A Good Idea With A Mediocre Execution: The 2017 Captain Jean-Luc Picard And Lieutenant Commander Data Ornament Underwhelms!

The Good: Good balance, Good sculpts, Neat sound function
The Bad: Expensive, Overproduced, Painted details are off, Animated look to the characters
The Basics: The 30th Anniversary of Star Trek: The Next Generation is celebrated by Hallmark with the 2017 Captain Jean-Luc Picard And Lieutenant Commander Data ornament, which is a good idea with a middling execution.


2017 is the 30th Anniversary of the debut of Star Trek: The Next Generation and to celebrate it, one of Hallmark's Keepsake holiday ornaments is focused on characters from the classic science fiction television show. The ornament is the 2017 Captain Jean-Luc Picard And Lieutenant Commander Data ornament, which straddles the character and mural ornament styles. The substantive ornament is well-sculpted and has a generally cool sound function, but the painting for the ornament is a bit off, getting some of the details wrong and making the characters look animated.

The Captain Jean-Luc Picard And Lieutenant Commander Data is a Hallmark ornament released in 2017 as part of the 30th Anniversary celebration for Star Trek: The Next Generation. The ornament is one of the more expensive Star Trek ornaments on the market, but it is also one of the largest ones Hallmark has ever produced!

Basics

The Captain Jean-Luc Picard And Lieutenant Commander Data ornament recreates Captain Picard, seated in his Captain's chair, with Data standing behind him on a piece of deck plating. Right off the bat, the concept is one that is a neat idea, but makes no sense for the setting. Picard's Captain's chair was flanked by seats on either side and there was no actual space behind the chair; the Security station was above and behind the chair on, essentially, a quarter-wall, ramp ledge. In other words, the Data in the Captain Jean-Luc Picard And Lieutenant Commander Data ornament would be standing where chairs or a raised floor were!

The Hallmark Captain Jean-Luc Picard And Lieutenant Commander Data ornament is made of a durable plastic and it is fairly large given that it is Picard, the chair, the deck and Data all in one ornament. The ornament is 5 1/8" tall by 3 3/8" wide by 3" deep, making it one of the largest Star Trek ornaments Hallmark has ever produced. The ornament features some pretty wonderful sculpted detailing. Both characters look recognizable and have sculpted features like fingernails, which is an impressive level of attention to detail. Picard's hair is textured to look realistic and for the size, that is one of the finer details that could be sculpted on. The Captain's chair looks immaculate and the uniforms are adequately detailed on the sculpt front to look realistic and like the subjects.

On the coloring front, the Captain Jean-Luc Picard And Lieutenant Commander Data ornament is significantly less-detailed. The skin tones are monotonal, making Picard look animated, not realistic and Data's coloring is a bit more green in the yellow than Data's android skin tones possessed. The coloring is simplistic and the height of the problems with the coloring details is that Data's rank pins are miscolored (as a Lieutenant Commander, he would have two solid, one outlined, pips - the ornament has him promoted to a full Commander with three full gold pips). Ironically, the chair and section of flooring are colored in monotones that still make them look realistic instead of animated!

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, the Captain Jean-Luc Picard And Lieutenant Commander Data ornament has an impressive sound function. With the press of a fairly well-concealed button, the Captain Jean-Luc Picard And Lieutenant Commander Data ornament plays one of (at least) seven audio clips from Star Trek: The Next Generation. The sound clips are pretty cool and the ornament plays them loud enough, but the clips - somewhat ridiculously - do not feature clips exclusively of the two characters featured on the ornament! It's not like there wasn't a wealth of material to be mined of dialogue between Picard and Data, but some of the clips are not dialogue exchanges between those two characters. That is the sort of thing that fans who might shell out for the ornament are likely to notice!

That said, for the price, the sound function is a good one.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake Captain Jean-Luc Picard And Lieutenant Commander Data ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Star Trek Christmas Tree, Captain Jean-Luc Picard And Lieutenant Commander Data is a bit unnecessary as Hallmark has previously produced ornaments of each of the two characters separately. The ornament has a brass hook loop rather obtrusively placed. From that hook, the Captain Jean-Luc Picard And Lieutenant Commander Data ornament hangs fairly level. The ornament's base makes the balance important, but most of the time it hangs level, despite the obvious placement of the hook loop.

Collectibility

Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition original U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (click here for my review!). The Captain Jean-Luc Picard And Lieutenant Commander Data ornament is a ridiculously common ornament and already it can be found on the secondary market for well under its original issue price. While some fans might buy them cheap and do custom paintjobs, one suspects the bulk of these ornaments will sell on clearance after the holiday season is over.

This is a poor investment piece and it is unlikely it will appreciate in value.

Overview

The Captain Jean-Luc Picard And Lieutenant Commander Data Christmas ornament is somewhat underwhelming, despite being a neat idea. The result is a somewhat lackluster tribute to the 30th Anniversary of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

For other Star Trek ornaments of characters, please check out my reviews of:
2016 Legends Of Star Trek Ensign Pavel Chekov (Limited Edition)
2015 Legends Of Star Trek Lieutenant Uhura
2014 Legends Of Star Trek Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu
2014 Vina The Orion Slave Woman (Limited Edition)
2013 Legends Of Star Trek Commander Montgomery “Scotty” Scott
2012 Legends Of Star Trek Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy
2011 Legends Of Star Trek Spock
2010 Legends Of Star Trek Captain James T. Kirk
2009 Limited Edition Ilia Probe
2005 Khan
2004 Commander Charles “Trip” Tucker
1999 Lieutenant Commander Worf
1997 Dr. McCoy
1996 Mr. Spock

4.5/10

For other ornament reviews, please check out my Ornament Review Index Page!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Better Than The Film In Which It Appears: The 2017 U.S.S. Franklin Hallmark Ornament!

The Good: Good rendering, Cool light effect, Decent balance
The Bad: Expensive, No sound effect
The Basics: The U.S.S. Franklin Hallmark ornament is a decent rendition of the starship from Star Trek Beyond, despite being expensive and lacking a sound effect.


The more I considered the Star Trek film that was released as a tribute to the 50th Anniversary of the franchise, the less I enjoyed it. Star Trek Beyond was a trainwreck in a lot of ways. So, it is hard not to feel bad about how Hallmark had to make a leap in its merchandising long before the film was released. Last year, it was announced well before Star Trek Beyond met with limited praise from fans that the U.S.S. Franklin from the film would be the 2017 Hallmark Star Trek starship ornament.

For those unfamiliar with the U.S.S. Franklin, this is the starship that Scotty and the Enterprise crew found on the surface of Kral's planet in Star Trek Beyond (reviewed here!). The ship was used by the stranded Enterprise crew to escape Kral's planet and save the nearby starbase. It was an Enterprise-era starship.

For 2017, Hallmark Keepsake released the retro-starship as its prime Star Trek ornament offering.

Basics

The "U.S.S. Franklin" ornament faithfully recreates the cinematic Federation starship in solid gray plastic. With very simple lines and generally basic, but accurate, coloring details, the U.S.S. Franklin looks just like it did in the film. The ornament, released in 2017, is an impressive casting of the StarFleet vessel with an immaculate paint job and decent-enough light feature. Measuring five and a quarter inches long, 3 1/2” wide and 1” tall, the U.S.S. Franklin ornament is a cool, if unnecessary, addition to the Star Trek ornament line. Despite cutting back the Star Trek line , Hallmark continues to bank on the Star Trek fans for revenue and charge one of its highest prices for an ornament - $32.95 – for the ornament which has a light effect, but no sound chip.

The Hallmark "U.S.S. Franklin" ornament is made of a durable plastic and has the starship on its own, as is typical for Hallmark's starship line of Star Trek ornaments. This ornament includes the batteries needed to power the ship for the light effect.

The U.S.S. Franklin is detailed incredibly, from the nacelle struts to the shape of the bridge. The U.S.S. Franklin has a few sections of baffle panels and nooks and crannies and the U.S.S. Franklin has each and every one meticulously detailed on the ornament. This ship looks weathered with a somewhat dirty finish to it, as opposed to a clean white Federation starship. Hallmark got this ship pretty right! Unfortunately, the U.S.S. Franklin features a very obviously-placed button for the feature. The bridge dome is topped by the button for the light feature. Similarly, the steel projection for the hook loop is very noticeable as it juts out of the back of the bridge on the saucer section of the U.S.S. Franklin.

On the coloring front, the U.S.S. Franklin has all of the appropriate markings, like the racing stripes on the sides of the warp nacelles. On the nacelle struts, the U.S.S. Franklin is realistically - if unattractively - colored bright orange. This starship looks great; Hallmark did a pretty impressive job with getting the details on this ornament just right for the exacting collectors and fans, despite the bridge button being problematically obvious.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, the "U.S.S. Franklin" has a light function, but sadly, no audio one. This was one of the many Star Trek ornaments to light up, but not play a sound clip. The ship is powered by batteries which fit into the bottom of the saucer section. There is a panel that requires a screwdriver to open. The ornament comes with the appropriate batteries and given Hallmark’s track record, it is easy to assume the one set will last at least one full holiday season.

After the batteries are installed and the battery compartment is closed, there is a button on the top of the bridge that lights the U.S.S. Franklin up, mostly on the bridge section. Pressing the button activates the light effects for the U.S.S. Franklin and as it is individually powered, it does a pretty decent job of lighting up only the two little bits that have the effect: the light effects on this starship ornament are fairly bright.

It is a little disappointing that the U.S.S. Franklin does not have any sound effect, especially for the ornament's price.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake "U.S.S. Franklin" ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Star Trek Christmas Tree, the "U.S.S. Franklin" ornament is an unnecessary addition and given how neutral many fans were to Star Trek Beyond, it is tough to believe that fans will flock to buying it up. The ornament has a longer and more obtrusive steel hook loop embedded into the top aft section of the saucer section.

From that point, the U.S.S. Franklin is well-balanced. In fact, this hangs perfectly level, without any balance issues, though it does swing easily when knocked around on the hook/branch.

Collectibility

Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition original U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (reviewed here!). Since then, they have made ornament replicas of almost all of the major starships from the franchise and they have begun mass producing exceptionally minor ships like the U.S.S. Franklin. The "U.S.S. Franklin" ornament is unlikely to be a fast sell-out, making the implicit argument that for the 30th Anniversary of Star Trek The Next Generation perhaps Hallmark should have bet instead on a shuttlecraft ornament from that show. Given the price and obscurity of the ship in the source material, it is hard to bet on this being a good investment ship ornament. As a loyal fan of the franchise, I am banking on finding these after the holiday when they are put on 50% clearance.

Overview

The U.S.S. Franklin might, objectively, be an accurate and well-made Star Trek ornament, but it is overpriced and not worth rushing right out to buy.

For other Star Trek ship ornaments from Hallmark, please check out my reviews of:
2016 U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 50th Anniversary Tribute ornament
2015 U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-C
2014 U.S.S. Vengeance Star Trek Into Darkness
2013 Battle Damaged U.S.S. Kelvin (Comic Con Exclusive)
2013 U.S.S. Kelvin
2012 U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D 25th Anniversary Edition
2011 U.S.S. Defiant (New York Comic Con Exclusive)
2011 Romulan Bird Of Prey
2010 U.S.S. Enterprise (Star Trek refit)
2009 Klingon Battlecruiser
2008 U.S.S. Reliant
2006 U.S.S. Enterprise (reissue)
2005 U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-A
2004 Vulcan Command Ship
2003 Scorpion Attack Craft
2002 Delta Flyer
2001 Deep Space Nine
2000 Borg Cube
1999 Runabout Rio Grande
1998 U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-E
1997 U.S.S. Defiant
1996 U.S.S. Voyager
1995 Romulan Warbird
1994 Klingon Bird Of Prey
1993 U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D
1992 Shuttlecraft Galileo

6.5/10

For other ornament reviews, please be sure to visit my Ornament Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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50th Anniversary Cashgrab: The 2016 U.S.S. Enterprise 50th Anniversary Ornament Is Unimpressive!

The Good: Good sculpt, decent sound clip
The Bad: Vastly overpriced, Ridiculous coloring, Back-heavy
The Basics: The 50th Anniversary U.S.S. Enterprise ornament is a ridiculous collectible that poorly commemorates the 50th Anniversary of Star Trek.


I have been a fan of Star Trek since just before the 25th Anniversary of Star Trek. It astounds me to think that I have been a Trekker now for more than half my life. But having now lived through the 25th, 30th, 35th and 40th Anniversaries of Star Trek, I have watched how various companies exploit collectors during the anniversaries. Some companies make awesome limited edition items, while others rework previously-released items to have something to release and cash in on the hype surrounding the anniversary. Hallmark is going the latter route with the U.S.S. Enterprise 50th Anniversary ornament. For the 50th Anniversary, rather than coming up with something new and special, Hallmark released the U.S.S. Enterprise yet again (this is at least the third iteration) with an inaccurate, fairly unflattering gold finish.

For those unfamiliar with the U.S.S. Enterprise, this was the defining starship of Star Trek. Included in every episode of the original Star Trek (reviewed here!), the U.S.S. Enterprise is a science fiction icon. The home of the Federation crew whose mission was exploration and discovery, the U.S.S. Enterprise was popular with Star Trek fans and was the obvious choice for a starting point from Hallmark when they began producing Star Trek themed Christmas ornaments and, rather than spoil the new starship from the climax of Star Trek Beyond, Hallmark chose to simply remake the original Enterprise as an ornament yet again.

Basics

The "U.S.S. Enterprise" ornament poorly recreates the famed Federation starship in shiny gold plastic. The ornament, released in 2016 - as part of the show's 50th Anniversary celebration - perfectly captured the surface details of the original Enterprise, from the original model (not the CG-recreation from the Remastered Version of Star Trek). This was easy enough to do as the Enterprise had a rather simple mold and very few details. However, Hallmark created the starship with its distinctive bridge dome, engineering hull and warp nacelles, with the warp nacelles featuring the tiny needlelike portions at the front of the warp nacelle. Measuring six inches long, two and one-half inches wide and one and one-half inches tall, the U.S.S. Enterprise ornament is one of the essential Star Trek ships, but not in this form.

The Hallmark "U.S.S. Enterprise" ornament is made of a durable reflective gold plastic and has the starship on its own, as is typical for Hallmark's starship line of Star Trek ornaments. While it is called the "Pilot Version," the detailing on the nacelles is about all that defines it as being from "The Cage" on the sculpt.

The U.S.S. Enterprise is detailed adequately. So, in addition to details molded into the starship, like windows, phaser banks, plating on the saucer section and the deflector dish on the front of the engineering hull, but the Enterprise does not have a faithful paint job at all. The ornament is not detailed to include the running numbers and name painted on the ship. Instead, the coloring is completely inaccurate.

The U.S.S. Enterprise is a pretty easy ship to get right and Hallmark did a great job of sculpting it well, even if it was not colored at all appropriately.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, the "U.S.S. Enterprise" has a sound function, but no light function. Fans of the ornaments are likely to be impressed by the audio clip. The 50th Anniversary U.S.S. Enterprise ornament comes with the three 1.5V watch batteries that cause it to play the sound clip. The Bridge dome on the Enterprise is a very well-concealed button. When the button is pressed, the ornament plays the opening theme to the original Star Trek. The sound clip undermines the idea that this incarnation of the Enterprise is from the pilot episode as the sound clip includes William Shatner performing the opening monologue to Star Trek. Given the fact that Shatner was not present for the pilot episode, calling this 50th Anniversary the "Pilot Version" and sculpting it that way makes little sense to include the sound clip with Shatner's vocals. Still, the sound clip is loud and very clear.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake "U.S.S. Enterprise" ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Star Trek Christmas Tree, a "U.S.S. Enterprise" ornament is an essential piece, but not this one. The ornament has the standard brass hook loop embedded into the top, aft portion of the saucer section.

The location of the loop is the best that Hallmark could reasonably do. However, this forces the front of the saucer up about twenty degrees as the nacelles weigh the back down some. As a result, this ship does not cruise straight through space, but rather is always ascending. The 15 - 20 degree upward pitch makes it look somewhat awkward when hanging on a tree.

Collectibility

Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (reviewed here!). This Enterprise recreation is vastly more mass produced, but given its release during the collectibles-heavy 50th Anniversary, in combination with its $32.95 original release price, it was very hard for most collectors to justify spending on. As a result, it is still fairly easily available in the secondary market at the original issue price or a deflated one. Unlike what frequently happens when products are reissued, this Enterprise did not cause the original ornament to deflate in value. In fact, the ComicCon repaint exploded in value, while the gold common release has appeared to tank in the marketplace.

Overview

Fans of the Star Trek franchise, science fiction and the U.S.S. Enterprise specifically are likely to be utterly unimpressed by the overpriced, gold-finished 50th Anniversary U.S.S. Enterprise ornament.

For other Star Trek ship ornaments from Hallmark, please check out my reviews of:
2015 U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-C
2014 U.S.S. Vengeance Star Trek Into Darkness
2013 Battle Damaged U.S.S. Kelvin (Comic Con Exclusive)
2013 U.S.S. Kelvin
2012 U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D 25th Anniversary Edition
2011 U.S.S. Defiant (New York Comic Con Exclusive)
2011 Romulan Bird Of Prey
2010 U.S.S. Enterprise (Star Trek refit)
2009 Klingon Battlecruiser
2008 U.S.S. Reliant
2006 U.S.S. Enterprise (reissue)
2005 U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-A
2004 Vulcan Command Ship
2003 Scorpion Attack Craft
2002 Delta Flyer
2001 Deep Space Nine
2000 Borg Cube
1999 Runabout Rio Grande
1998 U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-E
1997 U.S.S. Defiant
1996 U.S.S. Voyager
1995 Romulan Warbird
1994 Klingon Bird Of Prey
1993 U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D
1992 Shuttlecraft Galileo

2.5/10

For other ornament reviews, please visit my Ornament Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2016 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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For The 50th Anniversary, Hallmark Gives Star Trek Fans "The Man Trap!"

The Good: Wonderful sculpt, Crisp sound clips, General coloring
The Bad: Noticeable seams, Back-heavy, Expensive, Somewhat awkward sound clip
The Basics: Hallmark’s diorama ornament for the 50th Anniversary of Star Trek relives the climax of “The Man Trap” with mixed results.


Last weekend was the big 50th Anniversary of Star Trek convention in Las Vegas and, sadly, I was unable to get together the funds to set up as a dealer there. The years of me dealing in Las Vegas seem to be behind me and that leaves me with a pretty predictable period each year where I'm just a little depressed. So, today, after going through people's pictures of the convention and feeling my last burst of sad nostalgia, I figured that it was time to move on and what better way than to look into some new Star Trek merchandise? Today, I figured I would review the Star Trek diorama ornament for the year from Hallmark. In tribute to the 50th Anniversary of the first episode to air on NBC, Hallmark released "The Man Trap" as its diorama ornament and it is a great example of how Hallmark frequently gets a lot right with their ornaments.

For those unfamiliar with the episode, "The Man Trap" (reviewed here!), is the first episode that aired and it features the Enterprise arriving at a planet where the resident archaeologist is acting twitchy. His wife is a former lover of Dr. McCoy and, in the course of the episode, it turns out that she has been replaced by a shape-changing alien. The alien violently removes salt from its victims' body and, after killing several Enterprise crewmen, corners Kirk in his quarters before it is killed. It is Kirk being attacked by the M-113 Salt Vampire and screaming in pain that is the subject of the “The Man Trap” ornament!

To add extra value to this ornament, Hallmark provided this ornament with a sound chip, which is pretty much necessary to justify the original issue price of $29.95.

Basics

The "The Man Trap" ornament recreates the moment Kirk, seated in his desk chair in his quarters under the thrall of the M-113 Salt Vampire, is being attacked by the creature. The ornament captures a very specific moment as Kirk's mouth is open, mid-scream from being . . . desalinated. The M-113 Salt Vampire is detailed to include both its shaggy fur and the weird, mossy garment the creature wore. The ornament, released in 2016, is a good sculpt of the M-113 Salt Vampire, Kirk, the chair and the floor base.

Hallmark clearly made an effort on the characters as Kirk on this ornament is detailed with accurate rank insignia, the division badge on his chest, and the screaming facial expression. Measuring 4 1/16" tall, 2 1/4" wide and 2 9/16” deep, the "The Man Trap" ornament is a larger Star Trek ornament and it fits the general scale of most of the diorama ornaments Hallmark has released for the Star Trek franchise.

The Hallmark "The Man Trap" ornament is made of a durable plastic and has the Captain and M-113 Salt Vampire next to one another with the M-113 Salt Vampire reaching out with its suction cup-covered fingers right near Captain Kirk's face. The M-113 Salt Vampire is standing and Captain Kirk is sitting in his chair and the two are connected by the base, which houses the speaker for the sound chip. I was impressed by details that Hallmark got absolutely right, like the lift and curve of Captain Kirk's hair. That's a tough thing to render in plastic, but Hallmark nailed it on their "The Man Trap" ornament. Sadly, the M-113 Salt Vampire looks assembled, as it has noticeable seams at the shoulders, where the arms were apparently connected to the base piece. This is the only noticeable defect in the ornament's sculpting/assembly.

The M-113 Salt Vampire's detailing is good, save for the coloring. Having watched "The Man Trap" many, many times, Hallmark colored the creature a bit lighter than it was in the actual episode; the greens are closer to a lime green, as opposed to the olive green of the creature. Similarly, while the fur has sculpted depth and is colored with grays and whites, they are much lighter than the creature in the episode actually was. As for Captain Kirk, Kirk's coloring is far less sophisticated than his sculpt. There is no realism to the flesh color on Kirk and the coloring is oversimplified so Captain Kirk has a somewhat animated look to him.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, "The Man Trap" has only a sound effect. This ornament operates on an independent battery so one does not need to position it near a light strand on their tree. Because there is no special light function in the scene, it makes perfect sense that there is no light effect on the “The Man Trap” ornament.

On the ornament, there is a small button on the front of the floor piece of the base that, when pressed, activates the sound chip. The sound chip contains actual dialogue of Kirk from “The Man Trap.” Here is where the ornament's function becomes a bit wonky. There are three sound clips played by the sound chip: one of Kirk's captain's log, explaining the situation and the salt vampire, one of Spock revealing that the creature is killing Kirk, and one that has Kirk screaming in pain before McCoy shoots and kills the M-113 Salt Vampire. It's weird to have so many sound clips from people who are not present in the diorama ornament, despite the clips being perfectly appropriate to the moment rendered in the ornament.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake "The Man Trap" ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Star Trek Christmas Tree, the "The Man Trap" ornament is a high priced option and most fans will find is to be an extravagant one, even if it does commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Star Trek in a decent way. The ornament has the standard steel hook loop embedded into the top front of the M-113 Salt Vampire's head. This is fairly obtrusive, though it is necessary for the ornament.

From the loop's position, this is a slightly back-heavy ornament. It hangs with a bias toward the back and the pitch is noticeable especially because of how the base is otherwise flat. This is not the most lopsided ornament ever, but it is noticeably unbalanced.

Collectibility

Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition original U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (reviewed here!). Since then, they have made ornament replicas of almost all of the major starships and many of the characters from the franchise and they have all been more mass produced than that first one. "The Man Trap" ornament has been selling fairly briskly since Ornament Preview Weekend, at least locally, but it still seems unlikely that this will be an ornament that sells out before the holidays. Most fans bought it early and while serious investors might be hoping to get them on clearance, the quality of the ornament suggests that fans who did not buy it immediately are unlikely to feel the need for it, even at a discounted price.

I’m betting against the long-term investment potential of the “The Man Trap” ornament only because the 50th Anniversary of Star Trek is bound to force collectors to truly choose where to spend their dollars (the sheer volume of anniversary merchandise is stifling!). I suspect that the ornament's mixed quality will leave those who do not pick it up immediately because they are already fans of Hallmark's Star Trek ornament line unwilling to hunt it down later on.

Overview

The Star Trek diorama ornaments are frequently polarizing, but for the 50th Anniversary of Star Trek, the “The Man Trap” ornament hits more than it misses. It is a solid base . . . for those who might be willing to customize the ornament with more detailed coloring, it could be damn near perfect, instead of the average execution Hallmark mass-produced.

For other Star Trek diorama Hallmark ornaments reviews, please check out my reviews of:
2015 "The Needs Of The Many" Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan ornament
2014 "The Devil In The Dark" ornament
2013 "Arena" ornament
2012 "An Extraordinary Meeting" Star Trek ornament
2011 "Mirror, Mirror" ornament
2010 "Amok Time" ornament
2009 "The Menagerie" ornament
2004 "The City On The Edge Of Forever" ornament

5.5/10

For other ornament reviews, please visit my Ornament Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2016 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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After The Legends Line, Hallmark Makes A Mediocre Ensign Pavel Chekov Ornament!

The Good: Good balance, Detailing on the tricorder, Good general sculpt
The Bad: Unfortunately obvious seams, Animated look, Paint issues
The Basics: The 2016 Ensign Pavel Chekov ornament is average at best, made valuable only by its limited edition nature.


During my month and a half sabbatical from writing reviews, actor Anton Yelchin died. As a young man, Yelchin's body of work is comparatively small and he is, arguably, best known worldwide for playing Ensign Pavel Chekov in J.J. Abrams's two Star Trek films and the forthcoming Star Trek Beyond. Yelchin's version of Chekov from the rebooted Star Trek films is not the subject of the new, 2016 limited edition Star Trek ornament from Hallmark; their Ensign Pavel Chekov ornament features the classic Star Trek character, as portrayed by Walter Koenig. Ensign Chekov is, essentially, a continuation of Hallmark's vastly overproduced Legends Of Star Trek ornament line and it fits the general quality and scale of those ornaments, even if it is more expensive and produced in lesser quantities.

Starting out at $15.95, the Legends Of Star Trek Ensign Pavel Chekov ornament looks like an animated version of Chekov, which is ironic because Ensign Chekov was absent from the animated Star Trek series from the 1970s.

For those unfamiliar with Ensign Pavel Chekov, he was the navigator aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise for most of Star Trek (reviewed here!). Played with one of the most ridiculous "Russian" accents by Walter Koenig, Ensign Pavel Chekov is a seminal Star Trek character, despite the fact that he came in as a new character in the second season.

Basics

The Legends Of Star Trek Ensign Pavel Chekov recreates the Navigator of the Enterprise in solid plastic and ribbon. The ornament, released in 2016, is presented very generally, with a decent head sculpt that is, predictably, underdetailed on the coloring front. Ensign Pavel Chekov is fairly recognizable to genre fans holding up a tricorder with both hands. Molded to be recognizable, the ornament still has a more animated look for the character than one might hope for. This comes from the character’s very simplistic colorscheme that lacks realistic depth and shading. As well, Chekov's arms have deep, ridiculous-looking seams where they connect to the character's chest section. Measuring four inches tall by one and three-sixteenths inches wide by one and one-eighth inches deep, the Legends Of Star Trek Ensign Pavel Chekov ornament has been selling, despite it being a limited edition ornament.

The Hallmark Legends Of Star Trek Ensign Pavel Chekov ornament is made of a durable plastic and black ribbon and has the human junior officer standing in his yellow shirt, tight black pants and shiny black boots. The face is sculpted to be a good representation of Walter Koenig and, outside the eyes lacking Koenig's sparkle and zest for life, the representation is good. This ornament is molded without deep attention to detail, like fingernails.

Conversely, Hallmark went to create painstaking detailing for the tricorder, getting it in perfect proportion with the rest of the ornament. The tricorder is exceptionally detailed in both sculpt and coloring. The black ribbon mimics well the leather strap the props from the show had.

The Legends Of Star Trek Ensign Pavel Chekov is colored correctly with his yellow Command shirt, outside his skin tones, which are very basic. Ensign Pavel Chekov has appropriately pale skin, but the ornament lacks the depth and shading of most collectibles. I was impressed that the boots were a glossy black, while Chekov’s pants were appropriately matte in their finish. While the tricorder in his hands is well-colored and detailed, including having blue highlights on the tricorder's screen, the skin is much less impressive or realistic in its detailing. The fingers have a lack of definition between them as well. Unfortunately, on three of the four Ensign Pavel Chekov ornaments I found, the paint job was flawed; with issues in the eyes and odd color spots on the shirt. The black spots on the yellow shirt are troublingly obvious given the brightness of the yellow color.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, the Legends Of Star Trek Ensign Pavel Chekov could have a function like a sound chip or light effect, but does not. This is just an ornament, a comparatively low-cost option for those who might not want to shell out for the starship or mural series of Star Trek ornaments. This is Ensign Pavel Chekov, standing alone with a tricorder as opposed to behind his navigator's console on the bridge. Having the ornament without any features might disappoint some collectors.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake Legends Of Star Trek Ensign Pavel Chekov ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Star Trek Christmas Tree, the Legends Of Star Trek Ensign Pavel Chekov ornament is a necessary one, given that Chekov is an iconic character, probably the last iconic Enterprise crewmember that had not yet been immortalized by Hallmark. The ornament has a brass hook loop that comes out of the top, center, of Ensign Pavel Chekov's skull. To its credit, Hallmark's Legends Of Star Trek Ensign Pavel Chekov is perfectly well-balanced from that point.

Collectibility

Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (reviewed here!). Since then, they have made ornament replicas of almost all of the major starships from the franchise and when they started on the personnel in 1995, though this is the first Chekov ornament. The Legends Of Star Trek Ensign Pavel Chekov ornament was not a fast-selling ornament, at least it did not sell out at most Hallmark stores I checked out during Ornament Preview Weekend, but it seems coveted by the fans who purchased the prior six Legends Of Star Trek ornaments.

Given the precedent from the prior Legends Of Star Trek ornaments, along with the way this ornament has an original issue price $1 more than the other ones, it is hard to see how the Ensign Pavel Chekov ornament would appreciate much in the secondary market. Unlike the prior ones, which sold largely on clearance, the Chekov ornament might actually sell out at full price and, at least, not depreciate in value. It remains, given the paint issues on the ones I found, a tough sell for all but the die hard fans.

Overview

Fans of the Star Trek franchise, Walter Koenig and Ensign Pavel Chekov are likely to feel compelled to pick up the Legends Of Star Trek Ensign Pavel Chekov ornament to complete their collections, but not be ornament most fans will be exceptionally excited about.

For other Star Trek ornaments of characters, please check out my reviews of:
2015 Legends Of Star Trek Lieutenant Uhura
2014 Legends Of Star Trek Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu
2014 Vina The Orion Slave Woman (Limited Edition)
2013 Legends Of Star Trek Commander Montgomery “Scotty” Scott
2012 Legends Of Star Trek Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy
2011 Legends Of Star Trek Spock
2010 Legends Of Star Trek Captain James T. Kirk
2009 Limited Edition Ilia Probe
2005 Khan
2004 Commander Charles “Trip” Tucker
1999 Lieutenant Commander Worf
1997 Dr. McCoy
1996 Mr. Spock

5.5/10

For other Christmas ornament reviews, please visit my Ornament Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2016 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Disappointing Outside The Sound Clip: The 2015 The Needs Of The Many Star Trek Ornament Fizzles!

The Good: Good concept, The sound clip
The Bad: Not a great likeness of characters, Expensive for the quality, Poor balance, Lack of coloring depth
The Basics: As a tribute to the late, great Leonard Nimoy or just as a Star Trek diorama ornament, the 2015 "The Needs Of The Many" ornament is a tremendous letdown.


As one who loves Star Trek and actively collects the merchandise, I was a big fan of the late, great Leonard Nimoy. With his death last year, there is a lot of merchandise that has been released as a tribute to him. Even before his death earlier this year, Hallmark had designed the The Needs Of The Many holiday ornament and teased it at last year's Comic Con. As a fan of Hallmark's Star Trek ornament line, I was pretty excited to see the Nimoy-themed ornament. Unfortunately, it was a pretty terrible ornament.

For those unfamiliar with the concept, "The Needs Of The Many" features a representation of one of the final moments of the Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan (reviewed here!) where the dying Spock says good-bye to Admiral Kirk after he saved the Enterprise.

It is Spock and Admiral Kirk on opposite sides of the irradiated engineering room that is the subject of the "The Needs Of The Many" Hallmark Ornament. To add extra value to this one, Hallmark provided this ornament with a decent sound chip that plays a few sound clips from the scene.

Basics

The "The Needs Of The Many" ornament recreates the moment Spock and Admiral Kirk say good-bye to one another after Spock went in and realigned the power flow to repower the Enterprise and allow it to escape the Genesis Wave. The ornament, released in 2015, is a mixed bag as it has some interesting features and detailing, but the characters lack realistic detailing and shading.

Still, Hallmark clearly made an effort on the characters in some ways as they are detailed with Spock's pointed ears and some of the details on the costumes - like the snaps on the back of the rank braid on the shoulders. Even Admiral Kirk’s hair has texture, making it appropriate for the early-80s perm-style the character had in the film. Measuring four inches tall, three and one-half inches wide and two and five-eighths inches deep, the "The Needs Of The Many" ornament is one of the larger Star Trek diorama ornaments and with the sound feature, it commanded a $29.95 price when it was originally released.

The Hallmark "The Needs Of The Many" ornament is made of a durable plastic and has the the two officers facing one another. The sculpts are clearly of Spock and Admiral Kirk, though the sculpts are very basic. Between the two is a thin piece of clear plastic representing the glass between them from the movie and there is a section of flooring upon which both characters kneel. The characters have their hands up as if to touch each other through the "glass," but the ornament is very underdetailed. To wit, neither of the characters has their fingernails molded on and Spock's hand and face are not detailed to look burned.

As a fan of Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan, the ornament looks fairly ridiculous in its lack of detailing that would truly capture the film's climactic moment. Both characters look fairly animated; neither character has realistic skin tones. This is disturbing as the ornament does not make it clear exactly why Spock is dying. In fact, the subject - while a fan favorite - seems esoteric and somewhat disturbing for a holiday ornament. The painted details on the ornament - like the brass for the rank insignia - are not painted on with the precision that the promotional photos would imply, which is a further let-down to characters.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, "The Needs Of The Many" could have both a light effect and a sound effect, but this one only has a sound effect. That may irk some fans who have paid less in the past for ornaments that have both. The "The Needs Of The Many" ornament is battery-operated and it comes with the batteries needed to run it. Hallmark placed the button on the base of the ornament.

The button, when pressed, activates the sound chip. The sound chip actually contains clips from Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan. Rather extraordinarily, the chip has several seconds of dialogue between Spock and Admiral Kirk, from the key scene at the peak of the film!

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake "The Needs Of The Many" ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Star Trek Christmas Tree, the "The Needs Of The Many" ornament is a high-priced option that is a tough sell, despite the sound chip. The ornament has the standard brass hook loop embedded into the top center of the "window" between the two characters on the section of the engineering room. This is fairly obvious, but not obtrusive, and it is necessary for the ornament. Hanging from that loop, the ornament is poorly balanced. Hung properly, the ornament is weighted heavily toward Spock and because the base is supposed to be a section of flat floor, that is especially awkward and noticeable.

Collectibility

Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition original U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (reviewed here!). Since then, they have made ornament replicas of almost all of the major starships and many of the characters from the franchise and they have all been more mass produced than that first one. The "The Needs Of The Many" ornament has been bought more by fans so far, but not by the public at large. Given the lack of quality and the expense, I suspect that it will not be a good investment ornament and there will be adequate quantities of the ornament available on clearance after the holiday.

Overview

Fans of the Star Trek franchise, Spock, Kirk, William Shatner, the late amazing Leonard Nimoy, and Hallmark ornaments are likely to be disappointed by the “The Needs Of The Many” ornament given that it lacks fine detailing, good balance and bears a high price tag for it.

For other Star Trek diorama Hallmark ornaments reviews, please check out my reviews of:
2014 "The Devil In The Dark" ornament
2013 "Arena" ornament
2012 "An Extraordinary Meeting" Star Trek ornament
2011 "Mirror, Mirror" ornament
2010 "Amok Time" ornament
2009 "The Menagerie" ornament
2004 "The City On The Edge Of Forever" ornament

3/10

For other ornament reviews, please visit my Ornament Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Of All The Years Not To Have A Variant . . . The 2015 U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-C Ornament Won't Wow The Fans!

The Good: Good sculpt, Decent light effect
The Bad: Back-heavy, Expensive, No sound effect, Lack of authentic coloring details
The Basics: For 2015, Star Trek fans are treated to the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-C in ornament form from Hallmark, but those for whom the ornament would be of interest will be disappointed by the lack of detailing on the ship.


As Ornament Preview Weekend comes to a close, I find myself evaluating what is usually one of the most reliable franchises in the Hallmark ornament line: Star Trek. I also find myself recalling the longest ornament-related discussion of the weekend. I watched as the eyes on the clerk at one Hallmark Gold Crown store glazed over as I discussed the problems with the new Star Trek starship ornament. Hallmark has released the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-C as this year's Star Trek starship ornament. The subject of this ornament is incredibly obscure; the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-C was only in a single episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. The fans who love that episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation will see the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-C ornament and be instantly caught at how it does not look like the ship from the episode.

For those unfamiliar with the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-C, this was the starship that appeared from the past and drastically altered the future in the Star Trek The Next Generation episode "Yesterday's Enterprise" (reviewed here!). Captained by Rachel Garrett, the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-C was attacked by Romulans while defending a Klingon outpost and was thrown forward in time by an anomaly. That anomaly led to a war between the Klingons and the Federation that saw the Federation brought to the edge of defeat before the Enterprise-C was returned to its native time.

The U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-C only ever appeared in the Star Trek franchise as a battle damaged ship, scorched from Klingon weapon's fire. The thing is, Hallmark has produced battle damaged starship ornaments as variants, so they have the ability to do justice to the subject; that they chose not to is disappointing to the fans who would appreciate an Enterprise-C ornament in the first place!

Basics

The "U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-C" ornament generally recreates the obscure Federation starship in solid gray plastic. The ornament, released in 2015, perfectly captured the sculpted details of the Enterprise-C. This was easy enough to do as the Enterprise-C was very close to the Enterprise-D, which has been rendered for three prior Hallmark ornaments. Hallmark created the starship with its distinctive bridge dome, engineering hull with the deflector area distinctively angled for the Ambassador-class U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-C and warp nacelles. Measuring four and three-quarters inches long, three inches wide and one and one-quarter inches tall, the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-C ornament is one of the more obscure Star Trek ships. It is shocking that the NCC-1701-C is being given ornament treatment before the NX-01, the starship from Star Trek: Enterprise!

The Hallmark "U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-C" ornament is made of a durable gray plastic with red and blue plastic accents on the nacelles and deflector dish. This ornament is the starship on its own, as is typical for Hallmark's starship line of Star Trek ornaments.

The U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-C is molded adequately. The Enterprise-C has details molded into the starship, like nacelle ridges, plating on the saucer section and the deflector dish on the front of the engineering hull. Unfortunately, the Enterprise-C lacks a faithful paint job. So, while the ornament features highlights on the saucer section's ridge and the call numbers for the starship, it lacks any of the battle scarring and painted on details that would make it appear like the Enterprise-C as seen in "Yesterday's Enterprise."

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, the "U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-C" has a light function. Fans of the ornaments might be a little disappointed that this ornament has a light function, but no audio one, especially considering that "Yesterday's Enterprise" is very popular and had a number of great quotes that would be well-played from a Hallmark sound chip. Many of the Star Trek ornaments both light up and play a sound clip. The "U.S.S. Enterprise-C" does not. The Enterprise-C ornament includes the three batteries needed to get it to light up.

The bridge dome of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-C is actually the button that activates the ornament's light effect. By pressing the bridge dome, the ornament's nacelles and deflector dish light up. The lights stay lit for approximately thirty seconds and to Hallmark's credit, this is one of the Star Trek ornaments with the brightest light effects.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake "U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-C" ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Star Trek Christmas Tree, the "U.S.S. Enterprise-C" ornament is not exactly an essential piece. The ornament has the standard steel hook loop embedded into the top, aft portion of the saucer section.

The location of the loop is the best that Hallmark could reasonably do. However, the Enterprise-C is very backheavy as a result of the hook loop placement. The location of the hook loop forces the front of the saucer up about thirty degrees as the nacelles weigh the back down a fair bit. As a result, this ship does not cruise straight through space, but rather is always ascending.

Collectibility

Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (reviewed here!). This Enterprise-C recreation is vastly more mass produced. Given that the original release price is very high ($32.95) for an ornament with only a light function, it is unlikely to appreciate in value for quite some time, if ever. Most of the obscure Star Trek ship ornaments have depressed in value over the years as demand by fans was met exceptionally easily. As a result, I recommend fans wait until the end of the season when they can find this ornament on clearance to purchase it.

Overview

Fans of Star Trek The Next Generation, science fiction and the U.S.S. Enterprise specifically are likely to wait for Hallmark to make an exclusive battle damaged Enterprise-C ornament before they feel it is essential to add the ship to their collection. Until then, they will do better to find this one on the cheap than pay full price for this unbalanced ornament.

For other Star Trek ship ornaments from Hallmark, please check out my reviews of:
2014 U.S.S. Vengeance Star Trek Into Darkness
2013 Battle Damaged U.S.S. Kelvin (Comic Con Exclusive)
2013 U.S.S. Kelvin
2012 U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D 25th Anniversary Edition
2011 U.S.S. Defiant (New York Comic Con Exclusive)
2011 Romulan Bird Of Prey
2010 U.S.S. Enterprise (Star Trek refit)
2009 Klingon Battlecruiser
2008 U.S.S. Reliant
2006 U.S.S. Enterprise (reissue)
2005 U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-A
2004 Vulcan Command Ship
2003 Scorpion Attack Craft
2002 Delta Flyer
2001 Deep Space Nine
2000 Borg Cube
1999 Runabout Rio Grande
1998 U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-E
1997 U.S.S. Defiant
1996 U.S.S. Voyager
1995 Romulan Warbird
1994 Klingon Bird Of Prey
1993 U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D
1992 Shuttlecraft Galileo

4/10

For other ornament reviews, please visit my Ornament Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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End Of The Line: The Legends Of Star Trek Ornament Collection Ends Well With Uhura!

The Good: Fair price, Good balance, Detailing on the tricorder
The Bad: Overproduced, Animated look, Monotone skin coloring.
The Basics: The 2015 Lieutenant Nyota Uhura ornament is about average, making it affordable and unremarkable, but one of the better Legends Of Star Trek Hallmark ornaments.


As we are only days away from Ornament Preview Weekend at Hallmark, it is an exciting time for ornament fans! This year, one of the most interesting genre ornaments might well be the Legends Of Star Trek ornament. The ornament is not inherently interesting, it is a pretty average ornament, but what is intriguing about it is that it is being billed as the final Legends Of Star Trek ornament. That means that Hallmark will not be doing an ornament tribute to Ensign Chekov, which is somewhat surprising given how he is usually considered one of the essential, "legendary," characters from the original Star Trek. Lieutenant Uhura finishes off the ornament line with the somewhat animated-looking Legends Of Star Trek Lieutenant Nyota Uhura ornament.

Starting out at $14.95, the Legends Of Star Trek Lieutenant Nyota Uhura ornament looks just like Uhura in both the sculpt and costuming, if not the specific coloring and shading for the character's hair and skin.

For those unfamiliar with Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, she was the communications officer aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise for most of Star Trek (reviewed here!). Played by Nichelle Nichols in a groundbreaking role, Lieutenant Nyota Uhura is so seminal to Star Trek that casual viewers might not know that she did not have a first name until the 2009 reboot Star Trek! The "Legends Of Star Trek" series gives Hallmark a chance to cast Uhura away from her console for the first time, though she was the subject of the limited edition 2007 ornament and the even more limited re-colored San Diego Comic Con Uhura ornament.

Basics

The Legends Of Star Trek Lieutenant Nyota Uhura recreates the Helm Officer of the Enterprise in solid plastic. The ornament, released in 2015, is presented surprisingly accurately. Lieutenant Nyota Uhura is fairly recognizable to genre fans holding up a tricorder. Molded to be recognizable, the ornament still has a more animated look for the character than one might hope for. The animated look comes from the character’s very generalized colorscheme that lacks realistic depth and shading. Uhura’s skin is not at all realistic to the fleshtones of Nichelle Nichols!

The Hallmark Legends Of Star Trek Lieutenant Nyota Uhura ornament is made of a durable plastic and has the human officer standing in her red mini-dress and shiny black boots. She is 4" tall by 1" wide and 1 1/4" deep. The face is sculpted fairly accurately to look like Nichelle Nichols in her iconic role. This ornament is molded without deep attention to detail, like fingernails.

Conversely, Hallmark went to create painstaking detailing for the tricorder, getting it and the communicator in perfect proportion with the rest of the ornament. The tricorder is exceptionally detailed in both sculpt and coloring. Oddly, the same cannot be said about the character's hair.

The Legends Of Star Trek Lieutenant Nyota Uhura is colored correctly with her red Communication and Engineering shirt. The ornament version of Lieutenant Nyota Uhura is cast in monotonal brown plastic which is not realistic for the actress's skin tones. I was impressed that the boots were a glossy black, while the rest of the ornament outside her eyes were appropriately matte in their finish. While the tricorder in her hands and the rank braids on her forearms are well-colored and detailed, the skin is much less impressive or realistic in its detailing.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, the Legends Of Star Trek Lieutenant Nyota Uhura could have a function like a sound chip or light effect, but does not. This is just an ornament, a low-cost (comparatively) option for those who might not want to shell out for the starship or mural series of Star Trek ornaments. This is Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, standing alone with a tricorder as opposed to being stuck at her communication's console. Having the ornament without any features might disappoint some collectors.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake Legends Of Star Trek Lieutenant Nyota Uhura ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Star Trek Christmas Tree, the Legends Of Star Trek Lieutenant Nyota Uhura ornament is a necessary one, given that Uhura is an iconic character. The ornament has a brass hook loop that comes out of the top, center, slightly back, of Lieutenant Nyota Uhura's skull. To its credit, Hallmark's Legends Of Star Trek Lieutenant Nyota Uhura is very well-balanced from that point.

Collectibility

Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (reviewed here!). Since then, they have made ornament replicas of almost all of the major starships from the franchise and when they started on the personnel in 1995, though this is the second Uhura ornament sculpt. The Legends Of Star Trek Lieutenant Nyota Uhura ornament is unlikely to be a sell-out.

Given the precedent from the prior Legends Of Star Trek ornaments, this is unlikely to be a worthwhile investment piece, despite the quality of the ornament; hold out for it to be on the clearance racks at the season’s end.

Overview

Fans of the Star Trek franchise, Nichelle Nichols and Lieutenant Uhura are likely to be fairly impressed by the Legends Of Star Trek Lieutenant Nyota Uhura ornament. Even with issues in the skin coloring, the ornament is one of the better Star Trek ornaments produced in recent years.

For other Star Trek ornaments of characters, please check out my reviews of:
2014 Legends Of Star Trek Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu
2014 Vina The Orion Slave Woman
2013 Legends Of Star Trek Chief Engineer Montgomery “Scotty” Scott
2012 Legends Of Star Trek Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy
2011 Legends Of Star Trek Spock
2010 Legends Of Star Trek Captain James T. Kirk
2009 Limited Edition Ilia Probe
2005 Khan
2004 Commander Charles “Trip” Tucker III
2003 Subcommander T’Pol
1997 Dr. McCoy
1996 Mr. Spock

7.5/10

For other Christmas ornament reviews, please visit my Ornament Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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If It Were An Animated Series Episode . . . “The Devil In The Dark” Ornament Underwhelms!

The Good: Iconic moment, Good sound clip, Generally good sculpt
The Bad: Spock doesn't look quite right, Expensive, Very simplistic coloring
The Basics: Hallmark’s latest diorama ornament focuses on “The Devil In The Dark” and is much more like a cartoon version of the characters than it ought to be.


The Star Trek diorama ornaments are conceptually wonderful, but frequently suffer on living up to the promise of the moments created given that they usually have detailing needs finer than the sculptors or colorists at Hallmark are able to manage. This year’s Star Trek diorama ornament suffers from that problem for sure! For 2014, Hallmark chose “The Devil In The Dark” as the subject of their second most expensive Star Trek ornament of the year. Unfortunately, the color detailing is simplistic and it undermines the entire ornament.

For those unfamiliar with the episode, "The Devil In The Dark" (reviewed here!), is the classic episode where the Enterprise tries to help out a mining colony that is under siege from a supposedly vicious killer. The crew discovers that the killer is a silicon-based life form that is trying to protect its eggs. Because it is unable to communicate, save through crudely spraying acid into the rock face it burrows through, Spock has to mind-meld with the entity, the Horta, in order to communicate with it. It is Spock in the middle of the mind-meld that is the subject of the “The Devil In The Dark” ornament!

To add extra value to this ornament, Hallmark provided this ornament with an impressive sound chip.

Basics

The "The Devil In The Dark" ornament recreates the moment Spock is crouched before the Horta, hands extended trying to mind-meld with the entity. The Horta is detailed to include the big wound on the side of it, from Spock and Kirk’s phaser cut. The ornament, released in 2014, is a good rendition of the Horta, though the ornament is not as finely detailed as the new 6” action figure of the same moment, which has the fringe on the edges of the Horta, as appropriate for the creature. The ornament has good detailing for the Horta’s eggs, but the ground, Horta, and Spock are very animated in their appearance. Hallmark makes up for that with a great sound chip.

Hallmark clearly made an effort on the characters as Spock on this ornament is detailed with accurate rank insignia, phaser on the belt, and division badges. Measuring 2 1/2" tall, 4 1/2" wide and 2 1/4” deep, the "The Devil In The Dark" ornament is a larger Star Trek ornament and with the sound feature, it is one of the more pricey ones in the collection with an original issue price of $29.95.

The Hallmark "The Devil In The Dark" ornament is made of a durable plastic and has the Vulcan and Horta next to one another with the Horta an amorphous blob on a very simplistic patch of ground and Spock crouching and reaching out to it. The ground has the “No Kill I” etched into it, as is appropriate.

The Horta's detailing is good, save for the coloring. There is no realism to the flesh color on Spock and the coloring is oversimplified so Spock has an annoyingly animated look to him. The fact that his face is not at all green tinted is not going to please the die-hard fans. Similarly, the Horta has a monotonal orange color for its rocky flesh broken up by simplistic grays for its veins.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, "The Devil In The Dark" has only a sound effect. This ornament operates on an independent battery so one does not need to position it near a light strand on their tree. Because there is no special light function in the scene, it makes perfect sense that there is no light effect on the “The Devil In The Dark” ornament.

On the ornament, there is a small button on the front of the ground portion that, when pressed, activates the sound chip. The sound chip contains actual dialogue of Spock crying out during the mind-meld scene in “The Devil In The Dark.” Featuring the actual voice clip from Leonard Nimoy, the ornament sounds great and realistic!

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake "The Devil In The Dark" ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Star Trek Christmas Tree, the "The Devil In The Dark" ornament is a high priced option and most fans will find is to be an extravagant and unnecessary one. The ornament has the standard brass hook loop embedded into the top center of the Horta. This is fairly obtrusive, though it is necessary for the ornament.

Despite the loop's position, this is an amazingly well-balanced ornament. It hangs level, so the ground of the alien planet is flat and one has a decent perspective of the moment the ornament portrays. The balance being this good is uncommon for this type of Hallmark ornament, so Hallmark is clearly learning from their past missteps.

Collectibility

Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition original U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (reviewed here!). Since then, they have made ornament replicas of almost all of the major starships and many of the characters from the franchise and they have all been more mass produced than that first one. "The Devil In The Dark" ornament has been selling steadily since, but it still seems unlikely that this will be an ornament that sells out before the holidays. Most fans bought it early and while serious investors might be hoping to get them on clearance, the quality of the ornament suggests that fans who did not buy it immediately are unlikely to feel the need for it, even at a discounted price.

I’m betting against the longterm investment potential of the “The Devil In The Dark” ornament because it seems like whatever does not sell before the post-holiday discounting is not likely to appeal to collectors anyway.

Overview

A return to mediocre form on the Star Trek diorama ornaments, the “The Devil In The Dark” ornament is a far cry from a must-buy Star Trek ornament, despite having a pretty cool sound clip and a good concept.

For other Star Trek diorama Hallmark ornaments reviews, please check out my reviews of:
2013 "Arena" ornament
2012 "An Extraordinary Meeting" Star Trek ornament
2011 "Mirror, Mirror" ornament
2010 "Amok Time" ornament
2009 "The Menagerie" ornament
2004 "The City On The Edge Of Forever" ornament

5.5/10

For other ornament reviews, please visit my Ornament Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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