The current Star Trek franchise logo, featuring James T. Kirk (left) and Spock

Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment series and media franchise. The Star Trek fictional universe created by Gene Roddenberry is the setting of six television series including the original 1966 Star Trek, in addition to ten feature films (with an eleventh in post-production), dozens of computer and video games, hundreds of novels and fan stories, several fan-created video productions, as well as a themed attraction in Las Vegas. The original TV series alone has created a cult phenomenon and has spawned many pop culture references.^[1]

Setting

The USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), the main setting of the 1966-69 series, is on a mission to discover civilization, life, and "to boldly go where no man has gone before". Here, she is depicted in the remastered second season episode "I, Mudd".

Star Trek stories usually depict the adventures of humans and aliens who serve in the Federation's Starfleet. The protagonists are essentially altruists whose ideals are sometimes only imperfectly applied to the dilemmas presented in the series. The conflicts and political dimensions of Star Trek form allegories for contemporary cultural realities; Star Trek: The Original Series addressed issues of the 1960s,^[2] just as later spin-offs have reflected issues of their respective eras. Issues depicted in the various series include war and peace, authoritarianism, imperialism, class warfare, economics, racism, human rights, sexism and feminism, and the role of technology.^[3] Gene Roddenberry stated that by creating "a new world with new rules, I could make statements about sex, religion, Vietnam, politics and intercontinental missiles. Indeed, we did make them on Star Trek: we were sending messages and fortunately they all got by the network"^[3]

Television series

Originated as a television series in 1966, although it had been in the planning stages for at least six years prior to that.^[4] Star Trek was canceled after its third television season due to low ratings. However, it has served as the foundation for four additional live-action television series, one animated television series and ten theatrical films (with an 11th in the works).^[5][3] The six television series comprise a total of 716 episodes - ten of which are feature-length - across twenty-two seasons (twenty-nine, if one separately counts seasons which ran concurrently). See Lengths of science fiction film and television series for more on comparative series lengths.

The Original Series (1966 – 1969)

Star Trek (Also known as "TOS", The Original Series) debuted in the United States on NBC on September 8, 1966.^[6] The show tells the tale of the crew of the starship Enterprise and that crew's five-year mission "to boldly go where no man has gone before." The original 1966-1969 television series featured William Shatner as Captain James Tiberius Kirk, Leonard Nimoy as Spock, DeForest Kelley as Leonard McCoy, James Doohan as Montgomery Scott, Nichelle Nichols as Uhura, George Takei as Hikaru Sulu, and Walter Koenig as Pavel Chekov. In its first two seasons it was nominated for awards as Best Dramatic Series. After three seasons, however, the show was canceled and the last episode aired on June 3, 1969.^[7] The series subsequently became popular in reruns and a cult following developed, complete with fan conventions.^[6] Originally presented under the title Star Trek, it has in recent years become known as Star Trek: The Original Series or as "Classic Star Trek" — retronyms that distinguish it from its sequels and the franchise as a whole. All subsequent films and television series, except the animated series of the 1970s and the earlier seasons of Enterprise, have had secondary titles included as part of their official names. A re-release of the series began in September 2006 with computer-generated imagery "enhancements" as a high-definition "Remastered" edition. The first season has been converted to this and other episodes are still being remastered..^[8] The remastered episodes currently air in syndication while the originals appear on many countries' channels although these broadcasts are infrequent and irregular.

The Animated Series (1973 – 1974)

Star Trek: The Animated Series was produced by Filmation and ran for two seasons from 1973 to 1974. Most of the original cast performed the voices of their characters from The Original Series, and many of the original series' writers, such as D. C. Fontana, David Gerrold and Paul Schneider wrote for the series. While the animated format allowed larger and more exotic alien landscapes and lifeforms, animation and soundtrack quality, the liberal reuse of shots (pioneered by Jonnie 'Roy' White) and musical cues as well as occasional animation errors has detracted from the reputation of the series.^[9] Although originally sanctioned by Paramount (who became the owners of the Star Trek franchise following its acquisition of Desilu in 1967), Roddenberry forced Paramount to stop considering the series canon. Even so, elements of the animated series have been used by writers in later live-action series and movies (e.g. Kirk's middle name, Tiberius, first used in Bem was made official in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, and elements of Spock's childhood from Yesteryear, referenced in the TNG episode Unification, Part 1) while the holodeck makes its first appearance in TAS episode The Practical Joker. TAS won Star Trek's first Emmy Award on May 15 1975.^[10][11] Star Trek TAS briefly returned to television in the mid-1980s when it was rebroadcast on the children's cable network Nickelodeon and in the early 1990s on cable network Sci-Fi Channel. It was released to DVD in 2006. The complete TAS was also released on Laserdisc format during the 1980s.^[12]

Phase II

Star Trek: Phase II was set to air in June 1978 as the flagship series of a proposed Paramount Pictures television network, the Paramount Television Service, and 12 episode scripts were written before production was due to begin.^[13] The series would have put most of the original crew back aboard the Enterprise for a second five-year mission, except for Leonard Nimoy as Spock, who did not agree to return due to legal disputes with Paramount (detailed in his autobiography, I Am Not Spock). A younger, full-blooded Vulcan named Xon was planned as a replacement, although it was still hoped that Nimoy would make guest appearances.^[13] Sets were constructed and several minutes of test footage were filmed. However, the risks of launching a fourth network and the popularity of the then-recently released film Star Wars led Paramount to make a Star Trek film instead of a weekly television series. The first script of this aborted series (In Thy Image) formed the basis of Star Trek: The Motion Picture,^[14] while two others (The Child and Devil's Due) were eventually adapted as episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation during the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike.^[15]

The Next Generation (1987 – 1994)

Star Trek: The Next Generation (Also known as "TNG", The Next Generation) is set about 100 years after The Original Series. It features a new starship, the Enterprise-D, and a new crew led by Captain Jean-Luc Picard, played by Patrick Stewart. It also features the first Klingon in Starfleet, Worf, played by Michael Dorn. The show premiered on September 28, 1987 and ran for seven seasons, ending on May 23, 1994.^[16] Unlike the previous television outings, the program was syndicated instead of airing on network television. It had the highest ratings of any of the Star Trek series and was the #1 syndicated show during the last few years of its original run.^[17] It was nominated for an Emmy for Best Dramatic Series during its final season. It also received a Peabody Award for Outstanding Television Programming.^[18] The series currently airs on many television networks around the world.

Deep Space Nine (1993 – 1999)

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is set during the same time frame as The Next Generation and was in production for seven seasons, debuting in January 1993.^[19] Like Star Trek: The Next Generation, it aired in syndication in the United States and Canada. It is the only Star Trek series to take place primarily on a space station rather than aboard a starship. It is set on the Cardassian-built space station Deep Space Nine, located near the planet Bajor and a uniquely stable wormhole that provides immediate access to the distant Gamma Quadrant.^[20] The show chronicles the events of the station's crew, led by Commander (later Captain) Benjamin Sisko, played by Avery Brooks. Recurring plot elements include the repercussions of the lengthy and brutal Cardassian Occupation of Bajor, Sisko's unique spiritual role for the Bajorans as the Emissary of the Prophets and a war with the Dominion. Deep Space Nine stands apart from earlier Trek series for its lengthy serialized storytelling, conflict within the crew, and religious themes — all of which were elements that Roddenberry had forbidden in earlier Trek programs.^[21] Nevertheless, he was made aware of plans to make DS9 before his death, so this was the last Star Trek series with which he was connected.^[22] The series ended in June 1999; it currently airs on Virgin 1 and Bravo in the UK, and used to air on Sky One. It also airs on Sci Fi in Australia, Spike TV in the U.S., on TV4 Science Fiction in Sweden and on HRT2 in Croatia.

Voyager (1995 – 2001)

Star Trek: Voyager was produced for seven seasons from 1995 to 2001, launching a new Paramount-owned television network UPN. It features Kate Mulgrew as Captain Kathryn Janeway,^[23] the first female commanding officer in a leading role of a Star Trek series. Voyager takes place at about the same time as Deep Space Nine. The premiere episode has the USS Voyager and its crew pursue a Maquis ship (crewed by Star Fleet rebels). Both ships become stranded in the Delta Quadrant about 70,000 light years from Earth.^[24] Faced with a 75-year voyage to Earth, the crew must avoid conflict and defeat challenges on the long and perilous journey home. Like Deep Space Nine, early seasons of Voyager feature greater conflict between its crew than is seen in later shows, as a large contingent of the crew is made up of Maquis fugitives forced by circumstance to cooperate with Starfleet regulations instead of doing things the Maquis way. Eventually, though, they settle their differences, after which it becomes more reminiscent of The Original Series. Voyager is originally isolated from many of the familiar aspects and races of the Star Trek franchise, barring those few represented on the crew. This allowed for the creation of new races and original plot lines within the series. Later seasons, however, brought an influx of characters and races from prior shows, such as the Borg, Q, the Ferengi, Romulans, Klingons, Cardassians as well as cast members of The Next Generation. The series currently airs on Space and ZTélé in Canada, Sci Fi in Australia, Spike TV in the United States, Canal Jimmy, Sci-Fi in France, and Bravo and Virgin 1 in the United Kingdom.^[25][26]

Enterprise (2001 – 2005)

Star Trek: Enterprise (originally titled Enterprise prior to the third season), produced from 2001 to 2005, is a prequel to the other Star Trek series^[27], taking place in the 2150s, some 90 years after Zefram Cochrane developed the first warp-capable starship from a ballistic missile. The series shows how the first extraterrestial contact with the Vulcans and subsequent guidance led to Earth's first warp-five capable starship, the Enterprise, commanded by Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula). Enterprise shows the origins of several elements that are common in the other series. For the first two seasons, Enterprise is mostly episodic, like the original series and The Next Generation. The third season's "Xindi mission" arc carried through the entire season. The fourth season's story arcs are often spread to two or three episodes. Ratings for Enterprise started strong, but declined rapidly.

The episodes currently are in syndication on HDNet, Sky Two, Virgin 1 in the UK, the SciFi Channel in the US and Australia, Star World in India, and Space, ZTélé in Canada.

Feature films

Paramount Pictures has produced ten Star Trek feature films, with an eleventh film currently in production, set for release on May 8, 2009. The first six films continue the adventures of the The Original Series cast, the seventh was an amalgam of "The Original Series" and "Next Generation" casts, and the next three were exclusively Next Generations cast. Although North American and UK releases of the films were no longer numbered following the sixth film, European releases continued numbering the films. The eleventh film is a prequel about the early lives of James T. Kirk and Spock. Some fans consider the even-numbered Star Trek films to be superior to the odd-numbered Star Trek films (the so-called "Star Trek movie curse"); the second, fourth, sixth, and eighth films are considered fan favorites, whereas the first, third, fifth, seventh, and ninth are often considered the weaker films..^[28][29] This fan impression roughly corresponds to the critics' reviews of the films. According to Rotten Tomatoes website, the best of the Star Trek films are: The Wrath of Khan (92% fresh), First Contact (91% fresh), The Voyage Home (86% fresh), and The Undiscovered Country (84% fresh). The worst films are The Final Frontier (18% fresh) and Nemesis (36% fresh). The Search for Spock received generally favourable reviews (77% fresh). Critics were almost evenly divided on the remaining 3 films (The Motion Picture, Generations, and Insurrection).

Notable actors' appearances

More on Guest appearances

For a show that made its name in syndication through its die hard fans, it is a show which has attracted many celebrity guest stars.

Whoopi Goldberg has a recurring role as "Guinan", the ship's bartender who offers uncanny advice to Captain Picard and other crew members. She has appeared multiple times on the show and twice in the feature films.

Many popular film and television actors guest-starred on various Star Trek series -- some of them (such as James Cromwell) did so on a repeated basis, though rarely in a recurring role.

During the Next Generation episode "Cause and Effect", Kelsey Grammer appears towards the end of the show as "Captain Morgan Bateson" of the USS Bozeman. Grammer asked to be on the show because he's a Trekkie.

In the Next Generation episode "First Contact", Bebe Neuwirth plays the comical role of "Lanel", a nurse with a fetish looking to have sex with Commander Riker because she has never had sex with an alien before.

In the Next Generation episode Descent, Stephen Hawking appeared as a holographic recreation of himself.

In the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Think Tank", Jason Alexander appears as a hostile alien looking to kidnap one of the Voyager crew members through bribery. An admittedly avid Star Trek fan since childhood, Alexander is such an expert on Star Trek: The Original Series that he passed a Star Trek knowledge test on the Howard Stern program.

King Abdullah II of Jordan appeared in the "Star Trek: Voyager" episode "Investigations" in 1995 while still a Prince.

Other notable actors who have appeared on TNG are Nikki Cox, Teri Hatcher, Famke Janssen, Kirsten Dunst, Corbin Bernsen, Mick Fleetwood, Ashley Judd, Ed Lauter, Ray Walston, David Ogden Stiers, and Joe Piscopo. Basketball star James Worthy made a cameo as a Klingon.

In Enterprise guest stars also appear. Clancy Brown appears in Desert Crossing as a Torothan rebel. Bruce Davison appears as Menos, a Vulcan who was surgically altered and sells biological weapons, from the episode The Seventh. Dean Stockwell, who worked with Scott Bakula on Quantum Leap, appears as the Tandaran, Colonel Grat. Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis also star in the final episode.

Cultural impact

Prototype space shuttle Enterprise named after the fictional eponymous starship with Star Trek television cast members and creator Gene Roddenberry.

Roddenberry implicitly intended the show to have a leftist, almost radical political agenda reflective of the emerging sexualized counter-culture of the youth movement. However, his efforts were largely thwarted by contemporary sensibilities far removed from Hollywood's permissive culture of free sex and illegal drug usage. Star Trek showed mankind what it might develop into, if only it would learn from the lessons of the past, most specifically by ending violence. An extreme example are the Vulcans, who had a very violent past but learned to control their emotions.

Star Trek and its spin-offs have proved highly popular in television repeats and are currently shown on TV stations worldwide.^[33] The show?s cultural impact goes far beyond its longevity and profitability. Star Trek conventions have become popular, though now are often merged with conventions of other genres and series, and fans have coined the term "Trekkie" to describe themselves. Others, however, prefer the term "Trekkers". Fans of Deep Space Nine are better known as "Niners". An entire subculture has grown up around the show^[34] which was documented in the film Trekkies.

The Star Trek franchise is believed to have influenced the design of many current technologies, including the Tablet PC, the PDA, mobile phones and the MRI (based on Dr. McCoy's diagnostic table).^[35] It has also brought to popular attention the concept of teleportation with its depiction of "matter-energy transport." Phrases such as "Beam me up, Scotty" have entered the public vernacular.^[36] In 1976, following a letter-writing campaign, NASA named its prototype space shuttle Enterprise, after the fictional starship.^[37]

Riverside, Iowa has proclaimed itself the future birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk. Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, asserts in the book "The Making of Star Trek" by Stephen Whitfield, that the character of Kirk had been born in the state of Iowa. In March 1985, when the town was looking for a theme for its annual town festival, Steve Miller, a member of the Riverside City Council who had read Roddenberry's book, suggested to the council that Riverside should proclaim itself to be the future birthplace of Kirk. Miller's motion passed unanimously. The council later wrote to Roddenberry for his permission to be designated as the official birthplace of Kirk, and Roddenberry agreed.

Replica of a Constitution-class ship in Vulcan, Alberta.

An unincorporated area near the Las Vegas Strip contains a residential street named "Roddenberry Avenue." While the mailing address lists the avenue as being located in Las Vegas, Nevada, the physical address is an unincorporated township called "Enterprise". There is no indication that the township's name has any connection with the Star Trek series, and it is unknown whether or not the street name is a deliberate tribute to the Star Trek creator.^[39]

A limited number of Famous Players theatres in Canada house large replicas of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-A. One such theatre can be found in the town of Thunder Bay, Ontario, and another in Ancaster, Ontario (near Hamilton).

The town of Vulcan, Alberta, Canada contains a large replica of the Star ship Enterprise as it appeared in the fourth through sixth movies.

Parodies of Star Trek include the internet-based cartoon series Stone Trek, the Star Wreck (book series), the song Star Trekkin' by The Firm and the feature film Galaxy Quest.

In the seaQuest episode "Hide and Seek", William Shatner (Captain Kirk) appears as a dictator named Milos Tezlov. When Calling the SeaQuest, Shatner's vidcom locater in the lower right hand of the screen is listed as NCC1701. NCC-1701 was the Hull Serial Number of the Enterprise in Star Trek, The Original Series.

On an episode of NBC's "Heroes," George Takei, who plays Hiro Nakamura's father, arrives in one scene in a limousine. If one looks closely at a brief camera angle the viewer will see the license plate of the limousine is New York NCC1701.

"Weird Al" Yankovic's hit song White & Nerdy says, "Only question I ever thought was hard / Was do I like Kirk or do I like Picard?"^[40]

Status and future

In 2006, CBS Paramount Domestic Television began syndicating an enhanced version of the original 79 Star Trek episodes. State-of-the-art visual effects replaced those in the series (created in-house by CBS), the original theme music has been rerecorded, and the show was transferred from the original negatives in high definition. The show is currently syndicated in HD.^[41]

Also in 2006, it was announced that there was a pitch in the works for a new animated series that would, if produced, be released as several 6-minute episodes, available online (similar to The Animatrix and Star Wars: Clone Wars). The series is to be set 150 years after the Star Trek: The Next Generation time line, during an era of upheaval and strife in the Federation. The Romulans have used several "Omega Particle" explosions to render much of Federation space impassable by traditional Federation vessels. Many Federation worlds have been isolated and some races, including the Vulcans, have withdrawn from the Federation altogether. The series is, as yet, untitled and there has been no full confirmation.^[42][43]

On January 19, 2007, CBS announced that its newly-formed home entertainment unit would begin releasing the remastered episodes on HD DVD before the end of 2007.^[44] Though the remastered first season was released on DVD/HD-DVD hybrid discs, the latter two seasons will instead be released on DVD only in the wake of CBS's decision (and that of the industry) to abandon the HD-DVD format.^[45]

Perpetual Entertainment was also developing a MMORPG based on Star Trek called Star Trek Online; however, the licence has been sold to Cryptic Studios. IDW Publishing have also bought the rights to the comic book.^[46] The original series' characters are also featured in two volumes of manga by publishers Tokyopop.

Star Trek also continues in many Star Trek fan productions.

A new movie, a prequel to the original series simply titled Star Trek, is scheduled for release on May 8, 2009.^[47] Paramount is negotiating for director J. J. Abrams, writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, and producers Damon Lindelof and Bryan Burk, to return for a sequel. The film's major cast members have signed on for two sequels, which is standard practice.^[48]

There was also an orchestral performance of the music in the series called Star Trek: The Music, premiered in Toronto's Roy Thompson Hall by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in June 2008.

Precedents

• Gene Roddenberry noted in his biography Star Trek Creator that the 1956 feature film Forbidden Planet was one of the inspirations for Star Trek.^[49]

References

Notes

Bibliography

Major reference works related to the production and influence of the franchise include:

External links

• StarTrek.com—The Official Star Trek website
• StarTrekLinks.net—Star Trek actor links website
• Memory Alpha—A Star Trek encyclopedia that uses information only from canon sources licensed by Paramount.
• Memory Beta—A Star Trek encyclopedia that uses information from both canon and non-canon sources licensed by Paramount.
• CBS Video—Free full-length Star Trek: The Original Series episodes provided by CBS
• Star Trek

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