Star Trek Box Set
The science fiction TV series Star Trek was developed by Gene Roddenberry and premiered in 1966. It followed the intergalactic adventures of Captain James T. Kirk and his crew aboard the Starship Enterprise. We’ll discuss more about this show and the impact it had at that time and for many years to come.
The show focused on the adventures and challenges of Captain Kirk and his crew as they explored the far reaches of space aboard an exploration vessel during the 23rd century. As said earlier, the show debuted in 1966 and ran for three seasons.
Many people felt the show was cancelled prematurely and a strong letter writing campaign was initiated. And new techniques for profiling demographics showed that the series was very profitable. Unfortunately that information came about too late to resume production of this series.
However the show spawned the creation of four other Star Trek based series including Star Trek: The Next Generation; Star Trek: Deep Space Nine; Star Trek: Voyager; and Star Trek: Enterprise. The show also lead to the creation of six feature films utilizing the characters from this show as well as four other feature films portraying characters from follow on TV series.
This show also lead to the creation of dozens of computer and video games, hundreds of novels, and even a themed attraction in Las Vegas. To this day the show has achieved a cult following and continues to be a very visible and notable icon in entertainment.
The show was originally conceived as early as 1961 by Gene Roddenberry. At that time he drafted a proposal for a science fiction TV series which was marketed as a Western for outer space. However Roddenberry privately told friends that he intended the show to function on two levels: first as an exciting and suspenseful adventure story and as a morality story.
The series focuses on the people who serve Starfleet which is the humanitarian and peacekeeping arm of the United Federation of Planets. Those who are a part of Starfleet are human and alien species and it was interesting to note the variation of colors, shapes, and features presented.
The TV series addressed many of the social issues and struggles experienced in the 1960’s including racism, war, economics, sex, and religion. Roddenberry wanted to show how we can learn from past mistakes and develop a culture based on mutual trust and peace where hunger and poverty are eliminated.
It sent a powerful message over its relatively short run on prime time TV. However the impact it had was certainly far reaching and has continued to this day.
