The "official" movie posters question.

[Green]

Does anybody know for sure what each of the "official" posters in the USA was for the 6 TOS movies?

I am pretty sure of 1-3 and 5-6, but is 4 the orang-ish poster or the one with Kirk and Spock?
And is there an official poster or just the ones we presume were the main ones?

 

[BigDaveX]

Generally speaking, the cover featured on VHS, DVD and Blu-Ray releases was the official theatrical cover. The orange poster is on just about every form of home video release, so that was the official poster.

Besides, if this is the other poster you're referring to, it's actually the one for the international English release - note how the film's title is written as "THE VOYAGE HOME" in huge letters, with "Star Trek IV" in tiny letters underneath it.

 

[Smellmet]

Generally speaking, the cover featured on VHS, DVD and Blu-Ray releases was the official theatrical cover. The orange poster is on just about every form of home video release, so that was the official poster.

Besides, if this is the other poster you're referring to, it's actually the one for the international English release - note how the film's title is written as "THE VOYAGE HOME" in huge letters, with "Star Trek IV" in tiny letters underneath it.

I've never seen that one before. Jesus. That is dreadful.

 

[LAFR]

I purchased these posters just after the movies came out or when first made available, so I think they are the originals.

Ron

 

[Khan 2.0]

The 'official' one sheet 'main' posters (not teaser) for I-5 were the Bob Peak paintings. Then VI the well known Chang head with KSB and ships fighting (not bob peak).

Always remember in the Official Fan Club magazine centre pages offer in the late 80s/early 90s for the 5 posters they had 2/3 as what must've been teaser posters? Or maybe they were international one sheets? (TWOK the big letters logo surrounded by photos from the movie. TSFS the spock crystal head) which I remember thinking was strange as surely anyone getting the set would want all the Bob Peak ones.

regarding 4 think the Kirk Spock only was for the VHS (although was probably an unused version for the main poster) http://talkiegazette.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Star-trek-IV-The-Voyage-Home-19861.jpg

Besides, if this is the other poster you're referring to, it's actually the one for the international English release - note how the film's title is written as "THE VOYAGE HOME" in huge letters, with "Star Trek IV" in tiny letters underneath it.

That must've been for certain territories as UK was same as US bob peak (interesting it has the TMP rainbow and Spock is in uniform)

 

[Vger23]

I purchased these posters just after the movies came out or when first made available, so I think they are the originals.

Ron

Very nice collection. I have all of the "original" posters except TMP...but I'm a bit of a Trek poster connoisseur.

Looks like the artwork you have displayed here represents the "official" artwork used on theatrical release posters. The only two in your collection I'm sure are NOT originals are TMP and TWOK. Those originals had a thick white boarder around the artwork. Within that white boarder in the bottom right hand corner is a serial number. That's how you know you have originals or not.

The other element to this is that there were "teaser posters" that were official as well. They mostly had different artwork and even a different tag line.

In fact, looking at your collection, your GEN poster is a teaser release, not a theatrical release. It was still displayed in the theaters and is totally official (I own that one as well!)...but it was used in the months leading up to the release of the film to promote it. The theatrical poster for GEN has different (but related) artwork and uses the tagline "Two Captains, One Destiny."

 

[Vger23]

The official "theatrical" poster in the US for TVH was this:

The official "teaser" theater poster in the US was this:

It's also fascinating, because the release dates are sometimes wrong. The Dec 12 release date for TVH ended up being incorrect (actual was Nov 26). The teaser poster for TUC sold a Dec 13 date (actual was Dec 6). Interesting stuff.

 

[Kor]

I've never seen that one before. Jesus. That is dreadful.

Well, I have seen it before.

And yes, it is dreadful.

Kor

 

[Firebird]

The official "theatrical" poster in the US for TVH was this:
It's also fascinating, because the release dates are sometimes wrong. The Dec 12 release date for TVH ended up being incorrect (actual was Nov 26). The teaser poster for TUC sold a Dec 13 date (actual was Dec 6). Interesting stuff.

It's not that the release dates are wrong, it's that movies frequently are moved from their original release dates based on production issues or competition from another movie on the same date.

 

[Khan 2.0]

It's also fascinating, because the release dates are sometimes wrong. The Dec 12 release date for TVH ended up being incorrect (actual was Nov 26). The teaser poster for TUC sold a Dec 13 date (actual was Dec 6). Interesting stuff.

also ST09 teaser poster was Christmas Day 2008

 

[Kor]

also ST09 teaser poster was Christmas Day 2008

Yeah, I have a promotional t-shirt that shows Christmas 2008 release.

Kor

 

[Green]

Thanks all for the info and that poster of Kirk/Spock on the street is like the winner of a "make the worst poster" contest -- the unanimous winner.

Glad the orange post was "official" for Trek 4 as I don't like the Kirk/Spock back to back poster. I have seen that one on some home video covers over the years.

 

[Vger23]

It's not that the release dates are wrong, it's that movies frequently are moved from their original release dates based on production issues or competition from another movie on the same date.

Yeah, I didn't mean that it was a publishing error. To your point, I just meant that the circumstances in some cases render the dates on the teaser posters inaccurate.

 

[Commishsleer]

I'm curious is there a website with the official Star Trek original theatre posters.
To me its still not clear which are the original posters. My VHS covers differ and off course my blu-rays are different too.
I'm sure I saw a poster for one of the movies (maybe TMP) that had Kirk and Spock on it standing next to each other (or back to back) which had them at the same height

 

[Vger23]

I'm curious is there a website with the official Star Trek original theatre posters.
To me its still not clear which are the original posters. My VHS covers differ and off course my blu-rays are different too.
I'm sure I saw a poster for one of the movies (maybe TMP) that had Kirk and Spock on it standing next to each other (or back to back) which had them at the same height

Well, it depends on what country you live in too...I'm pretty a pretty experienced "Star Trek Poster" guy...let me see if I can add to this.

 

[Vger23]

Star Trek TMP rare "teaser" release poster:

Star Trek TMP theatrical release poster (there is a similar white boarder that doesn't show up as well here...and originals have a serial number in the bottom right corner):

Wrath of Khan official theatrical poster (I am unclear on whether or not there was a pre-release poster of any sort. I never saw the Bob Peak art displayed in a theater...nor have I ever read that that was anything other than a variant that was never used...I could be wrong):

Again, the official / original version of this poster has a white boarder with a bottom right corner serial number. I own this one.

Search for Spock pre-release theater poster (interestingly...the white boarder in this image is NOT present on the official poster, which I own...there is the pale blue boarder with the extended black beyond it, and the bottom right corner serial numbers are within that box):

Search for Spock official "theatrical" poster:

I displayed the TVH posters above....so I won't repeat that.

 

[Vger23]

Final Frontier official pre-release theater poster:

By this time, the white boarders and serial numbers were a thing of the past (as was the poster sizes...from 1988 on, posters standard sizes changed slightly.

Final Frontier Theatrical Release Poster:

Undiscovered Country pre-release theater poster:

Undiscovered Country theatrical release poster:

 

[Vger23]

Star Trek Generations pre-release theater poster:

Generations theatrical release poster:

First Contact pre-release theater poster:

First Contact Theatrical Poster:

 

[Vger23]

Insurrection theatrical release promotional poster (there was only one version):

Star Trek Nemesis pre-release theater poster:

Nemesis theatrical release poster:

 

[David cgc]

The official "theatrical" poster in the US for TVH was this:

The official "teaser" theater poster in the US was this:

It's also fascinating, because the release dates are sometimes wrong. The Dec 12 release date for TVH ended up being incorrect (actual was Nov 26). The teaser poster for TUC sold a Dec 13 date (actual was Dec 6). Interesting stuff.

I'm curious about the provenance of the other TVH poster that was used on the home video cover. It looks like it and the orange one were made from the same brief, but went in different directions. I'd almost think it was a sketch or rough draft and the orange one is the final version.