Star Trek 60th Anniversary Reflecting on the Franchise The Beginnings: The Pilots and TOS/TAS

Star Trek 60th Anniversary

Reflecting on the Franchise

The Beginnings: The Pilots/TOS/TAS

The Pilots

In 1964 the pilot episode "The Cage" was produced, starring Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Christopher Pike of the USS Enterprise, Majel Barret as Number One and Leonard Nimoy as Spock.  The episode was quite progressive for 1964, with a female first officer and an alien science officer.  The plot revolved around the Talosians, a species whose mental/telepathic powers were so great that they could fool the entire Enterprise crew into believing that illusions were real.  A good episode with an interesting story and compelling characters.  NBC however was less convinced, seeing the episode as being "too cerebral" for contemporary audiences.  The persuasive powers of one Lucille Ball convinced the network to give Star Trek a second chance, and in an unprecedented move a second pilot was ordered.  In 1965 "Where No Man Has Gone Before" was produced.  All but one of the main cast were replaced for "Where No Man", the only remaining character from "The Cage" being Spock, now the first officer.  "Where No Man" introduced William Shatner as Captain James Kirk, James Doohan as chief engineer Montgomery Scott and George Takei and Hikaru Sulu.  For a full review of the episode see my episode spotlight here.  Suffice it to say I really like this episode.  Based on this episode the series went into production.

The Original Series

The first episode produced in the Original Series proper "The Corbomite Maneuver" introduced DeForest Kelley and Dr. Leonard McCoy and Nichelle Nichols as communications officer Lieutenant Uhura, rounding out the main cast.  The first episode to air was "The Man Trap" on September 6, 1966.  The rest of season 1 would feature a number of fan favorite episodes, including "Balance of Terror" which introduced us to the Romulans, "Space Seed" which introduced Khan Noonien Singh, the time travel classic "The City of the Edge of Forever" and the two parter "The Menagerie" which made use of (most of) the footage from "The Cage" and both introduced the fans to and revealed the fate of Captain Pike.  Season 2 premiered with "Amok Time" which took the Enterprise crew to Vulcan the homeworld of mister Spock.  Other memorable episodes in seas0n 2 include "Mirror, Mirror" with the mirror universe, The Doomsday Machine, and the lighthearted and iconic "The Troubles With Tribbles".  Season 2 also introduce a new main character, Pavel Chekov, played by Walter Koenig to appeal to younger viewers. Facing cancellation by NBC after the conclusion of season 2 the series was only saved by a fan letter writing campaign spearheaded by superfan Bjo Trimble.  The series would return for a third season in fall of 1968, with the silly and ultimately poorly received "Spock's Brain".  Despite a few good episodes like "The Enterprise Incident", "The Tholian Web" and "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield", the third season would suffer from a reduced budget and a change in creative staff and leadership with Gene Roddenberry stepping back from day to day show running and Gene Coon leaving the writing staff.   Despite those challenges and the reduced viewership from being moved to the Friday night "death slot" the series continued to produce thoughtful, provocative episodes that served as morality tales and pushed the boundaries of 1960s TV.  "Plato's Stepchildren" featured the first black/white interracial kiss on American television, while "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" tackles contemporary race prejudice using actors in half white, half black makeup.  The series would end with a whimper with it's 79th episode, the underwhelming "Turnabout Intruder".  While the series would be ended, it would be far from forgotten.  A super dedicated fanbase would write letters to the network and hold the first Star Trek Conventions.  

The Animated Series

In 1973 animation studio Filmation would work with Gene Roddenberry and DC Fontana to create Star Trek The Animated Series, following the animated adventure of Kirk and crew on the good ship Enterprise.  The animated format would be ideal to explore characters and worlds that would have been extremely impractical if not totally impossible in live action.  It would also bring back some elements from Original Series episodes such as the Guardian of Forever, Cyrano Jones and the Tribbles, and Orion pirates.  For a more thorough breakdown see my recent retrospective post on the animated series.  Star Trek The Animated Series would run for a total of 22 episodes, ending in 1974.

Next week: trek goes to the movies