The Star Trek franchise has many characters, but it should be argued none are more important than Ambassador Spock. He's the connective tissue of the franchise - heck, he's a huge part of what made American television science fiction what it was. Leonard Nimoy's character created the basis for which all sci-fi outsiders on TV and in the movies will be judged with descendants in his own franchise like Data, Quark, Odo, Neelix, and Dr. Phlox. He started an important tradition, which he continued in the mot recent two big screen movies as an even older version of this very character from this very storyline.
Standing 4 1/2-inches tall, this Spock from The Next Generation came out at roughly the same time as original series Spock. Spock is seen here an a Romulan outfit because in the 2-parter Unification he's gone missing, on a mission to Romulus to try to get the Vulcans and the Romulans back together again. Obviously this doesn't turn out well, with things like Sela and black holes and centuries of cultural differences getting in the way. It was a seemingly flimsy premise when the episodes aired, mostly as an excuse to get Spock on the show and promote the final original cast movie which hit theaters just weeks later. Spock is older, more ornery, and oddly the figure actually seems younger than the "classic" incarnation. WIth less eye shadow and a softer sculpt, the deep lines aren't as much of a problem and the figure looks more lively. The pose is more or less normal, with 12 points of articulation and 2 normal hands. Playmates resisted the urge to include a Vulcan hand gesture here, so you've got more hands to use his many purple accessories. Why purple? I have no idea. Playmates in the 1990s adored bright, odd colors for their toy lines.
Due to the length of the figure and Playmates' stubborn love of the v-crotch, this figure can't really sit. You can move the legs forward just slightly, but it serves no real purpose other than getting the figure to balance while standing on his display stand. He doesn't need the stand - but hey, it's nice to have. The figure is weighted nicely and has zero problems standing on his own. The hands can hold the accessories about as well as other figures from this line, but if you ask me the figure looks best just standing around by himself.
Spock came out with old Ambassador McCoy and Captain Scott as action figures in 1993, filling the now mandatory need to get core characters back on shelves while also providing deep cuts for collectors. Despite these guys being cultural icons, their roles in the show tend to be little more than gimmicks and mostly they exist just to give some continuity to the series. It's fan service, sure, but I'm a fan and I appreciate this service. I remember running out hunting for these - which in 1993 with no driver's license meant calling places - before the wonderful All About Books & Comics (now minus the Books part) had them and sold me a set for a very reasonable price. I appreciate and do not forget this. Today the figure can be had for less than its issue price - much less, when you adjust for inflation. The Playmates line of Star Trek toys will undoubtedly continue to be the definitive line of Trek figures for years, so I'm glad they got to odd ducks like this one. If the chance comes up to snag him for $5 or less, go ahead and do so - it's worth the asking price.
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