One of the greatest licenses surprises of last year was the announcement by the Legendary Todd McFarlane that he was being given the keys to the Startship Enterprise. McFarlane Toys was names Master Toy Licensee for Star Trek.

     This license pertains to the new series Star Trek: Discovery and the entire “Prime” Universe, which covers all of the previously released movies and TV shows. It DOES NOT include the J.J. Abrams’ films.

     So, of course McFarlane decided to start with, arguably, the two most famous Captains in Star Trek: James T. Kirk and Jean-Luc Picard.

     Since this is McFarlane, it goes without saying that he knocked it out of the park, but let’s take a closer look at these figures, so you can see just how out of the park he knocked it.

     First up is James Tiberius Kirk, the Captain of the original Constitution Class U.S.S. Enterprise NCC 1701, played of course by William Shatner. The ship that started it all. This Kirk figure is based on his look in the Original Series. He is wearing the gold tunic, with black pants, and shiny black boots. He has the command insignia on his tunic, and the three gold stripes denoting his Captain rank on his tunic cuffs.

His accessories include two different phasers, the more common pistol and the less frequently seen rifle, which has a rotating barrel, in addition to a communicator and an alternate hand. He also comes with a round black display base.

     The likeness on this figure is amazing, which just again shows the extraordinary talent that McFarlane has on his sculpting staff. The little details really make all of the difference here. For example, the command insignia is actually a separate piece that is sculpted on top of the uniform shirt. The phaser rifle accessory has a sculpted target sight and a rotating barrel.

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     Next up, is the most recent Captain of the Enterprise, Jean-Luc Picard, played by Patrick Stewart. Picard is a century removed from Kirk, aand is the Captain of the Galaxy Class U.S.S. Enterprise NCC 1701-D. This figure is based on Captain Picard as seen in Star Trek: The Next Generation. More specifically, the particular uniform used for this figure was used from Series 3 until the end of the series. Picard is dressed in his standard duty uniform, with the maroon color denoting the Command division. His Captain’s rank is denoted by the four gold dots, called pips, on his uniform collar. On his uniform shirt, he wears the standard Communicator pin.

     His accessories include a Type 2 Phaser, more commonly known as a “cobra Phaser” due to it’s shape, an extra hand, which is sculpted in Picard’s iconic “Make it So” gesture, and a flute, which comes from the episode The Inner Light in which Picard is forced to relive 40 years of life as a man named Kamin by an alien probe. After awakening from the experience, Picard finds the flute inside the now inactive probe, and finds he can still play it.

     Again, the sculpt on this figure is astonishing. The paint lines are clean. The shoes are a glossy black. Again, as with Kirk, it is the little details that make the difference. The “Make it So” hand is such a great touch, but the real “fan service” accessory is the flute. The episode it is associated with is one of only three Star Trek episode to ever win an Edgar award. It is a fan favorite, as well as Patrick Stewart’s favorite episode. It’s this sort of fan service and attention to detail that make McFarlane Toys the perfect company for Star Trek.

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     But, before we finish, let’s talk about articulation. There are numerous points of articulation to speak of. Both figures have the same points of articulation. They are articulated at the neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, hips, knees and ankles. In addition, the arms extend out at the shoulders, the forearms and lower legs are roto-cut and the hips are t-jointed, so the legs extend out.

    
     And, the best part is, THESE ARE JUST THE FIRST TWO FIGURES! There is much more to come including more figures and prop replicas and who knows what else? Keep watching for more information on the future of this fantastic new line. But, while you’re waiting, go buy these figures. I mean’ like right now. There are available at Amazon, Entertainment Earth, Big Bad Toy Store and other specialty retailers for about $20 each.

     Thanks to Carmen at McFarlane Toys for her assistance with this report.