“All the money is in the action figures.”
So said the Marquis of Merchandise, George Lucas, as he revealed his not-so-secret weapon—toys.
Like the Empire using the Death Star’s superlaser to zap a mosquito, Georgie boy brandished his action figures, playsets, and Jar Jar Binks plushies in a merciless assault on Star Wars fan’s bank accounts until Disney took the reins in 2012.
And what a glorious assault it was.
Everything from a Prune-Faced alien to a guy carrying an ice cream maker got their own action figures, while probably every kid born after 1977 has swung a plastic lightsaber in the toy aisles of Target.
Back in the late 1970s, however, turning everything onscreen into a toy hadn’t quite caught on yet.
Kenner, the company creating the toys, had already made figures and playsets out of the major characters and locations from A New Hope, which meant they needed new toys to satisfy the hungry rancors who called themselves children.
When the toy designers eventually asked “Well, what now?”, Kenner just said “Make something up, dammit!”
So they did.
Hitting store shelves in 1979, the Imperial Troop Transporter was the first Star Wars toy to be entirely dreamed up by the Kenner design team.
The vehicle is an action figure shuttle that features room for two figures in the front (driver and passenger) and up to six figures in the “personnel pods” located on both sides.
There’s also a compartment in the back where you can cram your action figure prisoners, allowing them to be put into solitary confinement for calling your stormtroopers “obtuse.”
The transporter is also equipped with six movie sounds, activated via red buttons located on the top. These include C-3P0 saying “R2-D2, where are you?” and the stormtrooper’s “There’s one! Set for stun!”, as well as blaster fire and R2’s beeps and whistles.
A booklet was included that gives a backstory for the vehicle, just in case you hadn’t already dreamed up 500 different backstories for your new toy before it was even out of the box.
The booklet explains that the transporter was used by Imperial forces on Tatooine, having been sent by Darth Vader to search for the missing droids.
If you’re a junkie for toy instruction manuals and story booklets, you can check this one out online.
But the Troop Transporter didn’t just give kids another toy to play with and something else for moms carrying heavy groceries to trip over. It inspired the minions of other media, as well.
The creators of the Star Wars comics liked what they saw (and probably even snuck away from their ink and coloring duties just to play with their beloved Troop Transporters) and the vehicle made it’s comic book debut in 1979’s “Way of the Wookiee”.
It has since appeared in at least ten additional Star Wars comics, including Marvel’s Star Wars #31 (Jan. 1980):
The Transporter Strikes Back
If Hollywood can reboot, rip-off, and remake a movie every year, then toymakers are allowed some room to play as well (pun intended).
In 1981, Kenner released the Imperial Cruiser. This was simply a repainted, slightly redesigned Troop Transporter with “The Empire Strikes Back” slapped on the box and snowtroopers in place of stormtroopers.
Did I mention I love consumerism?
The Troop Transporter has shown no sign of burning out its repulsorlift engines, as it’s popped up in several other places in recent years.
Author Jason Fry used the vehicle in his Servants of the Empire junior novels, while Star Wars: Rebels introduced it to television in the season one episode “Fighter Flight.”
That’s right, this little toy has had more success in Hollywood than most working actors.
For its guest-starring role in Rebels, the Transporter went through a redesign and rerelease through Hasbro as a brand new toy: the Imperial Troop Transport.
Why “transport” and not “transporter“? Who knows, as long as you can arrest your Ryan Reynolds Green Lantern action figure and stuff it in the cargo compartment for crimes against the universe, it’s a win!
Further fame found the Transporter when it made another TV appearance, this time on The Mandalorian episode “The Reckoning.”
The Transporter was updated to look more “realistic” for the TV series, which of course resulted in another toy: the Imperial Troop Transport (again).
What started as a toy released in time for Christmas has now climbed the ladder of success faster than a speeding Sebulba, showing that whoever you are and wherever you go, as a Star Wars fan, there’s always a toy company looking to exploit you.
