Star Trek: TMP questions and observations

[2takesfrakes]

Just a side thing, here. Has nothing to do with the scaffolding or any of that. I was curious what up-market merchandising was associated with the movie. I know about a certain board game and the Mego figures, an audio book and all that ... but that's not what I'm talking about.

I mean actually nice items that at least suggest class. For example, does anyone know about the Kholinar (sp.) Certificate of Logic that the Vulcan priestess lets fall to the ground after Spock's last-minute faux pas? Personally, I found that to be a very beautiful prop. Now, what I would do with it, I honestly don't know? Probably use it as a mobile, I guess. It's so unique and well-crafted. Surely, someone thought to market this item.

Personally, I've hated everything Vulcan-made since VOYAGE HOME: Spock's robe sleeves just look absurd, for example. Most cultural items that T'Pol owns or exposes Trip to look very strange, in a bad way. TMP really nailed down the Vulcans, for as briefly as we saw them. Anyway, that's my question: Upscale TMP merchandise - did these items ever exist?

 

[trevanian]

There was a TMP Spock stein that went for something like fifty bucks back then. I saw it in a drugstore in 1980. The only other stuff I remember being that pricey were the 400' Super-8 condensed versions of the film, which were around 39.95.

 

[Timewalker]

I'm not sure what you mean by "up-market" - expensive? Or just something a bit "classier" than the usual plastic action figures/model kits?

I have the sheet music for "Ilia's Theme."

 

[LMFAOschwarz]

There was a time back in '77 or so when I had foregone Star Trek (I had gotten "too old" for it, you see!). When The Motion Picture first came out, I experienced it mostly through seeing various merchandising around. My impression at the time (and still is, really) that the items released were a bit...odd. I can't really explain it. A model here, a coloring book there...I don't recall any really "wow" items.

Did anyone else experience this?

 

[SchwEnt]

^^^ and SW had already come out two years before and showed how to merchandise a movie, big time.

OTOH, TMP isn't really the type of film that lends itself to "fun" marketing like SW could do.

 

[Christopher]

Actually TMP had more marketing tie-ins than any other Trek film until 2009. There were toys, action figures, books, comics, fast-food tie-ins, a pretty big marketing blitz.

 

[Grant]

Actually TMP had more marketing tie-ins than any other Trek film until 2009. There were toys, action figures, books, comics, fast-food tie-ins, a pretty big marketing blitz.

Happy meals!!
The Spaceflight chronology book
Iron on decals
The new movie version model kit


yep there was a ton.

 

[2takesfrakes]

And tons of STAR TREK patches, yes ... but was any of it quality merchandise for the upscale buyer? That's what no one seems to have an answer for ...

 

[sbk1234]

Not only was there a Star Teek Happy Meal, but it was the FIRST Happy Meal ever.

 

[Christopher]

And tons of STAR TREK patches, yes ... but was any of it quality merchandise for the upscale buyer? That's what no one seems to have an answer for ...

I'm not sure what you mean by that. What kind of merchandise do you define as "upscale?" It sounds like you're referring to things like quality prop replicas or the sort of thing that Quantum Mechanix does today. I don't think there was anything like that around at the time.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

^ Yeah, I was going to say that "quality merchandise" is not anything I saw as being out there at the time for TOS, either. Ditto for Star Wars.

 

[2takesfrakes]

Yes, quality prop replicas is what I'm talking about. I would never own a "phaser" or "light sabre" or whatever else along those lines. I am talking about things like:

Spock's Kolinahr Symbol, Ilia's head band, or even Bones' necklace, when he first beams aboard.

Something where, STAR TREK is not stamped all over something fashioned in the shape of Captain Kirk. Something you could present to someone and have them not even guess it was from a movie, at all. Much less TMP.

 

[SchwEnt]

I recall TMP merchandise. I had most of it, still do.
Some good stuff, some iffy.

The SW merchandise seemed to have a more consistent line of products, from the action figures to books to clothing.

TMP seemed more disjointed, little of this, little of that.

 

[Christopher]

The SW merchandise seemed to have a more consistent line of products, from the action figures to books to clothing.

TMP seemed more disjointed, little of this, little of that.

I don't know about clothing, but there were action figures and toy ships, and there were a number of books and related items -- the novelization, the photonovel, the comic adaptation, the paperback of the comic adaptation, the blueprints, The Making of TMP, Chekov's Enterprise, the Peel-Off Graphics Book, the Make Your Own Costume Book, Star Trek Speaks, the Spaceflight Chronology, Star Trek Maps, etc.

http://www.well.com/user/sjroby/lcars/1979.html
http://www.well.com/user/sjroby/lcars/1980.html

There were a lot more book tie-ins for TMP than there were for Star Wars at the time. I don't remember any book tie-ins for the original SW movie beyond the novelization and Splinter of the Mind's Eye.

 

[The Old Mixer]

^They also started the original Han Solo trilogy between the first two films, FWIW.

Outside of novels, there was the Marvel Comics series (including the adaptation of the film in various formats, one of them a paperback-sized black and white reprint that I owned), and odd tie-ins like magazines, storybooks, activity books, pop-up books, etc....mostly kid-oriented.

 

[LMFAOschwarz]

Looking through Christopher's links, 2Takes, I thought these looked pretty high-end!

 

[Christopher]

^They also started the original Han Solo trilogy between the first two films, FWIW.

Outside of novels, there was the Marvel Comics series (including the adaptation of the film in various formats, one of them a paperback-sized black and white reprint that I owned), and odd tie-ins like magazines, storybooks, activity books, pop-up books, etc....mostly kid-oriented.

Sounds like there wasn't that much difference between ST and SW in terms of the nature of their book tie-ins, although with Trek probably having a bit of an edge in volume (since they already had an ongoing novel tie-in line). Though SW definitely had the more successful toy line.

 

[2takesfrakes]

Looking through Christopher's links, 2Takes, I thought these looked pretty high-end!


- INSERT IMAGE(S) HERE -

One would most assuredly get The Shits from even attempting recipes sourced from a STAR TREK cook book - official, or otherwise. Further, I would not - do not - trust it, Mr. Schwarz! Spending hours on the toilet, just to feel "closer" to a favourite STAR TREK feature picture would not be satisfactory. Not at all satisfactory.

My question has been answered, then, in full:
There is no upscale merchandise associated with STAR TREK: The Motion Picture - indeed, there never was. More's the pity ...

 

[J.T.B.]

^ I don't think the concept of "upscale" movie tie-in merchandise even existed at the time.

I think the TMP toys must have bombed. I only ever remember seeing them in the tiny toy section of a JC Penny's, a store where no kid went of their own free will. The action figure package cards had pictures of aliens on them that, as far as I knew, hadn't even appeared in the movie, which I thought was odd. Later I noticed them, far in the background.

 

[T'Girl]

Something where, STAR TREK is not stamped all over something fashioned in the shape of Captain Kirk. Something you could present to someone and have them not even guess it was from a movie, at all. Much less TMP.

How would that in the least way be considered a "tie in?"