If John Castillo were dressing up for Halloween, he could put together one heck of a costume.

He could pick nearly any "Star Trek" character -- Captain Kirk, Geordi La Forge or Spock to name a few -- and be dressed from head to toe in the original costumes worn by the actors who portrayed them in the media franchise's various TV shows and movies.

The 47-year-old began collecting costumes and props when he was a teenager, and now an entire room of his Hanford home is filled to the brim with more than 250 outfits and hundreds of props.

Part of his collection is also displayed for the public in a room of the Carnegie Museum on Eighth Street, where it will remain until January.

"It's because of my love of Star Trek," Castillo said. "Growing up I didn't get to watch the original series when it first came out ... but I started watching it when it went into syndication."

The original show ran from 1966 to 1969, and like many trekkies, Castillo didn't become a fan of the show until after it was canceled in 1969.

Castillo said he began watching reruns of the series, and his affinity for the show blossomed when "Star Trek: The Next Generation" premiered in 1987.

"I couldn't wait to see something new," he said.

Not only did he get to enjoy watching the shows on TV but he made friends with members of the crew and got to attend many live tapings in Los Angeles.

Slowly he started accumulating props from the sets by purchasing them from members of the crew.

One of his most prized possessions is Capt. Jean Luc-Picard's desktop computer, which was used in all seven seasons of "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

"You push a button and the schematic lights up on the screen," he said. "That's really neat and they just sold one of those for $20,000 at an auction."

It is displayed at the Carnegie along with dozens of other props, including Tribbles, which are furry creatures that quickly multiply.

A psychedelic backdrop that was used to simulate a transporter in the original series is also displayed behind several costumes worn by the characters of Spock and Captain James T. Kirk.

Not only has Castillo amassed an extensive collection of "Star Trek" memorabilia, but he also has things from other TV shows and movies, and even a collection of Elvis-owned memorabilia.

For the last 25 years, he's made a living buying and selling movie memorabilia and said he's developed a long list of clientele who routinely buy from him.

There are some pieces of his collection that Castillo would rather not part with, like the costumes of Cmdr. Willard Decker and Lt. Ilia worn in the 1979 film, "Star Trek: The Motion Picture."

"Those are my favorites because that's my favorite movie after the original series," Castillo said.

In the past he's sold pieces of his collection for display in attractions including Planet Hollywood restaurants.

The display at the Carnegie Museum brings a little piece of Hollywood to Hanford, which is quite different from the museum's usual historical displays.

"It's just a little bit offbeat for this particular museum, but we have so many children who come in and we thought it might be a way to introduce them to a little bit more history that's alive and current," said the museum's curator Carolyn Limjoco.

Both Limjoco and Castillo expect the recently released "Star Trek" film will also draw interest for the display from a new generation of trekkies.

Castillo remains a steadfast "Star Trek" fan, despite his opinion of the latest film, which was recast with new actors playing the original characters.

"I enjoyed watching the special effects but ... I think they should have just left it alone and had different character names," he said.

See the collection

-- Hanford Carnegie Museum

109 E. Eighth St., Hanford

-- Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

-- Admission is $3 for adults, $1 for kids

-- For more information, call 584-1367

The reporter can be reached at 583-2427.