Was Trelane from Star Trek directly or indirectly inspired by famous pianist "Liberace?"

To this day, there's ongoing debate as to whether the character "Trelane" was the original "Q," a rather florid discussion in Star Trek fandom.  But actually, what I'm here today is to speak to a production-question, i.e. was Trelane based on famous-pianist Liberace?  Let's check it out!

Now, to be clear-- this post has a fairly amusing origin.  It started off with a rather 'liberated' 1971 Liberace pic posted on Reddit.

I replied: "For the longest time, I thought he *was* Trelane from Star Trek," and someone else replied that he was in fact the inspiration.

Which sent me down a bit of an ol' rabbit hole.  So then, here's what I've found out, followed by my working-decision:

I wouldn't be the slightest-bit surprised if the director or showrunner pulled William Campbell aside (i.e. the blokie who played Trelane) and sotto-voce said: "it certainly wouldn't hurt if you hammed it up a bit, Liberace-style."

It's an interesting thought, and indeed, makes mucho sense to me! Thing is, on closer inspection, there doesn't seem to have been even an ounce of known evidence supporting the idea that such was true.  Instead, it looks like it may have been a startling coincidence, made even moreso by the harpsichord / piano parallel between Trelane & Liberace.  Still, how could such a thing be true?  The parallels are just *so* perfect, right?

I think the key here is William Campbell.  That is-- the man had a characteristically joyful way of acting that, when combined with the script notes, accidentally created a sort of eerily 'parallel-Liberace.'  For example, just look at the later TOS episode The Trouble with Tribbles, in which he played Captain Koloth, and did so in a remarkably exuberant way, quite unlike the usual Klingon standard, which mainly involved stalking about as brooding, easily-agitated, glowering types.  Correct me if you will, but Campbell must have played the most cheerfully (borderline hammy) Klingon in the entire history of Star Trek.  Indeed, one might even argue that Koloth could easily have been Trelane himself, gleefully enjoying himself as a Klingon, loving the ability to screw over Captain Kirk yet *again*, as a sort of silly payback.

Anyway, to wrap this all up, there seems to be no actual evidence that Liberace had any role at all in the origin of Trelane's character.  Part of the reason I say that is because Memory Alpha (my main Star Trek reference) is unusually good at absorbing the various autobios and 'making of' literature, incorporating it directly in to their encyclopedia entries

Then again, there's also the web, right?  For example, StarTrek.com, where I found this cheeky comment:

> It was often noted that Campbell had a strong resemblance to flamboyant pianist Liberace. In light of Campbell’s own flashy depiction of Trelane, it is strange that no one thought to create at least a TV bio-pic about Liberace starring Bill. We think he would have been superb in the part, but Liberace’s fame was dimming, so it probably didn’t look like a promising project to the bean-counters. <StarTrek.com>

Of course it's easy-enough to find other comments online with the idea that Trelane was based on Liberace, but still-- none of the showrunners seem to have commented that way either out of hand, in their autobiographies, or otherwise.  Specifically I'm talking about Don McDougall, Joseph D'Agosta, Gene Coon, and Gene Roddenberry (the primary showrunners on this ep) who never seemed to mention any such connection.

Let's not end on a downer, though!  Maybe the real point of amusement here revolves around Trelane's period costume.  Quothing from Memory-Alpha:

> The costume worn by Campbell as Trelane was rented from the Western Costume company. Almost two weeks after it was seen worn by Campbell on Star Trek, the same costume appeared in the Gilligan's Island third season episode "Lovey's Secret Admirer" worn by actor Jim Backus. A short time later, it was again re-used and worn by actor Michael Nesmith in The Monkees episode "The Prince and the Pauper".

I mean, man!  The stories that costume could tell! XD

Oh well!  Then finally, getting back to the point-- was the character "Trelane" from TOS based in any way on Liberace?

Nope, not as far as any real evidence has ever shown.

What are hair-building fibers, anyway, and how might they benefit me?

(unfinished post right now)

Hair-building fibers (like Toppik, Caboki, SureThik & others) are small, hair-like strands designed to fill in areas where people are experiencing hair loss.  From my findings, they're made out of either keratin, non-keratin organics, or plastic (typically nylon, polyester or acrylic) and temporarily stick to the skin until removed by washing with a bit of soap or shampoo.  When applied in appropriate cases, they work remarkably well, and can be very hard to distinguish from real hair, even up close.

Here's how they work:

Hair fibers are sprinkled or sprayed on to the skin area by means of a small container that works not unlike a spice jar or air-sprayer.  Then you apply a fixative (almost any hair spray will do) to help keep them in place.  In addition, the fibers themselves are usually electrostatically charged, which helps them lock on to fine, thin hair in those regions.  Pre-gaming with hair-thickening agents such as shampoo, gels or waxes can also help. 

In which cases do they work best?

My experience in terms of the scalp is that hair fibers work best on patchy areas that: 1) still have some fine, silk-like hair remaining, and 2) have full hair not too far away.  This should apply to most people with thinning hair or pattern-baldness, but not so much to people completely bare on top.  Note that I initially mentioned hair fibers working on skin, because theoretically they can also be applied to other areas, such as the beard, eyebrows or chest.

So where do I get this stuff?

IME you'll get the highest-quality, keratin-based, most environmentally-friendly stuff by the major brands, such as Toppik.  You'll also be paying about 8x as much compared to quality generics, and the net visible differences aren't dramatic, either.  For example, one might start shopping just like this.  Now personally, I've been trying a generic lately from a company that sounds like "HinallyFair."  The primary ingredient in their fibers seems to be cotton, and it's worked well-enough for me.  Note that the product comes in plastic pouches, so I use an old Toppik bottle to apply it.  If you don't have one, you could use any spice bottle with fine-ish holes, or really anything functionally similar.

How much difference have hair fibers made in my own life?

I started losing my hair decades ago, at a fairly young age.  At first I began compensating by growing it longer on top, and cutting the sides short.  Along the way, I learned to skillfully use the electric clippers to complete satisfaction, saving me... oof, it must be hundreds, or maybe even thousands of dollars in barber's fees along the way.  I was also lucky in that my hair loss slowed down enough such that hair fibers have worked for me for many years.  At this point It's not hard to see shaving it all off down the road, but I'm still hanging on.  It also helps that I still have some hair in front to help create a semi-natural hairline (my balding is in the classic 'U-shape'), and that I'm not obsessed with creating the illusion of a perfectly full head of hair.  When I don't feel like messing with my hair, I wear a styled-up baseball hat when in public.  I cut my hair about once a month, which takes about 5-10 minutes.

TO DO:

- show some good before and afters

-find some r/bald posters that could benefit

-maybe mention your recipe for homemade fibers?

-anything else?