The Good: Generally cool molding of the Bajoran hand phaser, Decent light-up function
The Bad: Terrible sound effect, Manufacturing issues
The Basics: A very average toy, the Bajoran Phaser from Playmates is an excellent molding of the sidearm with an unfortunately campy set of sound effects.
From pretty much the first frames of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, I was a fan. I was an engaged viewer of Star Trek: The Next Generation and I was part of the fan community, so when news broke about a new spin-off for Star Trek, I was gobbling up information on it as fast as it was released. The series had been cleverly teased through the addition of Ensign Ro to the recurring cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation and the appearance of the Cardassians to plots in that show. So, when Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (reviewed here!) made its appearance, it was unsurprising that the Bajorans and Cardassians played a huge role in the show. It was, similarly, unsurprising that Playmates Toys, which held the license to Star Trek toys at the time was eager to produce toys from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Toys that they produced included things like the Bajoran Phaser toy.
Because the Bajorans were such a huge part of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, making role-playing toys for them makes a lot of sense . . . until one realizes just how adult of a show Deep Space Nine was. Not intended for children, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was darker, more cerebral and represented a level of storytelling that Star Trek had not seen before, with long arcs and character development and, most importantly, stories about the consequences of significant character choices. Children tended either to not understand what was on the show, not like what they saw or be prevented by concerned parents from watching the grittier Star Trek spin-off. Unfortunately for companies like Playmates Toys, it meant they were betting on the wrong horse with making toys designed for role playing with the Bajoran Phaser.
Even so, the limited nature of the Bajoran Phaser and the fact that Star Trek fan culture often involves costuming for conventions meant that Playmates did not suffer with the creation of the Bajoran Phaser. This might have been a flop at the time, but slowly they have become harder to find in the secondary market until now they are the prized prop replica for enthusiasts of Bajorans and this remains the standard accessory (after the earring) that most Star Trek fans who costume themselves as Bajorans search for.
Basics
The Bajoran Phaser is a toy produced by Playmates Toys from their 1995 effort to market Star Trek: Deep Space Nine toys, even though the box says Star Trek: The Next Generation. This is a toy created from the molds for the Bajoran Phasers used on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and it features working lights and sounds. The Bajoran Phaser is a replica of an alien firearm, intended for use in role play and costuming activities.
Playmates Toys prided itself on the realism of their toy sculpts and the Bajoran Phaser is one that they got almost completely right from a sculpting perspective. The grip is comfortable and the finger easily wraps around the phaser's trigger. The gun is a 7 1/4" long by 4 1/2" tall by 1 1/8" wide copper and black plastic phaser pistol that has a strange diamond shape to the overall look of it. At the top of the Bajoran Phaser is the Power Switch Selector which changes the sound the phaser makes by sliding back and forth with the touch of the thumb.
Playmates got the mold and coloring of the Bajoran Phaser absolutely right - having the seen the set-used props in real life, I can attest to that! The only problem with the sculpting is that in order to have the light and sound effect, Playmates had to make this a two-piece mold and bolt the pieces together. As a result, the right side has eleven small screws which are unsightly at the very least.
Accessories
The Bajoran Phaser is an accessory and does not come with any additional add-ons or incentives. Unlike prior role-playing or starship toys, they did not include blueprints with the Bajoran Phaser toy.
Playability
However, the Bajoran Phaser does come with the two AA batteries needed to power the toy. When the trigger is pulled back, the phaser emitter plate at the front lights up red and pulsates. Depending on where the power selector switch on the top is, the sound effect is either Stun or Disrupt. Unfortunately for fans of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the sound effects are absolutely terrible. The disrupt sound has a beam weapon sound with an explosion and the stun setting is little more than an alarm-like whine. Neither sound is authentic to the Bajoran Phaser (actually, they were called disruptors on the show) as seen on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The batteries in this toy also seem to drain much quicker than in other Star Trek role playing toys.
Collectibility
Playmates Toys rode high on the popularity of Star Trek: The Next Generation for as long as they could and the toys they created were generally cool. However, with the Bajoran Phaser, they missed their target audience and at the time, these languished (not as bad as the Bajoran Tricorders!) until they were clearanced. Now, though, they are highly sought in the secondary market, so fans, collectors and investors who bought early are able to cash in now! As well, because this toy has no stickers or decals, it is one that still commands a decent price loose. In fact, loose is often the preferred way to purchase these because Playmates included batteries in the product. Mint, sealed Bajoran Phasers have an increased chance of having batteries that leaked and ate out the electronics inside the toy! If you're buying this on-line and it is mint, be sure to get a guarantee that it can be returned if the batteries caused damage to any part of the toy!
That said, this was not the most overproduced toy of all time and Playmates did work to make them appear limited by assigning them each an individual number on the box. So, for example, mine has a sticker on the box that declares it to be number 020719, so at least 21,000 of these toys are out there in the world.
Overview
A solid prop for live-action role players, the Bajoran Phaser looks better with a little distance, so long as one does not activate the crummy sound effect. Anyone who wants an interesting display piece of Bajoran memorabilia will find this fits the bill well enough.
For other Star Trek: Deep Space Nine toys or ornaments, please be sure to check out the reviews of:
Space Station Deep Space Nine
U.S.S. Defiant Hallmark Ornament
Jadzia Dax from "Blood Oath"
6/10
For other toy reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!
© 2011, 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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