First Broadcast of Star Trek
The first broadcast of the iconic television series Star Trek premiered on September 8, 1966, on NBC. Centered around the adventures of the starship Enterprise and its crew, the show aimed to explore new worlds and engage with diverse alien cultures. Despite its initial low ratings and constant threat of cancellation, Star Trek garnered a devoted fan base, largely due to its forward-thinking portrayal of equality among genders and races. Notably, it featured the first interracial kiss on American television, reflecting societal shifts in the 1960s. The series tackled complex themes and adult content, distinguishing it from many contemporary science fiction programs aimed at children. Following its original run, Star Trek found success in syndication, leading to a surge in popularity during the 1970s, including conventions and the publication of related novels. This growing interest paved the way for numerous film adaptations, sequels, and spin-off series, significantly influencing the science fiction genre and inspiring technological innovations. The franchise's legacy continues to resonate, particularly as interest in space exploration evolves with the current landscape of space science.
First Broadcast of Star Trek
First Broadcast of Star Trek
The famous television program Star Trek made its broadcast premier on September 8, 1966. It was aired by the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), one of the three major networks existing at the time. Star Trek was the story of a spaceship of adventurers, sent on a mission of discovery and exploration throughout the galaxy aboard the starship Enterprise. A total of 79 episodes were shown over three seasons before the program was retired.
Star Trek never enjoyed high ratings and in every season it was constantly on the verge of cancellation. However, it earned a loyal fan base for several reasons. First, the excitement and idealism of the American space program translated into a certain fascination with the idea of interstellar adventure and contacting alien cultures. Second, in many ways the show was revolutionary. Men and women, and blacks and whites were shown interacting in an atmosphere of equality. A black woman (Lieutenant Uhura) was given a position of prominence in the regular cast, and participated in the first interracial kiss ever shown on network television in an episode involving herself and Captain Kirk. Third, the plots were noted for their adult content and treatment of controversial issues in an era when science fiction programs were considered fit mostly for children.
When Star Trek went into reruns, a process known as syndication, it gradually became one of the most popular programs ever shown. Throughout the 1970s the number of followers grew, and they began to hold large conventions and other gatherings. A wide variety of science fiction novels with Star Trek themes were published, thereby helping to make science fiction a popular and respectable genre of adult fiction.
Beginning in 1979 Star Trek: the Motion Picture was released. Several more Star Trek movies, all featuring members of the original cast, were produced in the 1980s. Then, from 1987 to 1994 Star Trek: The Next Generation, the television sequel to Star Trek, aired. The sequel earned not only high ratings but also critical acclaim for the quality of its plots, acting, and special effects. Evidence of science fiction's new found prestige was seen in the large budgets authorized to produce episodes of Next Generation. Several Next Generation movies followed, and so did two more Star Trek spin-offs: Star Trek Voyager and Deep Space Nine. Deep Space Nine departed somewhat from the original Star Trek premise of exploration and encounter with the unknown, but Voyager is generally regarded as staying fairly true to the original Star Trek theme.
Star Trek: Enterprise aired on television from 2001 to 2005, a prequel to the original Star Trek TV series, featuring actor Scott Bakula as Captain Jonathan Archer. It occasionally featured guest actors from Star Trek: The Next Generation. The show's cancelation ended eighteen straight years of new Star Trek television productions. The movie Star Trek: Nemesis was released in 2002, with characters from Star Trek: The Next Generation.
A series of “reboot” Star Trek films followed. The prequel movie Star Trek was released in 2009, directed by J.J. Abrams. It revised the theme with young, new actors and actresses and won an Academy Award for Best Makeup. The movie Star Trek: Into Darkness, also directed by Abrams, came out in 2013, continuing with the new cast. It was the highest-grossing movie of the Star Trek franchise, earning more than $467 million worldwide. The movie won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in 2014. A sequel, Star Trek 3, was expected to be released in 2016, with Roberto Orci as director and J. J. Abrams as producer. There were also rumors that a new television series was in the works. CBS and Paramount own the franchise.
The Star Trek franchise has been credited with spawning new ideas for technological innovations. Handheld electronics such as the cell phone and tablet were unheard of when the series first began, but Captain Kirk used a flip phone and Captain Picard had a tablet long before they were commercially developed. Medical devices that scan the human body for vital signs were often used in the show before they were invented, and this technology is now used at hospitals around the country. The last Star Trek television show was canceled at the same time that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) space shuttle program was winding down, and now the US space program is focused on unmanned missions to space. Public interest in the Star Trek franchise may revive when the US administration returns to manned exploration of space.