Star Trek has set the standards for which all science fiction that follows is judged by. Originally created by Gene Roddenberry, it was pitched as a Cowboy drama set in the cosmos. Now with 12 movies, 5 series plus countless other features and media sources, Gene's original creative vision has "Gone where no saga has gone before"!
Diamond Select Toys has captured some iconic moments from the Star Trek universe and presents them to you as these amazing action figures. We have several Trekkies here at #GOFN so prepare yourself for an EPIC toy review travelling warp 9 with Phasers Ready!
The Original Series by Patrick Gibbs
My intense fondness for the original Star Trek series actually lies in no small part in the very thing that keeps some people away from it: it's hokey, out of date quality posseses a charm that I find fascinating. It's a time capsule of the past, representing hopes and aspirations for the future. The culural memory of the show tends to be selective: we all know that it was groundbreaking and progressive, but featured over thr top and hammy acting. Yet I find that in hindsight, it is often agonizing in it's political in correctness, especially when it comes to its treatment of women, and despite his blustery image that he has come to embrace for comic effect, the silliest moments of the show often work precisely because of William Shatner's low key and earnest performance.
The two episodes we are looking at here are iconic ones from season one: "Space Seed," which introduced the villainous Khan Noonian Singh (Ricardo Montalban), and "The Devil in the Dark," which explored the theme that mankind makes savages out of others to justify their own savagery.
In 2008, when Barack Obama made history and broke through more barriers than the A-Team van by becoming our first ever black President, my immediate thought was: "The next step is a toy Horta. It has to be." Now, however many years later if I bothered to count it out on my fingers Diamond Select Toys has finally made that happen.
This is one of the very last figures of Leonard Nimoy's Spock to come out while he was still with us, and it's one of the best. This 7'inch figure and diorama recreates a classic scene from "The Devil in the Dark."
The diorama depicts the cave where Spock approaches the Horta, and the detail work is amazing. This is one of the only figures I've bought in recent memory that had me thinking "Wow, I would have paid another $20 at least for that."
This spectacular diorama depicts the brutal hand to hand combat between Khan, the genetically engineered superman from the past, and James T. Kirk, the man who created his own unique style of fighting that often looks like it was patterned after what it would look like if Michael "Lord of the Dance" Flatley tried to perform the Hiemlich maneuver on someone while he himself was having an epileptic seizure. "The Devil in The Dark" plays like a forerunner of the Alien movie series, with the two major differences being that A: the antagonistic creature is portrayed with a great deal more sympathy, a B: it looks like a giant pile of dog crap and molten lava made out of foam rubber. But it's a pivotal episode in displaying Spock's empathetic nature and Kirk learning to trust his science officer's judgement.
"Space Seed" is a surprisingly average installment when you consider the huge effect it had on not one, but two movie spinoffs. The worst element is the embarssingly sexist character of Marla MacGivers, the Enterprise officer who would become Khan's wife. The best is the fight between Kirk and Khan, which is way above average for the series.
The Extras...I'm going to cover articulation and accessories all in one on, because they are connected. Or disconnected, perhaps.
Spock comes with interchangeable, articulated hands and legs for Spock, which can be used to make him stand phaser at the ready, or get down on his knees and mind meld with the Horta. And yes, it even comes with a separate "Screaming Spock" head (best accessory EVER!).
Spock also comes with a phaser and two tricorders, and the chunk of Horta flesh that Kirk and Spock shot off with their phasers.
Capain Kirk comes with two sets of legs: one in kind of squat thrust position, and the other in a jump kick position.
The first is so that Kirk can go all Tonya Harding on Khan and hit him with, what you would judge from looking at the action figure, to be a metal pipe, but if you watch the episide, is clearly . . . some sort of unidentified thing.
The second is so that Kirk can jump high in the air and kick Khan, who oddly enough is positioned so that Kirk's foot will come down squarely on Khan's joy department, preventing future generations of genetic supermen. These legs connect to a plastic rod that connects to the console. Unlike the Spock figure, which enables you to recreate almost exact frames from the episode, neither position for Kirk and Khan is quite like anything seen on screen: it more closely resembles the beach fight at the end of "M:I-2." It is remarkably cool, though, and captures the spirit of the sequence if not the exact physical action.
The Next Generation by Michael Paul
Star Trek the Next Generation - the second of 5 series within the Star Trek Universe, this leg of the giant stemmed from a prior series development that never was filmed, Phase 2. Many of the episodes from seasons 1 & 2 were rewritten then converted to fit the new crew and ship paving the path for all the years after that.
My focus for this section is two of the most interesting senior officers to have ever served on the 1701-D, Jean'Luc and Worf. These characters have a very involved history with each other and not just within the confines of the Enterprise.
Picard has served as Worf's Advocate in the Klingon courts, Worf has carried out covert military missions under the classified orders of the Captain and have both saved each other's lives countless times in various ways.
Jean'luc Picard - A far different man from James Tiberius Kirk. I have fond memories of spending my Friday evenings eating pizza and watching the X-Files then Star Trek the Next Generation for years and years.
Jean'luc was the first in his family to traverse the Galaxy leaving behind an empire and history of premium wine crafters. He is an eager explorer and respected Diplomat plus a father figure to many and an experienced military commander.
Diamond Select Toys' rendition of the captain is one of pure envy to Star Trek collectors. Inspired from his dealings with the Borg this is truly one of the nicest toys I've ever laid my eyes on. Just looking at it prompts me to grab the DVD stack and rewatch the episodes right now!
Lt. Worf - The first Klingon to ever graduate from Starfleet and serve actively as tactical senior officer. It wasn't until Deep Space 9 came out that I truly understood how complex of a character he was.
Many of these complexities are still rooted in the Next Generation series extending into Deep Space 9 and the Next Gen films. He is now one of my favorite characters of the entire canon which is Star Trek. Very similar to a Fantasy world warrior, Worf's demeanor and train of thought is steeped in honor and duty.
The Diamond Select Toys Worf leaves nothing else to be desired when embodying these attributes. Modeled from several iconic moments in the series this Lt. Worf is a 100% necessary addition to your collection.
THE EXTRAS
Worf is a warrior trained in the arts of melee, marksmenship and hand to hand combat while Jean'Luc embodies a more refined and bigger picture approach to his battles. Diamond Select covers both of these points wonderfully with various accessories and armatures for both figures providing a wide range of options for display.
Worf's diorama is a Klingon Imperial insignia equipped with several weapons including the Batlef and standard issue Phaser plus others. This is a great display piece any way you put it together showcasing the ferociousness and cunning this incredible Klingon lives by.
Picard's accessories are Borg body parts, his command issue sidearm and a floor panel from a Borg vessel. This is cloned a pivotal era from the Next Gen. Storyline paving way for several stories lines to come for Next Generation, Voyager and the Next Generation second film.
Both figures articulation is limited as their legs and feet are solidly set in stance. Worf's waist has no articulation but Picard's does swivel 360°. Worf's head has limited mobility but does twist some at the neck, while Picard's has a wonderful ball joint allowing it free movement for ultimate staring poses. Both figures' arms move only at the shouldors and hands though the rest of the arms stay put in bent or stretched positions. Together, these two figures can recreate many iconic scenes from a Borg beat down to a mission debriefing with the right ingenuity and configuration. I have to give Diamond Select 8.5 out of 10 for this pair.
See this DST site for full details on these figures. If this prompted you to further grow your collection know that all figures are currently in stock at Entertainment Earth as well, so check them out here.
Needless to say, Star Trek is a staple in the world of "nerdvana" with millions of fans stretching for 3 or 4 generations (yes pun intended) and many more to come. From Alpha Centari to the Delta Quadrant and all sectors in between, the collectables of StarFleet and the United Federation of Planets creates an "ongoing mission to seek out new toys and new customizations". Diamond Select Toys steers an Admiral's skiff at the forefront of the fleet with photon torpedoes locked on fandom appreciation and collectability. Live long and prosper people!