What I learned from 6 Years with Star Trek
Hello Fam, Tony Kim here, owner of Hero Within. The above pic was posted by Anson Mount (Captain Pike) a few days ago to commemorate the end of Strange New Worlds. I thought it would be a fitting image as Hero Within concludes our Star Trek license. With it also being the end of the year, I’ve been in an exceptionally reflective mood. It deeply saddens me that we won’t be able to continue creating licensed apparel for Star Trek. The 6-year journey with Paramount has been some of the best years of my life both personally and professionally. A quick story: We first started with Trek in July of 2019. However, the whole world was focused on Avengers: Endgame and so were we with our Marvel Collection. That year, we barely got a few Star Trek pieces out the door before the pandemic hit and shut everything down. For 18 months, our company barely scraped by and it wasn’t until August 2021 that we emerged at our first live show. STLV: the 55 Year Anniversary of Star Trek, was our lifeline back. Because of fans both at that show and online, we rebuilt our company and enjoyed the next few years of Trek prosperity. I’ll never forget that, and I will always be grateful for Trek fans.
As we are on the eve of ending our Star Trek license, I just wanted to do a ‘Captain’s Log’ of a few important lessons I have learned being with Paramount over the last 6 years. To get this out is part of my grieving process so I hope you find it encouraging or insightful in some way.
- The finest crew in the fleet. We’ve worked with fandoms like DC, Marvel and others but Star Trek fans truly are unique. Informed, humble and diverse as the stars in the sky, Trekkies still find a way to operate as one community of love, support and encouragement. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve witnessed two fans meet at our booth, chat for an hour and leave as best friends. It’s amazing. I’ll never forget going to the Star Trek: The Cruise all alone but leaving with so many new friends.
- The uniform matters. Trek inspired and screen accurate clothing is important to fans. Not just because of a love for cosplay but I think, a desire to belong. To be connected to something bigger than ourselves. To be a part of a collective. Clothing is more than just keeping warm or emulating a character but it’s a way to identify as a part of this weird family we call Star Trek.
- Holy ship! Unlike any other sci-fi fandom, the ships are so important. Whether the flagship of the Federation to an obscure ship seen in one episode to an originally created ship for a local club, the ships are a big part of our fandom. Even though ships are inanimate, they are beloved like characters. I’m a Reliant and Excelsior guy. I can’t even explain why- they are just my ships. I’ve added it to this list, and I don’t even know why. It’s just that important. Think about how unique that is? What other fandoms have hundreds of ships with their own unique following?
- The struggle is real. Except for a solid decade in the 90s, Star Trek has always fought to survive. From cancellation of TOS in 1969 to the present-day challenges, this franchise will always struggle. We’ll see what Skydance does, but it won’t ever be Star Wars or Marvel and that’s ok. Being the underdog is now in our DNA. We might not be a global powerhouse, but we are scrappy. It doesn’t make being a Star Trek focused company an easy endeavor but that’s what we signed up for. Our fandom is like the USS Defiant. Small but mighty.
I want to remind everyone that Hero Within is not going anywhere and we are not going out of business. We still have the next few months to sell off our remaining Star Trek stock which will probably conclude at WonderCon (Anaheim) at the end of March. We still have a ton of orders to deliver so if you are waiting, don’t worry it will come. I’m being asked a lot of what license we will do next. While I appreciate the inquiry, to me, this is like being in a bad breakup and being asked who I plan to date next. I need a little time to heal and grieve before I commit to another relationship. We’ll most likely develop some fun ‘one off’ pieces and passion projects for 2026. Perhaps some ‘24th century’ inspired fashion designs. Perhaps someday we’ll return to Star Trek- but even if we don’t, that’s ok. We’ll be fine. It will be a journey and I hope you will continue with us.
We have been far from perfect as a company. While I do have a few regrets, I can honestly say that my team and I tried our very best to serve you, the fandom and Paramount. It hasn’t been easy, but our commitment and passion never wavered. Whether you’ve been a part of our Hero Within family for 9 years or 9 days, I hope you can forgive us for falling short and remember that we gave it 110%. The holidays are upon us and the greatest gift from the past 9 years, the past 6 years with Star Trek and the past month since our announcement is the love and support from you all. Thank you for representing the best in humankind and thank you for allowing me to live this dream come true for the past 6 years. Not to be dramatic but as I head into the undiscovered country of 2026, all I can say is “Second star to the right, and straight on till morning…”
LLaP,
Tony B Kim
Owner & Chief Nerd
PS: Due to an overwhelming demand, we are trying to squeeze in one last preorder for the last week of this year. Stay tuned.
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