I was pretty super in to Star Trek in the early 1990s, thanks in part to the near total lack of Star Wars outside of garage sales. I saw the announcement of the Vorgon early on and wasn't even sure what it was - the episode "Captain's Holiday" didn't come to mind until the rerun happened to air, granting me a look at the oddly fishy, be-mittened, and bumpy creatures from beyond the stars. They're from the future, they're here to pick up some fancy technology, and they're getting in the way of Picard's desire to read/go on adventures/nail Vash. There's a reason they didn't make a big impression, and the species made but one appearance and I don't believe much more 3-D merchandise exists of the species. This particular figure is modeled after the male half of the Vorgon pair, Boratus. (I don't even remember if they named him on-screen in the episode.) It's a striking toy figure, though, with the obligatory bizarre accessories.
The Vorgon is quite a tall figure for this range, measuring over 5-inches tall. The figure has pretty great paint for the time, with articulation that shouldn't disappoint - most figures had the same 12 joints in those days. When you get a look at the uniform prop, the figure itself is a pretty good representation - and in some respects made it better. For example, the action figure is mostly a metallic bronze color with some metallic silver painted patches. The actual uniform is more of a rainbow kind of a finish, which is screamingly 1980s/1990s - silver is a little more timeless. Of course, it means that it isn't totally authentic but it also shows how toys can alter the perception of the episode. I didn't even notice the rainbow effect on the costumes when I rewatched the series a couple of years ago.
It's worth noting that the head sculpting is pretty impressive, but not decorated in a way that is terribly true to the show. You get the many gill-like folds on the face as well as some amazing lines painted to bring out the detail, plus color blobs on the side of the head and metallic patches to indicate some of the future beings. They're from the 27th century, after all!
For $5, the figure is actually quite impressive - given inflation, it's very impressive. His accessories are a little less thrilling - the characters in the show basically beamed in and out, but you've got another Dilithium Crystal (oooh) and Tox Utaht (ahhh) that you can do something with. Signature gear is less common in Trek than other franchises, so the inclusion of a scanner or a space throwing star do me no real good. The display base is pretty neat, but lacks a name label or many defining features. It's striking, though, and looks good on a shelf. As far as I'm concerned the accessories are basically junk drawer fodder - they don't add much to the Vorgon toy experience.
The Vorgon is consistent with most of the aliens Playmates gave us in this era - if you squint, they're close enough or maybe even perfect. Trek was riding incredibly high in 1993, so Playmates could (and did) make pretty much anything and it would sell pretty well. Sadly fortunes would change after Picard stopped having new adventures, delaying hopes for Martok or Ensign Nog or other characters from the franchise as the need for weirdness had sadly expired. The 1990s were a great time for getting unusual characters thanks to the mixed market of kids, parents, and speculators on the secondary market - most of which got burned and left by the end of the decade. The era of 250,000 of a figure getting made - and selling - as common practice is probably over forever, but at least we'll always have the Vorgon.
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