Trollheart

I had originally not intended to cover this, but I've changed my mind. It did, after all, kickstart the whole franchise and while some of the stories tend to make you roll your eyes a little, there's some good original drama there, and not a small amount of occasional comic genius. Therefore, as the grandaddy of all Trek, it seems only appropriate that I should delve into the original series.

One of the first ever proper science-fiction dramas to hit the television, Star Trek was conceived by Gene Roddenberry, who was at the time writing for western shows such as “Whiplash”, “Have gun will travel” and other series, mostly western or police-oriented. Having submitted a pilot for his new science-fiction series, Roddenberry was advised to “get rid of the guy with the ears”, advice he fought against and which it turns out was just as well he did, as Spock ended up becoming, as almost everyone on the planet knows, one of the most famous and well-known characters on television, not just in sci-fi. But the original pilot was far from what the series would eventually look like, featuring a different captain, Majel Barret (who would go on to star not only as Nurse Chapel in the series but later marry Roddenberry) as his number one (a phrase that would not be reused in Star Trek until it was rebooted in 1987 and Picard began calling his second-in-command by that designation) and a very animated Spock wearing what seems to be a turtleneck!

Although the original pilot, “The Cage”, fared badly with NBC, the backers, mostly because contrary to Roddenberry pitching the series as “Wagon Train to the stars” --- Wagon Train being a popular western adventure series on TV around that time --- the first episode of Star Trek was considered too cerebral and weighty for the spoonfed American TV audiences. NBC must have seen something in it though, as they commissioned a second pilot (something rarely, if ever done) and dismissing almost the entire cast Roddenberry began again with what would go on to be the classic lineup of Captain Kirk, Mister Spock, Scotty and McCoy, with the ship now called the USS Enterprise. And thus a legend was born.

Throughout its run, Star Trek became famous for filtering messages through its plotlines, comments on society that few if any other shows dared broach. Over three seasons the show tackled such concepts as prejudice, war, racism, power without responsibility and even torture and rape. It was also the first show to feature a black cast member in a prominent role, this being Nichelle Nichols as communications officer Lieutenant Uhura, and went further in its attempt to break down barriers in typecasting by including oriental, Russian and even Irish characters: a true cosmopolitan galaxy.

Much of Star Trek's strength, and its enduring legacy, was its knack of balancing drama with comedy while maintaining a strong family feeling between the main characters. Kirk, despite being of about the same age as his fellow officers, or younger in some cases, was presented as a sort of father figure, tough and principled but always ready to smile when the situation called for it, or make light of a potentially tense situation. The result was a man whom others would follow, almost a superman, seemingly incapable of error or defeat, though he suffered both, which just showed us that he was after all just a man. The Enterprise's voyages took them to many distant planets, and to many an adventure. Unlike later Trek series (to a degree anyway) events in Star Trek were always wrapped up by the end credits, usually with a joke and a laugh before the theme played, and as a rule situations that had arisen in last week's episode would not be carried through to, nor even mentioned in the next or subsequent episodes.

The series made stars of a young William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley, who became the sort of triumvirate of the series: Kirk, Spock and “Bones”, as the doctor was affectionately called by the captain. It gave rise to a whole series of movies, four spin-off series and became the first building block in a mighty franchise that would revolutionise television science-fiction and drama, and which would not be challenged for another ten years, when Star Wars hit the big screen. It's said that somewhere in the world, Star Trek is played every second or something like that. I can believe it. Even if you hate it with a passion, I can guarantee you'll have heard of Kirk, The Enterprise and Spock. It's just ... logical.

CAST

CAPTAIN JAMES T. KIRK, played by William Shatner: The Captain of the USS Enterprise, he is the man in charge and the focus of just about every episode of the series. Even when he's not there the others are talking about him. A brilliant tactician, a fearless commander and one of Starfleet Academy's brightest pupils, Kirk led the Enterprise through three seasons of adventure and later, into the other “final frontier”, as he starred in six Star Trek movies, even popping up in the seventh. It's rumoured he may be in the new, rebooted Trek franchise too.


COMMANDER SPOCK, played by Leonard Nimoy: Second-in-command on the starship, Spock (no other name) is also the Science Officer. He is a Vulcan, from the planet, um, Vulcan. His people have, contrary to popular belief, emotions, but keep them very much under check, preferring to live their lives by the cold dictates of logic alone. This makes Spock seem a very dour, grim person, and mostly he is, but as the series goes on his exposure to humans --- he is half-human on his mother's side --- begins to tell, and he has even been known to smile once or twice.

DOCTOR LEONARD McCOY, played by DeForest Kelley: The ship's CMO, McCoy is a resident of Georgia and speaks with a thick southern accent. He is probably one of the oldest on the ship, and Kirk frequently refers to him as “Bones” (though nobody else does), probably a reference to the old term for doctors, “sawbones”. McCoy has a pathological fear of the transporter, the device by which the crew of the Enterprise move from ship to planet, their atoms being disassembled at departure point and reassembled at the arrival point. He does not think it's right, “scattering a man's atoms across the galaxy” and will only “beam down” when absolutely necessary.

LIEUTENANT-COMMANDER MONTGOMERY SCOTT, played by James Doohan: Known to most people as “Scotty”, he is the Chief Engineer and perfers to spend his off-hours reading technical manuals or strolling around the Enterprise, making sure all is in working order, “listening” to the ship. As his name implies, he is Scottish, and also speaks with a very noticeable accent (although Doohan was Canadian); he is known throughout Starfleet as one of the most capable engineers they have, and has a reputation as something of a miracle worker.

LIEUTENANT HIKARU SULU, played by George Takei: Helmsman on the Enterprise, Sulu is Japanese and navigates the ship, usually remaining on board though occasionally taking part in planetary exploration.

LIEUTENANT UHURA, played by Nichelle Nichols: The communications officer on the ship, she is responsible for putting any messages through to Kirk. Basically a glorified telephone operator, but she does hold the distinction, as I noted above, of being the first African-American female to land a proper recurring role in a TV drama that had some substance to it.

NURSE CHRISTINE CHAPEL, played by Majel Barret (later Barret-Roddenberry) she is the nurse who assists Doctor McCoy, and she has an unrequited love for Mister Spock.

These are the main characters from episode two on. There are some slight changes as the season progresses, and I'll advise these as they make their appearance. Star Trek was not however a series given to either killing off its characters or changing them in the way other series in the franchise would, by having them assigned to starbases, conducting months-long research etc. By and large, once the main cast settled down they were there for the duration.

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018