HERO WITHIN AND FACTORY ENTERTAINMENT UNVEIL STAR TREK EXCLUSIVES AT SAN DIEGO COMIC CON

Our coverage of 2026 San Diego Comic Con continues with the debut of exciting and exclusive Star Trek merch! Our intrepid convention correspondent Giraffe chatted with Tony Kim, Founder and “Chief Nerd” of Hero Within, and Tommy Vargas, Product Management Director for Factory Entertainment, to get the inside scoop on their newest products from the Star Trek universe.

HERO WITHIN: NEW APPAREL BOLDLY CELEBRATING STARFLEET ACADEMY AND 60TH ANNIVERSARY 

To the delight of fans and customers, lifestyle fashion brand Hero Within's Star Trek license was renewed just days before SDCC after having expired earlier this year. The crew at Hero Within have wasted no time since then, as they arrived at SDCC ready to showcase its two most fan-requested items of 2026: the Starfleet Academy varsity jacket and hoodie!

The varsity jacket and hoodie are poised to be two of the hottest new items on Hero Within’s product lineup, as the company has received nonstop customer requests ever since SFA premiered in early 2026. Both feature a sleek, screen-accurate design, with the varsity jacket having embroidered emblems and the hoodie including all division colors on its sleeves. While the jacket and the hoodie are sold separately, their design allows them to complement each other as a set. 

For fans who are ready to add these pieces to their cosplay closets, the SFA varsity jacket is priced at $149 USD, and the SFA hoodie is $75 USD. Convention attendees have the opportunity to be among the first to wear them, as they are exclusively available for preorder at both SDCC and the upcoming Star Trek: Las Vegas (August 2026) before a full online release later this year.

Hero Within is also celebrating 60 years of Star Trek by offering SDCC attendees a first look at their new 60th Anniversary Collection. This retro product roster honors the crew of The Original Series with a series of themed jackets spanning both the TV series and the feature films.

The collection is still in the process of being designed, but is close to completion. So far, jacket designs include Klingon warrior, Scotty’s engineer uniform, Kirk and McCoy’s uniforms from Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and enlisted crew jackets inspired by the jumpers worn in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

Trekkies attending both SDCC and ST:LV can check out the collection’s prototypes and place preorders by beaming down to Hero Within’s booth throughout the convention weekend.

FACTORY ENTERTAINMENT: PHASERS AND BRIDGE PROPS AND LATINIUM, OH MY!

Factory Entertainment, which produces licensed prop replicas and merchandise, are currently showcasing their “Convention Exclusive Premieres,” including several new Star Trek products in time for the 60th Anniversary. This includes a latinum set, complete with metal construction and three sizes at authentic weights; Uhura’s earpiece from TOS; Eline’s necklace from fan-favorite The Next Generation episode “The Inner Light”; and several scaled TOS bridge prop replicas with interactive features, such as a viewscreen that plays actual footage from the TV show.

In addition to their signature prop replicas, the company has recently expanded their offerings to include Star Trek-themed merchandise, such as scaled ship replicas and kitchenware. Their upcoming Star Trek products include TNG-era phasers, such as the iconic Type 2 “cobrahead” phaser that was also used in Deep Space Nine and Voyager.

As a team of Star Trek and sci-fi/fantasy fans, Factory Entertainment takes great pride in their product designs, which are made possible by direct studio partnerships that give them access to archived props and consultations with original set workers. Using a thorough and extensive research methodology and in-house prototyping, they strive to create “idealized versions” of these props, using premium materials such as metal, ABS plastic, and resin to design an authentic finished product. In addition to Star Trek and Paramount, Factory Entertainment currently has a licensing partnership with Warner Bros. for properties such as Batman and DC Universe. Their expansive product portfolio spans multiple properties and genres, from sci-fi classics like Battlestar Galactica and Back to the Future, to iconic horror films like It.

Pricing for the Star Trek “Convention Exclusive Premieres” range from $49.99 USD to $99.99 USD. Factory Entertainment will be showcasing all their products throughout SDCC as well as ST:LV in August, and all items are available for purchase on the company’s website. Make it so, fellow Trek fans!