(opening narration) Captain Kirk: "Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its 5 year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before."
STAR TREK is a science fiction TV series created by Gene Roddenberry which aired from September 8, 1966 until September 2, 1969. It is a well-crafted series that dramatizes important social issues, can be enjoyed on several levels, and helped make serious sci-fi respectable. Only 79 episodes were produced, plus the 1964 pilot (starring Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Christopher Pike). The pilot "The Cage" was converted into the two-part STAR TREK episode "The Menagerie".
Set in the 23rd century, STAR TREK follows the adventures of the Constitutional Class Starship USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) and her crew. The spaceship, shaped like a frisbee with 2 flashlights glued to the bottom, is a combination scientific and military vessel that explores and protects our region of the galaxy run by the United Federation of Planets. Romulans and Klingons are the major enemies of the Federation. The Enterprise has warp drive, enabling it to travel faster than light, and a matter transporter that enables people and objects to be "beamed" from place to place.
The racially mixed crew is led by Captain James Tiberius Kirk (William Shatner), an unpretentious, passionate and often aggressive American from the Midwest (Iowa). He looks very much like Buster Crabbe from the 1930's FLASH GORDON serials and says, "Well, this is an Enterprise first. Dr. McCoy, Mr. Spock and Engineer Scott find themselves in complete agreement. Can I stand the strain?" Kirk appears in all episodes except for the pilot.
Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) is the Science Officer, half-Earthling and half-Vulcan, although his Vulcan heritage dominates. He is all logic, and suppresses his human emotions. Vulcans reputedly cannot lie, but Spock is almost a pathological liar. He lies, "exaggerates", and deliberately gives false impressions in virtually every episode. His pointed ears are derived from "The Sixth Finger" episode of THE OUTER LIMITS TV show. He says, "Fascinating is a word I use for the unexpected. Interesting shall suffice here." Spock appears in all STAR TREK episodes, including the pilot.
Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley) is the ship's doctor, a warm traditionalist from the Old South (Atlanta). Kirk nicknamed him "Bones", short for "sawbones", an old pejorative for doctors. He says, "I'm not a magician, Spock, just an old country doctor." Dr. McCoy appears in 76 episodes, replacing the original Dr. Piper (Paul Fix).
Montgomery Scott (James Doohan) is the Chief Engineer, a traditional hard-drinking Scotsman. He has a reputation as a "miracle worker" for his technical skill, knowledge, determination, and resolve. He says, "On Earth, we have a saying: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." and "I canna' change the laws of physics. I've got to have thirty minutes." "Scotty" appears in 66 episodes.
Chief Navigator Hikaru Sulu (George Takei) is an Oriental technocrat with an inscrutable smile. He is helmsman with the rank of lieutenant and has many interests, including botany, fencing, and ancient weaponry. Sulu asks, "Can you give us a status report, Captain? Temperature's still dropping. Now 41 degrees below zero." He appears in 51 episodes.
Assistant Navigator Pavlov Chekov (Walter Koenig) is an impulsive and erratic Russian who was added to the show after the second season to provide representation from America's chief rival. Chekov believes most things originated in Russia and says, "Scotch was invented by a little old lady from Leningrad." He appears in 36 episodes.
Communications Officer Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) is a 1960's black stereotype, highly proficient at her job. She avoids personal revelations and romance to sidestep any race mixing. She doesn't have a first name on the show, but Roddenberry used "Niota" for her character. Both names are Swahili: "Niota" means star, and "Uhura" means freedom. Nichols said about her costume: "Well I hated the colour, that was all. It was kind of a pea green. Gene hated the colour also, and so he called Bill Theiss in and told him he wanted to change that costume, and um, so I think I wore that pea green thing for a couple of episodes and then they changed to that beautiful red." Uhura appears in 68 episodes.
Nurse Christine Chapel (Majel Barrett) is a competent blonde nurse. Majel Barrett played the brunette First Officer in the original pilot. Her acting is OK, but let's face it, she is only in the show because she was the wife of Gene Roddenberry. She says, "Oh, I'd be very happy to do that, Mr. Spock. I came to tell you that we are bound for Vulcan. We'll be there in just a few days." She appears in 33 episodes.
General Order 1 of the United Federation of Planets is the Prime Directive. It dictates that there can be no interference with the internal affairs of other civilizations. Kirk says, "A star captain's most solemn oath is that he will give his life, even his entire crew, rather than violate the Prime Directive." However, Kirk and his crew routinely violate the Prime Directive in almost every episode. But it's like Spock's lies, the audience is somehow not expected to notice.
STAR TREK is supposedly an inspirational positive view of the future. Huh? In reality, the series should be called "Nazis in Outer Space". It is highly militaristic with a hierarchical chain of command. What it portrays 300 years in the future is not much different from Earth society 2,000 years ago.
Typically the Enterprise travels millions of light years to a distant planet. What do they discover? A "Class M Planet" that is just like Earth! The people and society are exactly like those on Earth. It is explained as Hodgkin's Law and the theory of Parallel Planet Development. Sorry, I cannot suspend my disbelief about this silly ongoing scenario.
Of course the main reason for this astonishing nonsense was budget constraints. It also accounts for the overall cheapness of the show. With some exceptions, the sci-fi costumes, sets and makeup are generally cheap! And everything gets recycled from episode to episode. For example, the plastic dome on Lazarus' space ship in "Alternative Factor" (episode 26) is the dome covering the brains in the "Gamesters of Triskelion" (episode 44). Fortunately, they created a half-decent Enterprise Bridge, where most of the action takes place.
Countless actors appear on the show, including Sally Kellerman, Gary Lockwood, Ricardo Montalbalm, and Joan Collins. There were 20 writers, with Gene Roddenberry contributing to all episodes. Of the 13 directors, Marc Daniels worked on 15 episodes and Joseph Pevney on 14. The theme music is by Alexander Courage. Roddenberry, without consulting Courage, added lyrics to the music strictly to get 50% of the royalties. The lyrics have never been sung, but they are quite good. Initially there was a vocal "ahh" on the theme music, but it was removed for financial reasons, even though everbody agreed it was superior. Fred Steiner, Gerald Fried, Sol Kaplan, George Duning, and Jerry Fielding also contributed music to the show. The award-winning special effects are quite good for their time, but in September 2006, CBS Paramount TV began syndicating a high definition version of the series with new computer generated visual effects. No thanks. I'll watch the originals.
STAR TREK is a classic, familiar to virtually everyone. The best thing about it is all the characters are very charming. After this show, William Shatner seems burnt out in all his roles and his acting style is flat in comparison. Only dispensable characters ever die on STAR TREK, the original franchise. It is quite dated in some ways and not all the moralizing has aged well. But nonetheless, I must admit that it is my all time favorite and I enjoy it more than any TV show or movie I have ever watched.
Spock: "That sound was the turbulence caused by the penetration of a boundary layer, Captain." Kirk: "What boundary layer?"
Spock: "Unknown."
Kirk: "A boundary layer between what and what?"
Spock: "Between where we were and where we are."
Kirk: "Are you trying to be funny, Mr. Spock?"
Spock: "It would never occur to me, Captain."
Uhura: "Mr. Spock, sometimes I think if I hear that word frequency once more I'll cry."
Spock: "Cry?"
Uhura: "I was just trying to start a conversation." Spock: "Well, since it is illogical for a Communications Officer to resent the word frequency, I have no answer."
Uhura: "No, you have an answer. I'm an illogical woman whose beginning to feel too much part of that communications console. Why don't you tell me I'm an attractive young lady or ask me if I've ever been in love? Tell me how your planet Vulcan looks on a lazy evening when the moon is full."
Spock: "Vulcan has no moon, Ms Uhura."
Uhura: "I'm not surprised, Mr. Spock."
Dr. McCoy: "He's dead, Jim."
"I'm a doctor, not an engineer." "I'm a doctor, not a mechanic."
"I'm a doctor, not an escalator."
"What am I, a doctor or a moon shuttle conductor?"
"I'm beginning to think I can cure a rainy day."
(to himself) "If I jumped every time a light came on around here, I'd end up talking to myself."
"I signed on this ship to practice medicine, not to have my atoms scattered back and forth across space by this gadget."
"In this galaxy, there's a mathematical probability of three million Earth-type planets. And in all of the universe, three million million galaxies like this. And in all of that... and perhaps more, only one of each of us."
Sulu: "What a terrible way to die."
Kirk: "There are no good ways."
Sulu: "Once in Siberia, there was a meteor so great that it flattened whole forests and was felt as..."
Kirk: "Mr. Sulu, If I'd wanted a Russian history lesson, I'd have brought along Mr. Chekov."
Kirk: "Mr. Spock, you'd make a wonderful computer."
Spock: "That is very kind of you sir."
Kirk: "Spock, give me an update on the dark area ahead."
Spock: "No analysis due to insufficient information."
Kirk: "No speculation, no information, nothing? I've asked you three times for information on that thing and you've been unable to supply it. Insufficient information is not sufficient, Mr. Spock! You're the Science Officer. You're supposed to have sufficient data all the time."
Kirk: "Those of you who have served for long on this vessel have encountered alien life-forms. You know the greatest danger facing us is ourselves, and irrational fear of the unknown. But there's no such thing as the unknown, only things temporarily hidden, temporarily not understood."
STAR TREK BLOOPERS is the most famous of "blooper reels", a collection of cast cut-ups and blown scenes. The short Blooper film made its way around STAR TREK Conventions in the 1970's where Gene Roddenberry charged a $5 admission fee. Eventually it became available on home video as 25 minutes of flubbed lines, props that malfunction, and on-the-set antics by the cast. The picture quality is watchable but not good. It's only amusing at times, and basically disappointing. Shatner and the others often break out in hysterical laughter. Everybody is having fun on the set at all times. The fragments are nicely packaged, and one sexy scene with Kirk and Shana from "Gamesters of Triskelion" (episode 44) is looped. Some other astonishing clips should also be looped, such as the cast go-go dancing on the revolving platform in "What are little girls made of?" (episode 7). We get to hear Kirk say "s**t" and in another scene Spock puts his hand on Kirk's shoulder and says, "It's alright, baby. I made a mistake this morning." Supposedly some of the out-takes were obtained from dumpsters outside the STAR TREK editing facility. But on some clips you can hear Shatner say "Save it please" after amusing mistakes, so obviously some of the scenes came from the cast, crew, or Roddenberry. It's fascinating if your expectations do not include entertainment, and is required viewing for all Star Trek fans. This is our only video behind-the scenes peek at the making of one of the best TV shows ever produced.
STAR TREK is a science fiction TV series created by Gene Roddenberry which aired from September 8, 1966 until September 2, 1969. It is a well-crafted series that dramatizes important social issues, can be enjoyed on several levels, and helped make serious sci-fi respectable. Only 79 episodes were produced, plus the 1964 pilot (starring Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Christopher Pike). The pilot "The Cage" was converted into the two-part STAR TREK episode "The Menagerie".
Set in the 23rd century, STAR TREK follows the adventures of the Constitutional Class Starship USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) and her crew. The spaceship, shaped like a frisbee with 2 flashlights glued to the bottom, is a combination scientific and military vessel that explores and protects our region of the galaxy run by the United Federation of Planets. Romulans and Klingons are the major enemies of the Federation. The Enterprise has warp drive, enabling it to travel faster than light, and a matter transporter that enables people and objects to be "beamed" from place to place.
The racially mixed crew is led by Captain James Tiberius Kirk (William Shatner), an unpretentious, passionate and often aggressive American from the Midwest (Iowa). He looks very much like Buster Crabbe from the 1930's FLASH GORDON serials and says, "Well, this is an Enterprise first. Dr. McCoy, Mr. Spock and Engineer Scott find themselves in complete agreement. Can I stand the strain?" Kirk appears in all episodes except for the pilot.
Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) is the Science Officer, half-Earthling and half-Vulcan, although his Vulcan heritage dominates. He is all logic, and suppresses his human emotions. Vulcans reputedly cannot lie, but Spock is almost a pathological liar. He lies, "exaggerates", and deliberately gives false impressions in virtually every episode. His pointed ears are derived from "The Sixth Finger" episode of THE OUTER LIMITS TV show. He says, "Fascinating is a word I use for the unexpected. Interesting shall suffice here." Spock appears in all STAR TREK episodes, including the pilot.
Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley) is the ship's doctor, a warm traditionalist from the Old South (Atlanta). Kirk nicknamed him "Bones", short for "sawbones", an old pejorative for doctors. He says, "I'm not a magician, Spock, just an old country doctor." Dr. McCoy appears in 76 episodes, replacing the original Dr. Piper (Paul Fix).
Montgomery Scott (James Doohan) is the Chief Engineer, a traditional hard-drinking Scotsman. He has a reputation as a "miracle worker" for his technical skill, knowledge, determination, and resolve. He says, "On Earth, we have a saying: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." and "I canna' change the laws of physics. I've got to have thirty minutes." "Scotty" appears in 66 episodes.
Chief Navigator Hikaru Sulu (George Takei) is an Oriental technocrat with an inscrutable smile. He is helmsman with the rank of lieutenant and has many interests, including botany, fencing, and ancient weaponry. Sulu asks, "Can you give us a status report, Captain? Temperature's still dropping. Now 41 degrees below zero." He appears in 51 episodes.
Assistant Navigator Pavlov Chekov (Walter Koenig) is an impulsive and erratic Russian who was added to the show after the second season to provide representation from America's chief rival. Chekov believes most things originated in Russia and says, "Scotch was invented by a little old lady from Leningrad." He appears in 36 episodes.
Communications Officer Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) is a 1960's black stereotype, highly proficient at her job. She avoids personal revelations and romance to sidestep any race mixing. She doesn't have a first name on the show, but Roddenberry used "Niota" for her character. Both names are Swahili: "Niota" means star, and "Uhura" means freedom. Nichols said about her costume: "Well I hated the colour, that was all. It was kind of a pea green. Gene hated the colour also, and so he called Bill Theiss in and told him he wanted to change that costume, and um, so I think I wore that pea green thing for a couple of episodes and then they changed to that beautiful red." Uhura appears in 68 episodes.
Nurse Christine Chapel (Majel Barrett) is a competent blonde nurse. Majel Barrett played the brunette First Officer in the original pilot. Her acting is OK, but let's face it, she is only in the show because she was the wife of Gene Roddenberry. She says, "Oh, I'd be very happy to do that, Mr. Spock. I came to tell you that we are bound for Vulcan. We'll be there in just a few days." She appears in 33 episodes.
General Order 1 of the United Federation of Planets is the Prime Directive. It dictates that there can be no interference with the internal affairs of other civilizations. Kirk says, "A star captain's most solemn oath is that he will give his life, even his entire crew, rather than violate the Prime Directive." However, Kirk and his crew routinely violate the Prime Directive in almost every episode. But it's like Spock's lies, the audience is somehow not expected to notice.
STAR TREK is supposedly an inspirational positive view of the future. Huh? In reality, the series should be called "Nazis in Outer Space". It is highly militaristic with a hierarchical chain of command. What it portrays 300 years in the future is not much different from Earth society 2,000 years ago.
Typically the Enterprise travels millions of light years to a distant planet. What do they discover? A "Class M Planet" that is just like Earth! The people and society are exactly like those on Earth. It is explained as Hodgkin's Law and the theory of Parallel Planet Development. Sorry, I cannot suspend my disbelief about this silly ongoing scenario.
Of course the main reason for this astonishing nonsense was budget constraints. It also accounts for the overall cheapness of the show. With some exceptions, the sci-fi costumes, sets and makeup are generally cheap! And everything gets recycled from episode to episode. For example, the plastic dome on Lazarus' space ship in "Alternative Factor" (episode 26) is the dome covering the brains in the "Gamesters of Triskelion" (episode 44). Fortunately, they created a half-decent Enterprise Bridge, where most of the action takes place.
Countless actors appear on the show, including Sally Kellerman, Gary Lockwood, Ricardo Montalbalm, and Joan Collins. There were 20 writers, with Gene Roddenberry contributing to all episodes. Of the 13 directors, Marc Daniels worked on 15 episodes and Joseph Pevney on 14. The theme music is by Alexander Courage. Roddenberry, without consulting Courage, added lyrics to the music strictly to get 50% of the royalties. The lyrics have never been sung, but they are quite good. Initially there was a vocal "ahh" on the theme music, but it was removed for financial reasons, even though everbody agreed it was superior. Fred Steiner, Gerald Fried, Sol Kaplan, George Duning, and Jerry Fielding also contributed music to the show. The award-winning special effects are quite good for their time, but in September 2006, CBS Paramount TV began syndicating a high definition version of the series with new computer generated visual effects. No thanks. I'll watch the originals.
STAR TREK is a classic, familiar to virtually everyone. The best thing about it is all the characters are very charming. After this show, William Shatner seems burnt out in all his roles and his acting style is flat in comparison. Only dispensable characters ever die on STAR TREK, the original franchise. It is quite dated in some ways and not all the moralizing has aged well. But nonetheless, I must admit that it is my all time favorite and I enjoy it more than any TV show or movie I have ever watched.
Spock: "That sound was the turbulence caused by the penetration of a boundary layer, Captain." Kirk: "What boundary layer?"
Spock: "Unknown."
Kirk: "A boundary layer between what and what?"
Spock: "Between where we were and where we are."
Kirk: "Are you trying to be funny, Mr. Spock?"
Spock: "It would never occur to me, Captain."
Uhura: "Mr. Spock, sometimes I think if I hear that word frequency once more I'll cry."
Spock: "Cry?"
Uhura: "I was just trying to start a conversation." Spock: "Well, since it is illogical for a Communications Officer to resent the word frequency, I have no answer."
Uhura: "No, you have an answer. I'm an illogical woman whose beginning to feel too much part of that communications console. Why don't you tell me I'm an attractive young lady or ask me if I've ever been in love? Tell me how your planet Vulcan looks on a lazy evening when the moon is full."
Spock: "Vulcan has no moon, Ms Uhura."
Uhura: "I'm not surprised, Mr. Spock."
Dr. McCoy: "He's dead, Jim."
"I'm a doctor, not an engineer." "I'm a doctor, not a mechanic."
"I'm a doctor, not an escalator."
"What am I, a doctor or a moon shuttle conductor?"
"I'm beginning to think I can cure a rainy day."
(to himself) "If I jumped every time a light came on around here, I'd end up talking to myself."
"I signed on this ship to practice medicine, not to have my atoms scattered back and forth across space by this gadget."
"In this galaxy, there's a mathematical probability of three million Earth-type planets. And in all of the universe, three million million galaxies like this. And in all of that... and perhaps more, only one of each of us."
Sulu: "What a terrible way to die."
Kirk: "There are no good ways."
Sulu: "Once in Siberia, there was a meteor so great that it flattened whole forests and was felt as..."
Kirk: "Mr. Sulu, If I'd wanted a Russian history lesson, I'd have brought along Mr. Chekov."
Kirk: "Mr. Spock, you'd make a wonderful computer."
Spock: "That is very kind of you sir."
Kirk: "Spock, give me an update on the dark area ahead."
Spock: "No analysis due to insufficient information."
Kirk: "No speculation, no information, nothing? I've asked you three times for information on that thing and you've been unable to supply it. Insufficient information is not sufficient, Mr. Spock! You're the Science Officer. You're supposed to have sufficient data all the time."
Kirk: "Those of you who have served for long on this vessel have encountered alien life-forms. You know the greatest danger facing us is ourselves, and irrational fear of the unknown. But there's no such thing as the unknown, only things temporarily hidden, temporarily not understood."
STAR TREK BLOOPERS is the most famous of "blooper reels", a collection of cast cut-ups and blown scenes. The short Blooper film made its way around STAR TREK Conventions in the 1970's where Gene Roddenberry charged a $5 admission fee. Eventually it became available on home video as 25 minutes of flubbed lines, props that malfunction, and on-the-set antics by the cast. The picture quality is watchable but not good. It's only amusing at times, and basically disappointing. Shatner and the others often break out in hysterical laughter. Everybody is having fun on the set at all times. The fragments are nicely packaged, and one sexy scene with Kirk and Shana from "Gamesters of Triskelion" (episode 44) is looped. Some other astonishing clips should also be looped, such as the cast go-go dancing on the revolving platform in "What are little girls made of?" (episode 7). We get to hear Kirk say "s**t" and in another scene Spock puts his hand on Kirk's shoulder and says, "It's alright, baby. I made a mistake this morning." Supposedly some of the out-takes were obtained from dumpsters outside the STAR TREK editing facility. But on some clips you can hear Shatner say "Save it please" after amusing mistakes, so obviously some of the scenes came from the cast, crew, or Roddenberry. It's fascinating if your expectations do not include entertainment, and is required viewing for all Star Trek fans. This is our only video behind-the scenes peek at the making of one of the best TV shows ever produced.
