2011 Rittenhouse Archives The Complete Star Trek: The Next Generation, Series One 1987 – 1991 Box Break Recap and Review

When you are collecting non-sports cards based on one of your favorite shows, you are looking for three things, detailed episode cards, cool insert cards and big hit Auto and relic cards.  Rittenhouse Archives has packed all of this and more into The Complete Star Trek: The Next Generation, Series One 1987 – 1991.

This set falls under our classification of trading cards.  Hobby Boxes contain 24 – 5 card packs and feature four autograph cards.

Here is a look at some of the cards we pulled from our hobby box.

 Episode Cards

 The Best of Both Worlds, Part 2, Front and Back

Episode Card Parallels

 The Naked Now, Datalore, The Schizoid Man

 Contagion, The Emissary, The Vengeance Factor

 Allegience, Clues

Tribute Cards

 Frank Corsentino as Daimon Bok "The Battle, William Boyett as Lt. Dan Bell "The Big Goodbye"

 Walter Gotell as Kurt Mandl "Home Soil", Vincent Schiavelli as Minosian Peddler "The Arsenal of Freedom"

U.S.S. Enterprise NC-1701 – D cards

 E3, E6

Star Trek TNG Aliens Cards

These cards are two sided so there are three total cards, six sides, front and back.

 A1 - Acamarian, Aldean, Algolian, Android, Angosian, Antedean

 A9 - Mintakan, Mizarian, Nagilum, Napean, Ophidian, Ornaran

 A13 - Vorgon, Vulcan, Yridian, Zaldan, Zalkonian, Zibalian

Autograph Cards

The backs of these cards have a clear embossed text to ensure authenticity

 Normal Run - John Putch as Mordock in "Coming of Age", Sam Hennings as Ramsey in "Angel One"

 Limited Run - Rhonda Aldrich as Madeline in "Clues", Corbin Bernsen (L.A. Law, Major League) as Q2 in "Deja Q"

Overall Look

The episode cards pack a lot of information.  5 photos and a complete episode synopsis.  With that much going on, these cards could become “busy” looking, but Rittenhouse has found a way to lay everything out in a clean fashion.  Insert cards are great and Autograph cards are designed well.  Glossy parallels of the episode cards are a nice touch too.

Quality and Variety of checklist.

There is plenty here to collect.  88 episode cards and parallels, 18 Tribute Cards, 13 Star Trek TNG Aliens cards, 9 U.S.S. Enterprise NC-1701 – D cards, 5 Star Trek Communicator Pin Cards, 49 Autograph Cards, and a Gene Roddenbery cut signature card limited to 30. There is a great mix of autographs.  Insert go deep into the actors who appeared on the show.

Do the hits hold up?

If you don’t recognize some of the names, you will recognize the faces, which helps to keep the extensive autograph list desirable.  Limited edition Communicator Pin Cards and the Roddenbery cut autos are the chase cards here.

Will you want to collect them all? 

You should be able to pull a complete episode base card set out of a box, as we did.  But you will want more.  Set builders will chase a complete Parallel base set.  You’ll also want all the insert cards, in particular, the Aliens cards.  For deeper pockets, there are large purchase incentives. An exclusive 5"x7" card featuring one of Gene Roddenbery’s authentic TNG business cards from when he worked on the show in the late 1980s is included with orders of 3 cases.  If you buy 6 cases, you get an exclusive autograph card signed by Patrick Stewart as Locutus of Borg.  If you can swing an 18 case purchase, you get an archive box from the Complete Star Trek: The Next Generation, Series One 1987 – 1991.

Rating

4 1/2 out of 5

2011 Rittenhouse Archives The Complete Star Trek: The Next Generation, Series One 1987 – 1991 is a must purchase for fans of the show.