Star Trek: The Quick and Sleazy Gift Guide for Overhyped Trekkies, Trekkers and Geeks

Posted by ScuzzBuster

May 19, 2009

ship One of the great truisms of fandom of any entertainment property is that when the fuse gets lit on fanaticism after a long lull it spurs lapsed fans into child like spending sprees. Star Trek is no different and with the new film garnering rave reviews and big box office bucks it’s prime time for classic Trek fans to get parted with their hard earned cash. Here’s a cross section of some of the big budget and small budget goodies that are hanging out there for you.

Star Trek The Original Series Season 1 Remastered on Bluray
sts1br Forget saving the best for last, one of the most exciting and unexpected gifts Trek fans ever got was the somewhat surprising announcement that there were plans to restore the entire original 79 episodes of the original Star Trek complete with new digital effects shots. There was some trepidation from fandom that they shouldn’t be tinkering with a classic, but the response was mostly positive and results were astounding.

kirkremastered First and perhaps most notable was the clean up and restoration of the original prints in hi-def. These original episodes not only looked incredible, they never looked better, not even when they first aired. One of the bittersweet complaints that some had after seeing the first round of remastered episodes in syndication was that the prints were so clean and sharp that there were now details visible that were never intended to be seen. Not only are the crystal clear images breathtaking, but if you look too closely you can now see things like make up lines on the actors, every loose thread on the old uniforms. Hell, you can almost get discernable fingerprint samples from the painfully obvious shot switches between Shatner and his various aging stunt doubles and their crappy wigs.

One of the controversial decisions was to redo most of the visual effects work, particularly the space exteriors. With a loving respect for the fans, though, they made a conscious decision not remake these effects in an overtly gritty and realistic tone, but to stay true to the “style” of 60s sci-fi the exteriors were remade beautifully, but much more in the clean style you would expect to see in the 60s and 70s. There’s no argument that the original exteriors were not just a little clunky, but suffered from very cut rate problems, like the background stars shining through the Enterprise hull as well as planets and alien ships looking more like unintended blobs light masses. The new effects are wonderful. The Bluray set features some fantastic extras from the effects artists talking about how much love and reverence was shown for the original work to bring the new shots closer to the original vision rather than someone’s new vision. In the rare cases where they added a new angle or new element to some of the shots, they agonized over the decisions in the honest debate of how far was too far. The love shows through.

For those that still have trepidation for the new effects work, fear not, the set includes the original versions as well and you can flip back and forth between the two versions to compare while watching.
remasterimage Even if you own the original version box set, this is well worth the money. Most of the extras from the prior releases are present, though I understand there is one commentary missing that appeared in the original release. If you only have $60 or $70 to spend on Star Trek goodies, this is the where to put those dollars. The original series not only looks better than ever, these are the definitive versions to own.
Star Trek The Original Series Season 1 Remastered Bluray: $64.99 @ Amazon

Star Trek Toys and Action Figures from Playmates
Though it’s taken many years of therapy and about 18 years of being responsible for paying for space to live and keep my stuff in to cure my personal addiction to action figures and sci-fi toys, I can honestly say that I still almost never leave a discount retail outlet without at least one pass through the action figure isle usually with the shakes.

bridge_pack It is with fond memories that I recall those days in late 1977 that I could actually purchase a Star Wars action figure at my local grocery store for 68 cents. Yes, the famous Kenner figures were once 68 cents new. The same figures today may run between $4 and $9 a piece and so do the Playmates series of Trek figures and other tie-ins to the new film. I’ve perused the isles wondering which of these figures I might choose to own since I know I will never feel like I have the funds to collect the set. They come in smaller and large size assortments and bare a vague likeness to the actors.

I should throw the plug for Playmates in because they are the last major toy company to get a fairly large chunk of my action figure budget as they produced the popular line of Star Trek The Next Generation figures sets in the 90s. That was a helluva fun ride. It took months of hitting toy stores and Wal-Marts the day shipments would come in vain attempts to score the rare Troi figure and there were even droughts of Data figures that drove convention retailers to hike up the prices on these little gems. Looking over the current Playmates line they have some good looking stuff out there. There is a bridge playset that bears somewhat of a resemblance to the original Star Trek Bridge Playset that I scored on Christmas 1976 when I was a full tilt Star Trek kid before the Star Wars explosion the following year.

There’s a great toy line from the new film. But the only toy in the line that I’m really starting to wear down on is the large Enterprise toy that is retailing for about $30.00 U.S. right now (See Photo top of article). Even though my one beef with the new Enterprise design is the radically different warp nacelles, I would love to have that toy on my desk at home taking up space I can’t afford. If you’re still in active sci-fi toy addiction, it’s a hot time to be a Star Trek fan. You know, that phaser toy looks pretty cool, too. Hell, that communicator would look awesome next to my Doctor Who sonic screwdriver in my desk drawer.
Playmates Star Trek Movie Tie In Toys: $6.98 and up @ Various Retailers

Star Trek Countdown: Comic Series or Graphic Novel
If you still find yourself purchasing those old fashioned colorful lumps of dead tree called books and you found yourself asking what the hell the Romulan Baddie Nero’s problem was in the new film, the full and detailed answer comes in the form of the limited comic series Star Trek: Countdown that is the official prequel to the new film and fleshes out the back story that is only touched upon in the movie. It features the events that led up to his hatred for Spock is the official “canon” version of those events. It’s also the root of the unfounded rumors that Patrick Stewart and Brent Spiner would be making cameos in the new film since they are featured in prominent roles in Countdown. And yes, those that suffered through Star Trek Nemesis were correct as the credits rolled, they set Data up for a comeback that seems destined to never happen on screen. For those that don’t like killing trees, you can also get Countdown for your Kindle, IPhone and IPod Touch.
Star Trek Countdown Graphic Novel Format $12.23 @ Amazon

Star Trek The Animated Series Box Set: Standard DVD Format
tas This is a great find for Trek fans and already becoming a bit of a rarity. The box set contains all 22 episodes of the animated series from 1973 and 74. It has the voices of the entire original cast with the exception of Walter Koenig since Chekov did not appear. There has been fierce debate about the canon of TAS in Trek lore, but Roddenberry and others have kind of ignored it for the most part. The writing was top notch, however, and featured many of the writers from the Original Series. The voice acting from the regulars was a bit stilted since all the parts were voiced by the actors at different times and pieced together in studio. The animation also left a lot to be desired with tons of reused stock animations. Still, nothing for a Trek fan to really be embarrassed about, it’s a fine entry in Trek television history (all 22 episodes are vastly better than Spock’s Brain) and a pretty low cost box set.
Star Trek The Animated Series Standard DVD: $18.99 @ Amazon; $29.99 @ Best Buy and other in store retailers.

Star Trek Video Games
Until things started to get rolling for the new flick I didn’t realize what a shortage of good Star Trek games we had. The two Elite Force games for PC and Mac from a few years ago were awesome First Person Shooters that I spent considerable time playing online. I guess since you can’t enter a retail establishment without tripping over a new mediocre Star Wars game for every conceivable platform I just thought that the Star Trek games were there, too. Not so, however. Of the slim pickings in recent releases there are two somewhat recent Nintendo releases and a newly released Xbox Live Downloadable game.

Star Trek Conquest. Nintendo Wii
This game pretty much bombed out quick when it released in 2007. However, I picked it up for $10.00 new at Game Stop a little over a month ago and I’ve put a ton of time into it. The problem was that it looked like it was an all out action combat game, when in fact it’s nothing of the sort.

It’s a turn based strategy game that is a simplistic cross between an RPG board game, a simplified supply and strategy Starcraft style game and combat shooter. It’s a TNG era game where you pick your race and build up a fleets of ships, starbases, mining colonies and science stations to take over all the planets on a game field. As you defeat more fleets you gain experience points and you earn money and upgrades from you mining colonies and research stations. Thrown in for good measure, when you enter a combat situation you can choose to play it out like any turn-based RPG pitting your fleet’s experience points, strengths and health in a brief simplistic battle or you can enter a full 3-D dog fight where you control a ship in your fleet in the battle.

In any case, if you’re all about action combat, this is not the game for you. However, if this turn based strategy style of game sounds interesting, it’s well worth the bargain bin price of $10 or $20. After I realized what type of game it was I actually got a little addicted to it and have put dozens of Wii hours into it over the past month.

Star Trek: Tactical Assault. Nintendo DS
sttacticalds Strip out the turn-based strategy element from the Conquest Game for Wii and you have this very tasty little DS game also by CBS interactive.

This is a campaign based game that has a much more rich approach to taking a Federation ship into battle. Each chapter in the campaign pits you in a combat situation against your standard Federation baddies, this time set in the time of the Original Series films. Once you get the hang of the combat it’s very clever. Your phaser banks and photon torpedo tubes are placed strategically around your ships exterior and the skill of your combat is dependent on swinging around your enemies getting the strongest points of your shields in between your enemies and you while getting your ship positioned to fire from the correctly angled phaser banks and torpedo tubes as they recharge. After each level you can upgrade various aspects of your ships.

Overall, it’s a fun game that requires practice to build your skills up to the next level. Overall, a well spent $15.00 on a nice little game.

Star Trek DAC for XBox Live Arcade and PC
dac This $10.00 Xbox Live Arcade Download is surprisingly the only direct tie in to the new film for the foreseeable future. While it certainly has the most flashy graphics and action of any of them, it’s also probably the most disappointing of any of them. While it’s a borderline recommendation at best, the combat is sluggish the controls are counterintuitive for almost all the starship classes. The Constitution Class Vessels (for the Trek Uninitiated that’s the class of vessel that the original Enterprise falls into) is laboriously poor using your left analog stick to pilot the vessel while a massive targeting reticule is controlled independently with the right analog stick. The entire game is top down view combat only and all the maps are staggeringly dull and similar in style. Looks great, but very limited.
The only sure thing Star Trek games I can really recommend are the Elite Force games that are now several years old but still fun, top shelf shooters.
Star Trek: Conquest - $9.99 -$19.99 @ Gamestop and other Retailers
Star Trek Tactical Assault – $14.95 and up @ Best Buy or other Retailers
Star Trek DAC – 800 MS Points (about $10.00), Coming to PC
Star Trek Voyage Elite Force and Elite Force 2: $44.95 and up @ Various Retailers.

Star Trek Glasses and Toys from Burger King
Since the advent of cheap plastic cups at fast food venues it is a rarity to have glassware offered. For $2.00 a piece, Burger King is now offering a set of glasses commemorating the new film. Kirk, Spock, Uhura and Nero are the four different designs. They are fairly sturdy and the designs are pleasant. They aren’t quite as elegant as the Star Trek 3 glasses that Taco Bell offered 20 years ago but they are nice addition to any household cabinet. spock-t In addition, in the kids meals there is a small fleet of plastic caricature style plastic figures. From a collectable standpoint, some of the fast food give away toys may be some of the only ones that have any significant value over time.
Star Trek Glasses and Toys: $1.99 and Up @ Burger King Restaurants

Star Trek: The Original Film Collection on Bluray
tosmovies This is a mixed bag DVD set. It’s not fair to go without noting that it’s the first time that any of the films have been available on Bluray, but note that that they are all strictly the theatrical cuts. The highly regarded director’s cut of the first film is not included nor are any of the classic recuts of Wrath of Khan or others. For those more discerning and wanting to hold out, they may want to go with the condensed set titled The Trilogy which is just Star Trek 2-4. My only real misgiving about going this route is that I personally hold Star Trek VI in high regard and feel that it is a must have. hesdeadalready So heading over to Amazon and pulling these down for basically $15.00 per film for the set is worth it. Director’s cuts of any of them do not seem to be forthcoming soon. The films all look fantastic on Bluray and even though I’ve heard some grumbling about only Star Trek II getting a full Hi-Def remastering, I can personally vouch that you will not get anything approaching this quality of picture on an upscaled standard DVD. However, if the pocketbook forces you to choose between this set and the season 1 Remastered Original Series, go with Season 1 hands down. My recommendation would be to sell your first born for scientific experiments and buy them both. If you don’t have a Bluray player and HD set yet, add your spouse into the mix by advertising he, she or it in a European mail order bride catalog and get both sets and the new Bluray and HD set. All Films contain a full set of extras and commentaries.
Star Trek the Original Motion Picture Collection Bluray (first 6 Films): $79.99 @ Amazon
Star Trek the Original Motion Picture Trilogy Bluray (Star Trek 2-4): $39.99 @ Amazon

Overall, I say strike while the iron is hot and the economy is crappy. It’s a heyday for Star Trek Collectors as the nature of the new film is bringing Classic Trek in it’s original incarnation and 2009 Incarnations to prominence again after TNG and the various Spin Off Series have had nearly 20 years of the main spotlight. Spend now before your wife finds the bank statements and credit card receipts.

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