In 1979, McDonald’s promoted the release of Star Trek: The Motion Picture the first Star Trek cinematic adventure, by offering various Star Trek-themed Happy Meals. The film was based on the original Star Trek science fiction television series that aired between 1966 and 1969. Created by Gene Roddenberry, the television show followed the adventures of the starship crew of the USS Enterprise and their exploration of space. Despite the show being canceled, interest remained high due to syndication, television re-runs, and the animated spin-off Star Trek: The Animated Series, which convinced Paramount Pictures to produce the first Star Trek film.

To promote the film, Paramount Pictures collaborated with McDonald’s to release a set of Happy Meals featuring five different Star Trek-themed boxes covered in puzzles, games, and images of notable characters. Each Happy Meal also included one of five Star Trek toys which included this video communicator that came with one of five comic strips. Children could feed the strip through the communicator to view a short clip. The promotion was a success, with an estimated 50 million Star Trek Happy Meal boxes sold and are now considered collector’s items for any Star Trek fan.