'Star Trek' boldly marking 50 years

On Sept. 8, 1966, the starship Enterprise began a five-year mission “to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.” The original “Star Trek” television series would come up two years short of that five-year mission, when it was canceled after three seasons.

But, the “final frontier” has been anything but final as “Star Trek” has continued through six TV series, 12 movies and hundreds of books, video games, comic books and toys. “Star Trek Beyond,” which opens July 21 with evening screenings, is the latest addition to the canon, marking the 13th film in the franchise.

The original “Star Trek” series did not have an easy path to the stars.

Creator Gene Roddenberry, who began his career as a writer for television Westerns such as “Bat Masterson” and “Have Gun Will Travel,” pitched the new show as a kind of “Wagon Train to the stars.” But he confided to friends a loftier aspiration — to create a science-fiction show in the spirit of Jonathan Swift's “Gulliver's Travels” that would combine suspenseful adventure and a morality tale addressing modern-day issues.

In 1964, he took his concept to Desilu Productions, which had struggled to find another hit show after “I Love Lucy.” NBC commissioned a pilot episode titled “The Cage,” only to reject it on the basis that it was “too cerebral.” NBC then made the unheard of decision to commission a second pilot, “Where No Man Has Gone Before.”

While many sci-fi films and TV shows were built upon a dystopian future, Roddenberry envisioned one of peace and harmony where humans have resolved their differences to become one world. In keeping with the theme of world unity, the show featured the most diverse cast and fictional crew of any TV show up until that time:

• James Doohan, a Canadian son of Irish immigrants who portrayed Scottish chief engineer Montgomery “Scotty” Scott

• Nichelle Nichols, an African-American woman in the groundbreaking role of Lt. Uhura

• Walter Koenig, the American-born son of Russian Jewish immigrants, as Ensign Pavel Chekov

• George Takei, whose father had emigrated from Japan, as Lt. Sulu, senior helmsman

• And, of course, the “Trek Trinity” — Capt. James. T. Kirk as portrayed by William Shatner, DeForrest Kelley as Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy and Leonard Nimoy as the breakout character of Mr. Spock.

Having created a diverse cast, Roddenberry set out to “boldly go” where no TV show had gone before by addressing taboo subjects. He used the show as a platform for what today would be considered a liberal agenda often tied to Roddenberry's own secular humanist views. The episodes tackled the futility of nuclear war, anti-establishment themes and the foolishness of racism.

It was the latter theme that caused the greatest controversy. In the Nov. 22, 1968, episode “Plato's Stepchildren,” Uhura and Kirk took part in television's first interracial kiss.

NBC was nervous about what the reaction would be from Southern station affiliates and insisted on shooting an alternate scene without the kiss. In an effort to maintain the integrity of the show's message, the actors sabotaged the alternate takes by crossing their eyes during the shoot, making the footage unusable.

Because of its diversity and handling of then-sensitive racial issues, the show was highly regarded by the Rev. Martin Luther King. When Nichols contemplated leaving the show, it was King who implored her to stay with “Star Trek” as a role model.

Despite the groundbreaking nature of the show, or perhaps because of it, ratings began to rapidly drop. During the second season, rumors leaked that NBC would cancel “Star Trek.” The show's rabid fan base wrote more than 100,000 letters of support demanding the renewal of the show. Hundreds of students marched to NBC's studios in Burbank, Calif. The show was given a temporary reprieve and was renewed for a third season. Despite the pleas of “Trekkies,” the show was canceled after that season.

While it seemed the Enterprise had been decommissioned, syndication helped the cult fan base continue to grow. In January 1972, thousands of fans descended on New York City for the first “Star Trek” convention.

Recognizing the demand for a continuation of Kirk and his crew's adventures, Filmation Studios — headed by Homewood native Lou Scheimer — launched “Star Trek: The Animated Series” in 1973. The Saturday morning cartoon brought in writers from the original series and reunited most of the original cast for the voices. While the show lasted only two seasons, it was notable for being the first “Star Trek” series to receive an Emmy.

With the ending of the animated cartoon, “Star Trek” once again vanished from screens and the franchise went into hibernation until renewed interest sparked another incarnation, this time on the silver screen with the 1979 film “Star Trek: The Motion Picture.” From that point onward, “Star Trek” would spin off into new and exciting worlds.

While the original Enterprise crew was appearing in five more films, a new generation of fans was being introduced to “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” which took place 100 years after the events in the original series. Capt. Jean-Luc Picard, portrayed by Patrick Stewart, led the new crew through seven seasons (1987-94) and four films.

The popularity of “Next Generation” infused new life into the franchise and spawned multiple iterations. “Deep Space Nine,” “Voyager” and “Enterprise,” along with “Next Generation,” would keep “Star Trek” in the public consciousness and on the air without interruption until 2005, with the cancellation of “Enterprise.”

Now, a new generation has taken up the legacy, reimagined in an alternate-universe remake on the silver screen. Beginning with 2009's “Star Trek,” a new cast has taken on the classic roles of Kirk, Spock, Sulu, Uhura and the rest of the Enterprise's crew. “Beyond” is the third installment in the reboot, expanding the five-year mission into its fifth decade. “Star Trek” continues to boldly go where no franchise has gone before.

Joe Wos is a Tribune-Review contributing writer.

Pittsburgh connections

Over its 50-year history, dozens of Pittsburghers have joined the “Star Trek” cast and crew.

Marc Daniels (1912-1989): The Pittsburgh native directed 14 episodes of the original series and wrote one story for the animated series.

Lou Scheimer (1928-2013): The Homewood native produced “Star Trek: The Animated Series” as the-founder of Filmation Studios, and provided several character voices.

Frank Gorshin (1933-2003): The Lawrenceville native portrayed Commissioner Bele in the original “Star Trek” episode “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield.”

Ted Cassidy (1932-1979): The 6-foot-9-inch actor, who was born in Pittsburgh but was raised in West Virginia, gained fame as the butler Lurch on “The Addams Family” and played the android Ruk in the original “Star Trek” episode “What Are Little Girls Made Of.” His distinctive gravelly voice also can be heard in multiple voiceovers for the show.

F. Murray Abraham (Born 1939): The Academy Award-winning actor, who was born in the Hill District, played the villain Ahdar Ru'afo battling Capt. Picard in “Star Trek: Insurrection” (1998).

Col. Mike Fincke (Born 1967): The real-life NASA astronaut from Emsworth appeared in “Star Trek: Enterprise.” He is one of three astronauts to have appeared as a character in the “Star Trek” universe.

Zachary Quinto (Born 1977): Green Tree native and Carnegie Mellon University grad Quinto had some pretty big, pointed ears to fill in the iconic role of Mr. Spock in the current film iteration of “Star Trek.” The casting was approved by Leonard Nimoy, the original Mr. Spock.