While these examples did not come out until the early 70s, some examples of these early toy spin-offs, include a parachuting Kirk and Spock rubber “figures” and guns that looked nothing like the iconic Phasers seen in the show. Besides the quick-to-produce t-shirts and buttons, the first merchandise was the usual “Rack Toys.” Rack Toys are those cheap toys that are found in dollar stores (traditionally grocery stores, drug stores, and dime stores) these toys bear little resemblance to the property that they are tied to. Those first Star Trek fans that witnessed the birth of a cultural phenomenon were offered very little that they could bring home to show their love of the iconic show. This expectation came much later, thanks to Star Wars which fully cemented and realized the spin-off juggernaut that we see today. This was due in part by the fact that television properties, unlike today, were not considered good candidates for spin-offs in any form. Spin-offs started extremely modestly compared to the warp speed we see today.ĭuring the shows, original run spin-off merchandise was hard to come by for early fans. From cereal to bedsheets Star Trek is everywhere. It is hard to imagine a time when every department store aisle was not filled with Star Trek spin-offs. We sit at the edge of over 20 new Star Trek spin-offs, everything from the second season of Star Trek: Discovery to a yet unnamed Star Trek Picard series.
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