I say she was the first, because she was part of the original pilot developed for the show. Although they went with the show, they didn't like the original actor cast as the captain - Jeffery Hunter as Captain Pike. Actually, whether they liked him or whether he turned down the opportunity to do the on-going series is up for debate. Nevertheless, his once reasonable career in acting took a serious dive after making the fatal mistake of starring as Jesus in King of Kings. Jim Caviezel should have taken note.

The episode did finally air though, as a two parter. Executives were cheap bastards back then too, so even though they had a new captain and pretty much a whole new crew, they still figured out a way to work it all in to a big story and use the footage from the pilot. Vina was the eye candy, played by Susan Oliver.

She's also at the center of one of those cute Star Trek trivia stories. It seems that when the make up tests were sent of for processing, she kept coming back as Caucasian, and not green. The special effects folks went nuts trying to figure out why the green paint wasn't showing up on camera - until they found out the processing lab was changing it back, believing it to be some sort of error on their part.

Art Asylum picked up the action figure license to the Trek properties a couple years ago, but hasn't had a lot of success. It's certainly not due to quality though, as the work they've been doing is stellar. The latest wave of figures has just started to hit, including a 'battle ravaged' Kirk, the Gorn, and Kor (the Klingon), along with tonight's review - Vina. If you're looking for a review of the other three, look no further than right here.

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, you can always reach me at mwc@mwctoys.com. If you enjoy this review, take a minute to check out my other site at Michael's Review of the Week, and let me know what you think. Now on to the review!

"Vina the Orion Slave Girl"

These are hitting Meijers in the mid-west right now, but should be available at online stores and specialty shops soon. It seems that Vina is slightly short packed, and being the hot chick - did I mention that? - she's clearly in demand. The real reason for reviewing her tonight rather than a couple weeks ago when I did the rest of the series, is simply because I had such a hard time finding one!

These are running around ten bucks, which is a great price for such a high quality figure. Too bad that the interest in Trek is so low right now, because these figures are truly amazing.

Packaging - ***
The cardbacks are done in the traditional Trek insignia, with some generic graphics. A little more personalization for each figure would have been nice, but isn't critical. Still, the oddly shaped cards will be tough to store, and MOCers will find that they don't hold up well to shelf wear. Still, the openers will have them out in record time.

Sculpting - ***1/2
The head and body sculpt are excellent on this figure, although some of the articulation is a tad too obvious. That's one of the negatives when you have this many joints, particularly on half nekkid figures with no clothes to cover up or hide them.

The head sculpt has flowing hair, without any of that ridiculous wind blown or action posing. The face is very close to the actress, and is very well proportioned and even. The body sculpt includes unique hands, done in a dancing position. The tunic actually appears to have an alligator back running down one side, which is quite obvious here, but which I don't ever recall noticing on the show.

The one negative to the sculpt is its difficulty working with the articulation. Vina does not stand well on her own, although she has a ton of joints. You can get her to stand with some work (and the included stand sure helps), but your posing possibilities aren't nearly what you'd expect. The oddly sculpted hips are a big reason for this. They tried to force a pose, yet add articulation at the same time - the results were less than stellar.

Paint - ***1/2
The paint ops are clean and neat, and critically consistent. The green is particularly important to be consistent across the arms, body and legs, and I'm happy to report that there's no variation in color or tone.

Vina's costume has a wash over the gold to bring out the highlights, but it does tend to make it look more weathered than I recall. Many of the small details are extremely well done, especially her toe nails and fingernails. Interestingly enough, they are red. You'd think someone with green skin would avoid the Christmas look.

Its worth noting - or maybe not - that Vina is going commando. Actually, she and the Gorn are going commando. That I checked on her is a touch weird. That I checked on the Gorn is six kinds of disgusting.

Articulation - **1/2
Vina has the all important ball jointed neck, and it works pretty well even with the longer hair. The soft material they used for the hair certainly helps in that regard.

She also has ball jointed shoulders, cut biceps, pin elbows and cut wrists. Let's do the hand jive! She also has cut thighs, pin knees and pin ankles, but these are less useful due to the hip sculpt. The left hip, which is covered by the skirt, has a ball joint, but the static right hip still makes things tough.

You'll be thankful for the display stand.

Accessories - *1/2
Vina is definitely lacking the accessories, especially compared to the other figures in the series. While they had two or three each, Vina has nothing but the Art Asylum coin (which is pretty much worthless), and the clear display stand.

Considering all the possibilities, that's disappointing. There was plenty of stuff on the Talosian's planet, including the funky fountain, that she could have had.

Fun Factor - **
Do you know kids that like Star Trek? How about Star Trek from 40 years ago? No? Then the odds that they'll want a green chick who has trouble standing up are pretty slim.

Value - ***
At ten bucks, these are a good to great value. Since Vina lacks the accessories that the others had, she's just a good value, not great.

Things to Watch Out For
Not a thing - these figures are solid, well constructed, and high quality. Of the few Vinas I've seen, they've all looked consistent.

Overall - ***
The sculpt and paint on this figure really are excellent, but the trouble with standing, and the lack of accessories, are what brings this figures score down below the other three. If you're a big Trek fan, especially for TOS, then she's a must buy, but the casual fan will be more drawn to the Gorn.

It really is a pity that the ocean of Trek fans is at an all time low tide right now, because these figures are the best we've ever seen for the classic show. Just like Star Wars, the Trek license is an excellent opportunity for dozens of unique looking figures, but with demand so low, it's unlikely we'll see any more in the new future.

Where to Buy -
I snagged mine at Meijers, but if you're not in the Mid-west of the USA, you'll have trouble finding these at brick and mortar stores. Online options include:

- omgcnfo.com has the set for $44, or the individual figures for $11 each.

- Krypton Collectibles has the set of four for $48.

- Alter Ego Comics should have them in stock sometime this week.