I imagine that's how the internet would have responded to news of a Star Trek motion picture back in 1977.

I know Paramount is a separate profit center from CBS but I'm fine with Trek staying on the small screen. That does nothing to generate revenue for the movie studio but it's not as if the last couple attempts have been blockbusters.

The New York Times did a feature about the collection and the sad end to it.
 

https://www.nytimes....mX9-yFbiPaISbtb

Nostalgia aside, I like this TNG card back design more than the original. 

YIKES! I wonder what the other 86 images reveal.

We've certainly come a long way but, dang, I remember how exciting it was to collect this line when it debuted. Still wish it had been 1:18 scale but I have terrific memories thanks to Playmates Toys.

You just know someone tried offering these in blind boxes at some point.

Now the creator of the recently canceled Max series "The Flight Attendant" is taking a stab at Star Trek 4. This is still intended to be the swan song for the cast. (Barring, of course, any cameos they might make in a streaming series.)

https://variety.com/...key-1235953186/

At this point, there are nine figures available for pre-order. The aforementioned Kirk, McCoy, Nero, and two different Spocks.

Since then there's been Keenser:

https://www.hiyatoys...r-action-figure

Chekov:

https://www.hiyatoys...v-action-figure

Sulu:

https://www.hiyatoys...u-action-figure

And most recently Scotty:

https://www.hiyatoys...y-action-figure

Noticeably absent is Uhura and any other female characters from the films. I'm sure Hiya is getting as much mileage as they can out of that common male buck but I'm hoping they get around to completing the Main Seven soon. As much as I love this scale (though figures are clearly not in scale with each other), the $25 retail is tough on the budget. Keenser is a must-have as a cool new alien but $220 for the whole assortment just plain hurts. 

Yet another Trek film is reportedly in development. Yay.

Given that it's set decades before TOS during the birth of the Federation, I'm guessing the cast will be new and, most importantly, cheaper than existing Trek performers.

https://variety.com/...ent-1235868141/

Personally, I prefer long-form Trek and wish the franchise would steer clear of cinemas, especially given the high production quality of recent shows. But I'm sure streamers aren't as profitable as movies.

... how many Star Wars shows are out there now anyway? I've lost count.

If you're Bob Iger, too many. Post-pandemic, Disney's now focusing more on feature films than ongoing series, for both Star Wars and Marvel. It appears Paramount is developing yet another Trek film as well. Maybe that can drum up some excitement at retail.

The figures reportedly haven't been promoted at industry events. That's not official but it's certainly not a great sign. Evidently there's no interest at retail for ANY Trek figures. Guess I better pre-order those Hiya figures ASAP.

Three figures from TWOK were consistent peg-warmers at my local Walmart stores, even at $5 clearance. It was sad. That said, I'm not sure they got any other characters. I never saw Prodigy figures in stores.

This has always been a tough line for manufacturers. Even with all the content Playmates had at the line's peak it struggled to get shelf space at the end, becoming exclusive to Target. This will be the second time Playmates has tried the license since and the second time it's failed. 

I have to wonder how far the Hiya Toys line will go. On the plus side, they're focusing on the Kelvin-verse. It's also reportedly the most popular part of the franchise in Asia, especially in China. Hopefully that will translate into a somewhat satisfying line for collectors to the west.

I haven't come across any.

I get the impression they were simply trying to bank on pent-up demand so they could illustrate to prospective streamers how popular the series is with fans.

Either way, Prodigy has found a new home at Netflix, which isn't exactly a stunner. Looking forward to new episodes in 2024.

https://www.startrek...xB9xT6wyqVp-otU

One of the biggest hurdles to every "new" Star Trek line is overcoming consumer skepticism.

I'm sure there are collectors who only want a main character but in my experience, most want a complete bridge crew. If the manufacturer doesn't show a clear path to that, collectors wait and sales suffer.

Given that a detailed, 1/18 scale, super-articulated figure currently retails for about $25, a boxed set with a 7-member bridge crew would be pricey. There's got to be a way to make these little plastic people more affordable. 

It's Nero's turn!

https://www.hiyatoys...o-action-figure

I actually appreciate the way these are trickling out. At this price, a 10- or 12-figure wave would put quite a dent in my monthly budget. I just hope they finish this crew so they can move onto other incarnations.

Paramount made a big deal celebrating "50 years of animation in Star Trek" for this past Star Trek Day but completely snubbed Prodigy.

I understand that they're trying to find a new home for the show and its second season so they may want to build up demand to increase leverage. However, totally ignoring it like that was pretty insulting. 

Currently a Kirk, a McCoy, and two different Spocks are available for preorder.

I really want to support this line but the price is killing me. That Spock Prime definitely needs to be chillin' with my Echo Base rebels.

https://www.hiyatoys...e-action-figure

It's challenging to support a single show when it only runs ten weeks a year at best. Obviously with Trek there's the benefit of other new and existing shows from which to harvest but they're clearly not all created equal, or equally toyetic.

I just want a Zero and I still haven't been able to find one in the wild.

Who? EM is gone, DST hasnt touched Trek in years. We may have something from Corgi or Hiya, but who knows if/when those products will release.

Master Replicas may get a license to produce EMesque Trek ships, like theyve announced for The Expanse
and Stargate, but who knows.

Don't forget Factory Entertainment!

https://factoryent.c...rise-ncc-1701-d

I managed to enjoy both of those episodes though going from one to the next was definitely jarring. "Those Old Scientists" felt much more like a live-action episode of Lower Decks. Not enough of SNW's tone leeched into the story for me. "Under the Cloak of War" was revealing. I'd been waiting to learn more about what had happened. Seeing Dak'Rah trigger M'Benga's PTSD was curious until the context was provided. The revelation of the Butcher of J'Gal was a bit shocking.

"Subspace Rhapsody" was better than I'd expected. There was a lot to unpack. Happy that Carol got a mention and glad to see Christine will be getting that fellowship with Dr. Korby. (I wonder how that will go.  ) 

 

And they have the rights to do electronic ships.

I know that probably means starships but given their track record, I wouldn't be surprised if they offered a 1:18 scale shuttlecraft. Anything they can offer in different flavors.

https://www.toyark.c...iya-toys-511103

As expected, the figures are $25 each. They'll be released in Q1 2024. 

In a bizarre full-circle, these have a hidden crunch joint under those tunics. It reminded me of the rubber pants Art Asylum innovated in the Enterprise line. I was pretty critical of using that "space-age polymer" on action figures but here it seems less problematic. At least they're touting it in the marketing if not on the packaging.

I'm still pushing for those transparent blue bases to be transporter pads. If they lit up it'd make the price easier to swallow but I know that's not realistic.

"... the company told us that they have a worldwide license to all of the live-action Star Trek properties – so there is great potential for additional releases."

https://blog.trekcor...elvin-timeline/

As Kelvin Scotty would say, this is exciting!