TV on Tape: Star Trek Movie Review
The inescapable fave, the 1966–69 NBC TV series set aboard the giant interstellar science-military exploration vessel U.S.S. Enterprise with its multicultural multi-species crew, led by Captain Kirk, Dr. McCoy, the emotionless Mr. Spock, and all those expendable guys in red shirts, matched against galaxies of danger, foes, riddles, and rewards. Many participants, most notoriously William Shatner, profess ignorance as to why Star Trek remains so popular.
The Hound knows. Classic Star Trek (more so than The Next Generation or the angst-ridden Deep Space Nine) is the only enduring sf of the post-JFK era to declare that tomorrow will be better than today, that mankind can surmount moral imperfections and become a force for good in the universe, instead of spawning technological nightmares (Blade Runner, The Terminator) or backsliding into neosavagery (Mad Max). With well-conceived characters, sophisticated f/x for the time, and prominent sf writers like Harlan Ellison and Theodore Sturgeon assisting, the program won two Hugos before chronic low ratings forced it off the air. Even before cancellation a subculture of “Trekkie” viewers began to boldly support the show As No Fans Had Done before, in growing numbers as the old episodes went into syndication.
Whilst Trek authorities squabble over the contributions and near-messianic status of executive producer Gene Roddenberry (compared to barely remembered original producer Gene L Coon, who died early on), there's no doubt Roddenberry's campaigns among the faithful helped revive the Star Trek franchise, after numerous false starts, with the first Trek motion picture in 1979 and the outstandingly successful Next Generation series in the 1980s. Now it's virtually impossible to imagine broadcast sf (or American popular culture) without Star Trek, and Paramount Home Video makes available all 78 Classic episodes plus “The Cage,” Roddenberry's prototype pilot (later incorporated into the two-part episode “The Menagerie”) with an excitable Spock, Jeffrey Hunter as a self-doubting captain, and notable variations in f/x, costumes, and production design.
The original Enterprise crew (except for Walter “Chekov” Koenig) did re-enlist for an NBC Saturday-morning cartoon continuation that aired from 1973 to 1975 (winning an Emmy in its final year). Though plotlines suffer from being shoe-horned into half-hour time slots, presence of some of the classic Trek scriptwriters ensured consistency and quality control. True devotees should check out the 11 volumes (2 episodes per tape) carried by Paramount Home Video for such insights as Spock's painful childhood (“Yesteryear,” Vol. 2) and the spiny creature that eats tribbles (“More Tribbles, More Troubles,” Vol. 1).
1966–69/C Selected cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelly, James Doohan, Michelle Nichols, George Takei, Walter Koenig. Hugos ‘67, ‘68: Dramatic Presentation. VHS, LV PAR, MOV