I'm still embittered that when we moved just before my 10th birthday, the one box we lost was the one containing most of my Trek toys, plus the model train set I'd only had since the previous Christmas. All my best stuff.
I think we've located the inspiration for your affinity for time-travel...I think even Dulmer and Lucsly would give you a pass if you went back and retrieved them.
What Trek Reference Books Need To Be Compiled?
- Thread starter MatthiasRussell
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^What affinity for time travel? As a rule, I hate time travel stories. I wrote Watching the Clock as a way of trying to make sense out of a usually absurd genre. And I did my best to avoid having the protagonists actually do any time travelling themselves.
Still, I do want those toys back...
Still, I do want those toys back...
I sincerely hope so. I have far too many memories of being surrounded by peers who lectured me on my "obsession" with Trek; on how Star Wars is "cooler", "better", etc.; and the like....
One guy actually had the audacity to claim that Trek was "like a spoof on Star Wars".
I will say that, with the new film, I got a kick out of getting apology after apology from former infidels. Trek is getting cool again, folks. Give it time....
The difference in marketability, regarding certain toys, has to do with the emphasis of the two franchises, and a real big hint lies in the name of George Lucas' pet behemouth, "Star WARS" The fighting and the weapons are central to the bulk of what's going on, and emphasized; the morals and mystical lessons are the gooey center of the big turbolasered candy bar.
Star Trek is more of a morality play; the gadgets are secondary, and overemphasizing them distracts from the weightier issues being presented.
At least that was, more or less, Roddenberry's view, which was why we didn't get the big merchandising push until after his passing.
Now, granted, I've got enough phasers and communicators to outfit a pretty good landing party, and have my own sob story regarding the loss of a Mego bridge set, in the original box, along with some figures, during my eviction back in 2007, but it's not the same as getting your hands on a good lightsaber or zipping around in an A-Wing on the computer blowin' up TIE fighters.
Mind you, I never said that Star Trek isn't merchandisable; besides being completely against past history, it also flies in the face of the fact that any property can be merchandised to a certain extent. It's just that some properties lend themselves better to it than others (for instance, I don't see a big merchandise push from, say, "Atlas Shrugged"). And Star Wars is perfectly made for merchandising.
Star Trek is more of a morality play; the gadgets are secondary, and overemphasizing them distracts from the weightier issues being presented.
At least that was, more or less, Roddenberry's view, which was why we didn't get the big merchandising push until after his passing.
Now, granted, I've got enough phasers and communicators to outfit a pretty good landing party, and have my own sob story regarding the loss of a Mego bridge set, in the original box, along with some figures, during my eviction back in 2007, but it's not the same as getting your hands on a good lightsaber or zipping around in an A-Wing on the computer blowin' up TIE fighters.
Mind you, I never said that Star Trek isn't merchandisable; besides being completely against past history, it also flies in the face of the fact that any property can be merchandised to a certain extent. It's just that some properties lend themselves better to it than others (for instance, I don't see a big merchandise push from, say, "Atlas Shrugged"). And Star Wars is perfectly made for merchandising.
I think some people may think star trek isn't as marketable because it hasn't been marketed as well as it should. Lucas and Disney have not let up pushing SW while Paramount and CBS barely try. Look at the low quality playmates trek figs as compared to the awesome hasbro SW figs. If trek put out more and better products, more people would buy, I would. ST09 sparked a fresh interest in the franchise and they've done practically nothing to capitalize on it.
You also can't compare popularity based upon box office sales since trek is largely and should be a television series whereas SW was meant to be film.
I also think that those of us who love science and technology are more drawn to trek, hence trek reference manuals should have more appeal to its audience than SW ones should have to theirs.
You also can't compare popularity based upon box office sales since trek is largely and should be a television series whereas SW was meant to be film.
I also think that those of us who love science and technology are more drawn to trek, hence trek reference manuals should have more appeal to its audience than SW ones should have to theirs.
Undoubtedly, photographing the actors and extras in full costume/makeup is a routine practice for reference purposes, so that the costume, makeup, and hair people can match their appearance from one day of shooting to the next.
^ And, every so often, some of those continuity pics come to the surface.
I can't agree. I see nothing "awesome" whatsoever about Hasbro SW figures. But I've loved Mego, ERTL, Galoob, Playmates, Art Asylum and Diamond Direct "Star Trek" figures.
DS9, VOY and ENT didn't really run in children's viewing hours in many locations around the world. ST toys sold best when TAS was on on Saturday mornings and TOS was in syndicated early prime time repeat, and when TNG was the highest-rating first-run syndicated drama in prime time.
Check out the inner sleeve of the ST:TMP soundtrack LP!
Oh, I never said GR wasn't above making an extra buck off of Star Trek whenever he could (case in point: the attempted IDIC commercial in the form of a scene in "Is There In Truth No Beauty?", a point where Nimoy and Shatner both put their collective feet down, eventually shifting the whole thing to the dinner scene with Spock wearing the IDIC and the brief chat about it).
What he didn't want to do is compromise Star Trek itself by making it look like an outer space shoot-'em-up by going big into marketing toy phasers and other such gadgets. Otherwise, we would've seen that proposed phaser rifle design that incorporated the phaser II pistol, because it would've been the perfect thing to compete with the U.N.C.L.E. gun in the toy shops.
What he didn't want to do is compromise Star Trek itself by making it look like an outer space shoot-'em-up by going big into marketing toy phasers and other such gadgets. Otherwise, we would've seen that proposed phaser rifle design that incorporated the phaser II pistol, because it would've been the perfect thing to compete with the U.N.C.L.E. gun in the toy shops.
I'm still embittered that when we moved just before my 10th birthday, the one box we lost was the one containing most of my Trek toys, plus the model train set I'd only had since the previous Christmas. All my best stuff.
I think we've located the inspiration for your affinity for time-travel...I think even Dulmer and Lucsly would give you a pass if you went back and retrieved them.
Sorry; was getting ready for work and wasn't paying attention to being precise. I was referring more to your ability to explain multiverse theory to people without getting too bogged down in the details.
Almost as though you had thought out how to get those toys back...
Or, at least, resigned yourself to the fact that in some alternate timeline, there is a Christopher who still has those toys in a safe place.
I was referring more to your ability to explain multiverse theory to people without getting too bogged down in the details.
Almost as though you had thought out how to get those toys back...
Or, at least, resigned yourself to the fact that in some alternate timeline, there is a Christopher who still has those toys in a safe place.
Not really, since I doubt the factor that led to the toys being lost was a quantum-level event.
I might be inviting a cry of havoc and letting slip the dogs of war here, but have you ever heard of the "Complete Star Trek Technical Archive"?
Google it - It's rather impressive.
Star Wars is also a lot easier to merchandize. Characters, gadgets, weapons, and the whole space opera setting just makes it a much easier sell to the younglings.
And, of course, there's this matter....
I agree. However, why not try a Internet only "official" Atlas, planetary reference Guide? If it is too expensive to publish the books, put the same quality of material online. As long as the graphics were crisp, and perhaps interactive, it would be popular. Think of it - "Stellar Cartography.com".
I'll check it out. I like the reference books though because they tend to be more professional and treated like more of a standard than online wikis and archives. That franchise stamp of approval gives me a warm feeling that it is "official".
So, do the authors or publishers of all those works see anything from that compilation? I'm guessing not. I don't think this sort of thing should be encouraged.
To quote Harlan Ellision: "Pay the writer!"
Yeah, that would be the only real advantage to this kind of a project. It would be professionally edited and recognized by Paramnout, while the wikis can sometimes be very poorly written and are unofficial.
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