Line #208 Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries


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8	[[caption-width-right:350:The senior crew of the USS ''Enterprise'' (NCC-1701), 2265–2270.[[note]]Left to right, top row: [[TheCaptain James T]]. [[BoldExplorer Kirk]], [[TheStoic Spock]], [[TheMedic Leonard H]]. [[TheHeart "Bones" [=McCoy=]]]; bottom row: [[CommunicationsOfficer Nyota Uhura]], [[AcePilot Hikaru Sulu]], [[EnsignNewbie Pavel Chekov]], and [[GadgeteerGenius Montgomery "Scotty" Scott]].[[/note]]]]
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10
11	->''"Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship ''Enterprise''. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before!"''
12	-->-- '''Captain James T. Kirk''', the legendary OpeningNarration
13
14	''Star Trek'' is the first show in the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' franchise. After the release of multiple spinoff series and movies, it has been [[{{Retronym}} retroactively called]] ''Star Trek: The Original Series'' to differentiate it from the franchise as a whole.
15
16	The origin of the show came when Creator/GeneRoddenberry was looking to write hard-hitting political and moral commentary and could not do so with the regular dramas of the time. He deduced that by creating a science fiction show borrowing heavily from the film ''Film/ForbiddenPlanet'', he could slip in such commentary disguised as metaphors for the various current events. As such he pitched ''Star Trek'' to the networks as a merging of the two most popular genres of the time, [[WagonTrainToTheStars science fiction anthologies and]] ''[[WagonTrainToTheStars Westerns]]''.[[note]]Notably, he pitched it as "Series/WagonTrain [[RecycledInSpace in space]]", not "[[BeamMeUpScotty Wagon Train To The Stars]]".[[/note]]
17
18	While troublesome to produce, the show was a major TropeMaker, especially in ScienceFiction (each of the three main characters has a trope named after them, and that's just for starters!). The cast was a dynamic mix of ethnicities and cultures, and while the focus was nearly always on [[TheKirk Kirk]], [[TheSpock Spock]] and [[TheMcCoy McCoy]], they still had a [[TokenEnemyMinority Russian]], [[YellowPeril an Asian]] and [[HumansAreWhite a black]] African [[TwoferTokenMinority woman]] in positions of [[OfficerAndAGentleman responsibility, authority and respect]], despite [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII recent]], [[UsefulNotes/ColdWar brewing]] or [[UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement ongoing]] conflicts concerning people of those ethnicities in RealLife. According to the cast members, near ''everyone'' in Hollywood wanted to be a part of ''Star Trek'' because of the steps forward it was making. In particular, Creator/GeorgeTakei said that almost every Asian actor wanted to be Sulu because they wouldn't be required to use an Asian accent or engage in Asian martial arts, instead [[DefiedTrope breaking cultural stigma]] by being a practitioner of European fencing.[[note]]Takei facetiously put down fencing on his resume so he wouldn't be given a katana; once it came up in the script, he got a crash course the weekend before filming. He remains an avid fencer to this day.[[/note]] This also resulted in attracting multiple high-profile guest stars and guest writers, including Creator/HarlanEllison, Creator/TheodoreSturgeon and Creator/RichardMatheson. Plots varied widely in quality from episode to episode and from season to season, depending upon who was writing and/or directing. [[GenreBusting An episode chosen at random can be anything from high camp to geopolitical allegory to genuinely intelligent drama, and is likely to be at least two out of those three]].
19
20	In some ways the show was [[FairForItsDay way ahead of its time]]; in other ways, it is [[UnintentionalPeriodPiece a product of its time]]. The women usually (but not always) [[StayInTheKitchen appeared in the roles of assistants and secretaries]], wearing go-go boots and miniskirts.[[note]]At least some of that was due to ExecutiveMeddling; additionally, Grace Lee Whitney has mentioned that the female regulars [[ValuesDissonance objected to initial efforts to have them wear pants]] because they ''preferred'' [[LegFocus showing off their legs]]. Whitney and Nichelle Nichols were both professional dancers, and Nichols used to whipstitch her skirt shorter in between takes because ''she'' thought it was too long, leading to a few shots where [[PantyShot you can see her matching panties]].[[/note]] While the visual design of the show was ambitious, the actual production quality has not aged well.
21
22	The show did have some developmental history before it came to air. The original ''Trek'' pilot featured Captain Pike played by Creator/JeffreyHunter, and Creator/MajelBarrett as [[NumberOne his first officer]]. The pilot was praised by the network as great science fiction, but was considered "[[ViewersAreMorons too cerebral]]" for the target audience and [[ScifiGhetto not as action-packed as the network wanted to market it]]. This resulted in a near entire-cast replacement for a second pilot episode, except for Spock. In fact, Doctor [=McCoy=] didn't appear until after the second pilot was filmed. However, that first pilot has remained as part of the franchise canon and did not go to waste--Roddenberry used a lot of it for the series' only two-parter, "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E11TheMenageriePartI The Menagerie]]," which proved a Hugo science fiction award winner, and the pilot has been included in various releases of the series. Captain Pike himself was recast in ''Film/StarTrek2009'' by Creator/BruceGreenwood, and played by Creator/AnsonMount in the second season of ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' (with Creator/RebeccaRomijn as Number One, Creator/EthanPeck as Spock, and the ''Enterprise'' herself), wherein afterwards Pike received his own show called ''Series/StarTrekStrangeNewWorlds'', coming full circle.
23
24	While the show was considered popular with general audiences[[note]]the actors and studio were flooded with mail, and there was a huge amount of tie-in merchandise almost immediately and plenty of demand for more[[/note]], the [[ScrewedByTheNetwork Nielsen ratings branded it a flop]]. Star Trek barely managed three seasons before being officially canceled, with a [[UnCanceled close call on the second season]]. Within a few weeks of its cancellation was [[UsefulNotes/TheSpaceRace the monumental first Moon Landing]], and as a result the subsequent reruns of ''Star Trek'' were [[VindicatedByHistory more popular than the original run]]. Television was also changing at the time, starting to account for {{demographics}} along with overall ratings, and found that ''Star Trek'' had snagged the most coveted 18–35 male group that nearly every show was aiming for. ''Star Trek'' conventions were jammed with thousands of dedicated fans, and seeing the potential for a revisit led into production for a new TV series. The first attempt was ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekTheAnimatedSeries'' in 1973, which suffered from {{Creator/Filmation}}'s cheap production values, but more than compensated by having most of the original writers and cast, producing a great series that earned the franchise's first Emmy Award. Later in the decade, in the hope of creating a Paramount television network, a new ''Star Trek'' series was developed, dubbed ''Star Trek: Phase II''. After Paramount's owner ditched the network plan, the intended pilot was [[{{Retool}} reworked]] into the first ''Star Trek'' [[TheMovie feature film]], ''Film/StarTrekTheMotionPicture'', in 1979, after the monumental success of ''Franchise/StarWars''. This led to an ongoing film series, the success of which led to the SequelSeries in 1987, ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', and another 18 straight years of ''Franchise/StarTrek'' on television.
25
26	[[OfferVoidInNebraska If you're in the US]], you can watch all of the episodes on the Creator/ParamountPlus streaming service. This show also has a tool for gathering and voting on [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/crowner.php/BestEpisode/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Favorite Episodes]]. And [[Recap/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries over here]] we have a {{Recap}} page.
27
28	The subtitle "The Original Series" is a {{Retronym}} used solely for commercial clarification once ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' came out. It has always been referred to as ''Star Trek'' in its own opening sequence.
29
30	Shatner returned to {{Creator/Paramount}} Television (which succeeded Creator/DesiluStudios as the show's production company during the second season) in 1975 for the series ''Series/BarbaryCoast'', which was not nearly as successful as ''Star Trek'', lasting only one season. Nimoy also continued with PTV after ''Star Trek'' ended, joining the cast of ''Series/MissionImpossible'', which also began under Desilu.
31
32	!!Common plots:
33
34	* ''[[RuleOfDrama Something]]'' will threaten the ship and wreak havoc with the crew, either by [[ThePlague harming them directly]], [[RealityWarper manipulating laws of physics/reality]] or [[MindScrew screwing with people's minds]].
35	* Kirk leads a landing party to a [[PlanetOfHats planet with a single major defining element in their culture]]. Commonly, it will be [[CuttingCorners a society that perfectly mirrors one from Earth's history]].[[note]]No need to build new sets for an alien planet when you can just shoot a local city street and reuse props designed for the Roman Empire![[/note]] Their hosts rudely steal their communicators and phasers, [[{{Jerkass}} usually because they just can't bear to let them leave]]. Lots of running around and fistfights ensue. Expect at least one RedShirt to bite the dust. At the end, Kirk gives a [[KirkSummation speech to point out what's wrong with the planet's culture]]. Alternatively, the people on the planet will be a worshipping a "[[PhysicalGod god]]" [[MachineWorship who turns out to be a computer]] that [[OrderIsNotGood controls every aspect of its citizens’ lives]]. Kirk will then [[KillTheGod destroy it]] to emancipate them, acknowledging that while their new life [[BothOrderAndChaosAreDangerous may become equally dangerous]], freedom is a right [[LibertyOverProsperity that should never be sacrificed]].
36
37	!!Character profiles and roles in the script:
38
39	* [[TheKirk James Tiberius Kirk]] (Creator/WilliamShatner): TheCaptain, a space-age Literature/HoratioHornblower with a strong, complex personality. A [[CulturedWarrior veteran of war]], and hundreds of planetary explorations and space emergencies, he's [[TheChainsOfCommanding fully and deeply aware of his responsibilities]], and has a tendency to push himself beyond his limits. [[CommonKnowledge He's gained an unfair reputation]] as a MilitaryMaverick and EthicalSlut who [[BoldlyComing sleeps]] with [[GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe Green-Skinned Space Babes]].[[note]]See "[[http://strangehorizons.com/non-fiction/columns/freshly-rememberd-kirk-drift/ Kirk Drift]]", an article by Erin Horáková that puts a lot of this shift in how he's perceived into cultural and historical context.[[/note]]
40	* [[TheSpock Spock]] (Creator/LeonardNimoy): [[NumberTwo The ship's exec]] and [[AwesomeByAnalysis Science Officer]], in charge of all scientific departments. His Human-Vulcan heritage was intended as an emphasis that we are out in space and alien people are common. While he is [[TheStoic very emotionally reserved]] as a matter of [[ProudScholarRace Vulcan cultural tradition]], in truth, [[ChildOfTwoWorlds he is as human as much as he is Vulcan]]. As a child, he was bullied [[FantasticRacism for his mixed heritage]], causing him to occasionally [[StrawVulcan act in rejection of his human half]] (Thus, calling him "cold-blooded" or "unfeeling" will result in [[InsultBackfire him thanking you]] for the "compliment"). But [[SugarAndIcePersonality he is not as cold as he seems]].
41	* [[TheMcCoy Leonard "Bones" McCoy]] (Creator/DeForestKelley): [[TheMedic Chief Medical Officer]], TheHeart, and TheWatson. The least "military" person on the ship. Given a PromotionToOpeningTitles in the second season.
42	* Montgomery "Scotty" Scott (Creator/JamesDoohan): The [[TheEngineer Chief Engineer]] from UsefulNotes/{{Scotland}}, both [[TheReliableOne a reliable officer]] and [[BraveScot daring in battle]].
43	* Nyota Uhura (Creator/NichelleNichols): From the United States of Africa, she's an expert in [[SubspaceAnsible all ship's systems related to communication]]. Today she's considered a TwoferTokenMinority. Serving as the CommunicationsOfficer and occasional helmswoman, she was essentially a glorified telephone operator.[[note]]She didn't even have a first name until Creator/WilliamRotsler gave her the name "Nyota" in his 1982 guidebook ''Star Trek II Biographies'' --it's the Swahili word for "star." Nichols enthusiastically approved, and used the name everywhere and anywhere possible from then on.[[/note]] Nonetheless, [[FairForItsDay at the time]], this was almost unthinkable authority to place in the hands of a woman ''or'' a minority, so when Nichols considered leaving the show she was talked out of it by none other than UsefulNotes/MartinLutherKingJr
44	* Hikaru Sulu (Creator/GeorgeTakei): A compulsive hobbyist (botany, gun collecting, fencing) and a FanOfThePast. The ship's [[AcePilot helmsman]], again an almost unthinkable position then for a minority, ''especially'' [[TokenMinority an Asian]].
45	* Pavel Chekov (Creator/WalterKoenig): [[SixthRanger Added in the second season]], a [[TagalongKid young ensign]] with a [[Music/TheMonkees Monkees]]-esque hairstyle and [[FakeRussian a bad Russian accent]] who serves as the Enterprise's [[GuyInBack weapons officer]]. His [[TheGadfly tendency to joke]] - the most common being to [[GloriousMotherRussia falsely attribute everything good in the universe to "Mother Russia"]] - was a RunningGag.
46	* Christine Chapel (Creator/MajelBarrett): Ship's [[HospitalHottie nurse]] in MadLove with Spock. Given TheCameo in a couple of the films.
47	* Yeoman Janice Rand (Creator/GraceLeeWhitney): MsFanservice with a BeehiveHairdo. The original BridgeBunny literally -- early reviews of the series called her a "Playboy Bunny–type waitress." She was supposed to be one of numerous yeomen, a "succession of young actresses, always lovely". The yeomen served Kirk as an executive secretary, valet and military aide and were supposed to be treated as completely equal with men of the same rank. Rand and Kirk had UnresolvedSexualTension until she fell victim to ChuckCunninghamSyndrome.[[note]]By her own account, she was raped by an "executive" attached to the show -- her description fits Roddenberry himself -- and subsequently fired.[[/note]] Given TheCameo in a few of the films.
48	* Harcourt Fenton "Harry" Mudd (Roger C. Carmel): TheTrickster, ConMan, and all-around scoundrel, Mudd was the focus of two episodes, and another in [[WesternAnimation/StarTrekTheAnimatedSeries the animated series]].
49	* Cyrano Jones: A more affable, less competent [[TheTrickster Trickster]] than Harry, who likewise reappears in an episode of [[WesternAnimation/StarTrekTheAnimatedSeries the animated series]].
50	* Khan Noonien Singh: An AffablyEvil HumanPopsicle and [[DesignerBabies Designer Baby]] {{Ubermensch}} who was once an EvilOverlord. Though [[SmallRoleBigImpact he only appeared in one episode]], he later became TheUnfettered of the [[Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan second movie]].
51	* Lieutenants Leslie and Kyle: The two most prominent RedShirt characters. The former appeared in the background of most episodes and even managed to come BackFromTheDead, and is [[MemeticMutation known as]] "King of the Redshirts"; the latter was the only Redshirt to have a steady job (transporter chief) and frequent dialogue, making him the closest thing the series had to a MauveShirt. He even [[TheCameo appeared]] in [[Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan one movie]] and [[WesternAnimation/StarTrekTheAnimatedSeries the animated series]].
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53
54	%% The tropes that a work named is trivia and belongs on the Trivia tab.
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56	----
57	!!This series provides examples of the following tropes:
58	[[index]]
59	* [[StarTrekTheOriginalSeries/TropesAToL Tropes A-L]]
60	* [[StarTrekTheOriginalSeries/TropesMToZ Tropes M-Z]]
61	[[/index]]
62	----

Context Series / StarTrekTheOriginalSeries