The stellar irony here is that in the Star Trek universe, the United Federation of Planets is a post-scarcity, post-capitalist society where money is obsolete and its enlightened citizens work instead for self-improvement and the betterment of humanity. Hautlence didn't get this memo, as each Retrovision ’64 will retail for an out-of-this-world $165,000. Only three ardent Trekkies will be able to get one, though, as that's all that will be made.
Fair, I have no knowledge of what availability was like outside of the US/Canada. Totally agreed the franchise would likely be stronger if they had kept the game up. I remember some effort being made during the early Kelvin films, but that seemed to drop off pretty quick.
Even in Canada, I don’t recall that they had wide distribution. They were also marked up quite a bit from the US price (well beyond the exchange rate). I saw them mainly in specialty stores, not Toys R US and department stores.
Interesting, I definitely remember getting a number of them from my local Toys R Us in the '90s. But that was Toronto (or rather Scarborough, since this was pre-amalgamation!) so maybe it varied by location.
It looks ridiculous. Should at least have been a smart watch. But I guess you can’t demand a six-figure price without making it an analog watch — no matter if it fits the design.
18 Comments
ValueSubtracted@startrek.website · 24 pts · 138d
Masshuru@lemmy.world · 24 pts · 138d
This looks like a fun project for 3d printing a wrap for existing digital watches.
Valmond@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 138d
Or chuck an esp32 into it with an el cheapo display.
StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website · 12 pts · 138d
It looks like a 1970s toy. . . Which makes sense given who their target market is.
I would take it as another sign that the franchise has aged out were it not for the fact that it’s always had awful merchandising and licensing.
usernamefactory@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 138d
Watchutalkinbout, the ‘90s Playmates toys were great!
StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website · 2 pts · 138d
That was a very time limited counter example, and were largely unavailable outside the US.
And it may be a really important factor in explaining the loyalty of millennial guys in the US to the franchise vs other demographics and countries.
usernamefactory@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 138d
Fair, I have no knowledge of what availability was like outside of the US/Canada. Totally agreed the franchise would likely be stronger if they had kept the game up. I remember some effort being made during the early Kelvin films, but that seemed to drop off pretty quick.
StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website · 2 pts · 138d
Even in Canada, I don’t recall that they had wide distribution. They were also marked up quite a bit from the US price (well beyond the exchange rate). I saw them mainly in specialty stores, not Toys R US and department stores.
usernamefactory@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 138d
Interesting, I definitely remember getting a number of them from my local Toys R Us in the '90s. But that was Toronto (or rather Scarborough, since this was pre-amalgamation!) so maybe it varied by location.
StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website · 2 pts · 138d
That makes sense!
Definitely there was local control over availability. I recall shopping for gifts and seeing walls of SW toys but no Trek in Ottawa.
DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 138d
$165,000
YoiksAndAway@piefed.zip · 7 pts · 138d
I'm a fan, but I wouldn't pay $100. That's one seriously fugly watch.
HubertManne@piefed.social · 4 pts · 138d
also why making it anything but a cell phone. tos should be a cell phone and tng should be a bluetooth thing. nothing else makes sense.
Ludicrous0251@piefed.zip · 2 pts · 138d
I was kinda intrigued by the renderings until they showed it on someone's wrist and I cringed.
Noctambulist@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 138d
It looks ridiculous. Should at least have been a smart watch. But I guess you can’t demand a six-figure price without making it an analog watch — no matter if it fits the design.
Widdershins@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 138d
The coolest/neatest part of the communicator was removed for the watch face.
zabadoh@ani.social · 2 pts · 138d
For $165K, does it come with an original TOS communicator prop?
noxypaws@pawb.social · 1 pts · 138d
give it some time for a Chinese clone for one hundredth the price that works just as well