September 8, 2023 – Star Trek

Happy Star Trek Day! This is the day in 1966 that the original TV show debuted on NBC. It was created by Gene Rodenberry, who marketed it as a Western in outer space. In 1964, He presented a brief treatment for a TV series to Desilu Productions. As the head of Desilu, Lucille Ball was instrumental in approving the production of the series. They worked with Rodenberry to develop a script and then pitched it to NBC.
The show initially enjoyed high ratings, but by the end of the first season, it had dropped to 52nd place. When they didn’t improve, NBC threatened to cancel the show after the 2nd season. But the show’s devoted fanbase came together for an unprecedented letter-writing campaign, petitioning NBC to keep the show on the air. They ended up renewing the show, but moved it to the “Friday night death slot” and significantly reduced its budget. Rodenberry quit as producer in protest, and the show was cancelled after 3 season and 79 episodes.
To help recoup some production losses, Desilu, which had been renamed to Paramount Television, licensed the show’s syndication rights. Rerans started in 1969, and by the late 70s, the series was airing in more than 150 domestic and 60 international markets. Star Trek developed a cult following that was stronger than its popularity during its original run. The first Star Trek convention was held in New York City in 1972. Only a few hundred fans were expected, but several thousand showed up.
The show was groundbreaking for being one of the first to feature a multiracial cast. At the time, it was pretty controversial to have an Enterprise crew with a Japanese helmsman, a Russian navigator, and a black female communications officer. Today, Star Trek is the most successful science fiction brand originating on TV, with a worth of more than $6 billion. And Klingon is the most spoken fictional language in the world. Learn more here.