"Star Trek" (1973) TV series 1973-1975

Creator:

Gene Roddenberry

Seasons:

1 | 2

Release Date:

8 September 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Family | Sci-Fi

Plot:

The further adventures of Capt. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise

Plot Keywords:

Outer Space | Star Trek | Klingon | Based On Cult TV Series | Phaser

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

William Shatner	...	Captain James T. Kirk / ... (22 episodes, 1973-1974)
Leonard Nimoy	...	Mr. Spock / ... (22 episodes, 1973-1974)
DeForest Kelley	...	Dr. McCoy (22 episodes, 1973-1974)
George Takei	...	Sulu / ... (22 episodes, 1973-1974)
Nichelle Nichols	...	Uhura / ... (22 episodes, 1973-1974)
James Doohan	...	Scott / ... (22 episodes, 1973-1974)
Majel Barrett	...	Nurse Chapel / ... (21 episodes, 1973-1975)

Also Known As:

Star Trek: TAS (USA) (promotional abbreviation)
Star Trek: The Animated Adventures (USA) (alternative title)
Star Trek: The Animated Series
Star Trek: The Animated Series-The Animated Adventures of Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek (USA) (DVD box title)
The Animated Adventures of Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek (USA) (video box title)

Runtime:

30 min (22 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:G | Australia:PG | USA:TV-Y7

Company:

Filmation Associates

Trivia:

Walter Koenig (Ensign Pavel Chekov) was the only original "Star Trek" (1966) cast member to never appear on the series.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in William Shatner's Star Trek Memories (1995) (V)

Toon Trek

Trek returns as a cartoon, a medium befitting William Shatner's acting.

This was the first attempt at reviving Trek, and for the most part, it was pretty good. It's animation, so it's limiting. It's Filmation, so it's even more limiting. Filmation was a little more low-end than their rivals at Hanna-Barbera. Stock footage was constant in their productions and the voice work was usually of lower quality. Not this time, though. The original cast, minus Walter Koenig, provided their own voices, while Nichelle Nichols and James Doohan got to play other roles. The use of animation allowed the creation of better aliens and for situations that were impossible to film with live actors or effects (or just too expensive to film). Unfortunately, it also lent the show a certain stiffness.

The stories were quite good and featured writing from several Trek veterans and even a script from actor Walter Koenig. We finally got to see Orion pirates and see Spock as a child. There were even sequels to old episodes, like the Trouble with Tribbles and City on the Edge of Forever.

All in all, the series was a fine addition to the Star Trek world and stood out on Saturday Morning. It tended to skew more to an older audience, but it kept the youngsters entertained.