The Last Starfighter/Galoob

The year was 1983. *Star Wars* had just released the “last” instalment in their epic trilogy, but the hype surrounding space operas was dying down as Hollywood scrambled to find another epic science fiction franchise beyond *Star Trek* and *Alien*. In an effort to recapture lightning, *The Last Starfighter* was released in 1984 with its own planned line of merchandise that made it as far as catalog scans.

## The Last Starfighter/Galoob

A catalog scan for the 12 assortment figures

## **Summary**

Directed by Nick Castle (who played Michael Myers in John Carpener’s *Halloween* and also directed *Dennis the Menace*), *The Last Starfigher* is about a boy named Alex Rogen, a video game expert who finds himself transported to an alien planet where its defense force recruits him after conquering “The Last Starfighter” video game only to find out it was just a test. While it was made to tie in with America’s love of video games and space adventures along with being the second film after *TRON* to experiment with computer generated imagery, *The Last Starfighter* was a measly box-office failure with mixed reviews and failed performances that can be blamed by both audience fatigue over space operas and the Great Video Game Crash of 1983 caused by the infamous *E.T.* ATARI game.  Ironically, the company was in the process of making a 3D shooter tie-in based on *The Last Starfighter* for the ATARI XE which was ultimately reworked into *Star Raiders* and another tie-in that was planned for the ATARI 2600 was recycled as *Solaris*, though the original ROMs are available online.   Another piece of merchandise made for the film include four tie-in books by Marvel Comics which have been slightly criticized by fans for unaccurate details and inconsistencies regarding the adaptation.

The movie has become a cult-classic overtime with a loving fanbase dedicated to preserving it, but many will be heartwrenched to learn about the toyline that once could’ve been. In 1984, Galoob; then independently owned by Lewis Galoob, planned on making 12 assortments of 4” action figures based on characters from *The Last Starfighter* like Alex Rogen, a Starfighter pilot, a Ko-Dan warrior, and many more. Each of them would’ve been released in two packs and its unknown if playsets & vehicles were to be released along the way as they were never even teased in the catalogs.

## **Final Verdict**

Because of the film’s lacklustre success, Galoob’s *Last Starfighter* line was put on the backburner and never launched off.  Though in 2018, an article by Chris Cummins on *Den of Geek* published images of what appeared to be the original prototypes from the catalog scan that were first seen on the Plaid Stallions website and it stated that the owner of these prototypes got them from a sale hosted by a former special effects guy who “found religion and did not want anything from his past in the movies.” However, one commenter stated that they were actually just hand-made customs prototypes using the Remco *Sgt. Rock* action figures (for example, Alex in space gear being a repurposed version of the line’s pilot) with the guy in a suit being a *M.A.S.H.* figure.  Until that’s fully confirmed, the whereabouts of *The Last Starfighter* figures will remain an ongoing mystery: **LOST**

## **References**

1. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The\_Last\_Starfighter
2. ↑ https://www.denofgeek.com/games/the-last-starfighter-the-atari-arcade-game-that-never-was/
3. ↑ http://www.atariprotos.com/2600/software/tlsf/tlsf.htm
4. ↑ https://www.mycomicshop.com/search?TID=229091
5. ↑ http://www.plaidstallions.com/galoob/last.html
6. ↑ https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-last-starfighter-action-figure-prototypes-are-found/#disqus\_thread