A Star Trek History
Nearly everyone in North America has heard of the famous franchise “Star Trek,” arguably one of the most popular franchises in the history of television. But it wasn’t always smooth sailing for the beloved sci-fi show. Unbeknownst to a lot of viewers, the show’s drama didn’t always happen on screen, a lot of the conflict occurred behind the scenes. From the issues of getting the show on air, keeping it on air, and troubles between the cast, it’s a miracle “Star Trek The Original Series” lasted for three seasons (79 episodes.) I firmly believe that despite having been cancelled decades ago, the love of “Star Trek” will live on in the hearts of Trekkers and be passed on through generations to come. But for now, let’s beam back to the mid 19th century and experience how the show began.
In 1964 freelance fiction writer Gene Roddenberry pitched his idea for a science fiction adventure series to NBC and after a two hour meeting the executives finally agreed to a pilot episode. At the time, nobody cared for sci-fi, western themed tv with cowboys and tumbleweed was the trend. Roddenberry made his first pilot, entitled “The Cage,” but it was turned down by the network for being “too cerebral,” “too intellectual,” “too slow,” and with “not enough action.” So essentially, the network didn’t care about their viewers learning anything or using their platform for educational and awareness raising purposes, they only cared to provide content of cowboys dueling to the death to rot viewers’ brains. NBC didn’t want to cause controversy, that would mean people who disagree with the message of the show wouldn’t watch. That led to a problem with the beloved character and pop icon, Spock. It took a lot of arguing to keep the half Vulcan on the show because of claims that the alien looked too “satanic” with his pointed ears and eyebrows. This event has actually been referenced to in the episode “The Apple.” Kirk asks Spock: “Is there anyone on this ship who even remotely looks like Satan?” To which Spock replies: “I am not aware of anyone who fits that description, Captain.”
“No Mr. Spock, I didn’t think you would.”
The network eventually agrees that they will keep Spock on the show, much to the relief of Leonard Nimoy, the actor who portrayed Spock. He ended up being the only cast member of the original pilot that stayed on the show and the rest were re-cast: William Shatner as Captain Kirk (no longer is the Captain Christopher Pike, although the character still makes an appearance on the show,) Deforest Kelly as Leonard Mccoy, George Takei as Hikaru Sulu, Nichelle Nichols as Nyota Uhura, and James Doohan as Montgomery Scott or “Scotty.” Although most of the main characters were from Earth, “Star Trek The Original Series” had one of the most diverse casts at the time. The show represented African, Asian and European ethnicities. It also had television’s first interracial kiss. In the 23rd century race isn’t an issue. “Intolerance in the 23rd century? Improbable! If man survives that long, he will have learned to take delight in the essential differences between men and between cultures.”-Gene Roddenberry
So the show started off rocky, and it didn’t get much smoother. If you are even remotely into “Star Trek” you have probably heard of the rumoured “Great Feud” between Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner. While best friends on the show, there have been claims that it wasn’t so happy off-screen. This notion has been dismissed by Shatner saying that him and Nimoy were like brothers, with a sibling type rivalry. Part of it being the William stealing and hiding Leonards bicycle just to try and frustrate him. Multiple cast members have also stated that on many occasions during shooting, after a quick talk with the director, Shatner always seemed to end up saying the lines not originally written for him. Although the show was walking a thin line with the network that didn’t make Roddenberry take away the meaning of “Star Trek.” When you think through the episodes a bit more, it’s easy to see the references to real world problems. The episode “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield” is a reference to the racial issues we have, and especially the ones at the time. In summary, the episode is about a war between to kinds of aliens. They were the same species, lived on the same planet, were at the same level of intelligence, and nearly looked the same. The only difference between them was that half of them were white on the right side and black on the left side and the other half were white on the left side and black on the right side. It’s debatable, like nearly everything, but the clear moral of the story is that skin colour shouldn’t divide us. There are countless other examples of “Star Trek” speaking out about these issues and although there is more action since the first pilot, the show didn’t lose it’s “cerebral” characteristic. That’s one reason why it’s amazing the show lasted as long as it did, another could be the fact that “Star Trek” had a very limited amount of money, and they had to build completely new sets since there weren’t any to look like a spaceship. Shaking the camera gave the effect of the ship being jostled, plastic props got the point across, and it seemed as though they couldn’t afford enough fabric for costumes for most of the female aliens. To compromise the low budget, the writing is what made the show truly exceptional.
Things came spiralling downwards fast after the first season. “Star Trek” was ready to fall apart at any minute and the cast and crew knew it. Views and ratings dropped and NBC was ready to cancel the show after the second season. The only reason it stayed was because of the strong demand from the fans. As few as there were, it was convincing enough for the show to come back for a final season. You would probably like to hear that “Star Trek” ended with a bang that left everybody in awe, but in reality, the show ended quietly with an ending that left everybody disappointed. If you were to ask any “Star Trek” fan what season was their favourite chances are that they won’t say the third. Even the cast didn’t enjoy filming it. “My concern was always the writing. The last year of ‘Star Trek,’ the writing deteriorated badly, the third season. I was so glad when it was over. I really was unhappy during that final season. Sad, I was sad!”- Leonard Nimoy 2010. The writing was bad, the action was unexciting, and they still didn’t have much money. There are definitely a few good episodes, ones that I really enjoyed. But for some, and it hurts me to say it, made me feel like I was wasting my time. It was high time for the original series to be wrapped up, but this wasn’t the end for “Star Trek,” in fact, it was only the beginning.
Only after the cancellation of the show was when “Star Trek” really grew. “Star Trek” got four spin off series after the original, an animated series, six “The Original Series” movies, and four “The Next Generation” movies. The legacy lives today with three reboot movies and a new series “Star Trek Discovery” coming out May 2017. After “The Original Series” “Star Trek” conventions became a trend, the first one being in New York 1972. There would be interviews with the cast, merchandise stands set up everywhere, and nearly everyone would be in costume. The conventions are a place where fans can Vulcan Salute to each other and not be judged for it, a place where people can take pride in their extensive knowledge of Starfleet history, a place of acceptance. These conventions would take place all throughout North America and still do. “Star Trek” has touched and impacted hundred of thousands of people. Although the course was a rough one for the starship “Enterprise,” the destination was worth it. I believe “Star Trek” was a breakthrough of diversity and acceptance in mainstream media and changed the hearts and minds of thousands of people. But then again, how would I know? I’m a writer not a psychologist!
“Star Trek The Original Series” was truly a diamond in the rough. It has suffered through misunderstanding and unappreciation. I feel that now people have come to a realization of how taken for granted the television program was. “Star Trek” is an iconic franchise that will be remembered possibly up until we’re exploring deep space on five year missions to seek out new life and new civilizations. The show went through fighting a Gorn to the death, time travel, a planet populated only of children, having trouble with Tribbles, putting Spock in a multitude of hilarious costumes, and yet, although the show didn't live long, it prospered.
