Star Trek: The Original Series 

In the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets.

Creator:

Gene Roddenberry

Stars:

William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley

Nominated for 13 Primetime Emmys. Another 10 wins & 18 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Leonard Nimoy	...	Mr. Spock / ... 80 episodes, 1966-1969
William Shatner	...	Capt. Kirk / ... 79 episodes, 1966-1969
DeForest Kelley	...	Dr. McCoy / ... 76 episodes, 1966-1969
Nichelle Nichols	...	Uhura / ... 70 episodes, 1966-1969
James Doohan	...	Scott / ... 66 episodes, 1966-1969
Eddie Paskey	...	Lt. Leslie / ... 60 episodes, 1966-1968
George Takei	...	Sulu / ... 52 episodes, 1966-1969
Walter Koenig	...	Chekov 36 episodes, 1967-1969
Majel Barrett	...	Nurse Chapel / ... 36 episodes, 1966-1969

Storyline

A 1960's science fiction action adventure series set in the twenty-third century based around the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise, representing the United Federation of Planets (including Earth) on a five-year mission in outer space to explore new worlds, seek new life and new civilizations, and to boldly go where no one has gone before. The Enterprise is commanded by handsome and brash Captain James Tiberius "Jim" Kirk (William Shatner). Kirk's two best friends are Commander Spock (Leonard Nimoy) (last name unpronounceable to humans) the ship's half-human/half-Vulcan Science Officer and First/Executive Officer (i.e. second-in-command) from the planet Vulcan, and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Leonard H. "Bones" McCoy (DeForest Kelley). They, along with a crew of approximately four hundred thirty, including helmsman Lieutenant Hikaru Kato Sulu (George Takei), navigator Ensign Pavel Andreievich Chekov (Walter Koenig), communications officer Lieutenant Nyota Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), and chief...

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Plot Keywords:

cult tv | star trek | phaser | alien species | vulcan | 

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Taglines:

Boldly Go. Again. (2006 remasters tagline)

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

After appearances in each of the first two seasons, a script featuring Harry Mudd was written for the third season. However, Roger C. Carmel was unavailable to reprise the role, and the episode was put aside for use during the show's fourth season (which never occurred due to the show's cancellation). Carmel returned to voice Harry Mudd in the Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973) animated series episode Star Trek: The Animated Series: Mudd's Passion (1973). Mudd was also considered for appearances in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) and Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), but those ideas were scrapped due to Carmel's declining health and subsequent death. Mudd continued to make non-canonical appearances in various Star Trek novels, comic book stories, and other non traditional media adaptations.

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Goofs

Numerous instances where Kirk orders phasers fired, but the animation is that of the photon torpedoes.

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Quotes

Dr. McCoy: The next thing you'll know, I'll be talking to myself.

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Crazy Credits

Star Trek: The Original Series: Assignment: Earth (1968)'s Robert Lansing is the only guest star on this series to be billed at the top of the program - just after the episode's title - rather than in the end credits. After the words, "Assignment: Earth", came, "Guest Star Robert Lansing as Mister Seven."

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Alternate Versions

The second pilot of the series, "Where No Man Has Gone Before" was originally cut a bit differently than the version that exists on VHS and DVD. In the original cut, there is an opening narration by Captain Kirk stating: "Enterprise Log: Captain James Kirk commanding. We are leaving that vast cloud of stars and planets which we call our galaxy. Behind us: Earth, Mars, Venus, even our sun are specks of dust. A question: what is out there in the black void beyond? Until now our mission has been that of space law regulation, contact with Earth colonies and investigation of alien life. But now, a new task; a probe out into where no man has gone before." followed by the words "STAR TREK" appearing on screen. They fade away and are replaced by "STARRING WILLIAM SHATNER." The episode then moves into act one, with the words "STAR TREK ACT I" appearing on screen. The episode then proceeds as normal until Scotty says "It's begun transmitting, sir." at which point, the words "TONIGHT'S EPISODE 'WHERE NO MAN HAS GONE BEFORE'" appear. After which, there is an extended pan of the Enterprise hallways with the titles "CO-STARRING LENOARD NIMOY AS MR. SPOCK" appearing and fading away, followed by "GUEST STARS GARY LOCKWOOD AND SALLY KELLERMAN." Over this scene, the red alert klaxon blares and Lieutenant Kelso repeatedly saying "Bridge to all decks. Condition: alert!" We also see Gary Mitchell walking around the corridors as well until finally cutting to Kirk and Spock entering the turbolift, at which point the episode continues as normal. Additionally, the end credits were much different in this original cut. Instead of the normal "Star Trek" theme playing, a different piece is used and the credits only credit the supporting characters; none of whom are referenced by name. (For example: PAUL FIX AS: SHIP'S DOCTOR, GEORGE TAKEI AS: CHIEF PHYSICIST, JAMES DOOHAN AS: ENGINEERING CHIEF, etc.)

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Connections

Referenced in Way Past Cool!: A Conversation with Ben Hurst (2007)

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Soundtracks

Theme
Music credited to Alexander Courage, although it strongly resembles the main title music for 'Hollow Triumph (1948)' by Sol Kaplan
Sung by Loulie Jean Norman

User Reviews

Where None Have Gone Since '69

The original Trek series established, within it's brief 3-year span, the panorama of an ever-expanding Federation of planets & civilizations, of which Earth was, in the 23rd century, a founding member (tho the audience never saw Earth during this run, except in time travel stories back to our 20th century). This series also presented mankind as, first & foremost, explorers, embodied by the trio of dynamic captain James T. Kirk (Shatner), his number two, science officer Spock (Nimoy) and irascible but kindly Dr.McCoy (Kelley) - but Spock was, of course, an alien (a Vulcan), an example of the alliances Earth held with many extraterrestrial races. They operated from a magnificent starship, Enterprise (one of several such ships in Starfleet), with a crew of about 400. Creator Roddenberry used the series as a platform to address many social & political concerns of the time. The general consensus of most familiar with the show is that the 1st & 2nd years were superior; the 3rd suffered in the writing & budget dept's.

The best episodes: "City on the Edge of Forever"-Kirk almost sacrifices Earth's history for the love of a woman. Almost, and he might've done so had he known her a little longer; "Mirror,Mirror"-4 members of the crew switch places with their counterparts in a parallel universe, where the Federation is a hostile Empire; "Space Seed"-the crew awaken Khan, an old-time conqueror boosted by eugenics, who returned in the 2nd Trek film("The Wrath of Khan"); "Arena"-Kirk battles a lizardian captain of an unfriendly race on a desolate asteroid; "The Naked Time"-the crew lose their inhibitions, back when this was original; "This Side of Paradise"-another one with everyone affected emotionally and forgetting their mission; "The Trouble With Tribbles"-hugely entertaining romp on a space station; "Shore Leave"-another romp on a weird planet; "Journey to Babel"-Enterprise hosts ambassadors, Spock's parents included, dealing with intrigue & politics; "Where No Man Has Gone Before"-the 2nd pilot which green-lit the series and the 1st with normal humans acquiring godlike powers; "The Enemy Within"-examines duality of human nature; "The Doomsday Machine"-space epic about a huge alien weapon destroying planets; "Amok Time"-detailed look into Vulcan customs; "Balance of Terror"-warships testing each other in space,introducing the aggressive Romulan race; "What Are Little Girls Made Of?"-answering all questions on androids; and "The Devil in the Dark"-which shows you cannot judge monsters by appearance.

As the list above demonstrates, all the concepts we have come to know in later films and series (Next Generation,Deep Space 9,Voyager) were laid out just fine in the late '60s by some inventive writing (the first film to follow this, for example, merely reworked the episode "The Changeling" with a $50 million budget). The 2nd season also ended with a pilot for an unrealized spin-off "Assignment:Earth" which would have focused on human agent of aliens 'Gary-7' in the present day. It was back then, also, that omnipotent beings, such as "The Squire of Gothos" and the Organians ("Errand of Mercy"-which introduced Klingons) popped up to work miracles. The final 3rd season show ended things on a hysterical note as Kirk's body was taken over by an unbalanced woman - quite unPC these days but nonetheless intriguing & entertaining. The series was followed 4 years later by an animated version, which took place during the same mission. Finally, I'm still struck, or starstruck, by how, after all this time, it was this show that convinced me we really were on a huge ship traveling in space - more so than the later sophisticated shows (TNG) or the movies. Yes, the original is still the best, and it's easy to see why.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 September 1966 (USA)

Also Known As:

Star Trek: TOS

Filming Locations:

Backlot, Desilu Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$200,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Desilu Productions, Norway Corporation, Paramount Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

50 min (79 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono DTS (re-mastered version) Dolby Digital (re-mastered version)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

4:3