January 3, 1993, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine premiered with the two hour television movie “The Emissary.” Today, TrekMovie celebrates by remembering some of the variety of collectibles available during the past 19 years, which allowed fans to make Star Trek “deep space mine!” Time travel with us through the decades to see some of the items made based on DS9 and its amazing characters.
Collecting DS9
Fans who remember QVC’s Star Trek Universe programs may also remember that the weekend before DS9 premiered, co-creator Michael Piller was a guest for a two hour long preview of DS9 collectibles and of the show itself on the home shopping network. Fans were treated to sneak peeks of the characters and got to preview moments from “The Emissary,” all while being able to purchase some of the first DS9 memorabilia available, such as writer’s bible.
Soon, those few early collectibles became replete, with everything from action figures to books, from plates to Bajoran earrings being produced. Some of the earliest items available besides the novels and writer’s bible were the small ships of the Galoob Mirco Machine line, which ran from 1993 to 1997. Both Deep Space Nine and a runabout were produced.
Galoob Micro Machines DS9 station and runabout
Playmates Toys is the most prolific toy licensee in Star Trek history, producing hundreds of action figures, ships, playsets, and role playing items. Deep Space Nine was on television when Playmates Toys Star Trek items were exceptionally popular at retail stores. There were toy versions of DS9, Bajoran phaser toys, and action figures in 4”, 9” and 12” scales produced among many other items.
Playmates 9" DS9 figures
Playmates 9" Sisko figures
Playmates 4" Dax figures
Playmates 4" Nagus and Morn DS9 figures
Hallmark released many Deep Space Nine Christmas Ornaments during the past two decades, beginning with the U.S.S. Defiant in 1997. Other ornaments included Captain Benjamin Sisko, Deep Space Nine, miniature ships for the DS9 ornament, and Worf.
Hallmark DS9 ornament
Hallmark Sisko Ornament
In 1998, the Franklin Mint created a Benjamin Sisko/Jem’Hadar rectangular collector’s plate as part of its “Greatest Battles” line.
Franklin Mint DS9 collector plate
Some of the most recent DS9 items have been from Art Asylum/Diamond Select Toys who have produced both a 7” line of action figures and three minimates comprised of Benjamin Sisko and Dukat during the mid 2000s. DST also produced minibusts of all the television captains, including Sisko.
Diamond Select recent busts line includes Sisko
Happy 19th Birthday, Deep Space Nine!
I had the micro machines. I loved the runabout because it was almost in scale with my lights & sound Enterprise-D.
19 years later, I’m sure I still have them somewhere. But I really do feel old now.
What do you mean, uh, no? I think the Hallmark Sisko ornament looks quite nice. Don’t worry. I still like you, Harry. Everyone differs. :-)
I had the micromachines and some of the action figures and I think I even have the big DS9 playmates toy that made sounds. Like Phillip, I believe I still have some of those in a bin somewhere. I wish Micromachiens were still around and making Star Trek and Star Wars and Babylon 5 toys because those were some of the best licensed toys! So fun to play with as a kid and now I wish I could collect them as an adult!
I also recently started collecting Star Trek and Star Wars hallmark ornaments. I figure they’re relatively affordable (especially right after Christmas) and they are usually produced well with a lot of detail. I wish I had started collecting years ago though as I would love to have that DS9 ornament!
Okay, nevermind. Looks like that comment’s gone now and I look like I’m talking to myself.
I still have the micro machine ships & stations, the Hallmark oenament sits nicely on a table in my house. Used to have the playmates station but no longer do, still have some of the figures.
I loved that show, still do.
The first DS9 merchandise I bought was a coffee mug and T-shirt, both black with the title in gold on it…this was about six months before the show even aired and before we even knew much about the cast/plot.
5. That sounds like the mug I have sitting here on my computer desk as my pen holder. Love DS9, still have the playmates station but would love to see DST do a version of it as it has with the other ships…though that’s probably not likely at least any time in the near future.
Bringing Worf on to the show was really a great ratings booster
Happy birthday Deep Space Nine!!
One of the deepest Trek Shows. It challenged the Trek foundation to its core. Forever this show will be remembered. Also showed me that not every captain representing Earth in the future is white! Very proud of this show. go ds9 !
Great Captain and best starship.
19 years ago was the glory days of Star Trek. We had TNG and DS9 on the television and TOS movies in the theaters and tons of collectibles.
DS9 was a great show and had some of the best written characters in Trek.
I wish we could get at least a TV movie, DVD, or even animated story so we could see what the characters are up to even if it’s a “mixed” crew story.
19 years old? That’s not possible! I’m too young to remember watching things first time around from 19 years ago! :P
Seriously though, I always felt Deep Space Nine was an underrated series.
I think I enjoy DS9 a bit more now that I’m in my late 20s than I did as a kid. It took a while to get off the ground, and may not have had the appeal if it didn’t take up the Dominion war story arc. As far as the characters go, I’d have loved to have seen some of them in a more traditional Star Trek setting (i.e., boldly going somewhere… on a ship). Voyager definitely left me wanting in terms of the characters. DS9 had developed theirs to a tee before the show even kicked off. If anything, they might have got a bit diluted as the series went on.I found the Odo/Kira love story a bit tiresome, and Bashir as the genetically engineered superhuman to be completely implausible in the context of the show. What happened later kind of contradicted how the show started out. In saying that, it was great. And yes, I agree with Chef Ramsey’s knife… bringing Worf in was a great ratings booster.
I’m glad there are other people here who actually recognize that DS9 was a great show. It definitely had the best writing in all of Trek.
DS9 is my favorite show of all time. I have the larger DS9 figures with the First Contact uniforms that came with a set piece (like captain’s chair, etc.) Cool figures, but weird articulation: they could never sit down right!
I also have the Defiant Innerspace thing: it was OK, but it made the ship look pregnant.
An updated DS9 movie/mini-series would be awesome! Even a direct-to-video type thing would be great! Hey, Paramount: Make it happen, Cap’n!
“Deep Space Nine”. The best “Star Trek” series!
And its a crime how Diamond Select/Art Asylum refuse to do a Defiant electronic ship. It would be a hot seller, I think.
I have the Playmates DS9 model, as well as several DS/AA DS9 action figures. Oh, and I have all seven seasons on dvd.
I used to make stop-motion videos with my Trek Playmates action figures and Trek Micro Machines. I got the 3 box-sets that made up all the entire collection of dozens of little ships.
Those were great little models. The Defiant model was the best one, because it was the only one that wasn’t slightly disfigured at that small scale (this was because it was the only one that didn’t have nacelles or other dangle-y parts).
I also had the large DS9 model from Playmates that coincidentally matched scale perfectly with the Micro Machines Defiant. I still have it, and it hangs in my office…
http://img810.imageshack.us/img810/4130/img20120103210550.jpg
Got alot of these happily– still lookin for the DS9 Minimates as shown above. Sisko Rocks- #2 behind Kirk in my book~
The Sisko characters all look different — not only from The Sisko, but from one another as well.
2+4.
Spock/Uhura Fan….are you feeling ok? :>)
love ds9 :)
Wow, I simply post the comment “uh, no” here and it gets deleted. Tough thread!
I still have my individually numbered VHS collector’s edition of “Emissary”. Somewhere.
Off to get a micromachines DS9 off ebay…
Great show, hard to belive it is now 19 years since the beginning of DS9.
One of my favs and to this day it is great television, I think it stands up over some more recent TV shows.
I miss the 90s
Deep Space Nine is the most unique of the spin-offs. First of all, it has its own legion of fans that only follow DS9 in the Star Trek universe. It was also the only show that took place largely on a stationary setting. I have to admit, I didn’t think it was going to work. But I’m glad to say I was wrong. They did an excellent job with the show and the Dominion was one of my favorite villains.
Anyone notice the major design flaw of the DS9 station?
Having the docking pylons curve inward, severely limits the size of the ships that can dock. If they were curved outward, much larger ships could also dock.
Geez 19 years ago? I bought the DS9 Bible from QVC…
I’ve got the DS9 Station from The Franklin Mint. That little ring on top the base didn’t hold too well.
29: Wow, you’re right. Stupid Cardassians.
One thing I never understood is why almost all alien races in Star Trek design their ships as form over function. The one exception is the Borg. And then Starfleet design their ships as “mostly” function over form. Sort of.
I guess it’s a way for the audience to easily tell who is on what ship, but it is kind of silly.
@29 Since it was designed by the Cardassians maybe it was more than adequate for their needs at the time? Wait, isn’t there a scene somewhere in which a Galaxy Class ship was docked at one of the pylons? Doesn’t get much bigger than that, `cept a Borg cube.
Best Trek….. loved that show.
Although I thought the finale could have been better, it was truly a finale….. that being said…. there was no time travel, no sisko going back to fix a mistake… What worked for TNG doesn’t work for Voyager and DS9.
When TNG ended with time travel, I thought… Hey! Cool! See where they came from, and possibly where they are going.
When Voyager did it, I thought……. What? Why?
DS9 ended a little abruptly, I would have loved to see a season of rebuilding the Alpha Quadrant after the war, and also Bajor getting into the Federation, which in my opinion was a missed opportunity. Having Kira in Federation uniform at the end was a bit of a tease, I would have loved to see the Bajoran Induction Ceremony, and then Odo and Kira in Federation Uniforms, and Sisko handing the station over to her….
All well, I guess that’s what fan fiction is for.
Guys, are you forgetting that the Enterprise-D which is BIG even HUGE by starship standards docked on the inside, and that there are docking hatches along the exterior of the station in any event?
33 – Sorry, yeah, exactly. The scale of DS9 makes up for this incorrectly perceived design ‘flaw’.
DS9 is my favorite Star Trek show before TNG, which i grew up with.
With the third season it really took Star Trek and Tv to new heights.
It had the most rich and balanced set of charcaters (including great great recurring characters), themes and races. Plus it was the most diverse and politically relevant show, Trek for grwon-ups…just think about the themes of genocide, repression and terrorism that were dealt with during the 7 seasons.
To bad everything went downhill with Voyager adn Captain Waynejane
Once again, great show.
Would LOVE to see it on Blu Ray, the DVD transfer is crap
@36–
I’m just saying why limit the size of the ship docking, when you don’t really have to?
Mongo have the micro machines. Mongo love them. Mongo wish he find His TOS Enterprise to go with his AMT K7 Space Station model, though.
Mongo also kill for micro machine Defiant to go with DS9 model.
29–The Enterprise and the Dominion Battlecruiser didn’t have any issues with docking. Plus the station is large enough to accomodate the ships. As another poster noted, it was designed by Cardassians obviously for Cardassian ships whose designs differ from those of Federation or Dominion ships.
For me, it was all about the Bajoran phaser.
Still the best of all the Star Trek spin-offs.
*sigh* I miss Deep Space Nine.
Stopped watching mid-season 2. I’d like to eventually buy the series and rewatch in its entirety.
Miss the good ol days, walkin into Toys R Us, and scooping up two armfulls of Playmates Trek figures!!
@#22
I am now. Hiya, Harry! :-)
@#43 James T. West
Buying the series is worth every penny. I hope you end up enjoying it as much as I did, and still do. :-)
44.
Ah, how greatly reassuring!
The best part of the Hallmark Sisko ornament is that he’s clutching a baseball in his hands behind his back.
I had (have) the Playmates large station and runabout. For a time I had the micromachine Trek ships stationed around the Station (with silly putty) and had the station strung from my ceiling with fishing line.
just watched the first episode on amazon. i loved that series. Will there be a movie?
@#45
:-)
@#47
That’s been a question for a long while. A movie to follow up on the Emissary storyline and the aftermath of the Dominion war would have been nice, but I guess it’s too late now. I wonder why they never did that…
Happy birthday DS9! I remember wanting the USS Defiant Micro Machine, but was never able to find it. Fortunately, I got the F-Toys Defiant about a year ago. It is pretty nice looking. I wish Corgi had released their Defiant.