Star Trek’s Slow Start

AmericanHeritage.com ^ | 09/07/06

[KevinDavis]

“Captain's log, stardate 1513.1. Our position, orbiting planet M-113. Onboard the Enterprise, Mr. Spock, temporarily in command. On the planet, the ruins of an ancient and long dead civilization. Ship’s surgeon McCoy and myself are now beaming down to the planet’s surface.” With these words, a new television series made its debut 40 earth years ago this week. It was a flop.

The show featured the crew of the Starship Enterprise, whose mission was “to explore strange new worlds.” It was canceled after three seasons. Yet despite that failure, Star Trek was destined to go where no television series had gone before. It would become one of the most far-reaching of all entertainment franchises and evolve into an ever-present cultural landmark.

Early television had seen a few science fiction series, including Captain Video and Space Rangers, but the genre didn’t seem well suited to the small screen. Production costs were high, and the stories were often weird. Studios liked simple, inexpensive sets; viewers liked familiarity.

[KevinDavis]

40 years ago tomorrow Star Trek started.. I did not see it when it first came out.. I was born in 1970.. My first sci-fi show was Battlestar Galatica.. The classic one.. I did not hear of Star Trek until Star Trek The Motion Picture..

[KevinDavis]

[osideplanner]

Twilight Zone

[Sybeck1]

[Sybeck1]

Captain Kirk was my first hero. Probably the reason it took me long to commit.

[GoLightly]

You're making me feel sooo old. LOL

[KevinDavis]

LOL!!!!

[GoLightly]

Outer Limits, My Favorite Martian.

[KevinDavis]

Saw those in repeats...

[GoLightly]

The Outer Limits scared the begeebers outta me, back in the day.

[rawcatslyentist]

The Federations Uniforms dont compare to the "High" tech uniforms of the Science Patrol!

Why the Science Patrol from the Ultraman series (1966) was so advanced their spoken words didn't even synch with their mouths!
They had the shoulder communicators, phaser guns both single and dual hand helds, plus those really cool speed racer style helmets!
I almost forgot the monster indicator tie clips! LOL

[KevinDavis]

Did you ever see the new Outer Limits???

[GoLightly]

Did you ever see the new Outer Limits???

Indeed. Before I got cable it was among the programs I considered to be must see TV. Seems I keep catching the same few reruns whenever I run across it now.

[Lurker]

I loved Ultraman!

L

[freedumb2003]

From MEMORY:

"Ultraman, Ultraman
Here he comes from the sky
Ultraman, Ultraman
watch our hero guy.

From a million miles he comes
from distant planet away
comes our hero of the land
comes our hero Ultraman!"


Or something like that...

[finnman69]

the original Star Trek is getting updated

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1694089/posts

[united1000]

You're making me feel sooo old. LOL

 

Man, me too!  I've watched it from the very first show..............

[united1000]

When I was very young, there was a show on called  - Inner Sanctum, or something like that.  I don't remember the show only that at the start of it there was  this real creaking door sound....... I can still hear it.......  Now does that ever date me........

[GoLightly]

You sent me on a google quest.

http://www.radiohof.org/adventuredrama/innersanctum.html

The little button on the radio plays that old creak that you remember.

I grew up during a time when everyone had TV. They were black & white mind you, but they had picture tubes bigger than the window of the front loading wash machines at the laundromat. The washing machine at home had a wringer & my mom's washday pants were plaid peddle pushers. They looked very sharp with her saddle shoes.

[nuke rocketeer]

I remember watching the first episode that night. Living out in the boonies of West Texas, we could get only one TV station and that was the NBC affiliate in Midland. We watched it and I was hooked at 10 yrs old.