie Page. (He’s a fan.) Troy’s ashes will be placed in a “Star Trek” lunchbox.
If you are having suicidal thoughts, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources.
