Or no backdrop screens at all ("The Empath"). Talk about minimalist...
If you look objectively at Star Trek TOS, several things leap out. The first is that it is obviously a stage performance. From the actors pronounced stage makeup, to the minimalist sets, and the grand stage backdrop screens.
Most of the actors themselves were right out of the “westerns” productions, as were the guest stars. TOS had some interesting competition as well, such as Lost In Space, The Time Tunnel, The Invaders, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, My Favorite Martian, The Wild Wild West, etc.
And TV science fiction writing had just come through the golden age of The Twilight Zone, and Outer Limits.
How about the jump from being owned by Desi Arnez and Lucille Ball, then sold off to Paramount TV, producers of an eclectic mix of TV, such as The Andy Griffith Show, Gomer Pyle USMC, Mission:Impossible, and The Brady Bunch?
Perhaps that is the biggest problem after all. The fans didn’t care about special effects, they wanted an interesting plot line, as well as some acting. Beautiful costumes and sound effects helped as well.
Or no backdrop screens at all ("The Empath"). Talk about minimalist...