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Indianapolis Star
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Indianapolis Star
Star Trek's 60th anniversary to be celebrated with waves of toys
For its 60th anniversary, the Star Trek franchise is going where it's never gone before – in terms of action figures. The groundbreaking original TV series debuted on NBC back on Sept. 8, 1966, spawning a fleet of subsequent movie and TV enterprises, including "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," currently in its third season on Paramount+, and the in-production "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy," set to arrive on Paramount+ in 2026. With the space franchise's upcoming 60th anniversary looming, fans will likely engage in a massive celebration. Collectors already have plenty to get excited about. The first wave of figures, expected to be due later this year, includes characters never made available as action figures before, among them Capt. Jellico ("Star Trek: Prodigy"), Peter Preston from "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," and Valkris, a female Klingon from "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock". The Nacelle Company, perhaps best known for TV specials such as "Kevin Hart's Guide to Black History" and "Down to Earth with Zac Efron" (both on Netflix), acquired the rights to market Star Trek playsets and accessories in 2024. The company has already announced that a host of action figures is in the works. Anniversary cruise: 'Star Trek' cruise will celebrate show's 60th birthday with William Shatner and more stars Those figures, which are one-twelfth size (roughly six or seven inches tall) can be pre-ordered now (priced individually at $28.99), will be followed by three additional waves: The arrival of a new line of Star Trek action figures "indicates how meaningful, and relevant, this series is, even 60 years later. And that makes me very proud," said Eugene "Rod" Roddenberry, son of the late Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and CEO of Roddenberry Entertainment, in a statement to USA TODAY. "The Original Series holds a special place in the history of Star Trek, in the history of science fiction, and in the history of television," Roddenberry said. "I am thrilled to see it being honored in conjunction with Star Trek's 60th." Roddenberry wasn't ready to share other aspects of the 60th anniversary just yet. "But rest assured it's Roddenberry's intention to provide Trek fans the opportunity to be part of the celebration and engage in the Trek community," added Roddenberry, who suggested Trekkies follow the brand on Facebook, Instagram, Threads and YouTube. Nacelle CEO and founder Brian Volk-Weiss comes by his interest in Star Trek toys honestly, as the owner of a collection of more than 5,000 toys. He chose the company's name based on a word for the housing of a starship's warp engines. "I'm a lifelong Star Trek toy collector and a lifelong fan," Volk-Weiss told USA TODAY. When meeting with Paramount to secure the licensing, Volk-Weiss said he told the studio he planned to cater to Trekkies who want action figures beyond the obvious characters, such as Kirk and Picard. "Where's Captain Garrett? Where's Captain Jellico? Where is Peter Preston?" he said. "That was my pitch. …. What I basically said was, 'I believe the base of the Star Trek community is strong enough to give them what they want – and Valkris is the greatest example – even if it's a character that was on screen for 81 seconds, 35 years ago.'" The company's plan for releasing action figures is to alternate waves of figures who commanded a starship bridge with waves of assorted characters. When Nacelle announced it would be releasing Star Trek toys, it included an email address in the news release encouraging fans to chime in on figures they would like to see. Decisions on which ones to produce were "absolutely 100% influenced by that," Volk-Weiss said. Nacelle has announced a total of four waves of action figures to "assure the community this is not going to be a two-wave line," Volk-Weiss said, adding that "we have to make everybody feel confident we're going to go the distance." The toys, which are made in China, would fall under President Trump's unsettled tariff policy. But Volk-Weiss said the company plans to "keep everything on schedule and keep the prices locked," with Nacelle's other divisions helping to manage any impact on the profit margins. "My goal is to make this the most successful Star Trek (toy) line ever or at least tie Playmates from their original '90s run," Volk-Weiss said. "So if I want to do that, I can't raise my prices and I can't slow anything down because keeping the trust of the community – this sounds cheesy, but it's true – if we lose (that), the line will fail." Wave One is available for pre-order and is expected to ship out this fall. Available for $28.99 each; $225 for a bundle of all eight figures: Watch: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Wave Two figures, announced in March 2025 at WonderCon in Anaheim, California, will be available for pre-order soon and released in 2026: Wave Three figures, which features the "Star Trek" original series cast in their duty uniforms and a 60th anniversary surprise two-pack of unannounced characters, was made public in July at the San Diego Comic-Con and will be available for pre-order soon and released in 2026: Wave Four figures, also announced in July at the San Diego Comic-Con, will be going on sale in mid-to-late 2026: Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @ & @mikesnider & msnider@
USA Today
a day ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Star Trek's 60th anniversary to be celebrated with waves of toys
For its 60th anniversary, the Star Trek franchise is going where it's never gone before – in terms of action figures. The groundbreaking original TV series debuted on NBC back on Sept. 8, 1966, spawning a fleet of subsequent movie and TV enterprises, including "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," currently in its third season on Paramount+, and the in-production "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy," set to arrive on Paramount+ in 2026. With the space franchise's upcoming 60th anniversary looming, fans will likely engage in a massive celebration. Collectors already have plenty to get excited about. The first wave of figures, expected to be due later this year, includes characters never made available as action figures before, among them Capt. Jellico ("Star Trek: Prodigy"), Peter Preston from "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," and Valkris, a female Klingon from "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock". The Nacelle Company, perhaps best known for TV specials such as "Kevin Hart's Guide to Black History" and "Down to Earth with Zac Efron" (both on Netflix), acquired the rights to market Star Trek playsets and accessories in 2024. The company has already announced that a host of action figures is in the works. Anniversary cruise: 'Star Trek' cruise will celebrate show's 60th birthday with William Shatner and more stars Those figures, which are one-twelfth size (roughly six or seven inches tall) can be pre-ordered now (priced individually at $28.99), will be followed by three additional waves: The arrival of a new line of Star Trek action figures "indicates how meaningful, and relevant, this series is, even 60 years later. And that makes me very proud," said Eugene "Rod" Roddenberry, son of the late Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and CEO of Roddenberry Entertainment, in a statement to USA TODAY. "The Original Series holds a special place in the history of Star Trek, in the history of science fiction, and in the history of television," Roddenberry said. "I am thrilled to see it being honored in conjunction with Star Trek's 60th." Roddenberry wasn't ready to share other aspects of the 60th anniversary just yet. "But rest assured it's Roddenberry's intention to provide Trek fans the opportunity to be part of the celebration and engage in the Trek community," added Roddenberry, who suggested Trekkies follow the brand on Facebook, Instagram, Threads and YouTube. 'Lifelong' Trekkie commands Star Trek toy-making mission Nacelle CEO and founder Brian Volk-Weiss comes by his interest in Star Trek toys honestly, as the owner of a collection of more than 5,000 toys. He chose the company's name based on a word for the housing of a starship's warp engines. "I'm a lifelong Star Trek toy collector and a lifelong fan," Volk-Weiss told USA TODAY. When meeting with Paramount to secure the licensing, Volk-Weiss said he told the studio he planned to cater to Trekkies who want action figures beyond the obvious characters, such as Kirk and Picard. "Where's Captain Garrett? Where's Captain Jellico? Where is Peter Preston?" he said. "That was my pitch. …. What I basically said was, 'I believe the base of the Star Trek community is strong enough to give them what they want – and Valkris is the greatest example – even if it's a character that was on screen for 81 seconds, 35 years ago.'" The company's plan for releasing action figures is to alternate waves of figures who commanded a starship bridge with waves of assorted characters. When Nacelle announced it would be releasing Star Trek toys, it included an email address in the news release encouraging fans to chime in on figures they would like to see. Decisions on which ones to produce were "absolutely 100% influenced by that," Volk-Weiss said. Nacelle has announced a total of four waves of action figures to "assure the community this is not going to be a two-wave line," Volk-Weiss said, adding that "we have to make everybody feel confident we're going to go the distance." The toys, which are made in China, would fall under President Trump's unsettled tariff policy. But Volk-Weiss said the company plans to "keep everything on schedule and keep the prices locked," with Nacelle's other divisions helping to manage any impact on the profit margins. "My goal is to make this the most successful Star Trek (toy) line ever or at least tie Playmates from their original '90s run," Volk-Weiss said. "So if I want to do that, I can't raise my prices and I can't slow anything down because keeping the trust of the community – this sounds cheesy, but it's true – if we lose (that), the line will fail." Star Trek action figures: Wave One Wave One is available for pre-order and is expected to ship out this fall. Available for $28.99 each; $225 for a bundle of all eight figures: Watch: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Star Trek action figures: Wave Two Wave Two figures, announced in March 2025 at WonderCon in Anaheim, California, will be available for pre-order soon and released in 2026: Star Trek: The Original Series action figures in Wave Three Wave Three figures, which features the "Star Trek" original series cast in their duty uniforms and a 60th anniversary surprise two-pack of unannounced characters, was made public in July at the San Diego Comic-Con and will be available for pre-order soon and released in 2026: Star Trek action figures: Wave Four Wave Four figures, also announced in July at the San Diego Comic-Con, will be going on sale in mid-to-late 2026: Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @ & @mikesnider & msnider@ What's everyone talking about? 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Geek Girl Authority
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Girl Authority
When Franchises Collide: STAR TREK and the Marvel Cinematic Universe
What is the Star Trek fandom if not Trekkies persevering? Since Star Trek: The Original Series debuted, Trekkies have been loudly celebrating our support for our favorite sci-fi series. But did you realize that the more recent Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise has had some notable intersections with our beloved Franchise? For today's Trek Tuesday , we're exploring what happens when the Star Trek and MCU franchises collide. Deadpool & Wolverine Wade and Logan: The MCU's Spirk? One significant Star Trek reference appears in dialogue in the climax of 2024's Deadpool & Wolverine. The setup for this hilarious line began before the movie was even released. It began with the first teaser trailer for the highly anticipated Deadpool & Wolverine. In this February 2024 trailer, Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) delivered a joke that captured the hearts and funny bones of the internet. The joke was the Merc with the Mouth's proclamation that he was going to be 'Marvel Jesus.' In a conversation set in the Time Variance Authority (TVA) offices, Mr. Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen) tells Deadpool he's giving him the chance to be a 'hero of heroes.' In a line that leans on the fourth wall, Paradox informs Wade that he's being given an opportunity to save the universe. Deadpool responds, 'I'm the messiah. I am Marvel Jesus.' RELATED: The Premise and How Star Trek Fans Created Fanfic As We Know It In the movie itself, this line is delivered in the first act. But it gets a callback at the climax of the movie. Separated by glass, Wade tells Logan (Hugh Jackman) that he's going to save the multiverse by sacrificing himself. Then he calls back to the 'Marvel Jesus' line. But in the next breath, he compares himself to another character: the original Vulcan, Spock (Leonard Nimoy). This reference alludes to Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. At the climax of that movie, Spock sacrifices himself in order to save the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise. And his emotional final lines of dialogue, he speaks to his best friend James T. Kirk (William Shatner) through glass, just like the climactic scene between Wade and Logan in Deadpool & Wolverine. Ironheart The 2025 Disney+ MCU series Ironheart contained not just one line of dialogue alluded to the Star Trek Franchise, but many references that unfurled over the course of the show's debut season. The first was in the second episode, 'Will the Real Natalie Please Stand Up?' In a conversation with Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne), Xavier (Matthew Elam) makes a reference to Star Wars. Riri responds, 'I just thought it was, you know, Trekkies for life…' And the Star Trek references continued in episode 4, 'Bad Magic.' In that episode, Xavier compares Riri to Spock. However, Riri answers that she always thought of herself as more like Nyota Uhura (Nichelle Nichols). RELATED: TV Review: Ironheart But the Star Trek allusions don't stop there. Several appear in episode 5, 'Karma's a Glitch.' After a fight with Xavier, Riri reconnects with him by leaving him a note. The envelope in which this note is delivered has the TOS era Starfleet Delta insignia drawn on it. In the letter itself, Riri borrows a phrase from The Wrath of Khan: 'Of all the souls I've encountered on my travels, hers was the most human.' The letter wins Xavier over and he reunites Riri and the rest of her allies, bearing coffee as a peace offering. And the name on Riri's cup? 'James T. Kirk.' Xavier even refers to her as 'Captain' in this scene. So why all the Star Trek references in Ironheart? It's because the series creator, Chinaka Hodge, is 'of The Body.' In other words, she's a Trekkie just like us. Star Trek and the Marvel Cinematic Universe In the AAFCA Virtual Roundtable with Ryan Coogler and Hodge, posted to YouTube on June 27, 2025, filmmaker, writer, poet and Trekkie Kimberly Singleton shared her excitement about Riri being a Trekkie in Ironheart. Hodge confirmed that Riri was a Trekkie in the original Marvel Comic, written by Eve Ewing. Then she continued that her mother, a scientist from Illinois who graduated from Northwestern with a degree in mechanical engineering, is a Trekkie as well. According to Hodge, a picture of Nichols was posted in the Ironheart writer's room throughout the scripting process. She further stated that Uhura was as much a character predecessor to Riri as Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). Finally, Hodge confirmed she herself is a 'Trekkie for life.' RELATED: Movie Review: Thunderbolts* And is there a more foundational connection between the MCU and Star Trek? The answer lies in The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe by Tara Bennett and Paul Terry. In the introduction to the book, Marvel Studios Head Boss in Charge Kevin Feige writes that movies were 'a magical experience' for him growing up, specifically citing the Star Trek films. There are a few other references to Star Trek in the book, as well. Chris Hemsworth's performance as George Kirk in Star Trek (2009) is cited as one reason the actor was cast as the titular character for 2011's Thor. Also mentioned is Benedict Cumberbatch's performance as Khan in 2013's Star Trek Into Darkness ahead of his appearance as the titular character in 2016's Doctor Strange. And the book also states that Star Trek: The Next Generation's series finale, 'All Good Things…,' was an influence on Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. The Final Frontier But there's one other significant Star Trek influence on the MCU. According to MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios by Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales and Gavin Edwards, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is a key cinematic inspiration for Feige. No, seriously. The information comes from a quote by C. Robert Cargill included in the book. A writer for Doctor Strange, Cargill had this to say about Feige and Star Trek V: Feige 'made the argument that Star Trek V is better than Star Trek: The Motion Picture. You cannot find a great character moment in The Motion Picture that comes close to matching anything with the campfire scene, and the campfire scene gives us our three favorite characters from the show together, outside of the norm, and lets us experience who they are as people and not legends.' RELATED: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds : 'Ad Astra Per Aspera,' A Trans Rights Allegory Cargill continued: '[T]he DNA of that campfire scene [is] in every Marvel movie. He wants to take your favorite characters and give you the campfire scene, and give you that sequence in which you just love these people for who they are as people, regardless of their powers, so that when the big stuff happens, you really care about it.' Did we include your favorite Star Trek allusion in the MCU? If not, be sure and let us know in the comment section or over on social media. Star Trek is currently available for streaming on Paramount+. Meanwhile, the MCU is currently available for streaming on Disney+. Hailing Frequencies Open: 3 STAR TREK Podcasts Avery Kaplan (she/her) is the author of several books and the Features Editor at Comics Beat. With her spouse Ollie Kaplan, Avery co-authored the middle school textbook on intersectionality Double Challenge: Being LGBTQ and a Minority. She was honored to serve as a judge for the 2021 - 2024 Cartoonist Studio Prize Awards and the 2021 Prism Awards. She lives in the mountains of Southern California with her partner and a pile of cats, and her favorite place to visit is the cemetery. You can also find her writing on Comics Bookcase, the Gutter Review, Shelfdust, the Mary Sue, in the Comics Courier and in many issues of PanelxPanel, and in the margins of the books in her personal library.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Market recovery is 'ignoring' remaining tariff uncertainty
Markets (^GSPC, ^IXIC, ^DJI) are climbing back toward record highs despite lingering trade uncertainty. Sam Stovall, CFRA Research chief investment strategist, joins Morning Brief to explain why investors may be underestimating risks as the recovery outpaces historical norms. To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Morning Brief here. What are the technicals telling us for right now from what you've been able to read through? Well, good morning, Brad. Uh basically it seems as if the uh all-time high set on February 19th is sort of serving as a tractor beam for those uh Trekkies out there, uh dragging in a sense the market up toward it, uh and causing this correction of 19% to be concluded. So, recovering all that we lost in a fairly short period of time. Historically, it takes us about four months to get back to break even, uh after reaching a bottom, uh but in this case, it's going to end up being half of that amount of time. So, I I would tend to say that even though we have an awful lot of uncertainty relating to tariffs, relating to, uh, trade negotiations, etc., uh, the market seems to be ignoring it like a ping pong ball dropping on a table. The first reaction was the greatest and every subsequent one has been more muted. Is the market right to be doing that, or is there a potential for investors to be caught off sides, especially heading into their summer vacations? Can they trust that the worst is behind them? Well, historically, June is a fairly unimpressive month. Uh, it's in the bottom third in terms of average price change, uh, significantly underperforming the average return for the S&P 500 itself, um, during all months. Uh, also, um, essentially the volatility is fairly mild, but, yeah, I would tend to say that, um, since this is a manufactured correction, uh, the one who's holding all the cards is the president, and should he decide not to make some agreements with China, uh, or to initiate, uh, new obstacles in terms of trade with our other partners, etc., that could end up upsetting the Apple cart, if you will, especially if we end up having problems with rare earth minerals, uh, being, um, imported to the US to, uh, help out our automobile industry and other areas.
Geek Girl Authority
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Girl Authority
The Premise and How STAR TREK Fans Created Fanfic as We Know It
Happy Pride Month! In the world of Star Trek, everyone is accepted for who they are. This is true whether they are gay or straight, trans or cis. But here in 2025, we've still got a long road getting from here to there. However, one way many Trekkies envision the world of tomorrow is through fan fiction. For this week's Trek Tuesday , we're exploring how Franchise fanfic (including queer fanfic) paved the way for all of the fanfic we enjoy today. Cover art: by Margaret Domenick for Spockanalia. Fan Fiction Today, fan fiction, or 'fanfic,' is a popular way for fans to express their affection for their favorite works of published and onscreen fiction. Thanks to the internet, fanfic writers have been able to widely share their stories with other fans hungry for the same content. Releasing a professional movie, show or prose story requires the approval of many individuals and organizations. This can result in the avoidance of certain topics that might be considered 'taboo' or 'controversial' by some (often very outspoken) individuals. Unfortunately, this means that LGBTQ+ representation is often left out of commercially released stories. However, one of the benefits of fanfic is that anyone with internet access can modify their favorite commercially released stories to include queer rep. RELATED: Star Trek : Tracing the Holodeck's History Fanfic can mix together characters from different properties, rewrite continuity to better suit the individual creating the story and lead to innovative storytelling that feels different from any story that is commercially released. This can include veering into full-on 'adult content' territory. But fanfic doesn't have to be 'adult' in nature. For one example, fanfic can offer stories where beloved characters never died earlier in the series. And in some cases, fanfic simply offers additional stories that fit the tone and continuity of the commercially released stories on which it is based. The prehistory of fanfic traces its origins back to Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories. However, modern fanfic cites its foundations in the fandom we all know and love: Star Trek. Spockanalia The origins of Star Trek fanfiction, and thus modern fanfiction as we know it, came from the pages of Spockanalia. This Franchise fanzine was first published in September 1967. It was edited by Devra Langsam and Sherna Comerford. Over the course of three years, five issues of Spockanalia were published. It included fanfic stories, poetry, fanart and commentary. Because of this last inclusion, this very column is a descendant of Spockanalia as well. RELATED: Star Trek Episode Trilogy: Revisiting 'Unification' Furthermore, the Vulcan term 'Ni Var' originated in a story included in the first issue of Spockanalia. This was the lyrics for 'The Territory of Rigel' by Dorothy Jones Heydt, which was meant to be a song written by Spock. Decades later, Ni'Var became Star Trek canon in the Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 episode 'Unification III.' Spockanalia had a significant effect on the Franchise. Many of those behind the scenes of Star Trek: The Original Series were aware of the fanzine. In fact, the likes of Great Bird of the Galaxy Gene Roddenberry and writer and script coordinator Dorothy Catherine 'D.C.' Fontana were among those who acknowledged the existence of Spockanalia. And according to many scholars, the fanfic that appeared in Spockanalia is the forerunner for all of the fanfic that populates the internet today. The Premise While Spockanalia included some Star Trek fanfic, it did not include any stories that depicted Spock and Kirk in a romantic relationship. However, this subset of Franchise fanfic stories soon became one of the most popular types available. This type of fanfic is known by many names. These include 'Spirk,' a portmanteau of the two characters' names. Another is 'K/S,' which has led to the term 'slash fiction,' which now describes any fanfic that pairs two characters romantically. And one of the oldest terms for Kirk and Spock fanfic is 'the premise.' RELATED: The Origin of Tropes: We're Not Gay, We Just Like Each Other Although Sprik has been heavily discussed for almost as long as Star Trek has existed, interest in the topic remains high. Surveying any online Star Trek space, you can easily locate Trekkies discussing the topic today. True, a romantic relationship with Spock and Kirk may not be canon. At least not yet — you've got a chance here, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. However, the premise lives on through a plethora of fanfic and discussion among Trekkies. STAR TREK: 5 Alternate Lives Avery Kaplan is the author of several books and the Features Editor at Comics Beat. She was honored to serve as a judge for the 2021 Cartoonist Studio Prize Award and the 2021 Prism Awards. She lives in the mountains of Southern California with her partner and a pile of cats, and her favorite place to visit is the cemetery. You can also find her writing on Comics Bookcase, NeoText, Shelfdust, the Mary Sue, in many issues of PanelxPanel, and in the margins of the books in her personal library.
