Unsure what to buy that Firefly fan, Trekkie, or Tron aficionado in your life? Don't worry — we've got you covered. Here's our gift guide for ten kinds of science fiction fan.
Here are some gift ideas for ten stripes of science fiction fan — you can also check out our fan gift guide from 2009, which included gift suggestions for Transformers, G.I. Joe, steampunk, and Terminator fans.
1.) Gifts for Tron fans
The Tron motorcycle helmet
These motorcycle helmets aren't out yet (and will probably be ridiculously expensive), but French motorcycle manufacturer Ruby is making a limited amount of luxury helmets inspired by Tron. You can find more information here.
The Tron Legacy soundtrack by Daft Punk
Already heralded as one of the best things to come out of Tron Legacy, the soundtrack is a soaring combination of glacial instrumentals and digital jackhammers. Throw in Wendy Carlos' soundtrack to Tron for double the bleep-bloops. (Approximately $12)
Daft Punk X Tron: Legacy X Medicom
Another gift that's better suited for an IOU, Medicom Toys is releasing limited edition figures of Daft Punk in their Tron attire for Spring 2011. You can find more info here.
Opening Ceremony's Tron clothing collection
If you got the scratch to burn, Opening Ceremony has a line of gear inspired by the movie. It's not cheap by any standards, but if you want a $300 dress shirt à la CLU, this is your fix. You can also get $270 Tronified snowboarding boots from Burton, the $70 Tron track jacket from Adidas, and $25 Tron shirts from Hurley. There's also a ton of très chichi Tron couture available at their pop-up shop in Los Angeles.
The "My Other Ride Is A Lightcycle" sweater
And on the more affordable side of the spectrum, Threadless has this classic Tron-inspired hoodie for ~$40.
An Electroluminescent Wardrobe
If you're feeling particularly crafty, you can slap electroluminescent racing stripes on your everyday duds. Here's information on how to do it.
2.) Gifts for Star Wars fans
Clone Wars Season 2 on DVD
This season showcased the dangers of bounty hunter Cad Bane and Boba Fett's attempts to get revenge on the Jedis for lopping his clone daddy's head off.
Family Guy: It's a Trap!
The final installation of Family Guy's Star Wars parody hits shelves on December 21 for $17 on Amazon.
General Grievous' Spinning Lightsaber
$30-40 will net you a plastic wheel of spinning death that will inevitably knock someone's eye out.
ILM Halloween Party Vampire Leia Giclee on Paper
For $39.99, you can own this 10"x14" pulpy print of Leia baring her fangs.
Star Wars Retro Travel Poster - Mos Eisley
For $88.99, there's this retro-inspired print of the most wretched hive of scum and villainy. Ships December 14.
Super Seven Stormtrooper Super Shogun
And if you have the Galactic credits, Japanese toy manufacturer Super Seven's selling this fist-firing oversized stormtrooper. It costs $299.99.
3.) Gifts for Doctor Who fans
The Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver
A replica of everything you'd ever need in a tool. ($30.99 from Entertainment Earth)
Doctor Who: The Complete Fifth Series
Most of Matt Smith's adventures thus far can be yours for $52 from Amazon.
Infrared Control Talking Davros
This will give your cat serious nightmares. ($99.99 from Entertainment Earth)
The Eleven Doctors Action Figure TARDIS Box Set
It's one big box o' Doctor. ($99.99 from Entertainment Earth)
The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Complete Third Season
Another IOU gift, this DVD collection comes out on January 4. ($22 on Amazon)
4.) Gifts for Star Trek fans
Star Trek Enterprise Bridge Full Size Wall Mural
For $250, you can turn your rumpus room into the bridge.
The Enterprise Pizza Cutter
Do they even have pizza in the future? ($24.99 from Think Geek)
Star Trek: The Animated Series DVD collection
Star Trek boxed sets can be pretty expensive (The Next Generation will cost you upwards of $300), so why not give the one full Trek series that costs $25? Sure, this Filmation series may or may not be canon (and is Goudariffic at times), but it has a funky retro appeal and is voiced by most of the original cast. A little Chateau Picard helps here.
The Traditional Greeting Hoodie
Zip it up halfway and spread Vulcan goodwill. ($40 from Threadless)
Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual
This compendium of Trek infoporn will cost you $25 on Amazon. There's also the new, $13 USS Enterprise Owner's Workshop Manual (but people seem to like that less) and the out-of-print (but more well-regarded) Deep Space 9 manual.
5.) Gifts for Joss Whedon fans
Dollhouse: The Complete Second Season
Intriguing, flawed, and over way too soon, the DVD collection of this personality-swapping drama can be yours for $33 on Amazon — the Blu-Ray runs approximately $43.
Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale
This lil' volume recounts Shepherd Book's (rather depressing) story, which would have been fascinating to see on screen. You can pick this up for $7 online. And as usual, you can always check out the Buffy Season 8 graphic novels.
The Complete Runs of Buffy and Angel
You have options here. The entire DVD run of Buffy is going for a mere $93 on Amazon There's also the entire run of Angel for $81 as well — this is $59 off the list price. Another option is a subscription to Hulu Plus, which gives you the full runs of Buffy, Angel, Firefly, and a ton of other non-Joss shows for $7.99 a month.
The Jaynestown T-shirt
Show your love for that crappy plot of land where Jayne lost all his money. ($19.99 from Quantum Mechanix)
The Fruity Oaty Bar Bobblehead Set
And now that I've seen this, their jingle will be in my head for the next 96 hours. Great. ($69.99 from Entertainment Earth)
6.) Gifts for zombie fans
Lucio Fulci's Zombie (a.k.a. Zombi 2)
This is the 1979 Italian horror classic in which a zombie battles the shark. Required viewing of fans of the genre. It goes for around $14 on Amazon.
Crossed by Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrows
If The Walking Dead is too chipper for you, this apocalyptic graphic novel delivers scads of end-of-the-world bleakness. The antagonists aren't exactly zombies — an infection transforms normal people into ultra-violent sociopaths and sadists — but this $15 book is pure stomach-churning survival horror. It's extremely dark, so don't give it to your kid brother. (PS: The Walking Dead compendium also makes a pretty good gift.)
The Garden Zombie
Someone buried a corpse next to your petunias! ($89.99 from ThinkGeek)
Every Night I Have the Same Dream, Issue 2, Vol. 1 t-shirt
This two-sided shirt showcases artwork from The Walking Dead's Tony Moore. $20 for guys and girls over at Threadless.
7.) Gifts for vampire fans
The Fangtasia Bar Sign
This gift may be on pre-order (it ships in February), but two months is a short wait to transform your living room into the trashiest bar in the world. And for those of you who are partial to the world's second most dysfunctional watering hole, there's a Merlotte's sign too. Both are $89.99 from the HBO Shop. For a less expensive True Blood-inspired gift, it's hard to go wrong with a Bon Temps football shirt ($25).
Vampire Fang Ice Cube Trays
Give your Clamato juice an icy bite the next time you blast Bauhaus and ponder immortality. ($7.99 from Perpetual Kid)
Vampire cult classics on DVD
You can find a lot of left-field vampire masterpieces for cheap online. Try the gonzo Nicolas Cage antics of Vampire's Kiss, Kathryn Bigelow's stark and gorgeous Near Dark, the mafia weirdness of Innocent Blood, the art house looniness of The Hunger, the dual Corey action of The Lost Boys, and the original Fright Night.
Twilight: Eclipse DVD
Do you yearn for taboo love...and Burger King? Then you know what you must do. ($18.00 on Amazon)
8.) Gifts for Adult Swim and Scott Pilgrim fans
Anamanaguchi — Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game OST
Chiptunes band Anamanaguchi composed this stellar 8-bit soundtrack to the Scott Pilgrim game. This 24-track album will bring you back to the halcyon days of Mega Man, Gradius, and Double Dragon. It also makes for solid workout music. ($8-$10 digital download)
There's also the DVD/Blu-Ray combo ($25 at Amazon) and the graphic novel boxed set ($45 from Amazon), which are no-brainers.
The Metalocalypse $40,000 Blood Fountain
Add some death metal flair to your front yard with a massive sculpture of a blood-peeing imp. $13,000 down payment required. Hemoglobin not included.
Futurama Season 5 on DVD
Sure, Futurama isn't on Adult Swim these days, but I didn't know where else to put this. You know the drill: Comedy Central blah blah Morbo blah blah Harlem Globetrotters. This hits stores December 21 for ~$23.
The Bill Sienkiewicz Venture Brothers Art Print
This 30" x 11" tableau ($24) features Brock looking completely deranged and the boys brandishing firearms. The Adult Swim shop has a ton of nifty Venture Brothers gear, including the Venture Industries cufflinks.
9.) Gifts for Cthulhu fans
A Cthulhu hat from Etsy
Strangely enough, there is a burgeoning market of Cthulhu-themed headgear on Etsy. Most hats are in the $20-$50 range. You can check out the selection here.
Alan Moore's The Courtyard and Neonomicon
Rumored to be the last of Alan Moore's comic book endeavors, this Lovecraftian comic series explores the possibility that H.P. Lovecraft wrote non-fiction. The story's still ongoing, and you can pick up The Courtyard (a graphic novel prequel) for $8 on Amazon. The first two issues of Neonomicon came out this year, so chances are you can find them in your local comic purveyor's back issue bins. It's very, very mature readers.
Funko Cthulhu Wacky Wobbler
For $10, you too can add a little eldritch horror to your workplace.
Various Lovecraftian Bumper Stickers
Approximately a billion different stickers can be found for ~$5 over at Cafe Press.
10.) Gifts for retro artwork fans
Shazam!: The Golden Age of the World's Mightiest Mortal by Chip Kidd
A massive hardcover visual history of Earth's Mightiest Mortal by Bat-Manga author Chip Kidd. The hero's story is told through old Shazam! comics, memorabilia, and photography. (Approximately $25 online)
The Horror! The Horror!: Comic Books the Government Didn't Want You to Read! by Jim Trombetta
This collection delves into those 1950s horror comics that were accused of promoting juvenile delinquency. $25 gets you an in-depth look at the history of spooky serials. For those interested in less analysis and more comics, check out Four Color Fear: Forgotten Horror Comics of the 1950s, which packs 39 horror tales into one volume.
DC Comics: The 75th Anniversary Poster Book
This is a huge collection of DC comics covers designed to be framed and hung up as decorations. There's some pretty gonzo artwork in here, including covers of extraterrestrial invading snowmen and Jimmy Olsen turning into a giant turtle. ($40 online, $5 for a cheap frame)
The Art of Hammer: The Official Poster Collection From the Archive of Hammer Films
For ~$20, this book delivers oodles of science fiction and horror posters from the legendary film studio.