The Original Series

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Gene Roddenberry created Star Trek: The Original Series after years of picking up great ideas and storing them for later. Roddenberry was a prolific, award-winning writer who had a vision for what the future could look like for humanity. In Roddenberry’s future, there was no hunger, no racism, no sexism… and no money. In the 23rd Century, humanity had changed, thanks to technology and by pushing itself to the brink of destruction (with the struggles over eugenics and a third world war). Humanity matured, and our mission was beyond Earth. In Roddenberry’s vision, we worked to learn and better ourselves, rather than for riches or things.

When Star Trek debuted in 1966, it was a thunderbolt. Something which television audiences had never seen before, and would only enjoy for three short seasons. Heavily influenced by the film The Forbidden Planet and science fiction in novels, Star Trek gave audiences a view of the future where humans could travel faster than light; they had weapons that could disintegrate enemies; there were alien species who they encountered regularly; and they had access to scientific knowledge and technology beyond a layman in the 1960s wildest dreams.

Captain James T. Kirk was a passionate young leader, not unlike President John F. Kennedy. Though Kirk (artfully played by the great William Shatner) is accused of bedding more aliens than he negotiated with, the captain proved time and again that he was a capable leader for his crew of 400. His first mate, too, became a star. Leonard Nimoy’s Spock, might have seemed devilish back when Trek debuted, but now he is a mainstay of popular culture.

The gadgets and ships, however, were just props. What made Star Trek truly different was the sharp contrast of the makeup of the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise, and the morality tales each episode wove. Without making a fuss, Roddenberry placed an African American female and an Asian male as part of the bridge crew. And gosh, they seemed normal compared to the alien with the ears. To have Uhura and Sulu (and later Chekov) interact with all the rest of the crew without a second thought was a huge deal.

For three years, and 79 episodes, Star Trek thrilled audiences the world over. When it aired its last show, Roddenberry moved on and swore that he was done with the show. But thanks to persistent fans and letter writing campaigns, Trek came back for a while as an animated series, then permanently with The Motion Picture in 1979. For the next 40 years, fans have enjoyed an almost uninterrupted stream of Trek on television, in film, on paper (comics and novels), in video games and even in real life.

The Original Series

Check out our archive of reviews and rankings of each of The Original Series episodes.

News from The Original Series

We’ll bring you the latest updates and headlines from the team who brought us The Original Series, and related news here:

• An update on the status of Star Trek 4K
• Join Mark A. Altman as he kickstarts a film on the greatest year for movies — 1982
• “Arena Gorn Superstar” aims to beam fans back to Oregon theater
• Star Trek author Jeanne Kalogridis on her novels, Nimoy, and dinner with Patrick Stewart
• Look the ‘Star Trek’ part in real life thanks to Volante Design
• There’s more than meets the eye with Star Trek comic book artist Phil Murphy
• Why 800 episodes of Star Trek matters so much
• Have the Discovery writers pulled off the unthinkable?
• “The Captains Collection” gives fans an intimate look at Star Trek
• Watch the first two minutes of Star Trek: Discovery Season 3