The Plastic Directive: 60 Years of Star Trek Toys

by JOHN DEQUADROS, Rip Rocket Photography

For the past 60 years, Star Trek has remained a stalwart of science fiction. Created by visionary screenwriter Gene Roddenberry, it debuted in the U.S. on September 8, 1966, and introduced audiences to the intrepid crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise — an exploratory vessel seeking out new life and new civilizations across the endless expanse of space. Since then, the franchise has grown into a cultural phenomenon spanning television, feature films, books, comics, and video games, inspiring generations of dreamers to shoot for the stars while fuelling a thriving collector market encompassing an extraordinary range of merchandise.

“I think it’s a reflection of the brighter future Trek gives us,” says NECA Brand Manager (and Star Trek fan) Blaine Rodenbaugh. “As collectors, we want to hold on to nostalgia that makes us feel good, and people want to hope for a brighter tomorrow.”

That optimism first found its way onto shelves in August 1966 when Aluminum Model Toys (AMT) signed a licensing agreement with Lucille Ball’s Desilu Productions. Seeing the potential behind Roddenberry’s upcoming space western, the company agreed to build the Galileo 7 shuttlecraft for use on the series in exchange for the rights to manufacture and sell model kits based on the U.S.S. Enterprise. More than one million kits were sold in the first year alone, making it one of AMT’s most enduring and successful products. The agreement eventually expanded to include additional models such as the Klingon Battle Cruiser, the Galileo shuttlecraft, and even an Enterprise Exploration Set featuring scaled-down replicas of a phaser, a tricorder, and a communicator.

When Mego acquired the Star Trek license in 1974, it launched a highly successful series of 8-inch action figures defined by cloth uniforms, authentic likenesses, and impressive articulation. Joining Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy, Scotty, and Lieutenant Uhura at retail was an equally impressive range of accessories and playsets, including the Enterprise Bridge, Command Communications Console, Phaser II Target Game, and an ingenious Transporter toy that would later make a guest appearance on CBS’s The Big Bang Theory more than 40 years later.

Following brief stints at Ertl and Galoob during the 1980s, the Star Trek license passed to Playmates Toys in 1992. Already enjoying success with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the company launched the largest and most successful line of Star Trek toys to date, spanning The Original Series (TOS), The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager. Encompassing roughly 400 action figures, vehicles, and roleplay items, as well as a number of limited and exclusive releases, the line became a fixture at toy stores until its conclusion in 1999. A decade later, Playmates returned to produce a collector-focused line inspired by J.J. Abrams’ 2009 Star Trek film.

Art Asylum forever changed the game when the company launched a line of 7-inch Star Trek: Enterprise figures in 2001. “I think Art Asylum elevated Star Trek toys to a new level,” recalls editor and author Zach Oat, who was working with the Wizard spinoff, ToyFare magazine, at the time. “From the hyper-detailed Borg and Klingon figures they sculpted for Playmates to the more poseable Nemesis and TOS figures they released on their own, they showed what good Star Trek toys could look like and raised the bar for years to come. Not to mention their amazing electronic starship series. They also created Minimates, a fun block figure line that tackled Star Trek early on. Tons of fun.”

Today, companies including The LEGO Group, Funko, Fanhome, EXO-6, Factory Entertainment, and The Nacelle Company continue to expand Star Trek’s collecting legacy with everything from construction sets and retro-inspired action figures to premium sixth-scale collectibles. With the franchise’s 60th anniversary arriving at warp speed, fans are eagerly anticipating a new wave of releases celebrating this milestone.

“Things the fans can expect from our Star Trek line as we head into the 60th are many!” teases Nacelle Founder and CEO Brian Volk-Weiss, mastermind behind Netflix’s The Toys That Made Us. “Just to name a few, we should have the next 10 figures from our line in people’s hands in December, and more updates about Wave 3 every few months in terms of pictures and accessories. We will also have more reveals for our Enterprise Bridge set and our Gene Roddenberry and Lucille Ball two-pack. Oh, and a few surprises, too.”

For six decades, Star Trek has inspired us to imagine a brighter future, and its toys have allowed fans to bring a piece of that vision home. From AMT’s iconic model kits and Mego’s pioneering action figures to Playmates’ expansive line and today’s premium collectibles, each generation has found a new way to experience the voyages of the starship Enterprise firsthand. Here’s to 60 years of putting the final frontier in the palm of our hands!

A version of this feature appears in The Toy Book‘s 2026 Fall Toy & Licensing Preview Issue. Read the full issue here!

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