Out of the Toybox (42): The Next Generation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Star Trek: The Next Generation began in 1987 and ended in 1994, a total of seven seasons, and could be said to be prolonged through the four ST:TNG movies that went from 1994 until 2002, and which arose again like some unclean ghola in the series Picard, which began in 2020.

The first ST:TNG action figures were produced by Galoob in 1988 and did not fare well, perhaps because the series had not quite yet hit its stride. But in 1992, when Playmates finally began producing their own line of action figures (and ships, and playsets), they took off like a, well, like a rocket. We scoured local stores in an effort to get each release; and for a long time ‘pips and piping’ (variations on the uniforms) was to be a bedeviling phrase.

I remember once I decided to buy a Geordi LaForge in Dress Uniform instead of a Thomas Riker (a transporter clone of William Riker), and have regretted the decision for years, as Thomas became a rare find. John and I believe he was snapped up by ‘the White Whale’, a heavyset, white-bearded man who seemed to shadow our every toy quest and whom I suspect bought toys to – gasp! – resell and invest.

Anyway, there had been opportunities for many variations over the years, from young characters in the Academy to holodeck costumes to aged alternate timeline characters in the series finale. Geordie figures tend to lose their VISORs, but I keep those safe in a box. I suppose there are so many Worfs because he went on to feature in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Excelsior!