If you’re a diehard fan of Diamond Select Toys, Star Trek, and, of course, Star Trek toys made by Diamond Select, you’ve probably been wondering what happened to Diamond Select’s Star Trek toy lineup in recent years.
Needless to say, the toy giant has fallen off the radar where Star Trek is concerned.
And if you’ve been on the hunt for Star Trek toys by Diamond Select, you’ll have found out how difficult it is now to find new releases – even old releases selling at reasonable prices.
So, what the Spock has happened?
- Diamond Select Toys
- Measures 16-Inch long
- Features light and sound effects
- Based on Matt Jeffries's original design
Unfortunately, the answer comes down to licensing – at least for the main part.
And to fully understand whether Diamond Select is still making Star Trek toys—now and in the future—it’s important to go through a little bit of history.
Star Trek Diamond Select Toys
Serious collectors will already own some of the famous Star Trek toys released by Diamond Select throughout the 2000s.
These included well-made action figures of iconic characters Picard, Data, Captain Kirk, Spock, Scotty, and more, along with highly sought-after models of I.S.S. Enterprise the U.S.S. Enterprise.
- DIAMOND SELECT TOYS
- Figure is in 7" scale
- Screen-accurate costume and likeness
Minimates, which Diamond Select Toys took on from Art Asylum in 2007, was another popular Diamond Select toy lineup of 2-inch action figures that, to this day, remain valuable Star Trek collector’s items.
Diamond Select was founded in 1999 and over the years acquired licensing rights to produce toys, figures, and more.
They also make them for famous franchises such as The Walking Dead, Invincible, Marvel, Halo, Tomb Raider, The Real Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, Indiana Jones, Transformers, and Battlestar Galactica, in addition to Star Trek.
Star Trek Playmates Toys
Playmates is another big player in the toy industry.
They made toys and action figures for Star Wars, Marvel Comics, Marvel Studios, Gotham, Street Fighter X Tekken, Tomb Raider, The Walking Dead, Ghostbusters, DC Comics, and The Muppets – to name a few.
Star Trek was no doubt one of its most popular toy lines, as Playmates owned the licensing rights for seven long years from 1992 to 1999, during which it released toy replicas of almost every Star Trek character that can be named.
In addition, Playmates Toys also released collectible toys based on the 2009 motion picture Star Trek, which saw the main Star Trek characters hit the big screen for the first time supported by a star-studded cast.
Star Trek McFarlane Toys
Like Diamond Select and Playmates, McFarlane Toys has also dabbled in Star Trek action figures and memorabilia, alongside releases for The Simpsons, Halo, Assassin’s Creed, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Warhammer, and more.
Unfortunately, the Star Trek lineup was relatively short-lived.
McFarlane Toys acquired the rights to make Star Trek toys in 2017, which was quickly followed by a double-whammy release of super-detailed Captain Kirk and Picard toy figures, both complete with customizable accessories.
Despite kicking off to a good start, fans of both Star Trek and McFarlane Toys were left disappointed in 2018.
This is because a highly anticipated model replica of the Discovery Phaser had to be canceled (during the preorder stage, of all possible times) due to US toy weapon regulations.
Ever since—and much like Diamond Select of recent years—McFarlane Toys has gone quiet about the possibility of new Star Trek releases.
Does Diamond Select Still Have A Star Trek License?
You might be glad to know that Diamond Select Toys still retains its Star Trek license. Despite that, Diamond Select has not released new Star Trek toys, action figures, or starship replicas for a good while now.
Among Diamond Select’s other ongoing licenses, the company has the rights to Ghostbusters, Gotham, Knight Rider, Bruce Lee, Lost in Space, Marvel Comics, Marvel Studios, The Munsters, The Muppets, Star Wars, Tomb Raider, and lots more.
So, if you’re a fan of Diamond Select and a firm culture vulture of the above franchises, these are still available at most major retailers. As for new Star Trek toys… Well, that leads us to the next section.
Playmates and the Licensing Rights to Star Trek
In a move that thrilled Playmates collectors worldwide, Playmates Toys acquired—or regained, for a better word—the full licensing rights to the Star Trek franchise, which was announced to the public in 2021.
The rights include Star Trek action figures, vehicles and ships, role-play items, and more, all to be launched in 2022, based on Star Trek: Prodigy, plus future Star Trek releases that are currently in the works.
Needless to say, if you’re a fan of both Playmates collectibles and the entire Star Trek franchise—series, movies, and all—this is good news.
In fact, many even consider it something of a homecoming for Star Trek action figures.
Does Diamond Select Still Make Star Trek Toys?
So, since Playmates Toys now holds the licensing rights to the Star Trek franchise, does Diamond Select still make Star Trek toys?
Unfortunately, the question is something only the higher-ups at Diamond Select Toys can answer.
While Diamond Select still holds official rights to Star Trek Minimates, Minimate vehicles, and select action figures, the company has not released any new Star Trek toys in recent years, nor has it announced future plans to do so.
Despite that, that doesn’t necessarily mean Diamond Select Star Trek is out of the picture.
And even though they are not currently making new Star Trek toys, past releases (used and unopened) can still be bought from nostalgia toy collectors and memorabilia dealers if you have the cash to spare.
The Short Answer
Diamond Select Toys is currently not making new Star Trek toys, nor has it announced any future plans for new releases.
Diamond Toys still holds some rights to make Star Trek toys, however—including Minimates and select action figures—so don’t write them off just yet!
Still, if you’re not divided between Diamond Select and Playmates, there are upcoming Playmates releases to look forward to with the coming of further Star Trek motion pictures and television series.
They now hold the rights, in addition to the soon-to-be-released lineup of Star Trek: Prodigy toy action figures hitting stores at the end of 2022.
Brad Burnie is the founder of Starships.com. He loves all video game genres. In his spare time, he loves reading, watching movies, and gaming
