Star Trek
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Star Trek collectively refers to an American science-fiction franchise spanning six unique television series (which comprise 726 episodes) and ten feature films, in addition to hundreds of novels, computer and video games, fan stories, and other works of fiction — all of which are set within the same fictional universe created by Gene Roddenberry during the mid-1960s. Since its debut, "Star Trek" has become one of the most popular names in the history of science fiction entertainment, and one of the most popular franchises in television history.
It depicts an optimistic, almost utopian future in which humanity has largely overcome such traditional frailties and vices as racism, poverty, environmental destructiveness, intolerance, and superstition on Earth, and has united with other intelligent species in the galaxy. The central characters are members of the United Federation of Planets — who explore the galaxy, discovering new worlds and encountering new civilizations, while helping to promote peace and understanding. The protagonists of the Star Trek universe are essentially altruistic; however, the nature of the Galaxy is conflict. Many Alien races abound in the universe who try by military might, or by subterfuge to destroy the Federation. Starfleet, the scientific, exploratory, and military arm of the Federation does its best to protect the UFP from Alien threats. This conflict and other political dimensions of the stories allegorize 1960's political realities. Many of those issues (e.g. class warfare, human rights, the role of technology, etc.) still linger, which in part explains Star Trek's longevity.
Television series
Star Trek originated as a television series in 1966, although according to The Making of Star Trek by Stephen E. Whitfield and Gene Roddenberry, it had been in the planning stages for at least six years prior to this. There have been five live-action Star Trek series and an animated series, altogether comprising (as of May 2005) a total of 726 individual aired episodes (not including the original unaired pilot) and thirty seasons’ worth of television.
Star Trek (1966–1969)
Star Trek debuted on NBC on September 8, 1966, having aired in Canada some days earlier. Created by Gene Roddenberry, starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and DeForest Kelley, and co-starring James Doohan, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, Majel Barrett, and (later) Walter Koenig, it told the tale of the crew of the starship Enterprise of the United Federation of Planets, and their five-year mission "to boldly go where no man has gone before."
The first episode aired, "The Man Trap," was actually the fifth produced. Originally, Roddenberry had created a pilot entitled "The Cage," with a very different cast, led by veteran actor Jeffrey Hunter, which was rejected by NBC, the network that ordered the pilot through Desilu. However, an unprecedented second pilot was commissioned, "Where No Man Has Gone Before," which featured an almost entirely new cast led by Shatner. Only the character of Spock remained, at Roddenberry's insistence. "Where No Man Has Gone Before" was the third episode aired, while "The Cage" was reworked into a two-part episode, "The Menagerie."
This original series was not highly rated in its network run, but fan support helped to keep it on the air for three years. The last original episode, "Turnabout Intruder," aired on June 3, 1969. The series subsequently became phenomenally popular in syndication, ultimately spawning the film and television sequels that followed. It has in recent years become known as Star Trek: The Original Series, abbreviated as ST:TOS or TOS, or as "Classic Trek," retronyms to distinguish it from its sequels and the franchise. All subsequent films and television series, except the animated series of the 1970s, have had secondary titles included as part of their official names. The original series currently airs on G4 and is to debut on TV Land in September 2006.
Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973–1974)
The series was aired under the name Star Trek, but it has become widely known as Star Trek: The Animated Series (or abbreviated as ST:TAS or TAS). It was produced by Filmation and ran for two seasons, with a total of 22 half-hour episodes. It featured most of the original cast performing the voices for their characters with the exception of Walter Koenig, who was not asked to return due to budgetary limitations. While the freedom of animation afforded large alien landscapes and exotic life forms, budget constraints were a major concern and animation was of moderate quality.
A few episodes are especially notable due to contributions from well known science-fiction authors. Although originally sanctioned by Paramount, with the introduction of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the series is no longer considered to be canon, which has caused controversy among some fans. The episode "Yesteryear" is considered by some sources such as the Star Trek Encyclopedia to be a partial exception concerning the events depicted in Spock’s youth (although it still officially remains non-canon along with the rest of TAS). Even so, elements of the animated series have worked their way into official canon, such as Kirk’s middle name, Tiberius, first revealed in TAS and made official in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Star Trek: Enterprise also incorporated several TAS concepts into canon. So, while the series itself is not strictly canon, it has been used as "canon fodder." TAS also came back to television in the mid 1980s on the children's cable network Nickelodeon, and in the early 1990s on cable network Sci-Fi Channel.
Star Trek: Phase II (1978; unproduced)
Star Trek: Phase II was set to air in 1978 as the flagship series of a proposed Paramount television network, and 12 episode scripts were written before production was due to begin. This series would have put most of the original crew back aboard the Enterprise for a second five-year mission, except for Spock, because Leonard Nimoy did not agree to return; a younger full-blooded Vulcan named Xon was planned as a replacement, although it was still hoped that Nimoy would make guest appearances. 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 formed the basis of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, while two others were eventually adapted as episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994)
Star Trek: The Next Generation (also known, colloquially, as The Next Generation, NextGen, ST:TNG, or TNG) is set nearly a century later and features a new starship (also named Enterprise) and a new crew, venturing once again where "no one has gone before."
It premiered on September 28, 1987, with the two-hour pilot episode, "Encounter at Farpoint," and ran for seven seasons, ending with the final episode, "All Good Things..." on May 29, 1994. The show gained a considerable following during its initial run. Even during that time, the show was produced solely for syndication.
Star Trek: The Next Generation had the highest ratings of all the Star Trek series and was the #1 syndicated show during the last few years of its original run. It was the only Star Trek series, and the only syndicated series, to ever be nominated for an Emmy for Best Dramatic Series during its final season in 1994. Because of its widespread acceptance, The Next Generation is sometimes regarded as a kind of 'golden age' for Star Trek.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993–1999)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (ST:DS9 or DS9) ran for seven seasons and was the first Star Trek series to be established without any direct input from (the now deceased) Gene Roddenberry. It starred Avery Brooks as Commander (and, later in the series, Captain) Benjamin Sisko, the first African-American in the commanding role of a Star Trek series. This was also the first Star Trek series that did not take place primarily aboard a starship, although the USS Defiant was frequently used.
It chronicles the events surrounding the space station Deep Space Nine, which in the first episode is found to be in the proximity of a uniquely stable wormhole that provides immediate access to the distant Gamma Quadrant. This immediately makes the station an important strategic asset, as well as a vital center of commerce with a largely unexplored area of space. The station also finds itself embroiled in the lengthy war between the Bajoran and Cardassian races, and Captain Sisko comes to assume a unique spiritual role for the Bajorans.
Deep Space Nine sheds some of the utopian themes that embodied the previous versions of Star Trek, and focuses more on war, religion and political compromise. It also contains far more overt humor than the previous series attempted. Of the various spin-offs, Deep Space Nine has a particularly rabid fan base, who call themselves 'Niners. New characters such as wily Cardassian spy Garak inspired cult-like followings of their own.
Star Trek: Voyager (1995–2001)
Star Trek: Voyager (also known as ST:VOY, ST:VGR, VOY or Voyager) was produced for seven seasons, and is the only Star Trek series to feature a female, Captain Kathryn Janeway, as the commanding officer.
The plot of Voyager mirrors somewhat those of The Odyssey and Lost in Space, with the USS Voyager and crew stranded in the Delta Quadrant, seventy thousand light years from Earth, by an entity known as "The Caretaker." Given a 70-year voyage back to Earth, the crew must avoid temptations and defeat challenges on its long and perilous journey home. The series' story arcs prominently featured the Borg, including the addition of a regular Borg character, the voluptuous Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan).
It was during this show's run that criticism of producer Rick Berman began to mount, coinciding with the growth in popularity of online discussion forums that amplified the message of a vocal group of fans who felt Berman was no longer welcome as the franchise leader. The addition of Seven of Nine, and other changes to the series, were regarded as attempts to enliven the show and add a sexual element.
Star Trek: Enterprise (2001–2005)
Star Trek: Enterprise (named simply Enterprise during its first two seasons and the first few episodes of its third, and abbreviated as ST:ENT or ENT) is a prequel to the other Star Trek series. The pilot episode, "Broken Bow," takes place ten years before the founding of the Federation, about halfway between the "historic" events shown in the movie Star Trek: First Contact and the original Star Trek series, but not entirely true to the Star Trek universe timeline overall. For example, the crew of the Enerprise encountered the Borg, even though the first contact with the Borg was made by the Enterprise-D, in Star Trek: The Next Generation. This series depicts the exploration of space by the crew of the Earthship Enterprise, a new, NX-class starship, which is able to go farther and faster than any humans had previously gone. Its theme began, showing humans and Vulcans eventually becoming friends.
Star Trek: Enterprise was promoted as being more accessible for newcomers to the Star Trek franchise, as well as for taking place during the formative years of the Federation. Ratings for Enterprise started strong, but declined rapidly (see the main article for discussion as to possible reasons); and, as it had done during the initial airing of The Original Series, fan support during Enterprise's second and third seasons helped keep the series on the air. At the start of Enterprise’s fourth season, writer and executive producer Manny Coto took over as the primary “showrunner” from Rick Berman and Brannon Braga. The fourth season of Enteprise was the most critically lauded season of the series, and several websites and critics contend that this is the season when Enterprise finally lived up to its potential. Despite that, the show continued to lose ratings during the fourth season, and Paramount cancelled the show in early 2005.
Feature films
Ten Star Trek films have been produced by Paramount Pictures. The first six continued the adventures of the TOS cast; the later four featured the TNG cast.
A common and fondly-held superstition among fans is that the even-numbered Star Trek films are superior to the odd-numbered Star Trek films. A statistical test based on IMDB data lends credence to this conclusion [1].
Star Trek II, IV, VI and Star Trek: First Contact are usually considered the fan-favorites, while Star Trek I and V are usually at the bottom (though I has since received quite a bit of positive re-evaluation in the wake of an acclaimed "Director's Edition" revision released on DVD). This is not wholly applicable, however; Star Trek III followed on from the success of II, which continued into Star Trek IV. Another exception is X (Star Trek: Nemesis), which was one of the most critically derided Star Trek films. Many critics accused it of attempting to imitate the plot (and success) of Star Trek II. Despite fetching the lowest revenue at the box office in Star Trek history, its 2003 DVD release sold well. A new, eleventh (and as-yet-untitled) film in the series has been announced for release in 2008.
Although North American and UK releases of the films were no longer numbered following the sixth film, European releases continued numbering the films.
The Star Trek canon and other storylines
The Star Trek canon comprises the five live-action TV series and ten motion pictures. The animated series, books, comic books, video games, and other materials based on Star Trek, though licensed by Paramount Pictures, are generally considered non-canon, as are fan-made (or "fanon") productions set within the Star Trek universe.
Outside of the television series and motion pictures produced by Paramount pictures, the Star Trek franchise has been officially expanded and elaborated on by various authors and artists in the so-called "Star Trek Expanded Universe," despite the fact that Paramount does not consider these derivative works canon[citation needed]. The creators of these works are generally free to tell their own stories set in the Star Trek universe, and are free to either keep an existing continuity, or use their own. (Similarly, writers for TV and film are under no obligation to pay heed to any of the derivative works.) These works often expand the backstories of characters, species, planets, etc, already seen in the official live-action productions. For example, the Voyager novels Mosaic and Pathways are known to have given essential background information for characters in the Voyager live-action series.
The Star Trek series has also inspired many unofficial fan-made productions. For example, in recent years, Star Trek fan films have been created for distribution over the Internet. Currently, Star Trek: Hidden Frontier which is a continuation of the timeline after the Dominion War from the perspective of a station and fleet in the Briar Patch, and Star Trek: New Voyages, a "continuation" of the original Star Trek, are prominent fan series. While none of these projects are licensed by Paramount, some have attracted participation from official cast and crew.[citation needed]
Cultural impact
The Star Trek anthology is one of the most culturally influential television shows – and perhaps the most influential science fiction TV series – in history. The original series (TOS), which aired in the late sixties, has since yielded four successor series, ten feature films, a plethora of merchandise, and a multibillion dollar industry collectively known as the Star Trek franchise (owned by Paramount). Arguably, only the Star Wars franchise has had as great an impact as a science fiction and pop culture phenomenon.
Gene Roddenberry sold TOS to NBC as a classic adventure drama -- he pitched the show as "Wagon Train to the stars." Though set on a fictional starship, Roddenberry wanted to tell more sophisticated stories using futuristic situations as analogies for current problems on Earth and rectifying them through humanism and optimism. The opening line "to boldly go where no man has gone before" was taken almost verbatim from a US White House booklet on space produced after the Sputnik flight in 1957. The central trio of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy was modelled on classical mythological storytelling. Harking of human diversity and contemporaneous political circumstances, Roddenberry included a multiethnic crew.
While there were other successful science fiction TV shows at the time, TOS broke new ground. It was the first aimed at adults that told of morality tales with complex narratives. During its initial run from 1966 to 1969, TOS did not garner substantial TV ratings and was almost cancelled after its second season. After a letter-writing campaign by fans, NBC reversed its decision and renewed the series for a third season. NBC put the show in a timeslot when it was watched by few, and it was cancelled after its third season.
In 1976, following another letter-writing campaign, NASA named its first space shuttle, Enterprise, after the fictional starship. Encouraged by the burgeoning fan base for the show throughout the seventies, Roddenberry sought to start a second television series; this abortive attempt morphed into Star Trek: The Motion Picture in 1979. The movie did sufficiently well at the box office and spawned several more movies during the eighties. In 1986, Roddenberry created a second TV show, Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG), which was set more than seventy years after events in the earlier series and related movies. TNG was syndicated through local TV stations rather than a nationwide network. It became the number one syndicated TV show, lasting seven seasons, and spawned two sequels, a prequel, four movies, a vast marketing business, and a considerable fan base.
Star Trek and its spinoffs have proved highly popular in television repeats, shown endlessly on TV stations in the US and worldwide. The show’s cultural impact goes far beyond its longevity and profitability. Star Trek conventions have become popular, though now often meshed with conventions of other genres, and fans have coined the term "Trekkies" (or "Trekkers") to describe themselves. An entire subculture grew up around the show and, anecdotally, there are indications that Star Trek has influenced many peoples' lives. Phrases like "Beam me up, Scotty" have entered vernacular, and devices have arguably been inspired by fictional counterparts.
Conversely, many fans contend that the Star Trek franchise, particularly after Roddenberry's death in 1991, has reached a nadir. Reduced viewership and box office receipts for recent productions and the short tenure of Star Trek: Enterprise connote decreased popularity. Some assert that the many incarnations are formulaic, repetitive, mediocre, and sometimes discontinuous, while others ascribe this decline to static leadership at Paramount.
Future of the franchise
After Enterprise was cancelled in 2005, the Star Trek franchise found itself for the first time in over 25 years without a series or film in production or development. Though some assumed that the franchise was essentially dead, predictions of its demise are nothing new. As early as 1993–1994, when Star Trek: Deep Space Nine failed to generate the high ratings of its predecessor, magazines such as Entertainment Weekly predicted the end of the franchise. The rumored near-cancellation of Star Trek: Voyager in the mid-1990s led to more such predictions, as did the poor box-office performance of Star Trek: Nemesis in 2002 and the cancellation of Star Trek: Enterprise in 2005. However, in April 2006, the official announcement of an eleventh feature film made it probable that the franchise has not yet ended.
Reruns of The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine are aired regularly on Spike TV in the United States. Spike TV will also begin airing reruns of Voyager in the fall of 2006, as part of its original deal for all three series. TOS, TNG, and Voyager air daily in Canada on Space: The Imagination Station, which also purchased Enterprise for daily rebroadcasts starting in the fall of 2005. In December 2005, Comcast's G4 network announced it had obtained the syndication rights for both TNG and TOS. G4 has been airing TNG since January 8; reportedly, Spike will continue to broadcast TNG as well. In the UK, reruns of The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Enterprise air regularly on Sky One and Sky Two, TOS is also being sshown on theSci-Fi Channel weekdays at 7pm, and the terrestrial network Five recently began showing Voyager on weekday afternoons. In Australia, reruns of TOS, TNG, DS9, Voyager and Enterprise air regularly on Foxtel/Austar's TV1 and TV1 +2 (Foxtel/Austar Digital subscribers only) during the late Sunday night "Sci-Fi Sector" which also shows other sci-fi shows such as Stargate SG1.
New feature film
In late February 2005, Rick Berman told Variety that screenwriter Erik Jendresen, producer Jordan Kerner, and former Paramount Television president Kerry McCluggage were attached to the project.[2] This film had tentatively been given the title of Star Trek: The Beginning and, according to Jendresen, would have focused on the beginning days of the United Federation of Planets and the war with the Romulan Empire. In April 2006, however, Jendresen said that after shake-ups in Paramount's management, the project was no longer going forward[3].
However, not long afterward, on April 20, 2006, Hollywood trade paper Variety reported that a new Star Trek film will be produced and directed by J. J. Abrams, who is aiming for a 2008 release. Abrams is the director and co-writer of the film Mission: Impossible III and is the creator and producer of several television series including Lost, Felicity, and Alias. Later in the day, the official Paramount Pictures Star Trek Web site, StarTrek.com, confirmed the report. According to the Variety article and StarTrek.com, the movie will feature a young Kirk and Spock at Starfleet Academy and on their first mission together. [4] [5] [6]
On April 27, 2006, it was announced by J. J. Abrams through a number of news sources that he may not direct the next Star Trek film, but that he has the option to direct. He confirms he will produce, but has not yet taken the option to direct the film. He states he is "furious" at the inaccurate reports.[7][8][9]
Recently, a rumor indicated the movie might end up being about The Romulan War. If so, the film could feature the crew from Star Trek: Enterprise.
The film will be written and executive produced by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (co-writers of Mission: Impossible III and the highly anticipated Transformers film).[10]
Rumors of proposed new series
In an interview with The Baltimore Sun about his starring role in Shenandoah onstage in Washington, DC, Scott Bakula said, "I heard there are already plans for a new series in the works...when the dust settles, someone is going to say, 'Do we really want to let this, and all the money that comes with it, go?'"[11]
There is some desire among fans to bring back the character of Captain Kirk, as played by William Shatner, to give him a more dignified end than that shown in Star Trek: Generations. [12] Recently, Shatner has made public on various talk shows his proposal for a Starfleet Academy series featuring a young James T. Kirk. He plans to pitch his idea to Paramount Pictures in 2006.
George Takei and fans have made frequent attempts to convince the studio to create a series based on Captain Sulu's voyages on the Excelsior, but, despite support from fans, it has enjoyed little success. Sulu and the Excelsior originally appeared in the film Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country as well as in an episode of Star Trek: Voyager ("Flashback") but this did not lead to a new series. Sulu later appeared in the video games Star Trek: Starfleet Academy (unrelated to the proposal laid out by William Shatner) and Star Trek: Shattered Universe, the latter of which is set in the Mirror Universe.
Most fans of the series agree that the new series would best be served by maintaining the latest timeline, as seen in Deep Space Nine and Voyager. The idea of a series set at the Starfleet Academy has been discussed on more than one occasion, the latest thoughts being that it would follow the lives of a set of Starfleet cadets from various locales in the Galaxy as they make their way through the Academy. It is further thought that current characters, such as Captain Janeway and Miles O' Brien might appear in the series as instructors. Paramount's "working" title for the series, unsurprisingly, would be "Star Trek: Academy".
Trivia
In 1988, The Next Generation's LeVar Burton starred in the TV movie Roots: The Gift as Kunta Kinte, reprising his role from the 1977 miniseries. The Gift also featured Avery Brooks from Deep Space Nine, and Kate Mulgrew and Tim Russ from Voyager.
The first interracial kiss on American network television was in the "Star Trek" episode entitled "Plato's Stepchildren," which aired on November 22, 1968, when Captain Kirk (William Shatner) kissed Lieutenant Uhura (Nichelle Nichols). Some stations in the South (U.S.) originally refused to air the episode.
References
Star Trek may be the most documented entertainment franchise in history. Here are a few of the major reference works related to the production and influence of the franchise.
- The Making of Star Trek by Gene Roddenberry and Stephen PE. Whitfield (Ballantine Books, 1968)
- The Trouble with Tribbles by David Gerrold (Ballantine, 1973)
- The World of Star Trek by David Gerrold (Ballantine Books, 1973; revised edition, Bluejay Books, 1984)
- Star Trek Lives! by Jacqueline Lichtenberg, Sondra Marshak, and Joan Winston (Bantam Books, 1975)
- The Making of the Trek Conventions by Joan Winston (Doubleday Books/Playboy Press, 1977)
- A Star Trek Catalog edited by Gerry Turnbull (Grosset & Dunlap, 1979)
- On the Good Ship Enterprise: My 15 Years with Star Trek by Bjo Trimble (Donning Starblaze, 1983)
- Star Trek Memories by William Shatner and Chris Kreski (HarperCollins, 1993)
- Star Trek Movie Memories by William Shatner and Chris Kreski (HarperCollins, 1994)
- Beyond Uhura by Nichelle Nichols (Putnam, 1994)
- The Physics of Star Trek by Lawrence M. Krauss (Basic Books, 1995)
- City on the Edge of Forever by Harlan Ellison (White Wolf Publishing, 1996)
- Enterprise Zones: Critical Positions on Star Trek, edited by Taylor Harrison, Sarah Projansky, Kent A. Ono, Elyce Rae Helford (Westview Press, 1996)
- Inside Star Trek: The Real Story by Herbert F. Solow and Robert H. Justman (Pocket Books, 1996)
- Future Perfect: How Star Trek Conquered Planet Earth by Jeff Greenwald (Viking Press, 1998)
- Get a Life! by William Shatner and Chris Kreski (Pocket Books, 1999)
- The Ethics of Star Trek by Judith Barad Ph.D. with Ed Robertson (HarperCollins, 2000)
- I'm Working on That: A Trek from Science Fiction to Science Fact by William Shatner and Chip Walter (Pocket Books, 2002)
- Picard: The Academy Years by M.N.Lake (Dragon Publishing, 2005)
See also
- Star Trek games
- Trekkie
- Trekdom
- Star Trek: New Voyages
- List of notable Star Trek fans
- LGBT characters in the Star Trek universe
- List of television series that include time travel
- Star Trek further reading
External links
- StarTrek.com - The Official Star Trek website
- Memory Alpha - A Star Trek Wiki.
- The non-canon Star Trek Wiki
- The Star Trek Expanded Universe Wiki
- Daystrom Institute Technical Library - Extensive technical and series database/reference source.
- StarTrek2.com - Audio, Video, and well-written original articles.
- TrekToday - A popular Star Trek news site, home of the TrekBBS.
- Trekfrontier.Com - A popular Star Trek site in Italy.
- Trekfrontier.Net - A popular message board portal community of Star Trek fans in Italy.
- TrekCore - A popular Star Trek reference site, featuring tens of thousands of screencaps from all series.
- Nexus Trek - A popular message board community of Star Trek fans
- Encyclopedia of Television
- TrekUnited.com - Community Site all about Star Trek and Sci-fi in general.