Product launch - need your help!

[s-moto14]

Hey guys!

Great to finally be on here, you guys have been the staple of my research in to Star Trek and I think it would be safe to say I'm pretty hooked on it all!

I'm here for your help though..

I work for a large mail order company that is looking to launch a range of 24 products dedicated to the Star Trek series (films, series etc.). Whilst we have our own ideas about what we think would work and what wouldn't, I thought there was no one better to ask than you guys.

What I'm basically asking for here is which characters/ships/themes/scenes or items you would base each of these 24 products on?

For example.. your top 12 characters and your top 12 ships, to then be sold as pairs - Or perhaps a range of the top episodes?

It's an open slate here and for obvious reasons I cant quite give away what these products are to be (licencing reasons), however they are all going to very similar but with different subjects (think collectors cards).

Obviously with it being the 50th anniversary of the series next year we're looking to have something very special made up and I'd love for you guys to be a part of that. In return I will keep you updated with the progress of the product development and eventual result!

You could even purchase them yourself knowing you've had a part in the development

I realise that as a newbie here I may not be taken seriously but you are the fans here and I wanted your opinions.

Live long and... Nah I'm probably not qualified to end on that line!!

Cheers Guys

 

[Horizons96]

I always hoped a company like Diamond Select would do the Akira class, in the size the same as the others they do. From what I've read it's a VERY popular ship within the fan base, even though it only appeared in First Contact, DS9 and maybe one episode of VOY.

It's one elegant ship... hint hint

 

[Sector 7]

I'll bite: Captain Spock & TMP Vulcan shuttle

 

[s-moto14]

Thanks for the input guys.

Spock and Vulcan were certainly on the list.

Here's the selection we have so far

Characters

James Kirk
Spock
Jean-Luc
Leonard McCoy
Data
Odo
Worf
Q
Kira Nerys
Seven of Nine
Sarek
Benjamin Sisko

Ships

Enterprise E
Scimitar
Original Enterprise
USS Definat
Voyager
Enterprise A
Nerada
Borg Cube
Bio Ship
Klingon Bird of Prey
Romulan Warbird
D-7 Battle Cruiser

Whadda you reckon?

 

[Dac]

If you want Characters coupled with ships...

Kirk - TOS Enterprise
Picard - Enterprise-D
Sisko - Defiant
Janeway - Voyager
Archer - Enterprise NX-01
Spock - Refit Enterprise/Enterprise A
(Unlikely but I want it bad) Riker - USS Titan/(More likely) Enterprise-E
Kira?/DS9
Paris - Delta Flyer?
T'Pol - Shuttlepod One?
Borg Queen or Locutus - Borg Cube
Kruge - Bird of Prey

 

[Dac]

I always hoped a company like Diamond Select would do the Akira class, in the size the same as the others they do. From what I've read it's a VERY popular ship within the fan base, even though it only appeared in First Contact, DS9 and maybe one episode of VOY.

It's one elegant ship... hint hint

Not sure if you know, but Eaglemoss released an official Akira model about 5 inches long a year or two back.

 

[Firebird]

It's not looking likely that DST will complete the Enterprise lineage anytime soon, so I'll vote for an Enterprise-C.

 

[Horizons96]

Not sure if you know, but Eaglemoss released an official Akira model about 5 inches long a year or two back.

Yeah I've got that one, but I really wished for a larger one like the others Diamond Select do, as it's my fav ship.

I'm currently trying to create a rough depiction of that moment during the Battle of 001 when the Enterprise E enters the fray in a way that seems to shield the other ships. I have the Eaglemoss Defiant coming in the post and really want the Sabre and Steamrunner classes to be released. Not to scale I know, but I like how this way the Enterprise's protective manner is accentuated.

 

[s-moto14]

If you want Characters coupled with ships...

Kirk - TOS Enterprise
Picard - Enterprise-D
Sisko - Defiant
Janeway - Voyager
Archer - Enterprise NX-01
Spock - Refit Enterprise/Enterprise A
(Unlikely but I want it bad) Riker - USS Titan/(More likely) Enterprise-E
Kira?/DS9
Paris - Delta Flyer?
T'Pol - Shuttlepod One?
Borg Queen or Locutus - Borg Cube
Kruge - Bird of Prey

Good idea! Thanks

 

[137th Gebirg]

Ships

Enterprise E
Scimitar
Original Enterprise
USS Definat
Voyager
Enterprise A
Nerada
Borg Cube
Bio Ship
Klingon Bird of Prey
Romulan Warbird
D-7 Battle Cruiser

Whadda you reckon?

Scimitar? Absolutely not. Nemesis is not held in terribly high regard with the fandom in general and the Scimitar (at least to me) symbolizes the failure that it was in many ways. It's viewed by many as "the movie that killed the Prime Universe". By itself, it's an interesting ship, but it was powered more by pure fanwank extract than Thalaron raditation.

Nerada and Bio Ship? Eh...maybe. I'm kind of ambivalent on those. Nerada is not as bad as the Scimitar but hovers dangerously close when it comes to uber-powered enemy ships. The Bio Ship is more interesting but somewhat obscure in the general pantheon of alien ships. It is arguably the most obscure ship in your list.

I am another vote for the Akira. It's like the Boba Fett of the Trek world. Only been seen a handful of times, we know very little about it and it's positively bad-ass to look at. It should be featured more in an official capacity. If it's more recognizable hero ships you're after, you could always flip it over and make an NX from Enterprise.

The rest of the ship list seems like a good collection of well-known and iconic vessels. Should do fine with those.

No opinion on the characters - the list seems okay.

 

[s-moto14]

Ships

Enterprise E
Scimitar
Original Enterprise
USS Definat
Voyager
Enterprise A
Nerada
Borg Cube
Bio Ship
Klingon Bird of Prey
Romulan Warbird
D-7 Battle Cruiser

Whadda you reckon?

Scimitar? Absolutely not. Nemesis is not held in terribly high regard with the fandom in general and the Scimitar (at least to me) symbolizes the failure that it was in many ways. It's viewed by many as "the movie that killed the Prime Universe". By itself, it's an interesting ship, but it was powered more by pure fanwank extract than Thalaron raditation.

Nerada and Bio Ship? Eh...maybe. I'm kind of ambivalent on those. Nerada is not as bad as the Scimitar but hovers dangerously close when it comes to uber-powered enemy ships. The Bio Ship is more interesting but somewhat obscure in the general pantheon of alien ships. It is arguably the most obscure ship in your list.

I am another vote for the Akira. It's like the Boba Fett of the Trek world. Only been seen a handful of times, we know very little about it and it's positively bad-ass to look at. It should be featured more in an official capacity. If it's more recognizable hero ships you're after, you could always flip it over and make an NX from Enterprise.

The rest of the ship list seems like a good collection of well-known and iconic vessels. Should do fine with those.

No opinion on the characters - the list seems okay.

You make a good point! Gone is the scimitar and in is Akira.

What are your thoughts on the Vulcan shuttle and what ship would it best replace?

 

[137th Gebirg]

If anything, I'd replace the Bio Ship with the Vulcan Shuttle. They're both somewhat obscure, but I gather the shuttle would be far more readily recognizable and considerably more iconic. Since your list is limited to 12 ships, the term "iconic" should be taken into greater consideration, which is why I keep saying it.

Your challenge would be to replicate the intricate color scheme that the shuttle had. Being Vulcan in origin, it doesn't have the same cool pearlescent white color palette that Starfleet ships have. And it's not a simple orange-brown, either. Between the kinds of paints that were used and the lighting back then, TMP ship color schemes, to me, have always been quite difficult to replicate accurately.

Question about the D7 - are you referring to the TOS D7, the TMP K'T'inga or the ST6 enhanced Kronos 1? Any one of them would look pretty cool, IMO, but have some major visual differences between them.

 

[s-moto14]

Yep I'd agree with that, it was somewhat at the back of the pile but I wanted a decent range of ships in there.

I think we're going with TOS D7 for nostalgia's sake, I think its more definable the newer models.

 

[137th Gebirg]

Awesome!

Looking forward to seeing the final product. Please post here when you have prototypes or finished items.

 

[Shawnster]

I think you should set your collection apart from the rest. Everybody does Enterprise, Borg Cube, etc.. Go for some more obscure or rare combinations.

Captain Robau and the Kelvin
Borg Queen and the Borg Sphere or Diamond
Khan and the Botany Bay
Harry Mudd and his little Class J Cargo Ship (TOS Remastered)
Cyrano Jones with tribble and Space Station K-7
Shran and the Andorian ship Kumari
Romulan Commander and the Warbird
Romulan Commander and the Romulan ship of Klingon Design (D-7 with Romulan markings)
Lore and the Crystalline Entity
Captain Sulu and Excelsior

OK, OK, it isn't Star Trek without the Enterprise
TOS Kirk and TOS Enterprise
TNG Picard and Enterprise-D

Bonus!
TMP Spock in Vulcan robe and the Vulcan Shuttle (which really was a Starfleet shuttle with a warp sled attachment) This could replace Sulu and Excelsior

 

[Sector 7]

OK, here is my contribution: Character - Ship - Trek Series/Film

Captain James T. Kirk - USS Enterprise - The Original Series
Klingon Captain Koloth - K-7 Space Station - "The Trouble with Tribbles" TOS
Vulcan Commander - Vulcan Warbird - "The Enterprise Incident" TOS
Scotty (Lt. Cmdr. Scott) - Galileo 7 shuttlecraft - The Original Series

Captain Spock - Vulcan Shuttle - The Motion Picture
Captain Kirk - USS Enterprise "A" - The Wrath of Khan
Captain Sulu - USS Excelsior - The Undiscovered Country

Jean-Luc Picard - USS Enterprise "D" - Star Trek: The Next Generation
Romulan Commander (your choice) -Romulan Warbird - Star Trek: The Next Generation

Captain Janeway - USS Voyager - Star Trek: Voyager
Captain Sisko - DS-9 Space Station - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Captain Archer - NX-01 USS Enterprise - Star Trek: Enterprise

In citing these 12, it was my aim to include the various incarnations of Star Trek, as seen on television and in film. I also chose characters & ships which are well-known, not only among fans, but the public, as well. As stated before, while fans may want an obscure ship, the casual interest consumer may not. Since licensing for the Bad Robot films would be separate, they were not included in my list. However, for the record:
Pine as Kirk - USS Enterprise - Star Trek (2009)
Welker as Adm. Marcus - USS Vengeance - Star Trek into Darkness

 

[Sans]

Captain Sulu - USS Excelsior - The Undiscovered Country

I always wanted a figure of Sulu in his command chair drinking his tea with the table in front of him from TUC

 

[s-moto14]

I think you should set your collection apart from the rest. Everybody does Enterprise, Borg Cube, etc.. Go for some more obscure or rare combinations.

Captain Robau and the Kelvin
Borg Queen and the Borg Sphere or Diamond
Khan and the Botany Bay
Harry Mudd and his little Class J Cargo Ship (TOS Remastered)
Cyrano Jones with tribble and Space Station K-7
Shran and the Andorian ship Kumari
Romulan Commander and the Warbird
Romulan Commander and the Romulan ship of Klingon Design (D-7 with Romulan markings)
Lore and the Crystalline Entity
Captain Sulu and Excelsior

OK, OK, it isn't Star Trek without the Enterprise
TOS Kirk and TOS Enterprise
TNG Picard and Enterprise-D

Bonus!
TMP Spock in Vulcan robe and the Vulcan Shuttle (which really was a Starfleet shuttle with a warp sled attachment) This could replace Sulu and Excelsior

Personally I would rather go for the more obscure but at the end of the day it has to appeal to the masses and for those that like Star Trek but aren't what you'd call 'enthusiasts' its not likely that most of those ships will mean much to them. Of course, if this collection was to do very well then it would be extended, meaning more ships and characters like you mention would be included

 

[s-moto14]

Awesome!

Looking forward to seeing the final product. Please post here when you have prototypes or finished items.

I'll keep you all updated!

This isn't something we've done before so we'll me making sure it coincides with the 50th anniversary just to boost the relevance.

 

[s-moto14]

OK, here is my contribution: Character - Ship - Trek Series/Film

Captain James T. Kirk - USS Enterprise - The Original Series
Klingon Captain Koloth - K-7 Space Station - "The Trouble with Tribbles" TOS
Vulcan Commander - Vulcan Warbird - "The Enterprise Incident" TOS
Scotty (Lt. Cmdr. Scott) - Galileo 7 shuttlecraft - The Original Series

Captain Spock - Vulcan Shuttle - The Motion Picture
Captain Kirk - USS Enterprise "A" - The Wrath of Khan
Captain Sulu - USS Excelsior - The Undiscovered Country

Jean-Luc Picard - USS Enterprise "D" - Star Trek: The Next Generation
Romulan Commander (your choice) -Romulan Warbird - Star Trek: The Next Generation

Captain Janeway - USS Voyager - Star Trek: Voyager
Captain Sisko - DS-9 Space Station - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Captain Archer - NX-01 USS Enterprise - Star Trek: Enterprise

In citing these 12, it was my aim to include the various incarnations of Star Trek, as seen on television and in film. I also chose characters & ships which are well-known, not only among fans, but the public, as well. As stated before, while fans may want an obscure ship, the casual interest consumer may not. Since licensing for the Bad Robot films would be separate, they were not included in my list. However, for the record:
Pine as Kirk - USS Enterprise - Star Trek (2009)
Welker as Adm. Marcus - USS Vengeance - Star Trek into Darkness

That is a pretty solid list that I'm finding hard to dispute! Its certainly giving me a little more to think about.

As I've mentioned before, you've hit the nail on the head there by saying how the obscure ships just wont appeal to the casual interest consumer, and that's exactly who we're targeting to be honest.

A very logical mix of ships, characters and series in there.. me like!