Titan Vinyls - LADIES OF STAR TREK!

Star Trek: The Original Series - Chapel, Rand, Uhura, Vina - Titan Vinyls 2017

It's been a while since I've purchased or reviewed any Star Trek merchandise. But the upcoming waves of figures from Nacelle Toys have me excited and looking back to what I already own. I realized that I never posted these fun super-deformed vinyls from Titan. I've have them for nearly 9 years and I love how odd they are. I also love that they included so many of the women from Star Trek: The Original Series. I will always loved the TOS episodes most and the trifecta of Uhura, Rand, and Chapel bring me a lot of joy. Nacelle's announcement of all three ladies in Wave 3 of their new Star Trek is a gift. I'm still feeling loss over the cancelled Diamond Select/Art Asylum figures of Rand and Chapel... 17 years ago (I can hold a grudge). I kind of miss these Titan Vinyls. Somewhere I have Ghostbusters and Edwards Scissorhands ones too. They remind me a lot of the KidRobot Vinyls (of which I have many). Let's check out the ladies of Star Trek: The Original Series below!

Star Trek: Discovery - MICHAEL BURNHAM!

Star Trek Universe - Science Officer Michael Burnham - Playmates 2022

I started watching Star Trek: Discovery when it first came out in 2017. I loved it, but I had to drop it because I couldn't pay attention to the subtitles. The first story arc was dealing with a large inter-Klingon power struggle (all subtitled) and I needed to multitask while watching and was losing the story. But during the pandemic I started watching again and gave it my whole attention. It's a great series from beginning to end. That standout star is definitely Michael Burnham played by Sonequa Martin-Green (Sasha from The Walking Dead). The character goes through a tremendous story arc from criminal to science officer, to captain (and many other iterations along the way). And Sonequa's performance is engaging the whole time. There has been a decent amount of product for this character already: a Funko Pop, Mini-Bust, Mego-style figure, even a Hallmark ornament. But I have been waiting for a traditional action figure for a long time. Let's check her out in detail below!

BendyFigs - LT. UHURA!

The Noble Collection - Star Trek TOS BendyFigs - Uhura - Noble Toys 2021

I was very saddened to hear about the passing of Nichelle Nichols yesterday at the age of 89. When I think about iconic television women from my youth, she is right up there in the top (despite me never being a real Trekkie). My brothers and I had a weekly tradition of watching Star Trek on PBS every Saturday Night while staying up to for Saturday Night Live. But oftentimes when SNL would come on at 11:30, we would be too engrossed in the dilemmas of the Enterprise crew to turn the dial. Lieutenant Nyota Uhura was the communications officer on the bridge and I found myself fixated on her all the time. She was always calm and competent amid the perpetual chaos of the Enterprise missions, and her overall presence was just magnetic and comforting. I was a kid watching this in syndication in the 80s, so I had no idea of the cultural impact she had on the 1960's viewing audience. It was a huge ordeal to get a female character on the bridge at all, let alone a woman of color. It's was a different time.

Hallmark Star Trek - LT. M'RESS Ornament!

Star Trek: The Animated Series - Lieutenant M'Ress Ornament - Hallmark 2018

I grew up in an extremely rural area where cable television was literally not an option. We only had about 4 or 5 staticky channels and the more interesting television programming of my childhood was limited to stints on my dad's army base or time spent in other people's (urban) houses. But then, one year my notoriously cheap father agreed to get a satellite dish. It was a huge 6-foot wide contraption in the corner of the yard that we weren't allowed to throw footballs near. The first amazing thing I ever watched in this new era of home entertainment was episode 5 of Filmation's Star Trek: The Animated Series. This was the tribble episode and I was entranced. I had seen the live action episode a dozen times on PBS, so this continuation of the story was mind-blowing. Then in the very next episode, we were introduced the new feline bridge member, Lieutenant M'Ress. She became an obsession of mine for many years. It took decades to get a piece of merch with her likeness, but it was well worth the wait.

Star Trek Cosplayers of THE BIG BANG THEORY!

Big Bang Theory - Bernadette, Amy, & Penny (SDCC Exc) - BigBangPow 2016

I've never really watched The Big Bang Theory. It seems like a great show, but it was just off my radar for the longest time and I never made much of an effort. It doesn't help that I've been told multiple times that I remind people of Sheldon (it's my vocabulary, I know it). But as sparse as my exposure to the actual show has been, I feel well versed in all their nerdy pop culture references due to friends sending me YouTube clips and memes. I was never really tempted by the toys, however, until these 2016 SDCC Exclusive Star Trek Cosplay figures. I love the retro designs of the original Starfleet uniforms so I knew I would have to eventually get these. A skant with a scoop collar and go-go boots is iconic. The figures themselves have really simple 5 points of articulation, slightly sloppy paint, and sculpts that are definitely not utilizing the newest face-scanning technology. But they are undeniably fun. I've had these figures for a long time and photographed them forever ago, but am just finally getting around to posting. Enjoy!

Star Trek (The 2009 Movie) - CADET UHURA!

Star Trek: Warp Collection - Cadet Uhura - Playmates 2009

2009's Star Trek movie was a perfect example of how amazing a well-done property reboot can be. It was exciting, funny, faithful to the original series, and I certainly left the theatre wanting to see more. For such a great movie though, the toys were pretty lackluster. In all my stores they just sat on the shelves for months collecting dust. I can't speak for everyone's reluctance to buy them, but I thought they looked awkward and sub-par to every other line out at the time. The character likenesses were way off-base. This Uhura doesn't look a thing like Zoe Saldana. The scale was another issue. If they would have been scaled to fit in with the DST Star Trek line, I would have definitely been more interested. But as is, we were presented with something very different than what the collector community was expecting. It's a real pity because a well-done toy line for this movie could have been very successful. This figure isn't horrible by any means, but it falls way short of its potential.  Let's check her out below!

Star Trek's VINA the ORION SLAVE WOMAN!

Your Favorite Green Goddess - Star Trek: TOS - Wave 3 - DST/Art Asylum 2005
 
This has been a fun week of Star Trek reviews leading up to Star Trek: Into Darkness (which should be opening in theatres in a about 7 minutes as I type this).  I saved Vina for last because I'm a sucker for green skinned women (or blue or red for that matter).  Outlandish skin coloring make a character instantly interesting to me... and the Orion Slave Girls were definitely no exception.  My memories of the Green-skinned Orion girls actually weren't about Vina's episode, but rather the one where Yvonne Craig played a short-haired Orion.  I was always a big Batgirl fan, so I recognized her almost instantly.  The Orion Slaves Girls were presented as alluring, seductive captives from Orion who "no human male could resist" - basically they were intergalactic harem bellydancers.  However, the twist is that these girls are actually in charge and using their alien pheromones to try to commandeer the Enterprise.  This toy is pretty great, but only if you can get very creative with your poses.  Standing upright, her articulation is awkward and distracting.  But once you get her in a good pose, it's just magical.  Let's check her out below!

Ladies of STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES!

Uhura, Janice Rand, and Christine Chapel - Playmates 1993 & 1996
 
Since the Art Asylum/DST figures of Janice Rand and Christine Chapel seem to be stuck in perpetual limbo, I really wanted to highlight these two notable characters.  Christine Chapel was the head nurse under Dr. McCoy in The Original Series.  She had a great backstory of joining the Starfleet with the ulterior motive of finding her fiancé who had gone missing from an expedition five years earlier.  She also developed an unrequited love for Spock during her time on the Enterprise.  Janice Rand was Yeoman to Captain Kirk on the bridge of the USS Enterprise.  She predictably developed a romantic connection to Kirk which was never fully realized.  Both these characters (and of course the amazing Uhura) epitomize The Original Series to me.  Their hairstyles and outfits are wonderfully dated in a futuristic kind of way, and their portrayal of strong, intelligent, female crew members paved the way for many great characters to come.  From 1992-99, Playmates created a huge library of 5" figures based on all iterations of Star Trek.  And these three ladies are my favorite of the bunch.  Let's check them out below!

Star Trek: The Next Generation BEVERLY PICARD!

Star Trek: TNG - Capt. Beverly Picard - Previews Excl - DST/Art Asylum 2007
 
So this is my favorite chase figure of all the DST/Art Asylum ladies.  In the final episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation (titled "All Good Things..."), Captain Jean-Luc Picard finds himself suffering from random temporal displacements.  One moment he's with his familiar crew, the next he is far in the past.  And then suddenly he's in an unfamiliar future.  It is in that future that he meets Beverly Picard as Captain of the USS Pasteur.  I enjoyed this so much because it showed the fulfillment of their relationship without resorting to a "season-finale-jumble" where all the storylines are wrapped up in a haphazard way (I've seen this happen one time time too many).  With a simple cameo, we knew that Captain Picard and Beverly Crusher were married and that her professional potential was fully realized by her becoming Captain of her own ship.  This figure looks older than the look they gave to Gates McFadden in the show, but it still embodies an older Dr. Crusher perfectly.  She also looks appropriately stern and Captain-ish.  Let's check her out in detail below!

Star Trek: The Next Generation BEVERLY CRUSHER!

Star Trek: TNG - Wave 4 - Dr. Beverly Crusher - DST/Art Asylum 2007

Dr. Beverly Crusher was the Chief Medical Officer, the key maternal figure, and a perpetual love interest aboard the USS Enterprise.  She was originally cast with the goal of having her develop a romantic relationship with Captain Picard.  Over the course of the series, we learned a great deal about their backstory, including his longstanding love for her as well as his friendship with her deceased husband, Jack Crusher.  Their relationship was mature, subtle, and very different from other Starfleet flings.  Having her son, Wesley Crusher, growing up aboard the Enterprise made for a great maternal dynamic that was also very unique in the world of Star Trek.  Gates McFadden was perfectly cast in this role.  And I love her even more after discovering that she previously worked as a choreographer in two of my favorite movies: The Dark Crystal & Labyrinth.  This toy is pretty great.  The likeness is decent, very recognizable, but the face seems a tad too angular and doesn't really capture her spark.  Let's check her out below!

Star Trek: The Motion Picture - ILIA PROBE!

Star Trek - Warp Factor: Series 2 - Ilia Probe - Playmates 1997

Star Trek: The Motion Picture was a landmark event for fandom.  I'm not talking about Star Trek fans specifically, but all geeks in general.  Star Trek: The Original Series ended in 1969, ten whole years before this motion picture came out.  This was largely to due to the show's popularity in syndication and an ever-growing fanbase.  I think we take it for granted that nostalgic properties are brought back to life easily today, but in the 1970s it was crazytalk.  Lieutenant Ilia was the navigator aboard the USS Enterprise who was killed by a probe of the alien entity V'Ger.  Soon after, V'Ger create another probe in the likeness of Ilia to return to the Enterprise and collect data (believing the enterprise was a living organism).  The probe was a complete duplication of Ilia down to a molecular level; even retaining her memories and personality.  Pure Sci-Fi genius if you ask me.  Ilia's important role and striking appearance made her a very memorable character.  Let's check her out below!

Star Trek: The Next Generation ALYSSA OGAWA!

Star Trek: TNG - Wave 5 - Nurse Ogawa - Chase Figure - DST/Art Asylum 2008

Nurse Alyssa Ogawa is a Star Trek character that I only have vague memories of.  She worked as an ensign under Beverly Crusher in the medical bay aboard the USS Enterprise.  (Eventually she became a Lieutenant and even took over Beverly's duties when she was unable to carry them out).  I remember seeing a later episode once where she was pregnant.  Pregnancy aboard the Enterprise was something I had never really given thought to before that, so the memory stuck (even though I'm sure there are many cases of procreation throughout the series).  This figure from Diamond Select Toys and Art Asylum was a chase figure in the last full wave of The Next Generation figures.  She has the same body as several previous females in Starfleet uniforms, but has a very unique smiling face that really makes her stand out from the rest.  The addition of Alyssa, along with Ro Laren, really made for a respectable number of females in this line.  Let's check her out in detail below!

Star Trek: The Next Generation ENSIGN RO LAREN!

Star Trek: TNG - Wave 5 - Ro Laren - Previews Exclusive - DST/Art Asylum 2008
 
The Art Asylum / Diamond Select Star Trek series was amazing and produced a great array of characters across many different iterations of the Star Trek Universe.  I describe myself as a very casual Star Trek fan.  I have fond memories, but I've never been fully devoted to the property.  That said, I will admit that I have absolutely no idea who Ensign Ro Laren is.  I know she's a Bajoran crew member from The Next Generation.  And through some quick research I discovered that she was intended to be a crossover character into Deep Space 9, but was replaced by the newly created character, Kira Nerys.  Another thing I just noticed about this toy is that it is actually a very poor representation of the actress Michelle Forbes.  Michelle is young and gorgeous (and bears a strong resemblance to the character Jessica on Homeland, played by Morena Baccarin).  I always thought this figure was really unique looking and a great addition to my Star Trek collection, but compared to pictures I'm seeing of Ro Laren from the show, this figure looks way to old and strict.  Let's check her out below!

Star Trek's MARLENA MOREAU!

The "Captain's Woman" Marlena - SDCC Exclusive - DST/Art Asylum 2006

This figure may very well be the rarest of the Art Asylum/DST figures.  She was released as an exclusive at the 2006 San Diego ComicCon and unlike most convention exclusives (re-decos of already-released characters), Marlena was a first-time character and was very sought-after.  Marlena Moreau only appeared in a single episode in the second season of Star Trek: The Original Series in 1967.  This is the famed episode Mirror, Mirror where an ion disturbance introduces us to an alternate reality where the Enterprise crew are evil (and sport bare midriffs and goatees).  During the episode, the displaced "good" Kirk finds Marlena in the evil Kirk's captain's chambers where he learns that she is the "Captain's Woman."  Her loyalties end up being with Kirk, and not so much to the evil tenets of the crew.  She becomes an ally to the good crew and helps them escape back to their own reality.  She was a memorable character for Star Trek fans and well deserving of an action figure.  Let's check her out below!

Star Trek: The Next Generation TASHA YAR!

Lieutenant Tasha Yar - Star Trek: The Next Generation - Series 1 - Galoob 1988
 
Lieutenant Tasha Yar was the Security Officer aboard the USS Enterprise-D for Season 1 of Star Trek: The Next Generation.    In the beginning, she seemed like she would be the lead female in the series.  She was strong, confident, and had a prominent role on the bridge.  Tasha is viewed as a groundbreaking female character who paved the way for future female officers, captains, and commanders in the sci-fi genre.  I think that's why Star Trek fans were shocked at Tasha's death near the end of Season 1.  Granted, she came back for a single episode in Season 3, then again for the series finale, it was still a major loss for a character who had a lot of interesting potential.  This Galoob line was the first incarnation of the Star Trek TNG characters in the toy aisles.  I have many memories of this figure hanging in the meager toy section of my local drug store (Rea & Derick) when I was a kid and really wanting her.  Twenty-some years later and she's mine!  The Playmates line that started in 1992 really blasted this smaller Galoob line out of the water, but they're still not to be overlooked.  Let's check her out below!

Star Trek: The Next Generation DEANNA TROI!

3 Versions of Your Favorite Starfleet Empath - Diamond Select/Art Asylum 2006
 
Welcome to the first of ten Star Trek reviews I will be doing in anticipation of the May 17th release of Star Trek: Into Darkness.  I swear I'm not a Trekkie though.  I grew up watching syndicated episodes of the original series on PBS in the early 80s (Saturdays @ 11pm.. then SNL afterwards!)  Flash forward to being a teenager in the 90's.  Whenever the Nintendo was turned off, it was pretty much guaranteed that there would be a TNG marathon on at least a few different stations.  Star Trek was kind of unavoidable, but in a good way.  It didn't hurt that I had couple friends who were full-fledged Vulcans either.  All-in-all, I really only know the main characters... and I have vivid memories of only a handful of different episodes.  But even with my limited expertise and exposure, I still know that Deanna Troi is one of my favorite Star Trek characters ever.  I think having a counselor on board was a fantastic element to introduce to a sci-fi series like this.  Her role makes total sense and by way of her therapy, we were able to delve deeper into all the other characters.  Plus Marina Sirtis is amazing.  Let's check out these figures below!

TOY FAIR 2013 Coverage - DIAMOND SELECT!

 Mini-Mates - Medicom Real Action Heroes - Munsters

Art Asylum's Lieutenant UHURA!

Star Trek: The Original Series - Wave One by Art Asylum 2003

Oh my dearest Uhura, you brought class to the USS Enterprise, you had all the crew wrapped around your finger, and you paved the way for strong women in Sci-Fi (and in real life). My memories of Uhura are all fond ones.  I grew up in the 80's (without cable) and Star Trek The Original Series was a staple of late night PBS at the time.  My brothers and I would watch it from 11pm to midnight on the weekends and we were enthralled. I wouldn't call myself a Trekkie at all, I watched far more Scooby-Doo and Laverne & Shirley than Star Trek.  But the sense of nostalgia I felt was overwhelming when I saw these amazing Art Asylum figures.  She was destined to be mine. In researching the background of Uhura for this review, I learned a lot of interesting facts.  First off, her name, Nyota Uhura, loosely translates to "Star Freedom" in Swahili.  She was one of the first characters of African descent to be featured in a non-menial role on US television. Case in point, she served as a major inspiration to a young Whoopi Goldberg...