Star Trek
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Star Trek is an American science fiction franchise. In addition to six television programs including the original 1966 Star Trek, the same fictional universe created by Gene Roddenberry is the setting for ten feature films, dozens of computer and video games, hundreds of novels and other fan stories, as well as a themed attraction in Las Vegas.
In Star Trek's fictional universe, humans developed faster-than-light space travel after barely surviving a 21st-century World War III. Later, humans united with other sentient species of the galaxy to form the United Federation of Planets. As a result of alien intervention and science, humanity has largely overcome many Earth-bound frailties and vices by the 23rd century. Star Trek stories usually depict the adventures of humans and aliens who serve in the Federation Starfleet.
The protagonists are essentially altruistic 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; The Original Series addressed issues of the 1960s, just as more recent spin-offs reflect more modern topics. Issues depicted in the various series include imperialism, class warfare, racism, human rights, and the role of technology.
Television series
- For a complete list of episodes, see List of Star Trek episodes
Star Trek originated as a television series in 1966, although it had been in the planning stages for at least six years prior to that.[1] Although The Original Series was cancelled in its third season due to low ratings,[2] it served as the foundation for five additional Star Trek television series. Altogether, the six series comprise a total of 726 episodes across twenty-two different television seasons (twenty-nine, if one separately counts seasons running concurrently), making it the second most prolific science-fiction franchise in history after Doctor Who.
Star Trek: The Original Series (1966–1969)
Star Trek debuted in the United States on NBC on September 8, 1966.[3] The show, starring William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk (originally James R. Kirk), told 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." In its first two seasons it was nominated for Emmy Awards as Best Dramatic Series. After only three seasons, the show was cancelled and the last episode aired on June 3, 1969.[4] The series subsequently became popular in reruns, and a cult following developed, complete with fan conventions.[3] Originally aired as simply Star Trek, it has in recent years become known as Star Trek: The Original Series or as "Classic 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, have had secondary titles included as part of their official names. The series was rereleased in September 2006 with CGI enhancements as a high-definition "Re-mastered" edition. [5]
Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973–1974)
Star Trek: The Animated Series was produced by Filmation and ran for two seasons. It featured most of the original cast performing the voices of their characters from The Original Series 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. Although originally sanctioned by Paramount (the current owners of the Star Trek franchise since its acquisition of Desilu Productions), the series is no longer considered to be canon, which has caused controversy among some fans [citation needed]. 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 incorporates several TAS concepts into canon. TAS 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.[6]
Star Trek: Phase II
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.[7] 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. A younger, full-blooded Vulcan named Xon was planned as a replacement, although it was still hoped that Nimoy would make guest appearances.[7] 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,[8] while three others were eventually adapted as episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation.[citation needed]
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994)
Star Trek: The Next Generation is set nearly a century after The Original Series and features a new starship, the Enterprise-D, and a new crew led by Captain Jean-Luc Picard, played by Patrick Stewart. The show premiered on September 28, 1987 and ran for seven seasons, ending on May 23, 1994.[9] 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.[10] It was nominated for an Emmy for Best Dramatic Series during its final season in 1994. It also received a Peabody Award for Outstanding Television Programming.[11] The series currently airs on Sky One and BBC Two in the UK, Foxtel channel TV1 in Australia, as well as G4, Space: The Imagination Station and Spike TV.[12][13]
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993–1999)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is set during the same timeframe as The Next Generation and ran for seven seasons, debuting in 1993.[14] It is the only Star Trek series to take place primarily on a space station, rather than aboard a starship. The show chronicles the events of the station's crew, led by Commander (later Captain) Benjamin Sisko, played by Avery Brooks, living on the Cardassian-built Bajoran spacestation Deep Space Nine, which initially orbited the planet Bajor but was moved to a nearby, newly-discovered, uniquely stable wormhole that provides immediate access to the distant Gamma Quadrant.[15] Recurring plots include the repercussions of the lengthy and brutal occupation of the nearby planet Bajor by the Cardassians, Sisko's unique spiritual role for the Bajorans as the Emissary of the Prophets, and a major war with the Dominion of the Gamma Quadrant. Deep Space Nine stands apart from other Trek series for its lengthy serialized storytelling and conflict within the crew – things that Roddenberry had forbidden in earlier Trek series.[16]
Star Trek: Voyager (1995–2001)
Star Trek: Voyager was produced for seven seasons from 1995 to 2001 and is the only Star Trek series to feature a woman as the commanding officer: Captain Kathryn Janeway, played by Kate Mulgrew.[17] Voyager takes place at about the same time as Deep Space Nine. The series plot' shows the USS Voyager and its crew stranded in the Delta Quadrant, 70,000 light years from Earth.[18] Given a 70-year voyage back to Earth, the crew must avoid conflict and defeat challenges on its long and perilous journey home. Voyager was originally isolated from many of the familiar aspects and races of the Star Trek franchise (with the exception of the individual races amongst the crew). This allowed for the creation of new races and original plotlines within the series; however, later seasons saw an influx of characters and races from prior shows, such as the Borg, Q, the Ferengi, Romulans, Klingons, Cardassians and even multiple instances where the Next Generation crew ended up on board the ship. [19][20]
Star Trek: Enterprise (2001–2005)
Star Trek: Enterprise (originally aired simply as "Enterprise"), produced from 2001-2005, is a prequel to the other Star Trek series. The pilot episode takes place ten years before the founding of the Federation, about halfway between the events shown in the movie Star Trek: First Contact and the original Star Trek series.[21] The series depicts the exploration of space by the crew of the Earth starship Enterprise. Commanded by Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula), Enterprise is able to go farther and faster than any human vessel had previously gone. Ratings for Enterprise started strong, but declined rapidly. The show continued to lose ratings during the fourth season, and Paramount cancelled the show in early 2005.[22]
Feature films
Paramount Pictures has produced ten Star Trek feature films:
- Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
- Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
- Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
- Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
- Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
- Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
- Star Trek: Generations (1994)
- Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
- Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)
- Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)
- Star Trek XI (working title)
The first six continue the adventures of the The Original Series cast, while the next four feature The Next Generation's cast. Although North American and UK releases of the films were no longer numbered following the sixth film, European releases continued numbering the films.
A common superstition among fans is that the even-numbered Star Trek films are superior to the odd-numbered Star Trek films; the second, fourth, sixth, and eighth films are considered fan favorites, whereas the first and fifth are often called the worst films[23].
An eleventh (as-yet-untitled) Star Trek film has been announced for release in 2008, to be written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman and directed by Lost creator J.J. Abrams[24].
Other storylines and canonicity
The Star Trek canon comprises the five live-action television series and ten motion pictures. The animated series, novels, comic books, video games, and other materials based on Star Trek, though licensed by CBS Paramount, are generally considered non-canon, as are fan-made (or "fanon") productions set within the Star Trek universe.[25]
The Star Trek novels typically fill "holes" in the Star Trek story and timeline, with explanations of events that have never been thoroughly explained through live action productions. Many have been accepted by Trek fans as part of the Star Trek canon, even though CBS, owners of the Star Trek franchise, say otherwise[25]. Several authors have created spin-off series that are self-contained within their novels.[26]
Outside of the television series and motion pictures produced by Paramount pictures, the Star Trek franchise has been officially expanded and elaborated by various authors and artists in the so-called "Star Trek Expanded Universe," despite the fact that CBS does not consider these derivative works canon. These works' creators are generally free to tell their own stories set in the Star Trek universe, and are free either to keep an existing continuity, or to 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 back stories of characters, species, planets, etc., already seen in the official live-action productions. For example, the Voyager novels Mosaic and Pathways give background information for characters in the Voyager live-action series.
The Star Trek series have also inspired many unofficial fan-made productions. For example, in recent years, Star Trek fan films have been created for distribution over the Internet.[27][28] 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 CBS, some have attracted participation from television and film series' cast and crew.[29] One fan production, Star Trek: Of Gods and Men, features several veteran Trek actors, with Voyager star Tim Russ directing and reprising his role of Tuvok.[30]
Cultural impact
The Star Trek franchise is a multi-billion dollar industry, currently owned by CBS.[31] Gene Roddenberry sold Star Trek 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 to current problems on Earth and rectifying them through humanism and optimism[32]. 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.[33] The central trio of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy was modeled on classical mythological storytelling. Harking of human diversity and contemporaneous political circumstances, Roddenberry included a multi-ethnic crew.[32]
Star Trek and its spin-offs have proved highly popular in television repeats, and are currently shown on TV stations worldwide.[34] 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 "Trekkies" (or "Trekkers") to describe themselves. An entire subculture has grown up around the show.[35]
The Star Trek franchise is believed to have motivated the design of many current technologies, including the Tablet PC, the PDA, and mobile phones.[36] It has also brought to popular attention the concept of teleportation with its classic depiction of "matter-energy transport". Phrases such as "Beam me up, Scotty" have entered the public vernacular.[37] In 1976, following a letter-writing campaign, NASA named its first space shuttle, Enterprise, after the fictional starship.[38]
Parodies of Star Trek include the internet-based cartoon series Stone Trek and the song "Star Trekkin'".
Current status and future
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. In April 2006, the official announcement of an eleventh feature film made it probable that the franchise has not yet ended.
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 re-recorded, and the show was transferred from the original negatives in high definition. The show will eventually be syndicated in HD.[39]
Perpetual Entertainment is also developing a MMOG based on Star Trek called Star Trek Online. IDW Publishing have also bought the rights to the comic book. [40]
References
Bibliography
Major reference works related to the production and influence of the franchise include:
- 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)
- Inside Trek: My Secret Life with Star Trek Creator Gene Roddenberry by Susan Sackett (Hawk Publishing Group, 2002)
- Picard: The Academy Years by M.N.Lake (Dragon Publishing, 2005)
Footnotes
- ^ The Making of Star Trek by Stephen E. Whitfield and Gene Roddenberry
- ^ The trouble with "Trek" URL accessed August 21, 2006
- ^ a b 'Star Trek; turns 40 URL accessed August 21, 2006
- ^ Star Trek TV show URL accessed August 21, 2006
- ^ http://tv.ign.com/articles/729/729388p1.html
- ^ Star Trek Animated - The Series that ran from 1973-1974 URL accessed August 21, 2006
- ^ a b Star Trek Phase II, Planned but never executed Star Trek Series URL accessed August 21, 2006
- ^ Trivia for Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) URL accessed August 21, 2006
- ^ Star Trek: The Next Generation TV Show URL accessed August 21, 2006
- ^ Star Trek - A Short History URL accessed August 21, 2006
- ^ BBC Online - Star Trek: The Next Generation URL accessed August 21, 2006
- ^ G4 - Shows URL accessed August 21, 2006
- ^ The NEW SpikeTV.com Shows URL accessed August 21, 2006
- ^ Star Trek: Deep Space Nine TV Show URL accessed August 21, 2006
- ^ STARTREK.COM : Episode URL accessed August 21, 2006
- ^ "Review of "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges"". Retrieved 2006-10-29.
- ^ RevolutionSF - Star Trek: Voyager : Review URL accessed August 24, 2006
- ^ Star Trek: Voyager TV series reviews URL accessed August 24, 2006
- ^ STARTREK.COM : Episode (Scorpion) URL accessed August 24, 2006
- ^ STARTREK.COM : Episode (Q2) URL accessed August 24, 2006
- ^ Star Trek: Enterprise Summary URL accessed August 24, 2006
- ^ STARTREK.COM : Article URL accessed August 24, 2006
- ^ STARTREK.COM : Article URL accessed August 24, 2006
- ^ TrekToday - J.J. Abrams To Direct 'Star Trek XI' URL accessed August 24, 2006
- ^ a b STARTREK.COM : Article URL accessed July 22, 2006
- ^ See Star Trek: New Frontier and Star Trek: Titan.
- ^ Star Trek New Voyages URL accessed August 24, 2006
- ^ The Fan Films Strike Back URL accessed August 24, 2006
- ^ Star Trek Fan Film Directory URL accessed August 24, 2006
- ^ [1] URL accessed September 16, 2006
- ^ STARTREK.COM : Article URL accessed August 24, 2006
- ^ a b Social History :Star Trek as a Culteral Phenomenon URL accesses August 24, 2006
- ^ Introduction to Outer Space (1958) URL accessed August 24, 2006
- ^ TREK NATION RTF URL accessed August 24, 2006
- ^ Trekkies (1997) URL accessed August 24, 2006
- ^ 40 years since the Enterprise's inception, some of its science fiction gadgets are part of everyday life URL accessed August 24, 2006
- ^ Articles: Beam me up, Scotty! URL accessed August 24, 2006
- ^ Shuttle Orbiter Enterprise (OV-101) URL accessed August 24, 2006
- ^ "Remastering Star Trek: TOS FX, Music Enhanced". StarTrek.com. 2006-08-31. Retrieved 2006-11-20.
- ^ "IDW Boldly Goes..." IGN. 2006-10-06. Retrieved 2006-10-08.
External links
- StarTrek.com - The Official Star Trek website
- Memory Alpha - Star Trek Wiki Encyclopedia.
- TrekCore.com - Largest Star Trek Multimedia Outlet
- Fanzines - Covers and contents of Star Trek fan magazines from the 1970s
- Star Trek Minutiae - Another Star Trek Encyclopedia
- Ex Astris Scientia - Articles, discussions, and information on Star Trek
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| Cultural influence |
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