Minivan or Shuttle Craft? You Decide.

By the early 90's, Star Trek The Next Generation had hit it's stride.  Once a week, I would excitedly dash home from art school, in my 1985 Mitsubishi Mighty Max, in anticipation of enjoying a new episode.  Like many series, this show had a rocky start.  Mark Bourne from The DVD Journal commented: "A typical episode relied on trite plot points, clumsy allegories, dry and stilted dialogue, or characterization that was taking too long to feel relaxed and natural."  Indeed, this show took a while to win me over.  I was not alone, but by the time I was in college, I was all-in.  Many others were too. The show enjoyed a gradual upward ratings climb that continued until the series finale.  My affinity followed this trend as well.  I religiously began watching the show just a year or two before the finale.

Watching the weekly episodes was an enjoyable ritual, but I did not have the unconditional devotion to the series that many trekkies had.  My biggest grudge was with the art direction of the show.  At some point, someone decide that phasers should either look like dust-buster vacuums or the key fob for your Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera.  It was perhaps the same person that decided that the Enterprise NCC 1701-D should have a shuttlecraft that looked like a 1992 Ford Aerostar minivan with attached boat pontoons.  Despite these shortcomings, I enjoyed the character interplay and seeing Brent Spiner play increasingly goofy roles on the holodeck as he explored the intricacies of human emotion through his characterization of the android Commander Data.  Eventually, my affinity for the show grew to the point that I was able to overlook some of the design issues.  Perhaps I even began to appreciate the designs a bit, at least enough to drop $4.99 on today's toy.

Licensing of Star Trek The Next Generation toys changed hands a couple times throughout the series run.  Two manufacturers carried the torch.  At first, it was Galoob with some primitively sculpted action figures, a bridge playset, and a really nice die cast model of the Enterprise NCC 1701-D.  The Galoob offerings were short lived due to the show's shaky first season.  Then came Playmates, who had previously established themselves as a serious player in the toy industry in 1988 when they stumbled upon one of the most successful franchises in toy history: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  This undoubtedly positioned them to pick up the license when Star Trek's popularity began climbing.  They offered a greatly expanded selection of action figures and vehicles, as well as some full-size "prop replica" toys like tricorders and phasers. 

Today's toy was part of Playmates' "Innerspace" line.  These were small spaceship playsets with accessible interiors.  In some ways, they were similar to Galoob's "Action Fleet" vehicles, but the Playmates' Innerspace vehicles had a disproportionate caricature-like appearance.  Well... there was one exception.  That one exception was the shuttle craft Goddard.  Perhaps that's why I was compelled to buy it.  It was definitely the closest to a scale representation of a vessel in the "Innespace" lineup.  All the boxy 90's charm of this spacecraft design is lovingly captured.  It features a detailed interior with folding benches, a removable piece of "cargo," a small figure of Deanna Troi, and a semi-posable, bow-legged representation of Geordi La Forge.  To solidly plant it in the era in which it was designed, the ship is molded in the same beautiful beige color as your 1995 Apple Performa Power PC.  

This toy, much like the TV series that inspired it, has its share of issues.  It has a cheap glossy finish, and I already mentioned Commander La Forge's saddle-sore stance.  Nonetheless, it is still a cool little toy, and it brings back memories of how much I grew to enjoy the narratives and characters of The Next Generation.