Fan tribute puts Lucille Ball in Star Trek uniform

Every Trekkie knows how instrumental Lucille Ball was to the production of Star Trek: The Original Series. As owner of Desilu Productions, Ball was approached by Gene Roddenberry about his idea for Star Trek, and though Ball didn't completely understand the concept, according to Startrek.com, she was behind the project. And she came to Star Trek's aid when the first pilot, "The Cage," failed to impress the network. NBC was ready to pass and move on to other shows, but Ball convinced the network to give Star Trek another chance. Another pilot was shot, and the rest, of course, is history. But without Ball's intervention, Star Trek itself would have been history.

Star Trek fans will always be eternally grateful for Lucille Ball's intervention, and to showcase the continuing acknowledgement of her integral part of the series, one fan went above and beyond. The instagram account @jackson_theofore_keys shared a creation by a fan in the hobby community that put Ball in a Star Trek: The Next Generation uniform.

The design was met with overwhelming approval by over 2,000 fans when shared with comments ranging from "I want this as an ornament" to "I would buy this if the person who did it put it on the market."

The attention to detail is spectacular and offers another nod to Ball's connection to Star Trek by placing the iconic actor's face on the comm badge. This is truly a work of art, and as was suggested by the original poster, should be included in the Lucy/Desilu Museum if that were possible.

Many thanks to @jackson_theofore_keys for sharing this treasure. This Trekkie shares all things Trek, including fan art you might not find elsewhere, behind-the-scenes images like this one of William Shatner on the Paramount lot during the filming of Star Trek season three, and even Jeopardy clues, so you might want to give the account a follow!