The Good: Some truly wonderful images! Limited quality, Cardstock
The Bad: Use of publicity shots, Cost/Value, Only one "blue dress" shot!
The Basics: With only nine cards, the "Legends Of Troi" is bound to satisfy casual fans and card collectors of Counselor Troi and Marina Sirtis alike!
It's a bear to find something to write about a trading card set that only has nine cards in it and no writing!
But hey, that's a little set of cards! I mean, most card releases have around a hundred cards and about half as many bonus cards, here's a nine-card limited edition set focusing on one character! You don't get much smaller than the set of "Legends Of Counselor Deanna Troi" cards!
Basics/Set Composition
"The Legends Of Star Trek" set is a series of cards produced by Rittenhouse Archives and released on average twice a year over the last five years. The "Legends Of Troi" set is the ninth in the ever-expanding series that is released in nine card, limited edition increments. There are no bonus cards in this set, they come as complete sets of nine cards sealed in a cellophane package. There are three things that make these sets truly special: cardstock, an individual limited edition number, and the images on the cards. The cardstock is a 20pt. (thicker than usual) cardstock with the standard UV resistant coating that all quality trading cards come with these days. To illustrate the truly limited nature of the “Legends Of Star Trek“ cards, every set is strictly limited to 1701 sets and the L9 card (visible at the back of the cellophane pack) is foil stamped with an individual number for the specific "Legends Of" set. So, for example, my personal set is number 0440/1701! This is where it helps to have a dealer that you are loyal to; dealers were able to order all of the same limited edition collector's numbers each time, so every time I get an order in, they are the same limited edition numbers and I - and my customers - are assembling sets with matching numbers, which will presumably hold the value of the overall series better in the long run.
Finally, the “Legends Of Star Trek“ series is characterized by wonderful, uncommon images that are (usually) not the typical shots that have been on 8x10s, t-shirts and collector's plates before. Instead, these cards capitalize on big rare images, vivid color contrast and cards that are uncluttered by pesky text! These cards are for the fans who know the accomplishments of their heroes! No need to write about them, the images speak for themselves!
Common Cards
The "Legends Of Troi" set is a nine-card “Legends Of Star Trek“ set that features eighteen images of Counselor Deanna Troi from her second season publicity shot to the two publicity shots from Star Trek: Nemesis. Immediately absent and worth noting are either of the two first season publicity shots that featured a more stern and rigid looking Troi. It's sad, in a way, that there is not a single image from the first season of Troi, especially considering that she was there from the beginning.
It seems that when Rittenhouse Archives began the Star Trek: The Next Generation phase of the “Legends Of Star Trek“ series, they became a bit lazy about culling the images to get truly unique shots into the sets. This is especially insulting to collectors as the sets are released many months apart, only require eighteen images and in the time sets like the "Legends Of Troi" set were in preproduction, another major Star Trek: The Next Generation set was released. Given that the folks at Rittenhouse Archives was combing through the images anyway, one wishes they had been more creative than they were and used only screen captures or images that had not appeared on other trading card releases.
That said, it's hard to screw up a "Legends Of Troi" series and Rittenhouse Archives manages to deliver a good-looking set of cards! Despite a whopping four card fronts featuring images that are clearly recognizable to fans of the series as being simple publicity shots and one of the images on the back that is a Star Trek: Nemesis publicity shot, this set looks good. Fans hoping for a collection of Troi breast shots will be disappointed (only one card - and a back at that - features Troi's famous blue dress) but those looking for something a bit more sophisticated will find it in this set. Outside the five of eighteen images that are publicity shots, there is a decent mix of images featuring Troi in and out of uniform. In fact, only five of the nine card fronts and eight of the nine card backs feature Troi in anything that even passed as a uniform. It's not all blue jumpsuits here!
Instead, fans are treated to images like the centerpiece card of Troi as Durango from "A Fistful Of Datas" and the shot of her as a Mintakan. L6 is, front and back, Troi masquerading as the Romulan Major Rakal. In some ways it is not troubling that the image of the psychically altered Troi from "Man Of The People" is not included, but it is disappointing - considering that two images from Star Trek: Nemesis were used that there was not a shot of Troi in her wedding dress put in the set. The only other omission that might have amused fans would have been an image of Troi as the Goddess Of Empathy. But the truth is, for a character who wore a lot of outfits but almost never left the ship or went on missions where she would look fundamentally different, it seems like Rittenhouse Archives did a phenomenal job of finding images that captured the various roles Troi played. She may not have gotten many, but Rittenhouse Archives got them onto the cards!
Overall
There's quite a bit here to satisfy fans of Marina Sirtis in her supporting role of the Betazoid Counselor Troi. Shots like those of her drunk in Star Trek: First Contact and in her alter ego forms, like from the Western episode make this set one that will please anyone who likes Troi. As well, card collectors are likely to be excited about this set as the images are largely ones that have not been overdone on the trading cards, giving them a quality that many find appealing as it enhances the overall collection to have new and different images in a set. Fans of the "Legends" series will appreciate that and given the rarity of these cards, any collectors that give up on the “Legends Of Star Trek“ set with the "Legends Of Troi" release will likely find that there are Marina Sirtis fans all too ready to snatch up the remaining sets.
The nine-card sets tend to sell for $17 - $20 but the cardstock quality - which truly is a professional grade - and the limited edition nature of the set makes it worth it. One suspects in the future, the “Legends Of Star Trek“ sets will be sold in the secondary market almost exclusively as entire series collections, so fans who simply have a favorite character will want to snatch up the releases when they first come out!
For fans of Marina Sirtis, this is the "Legends" set for you!
This set culls images from Star Trek: The Next Generation, most recognizably:
"Face Of The Enemy"
and "Who Watches The Watcher?"
Star Trek: Generations
Star Trek: First Contact
Star Trek: Nemesis
For other Legends Of Star Trek cards from Star Trek: The Next Generation, please be sure to read my reviews of:
Legends Of Captain Jean-Luc Picard
Legends Of Data
Legends Of Riker
Legends Of Lieutenant Worf
6/10
For other card reviews, please visit my index page on the subject by clicking here!
© 2012, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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