Interested in Star Trek history? Any Star Trek fan should know the history of the show and how it came about. Check out these interesting Star Trek facts:
A Western in Space
The original Star Trek premiered in 1966 and was pitched as a Western set in outer space. The creator of the series, Gene Roddenberry, conceived of the show as an action series with morals, a television series that would both entertain and inspire thought about the morality behind decisions. Roddenberry used the format of Star Trek to address social issues such as racism, violence and class warfare while providing an exciting adventure show that was easy to enjoy.
Not a Success at First
NBC didn't care for the original pilot created by Rodenberry, but asked him to create a second pilot, which they approved. Star Trek was nearly canceled after its second season, but a letter-writing campaign convinced the network to keep it on the air for one more year.
After the show was canceled, the reruns became so popular that a large cult following developed. As a result, Filmation and Paramount Television launched Star Trek: The Animated Series, which ran for two years from 1973-1974. A new Star Trek Phase 2 series was planned, but funding fell through.
During this time, science fiction movies began to see great success. Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind both did well in the box office, so the plans for Star Trek Phase 2 were transformed into the screenplay for the first Star Trek movie, titled Star Trek: The Motion Picture. The movie was released in 1979 and did well enough to secure support for a sequel. All told, as of 2009, eleven Star Trek movies have been released. The most recent movie was titled simply Star Trek, and was reworked by LOST producer JJ Abrams and a completely new creative team. A 12th movie is currently in the works.
The Next Generation
Because of the popularity of the Star Trek movies, Star Trek returned to the television screen to the delight of fans. In 1987, Star Trek: The Next Generation began to air. The series was extremely popular and ran for seven years. Gene Rodenberry remained involved in the Star Trek universe until his death in 1991 at age 70.
In 1993, a spin off from Star Trek: The Next Generation began, titled Deep Space Nine. This much darker series dealt with an ongoing war and featured several crossovers with The Next Generation. Although Deep Space Nine never gained the popularity of The Next Generation, it lasted for seven seasons.
Star Trek: Voyager was released in 1995 and ran for seven seasons. This series expanded the Star Trek universe, following a starship that was thrown far beyond the reaches of known space and the attempts of the crew to get back to Earth.
A final Star Trek spin off, titled Enterprise, aired in 2001, but it never enjoyed the viewer loyalty of the earlier shows. It lasted for four seasons.
A wide host of books, comic books, video games, short stories and toys have been created from the various TV series and movies.
The Star Trek women have always been intelligent, insightful, commanding and diverse. Check out the Star Trek women who have graced the television scene since the inception of the series and see the shift in the portrayal of women on television. |
The list of Star Trek characters from the original series is deliberately varied. Creator Gene Roddenberry wanted viewers to see a future where political, racial and even interstellar differences no longer kept people from working together. |
Every fan has their favorite funny Star Trek quotes. See if your favorites made our list. |
Wondering how to create your own Star Trek costumes? Learn what you'll need to dress as a favorite character from the original series. |
If you're into collecting fun Star Trek facts, you'll love this treasure trove of trivia. |
