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The Star Trek Communicator Is Now a High-End Wristwatch
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ValueSubtracted startrek.website ValueSubtracted@startrek.website
Joined: 2023-06-11
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63   Original
ValueSubtracted Moderator ValueSubtracted@startrek.website
Joined: 2023-06-11
#2 · Quote Reply

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in the Star Trek universe, the United Federation of Planets is a post-scarcity, post-capitalist society where money is obsolete and its enlightened citizens work instead for self-improvement and the betterment of humanity.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.

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Masshuru lemmy.world Masshuru@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-06-10
#3 · Quote Reply

This looks like a fun project for 3d printing a wrap for existing digital watches.

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TrackinDaKraken lemmy.world DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world
Joined: 2025-02-26
#4 · Quote Reply

$165,000

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YoiksAndAway piefed.zip YoiksAndAway@piefed.zip
Joined: 2025-06-15
#5 · Quote Reply

$165,000

I'm a fan, but I wouldn't pay $100. That's one seriously fugly watch.

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StillPaisleyCat startrek.website StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website
Joined: 2023-06-12
#6 · Quote Reply

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.

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Valmond lemmy.dbzer0.com Valmond@lemmy.dbzer0.com
Joined: 2025-11-13
#7 · Quote Reply

This looks like a fun project for 3d printing a wrap for existing digital watches.

Or chuck an esp32 into it with an el cheapo display.

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zabadoh ani.social zabadoh@ani.social
Joined: 2023-11-19
#8 · Quote Reply

For $165K, does it come with an original TOS communicator prop?

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HubertManne piefed.social HubertManne@piefed.social
Joined: 2025-03-13
#9 · Quote Reply

I'm a fan, but I wouldn't pay $100. That's one seriously fugly watch.

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.

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Noxy pawb.social noxypaws@pawb.social
Joined: 2024-12-16
#10 · Quote Reply

give it some time for a Chinese clone for one hundredth the price that works just as well

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usernamefactory lemmy.ca usernamefactory@lemmy.ca
Joined: 2023-06-11
#11 · Quote Reply

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.

Watchutalkinbout, the ‘90s Playmates toys were great!

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StillPaisleyCat startrek.website StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website
Joined: 2023-06-12
#12 · Quote Reply

Watchutalkinbout, the ‘90s Playmates toys were great!

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.

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usernamefactory lemmy.ca usernamefactory@lemmy.ca
Joined: 2023-06-11
#13 · Quote Reply

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.

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.

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StillPaisleyCat startrek.website StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website
Joined: 2023-06-12
#14 · Quote Reply

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.

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usernamefactory lemmy.ca usernamefactory@lemmy.ca
Joined: 2023-06-11
#15 · Quote Reply

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.

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Ludicrous0251 piefed.zip Ludicrous0251@piefed.zip
Joined: 2025-09-11
#16 · Quote Reply

I'm a fan, but I wouldn't pay $100. That's one seriously fugly watch.

I was kinda intrigued by the renderings until they showed it on someone's wrist and I cringed.

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StillPaisleyCat startrek.website StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website
Joined: 2023-06-12
#17 · Quote Reply

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.

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.

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Noctambulist lemmy.world Noctambulist@lemmy.world
Joined: 2025-07-12
#18 · Quote Reply

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.

3
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