Space may be the final frontier , but Star Trek is a well - explored world by now . Captain Kirk , the Enterprise , transporters , phasers , tricorders and Klingons are part of our plebeian language . But there ’s still ton of insane stuff you ’ve never heard about Trek .
We grind deep into the secret history of Star Trek , the half - forgotten details and uncanny happenstance that proceed into create a cultural phenomenon that has last almost five decades . Here , in no particular society , are 10 things you probably did n’t know about Star Trek : The Original Series .
1 . The original archetype , “ The Cage , ” was part killed for being too sexy
Why did NBC pick out not to air the first Star Trek pilot , starring Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Christopher Pike ? hoi polloi normally fault it on a too - cerebral script , with too much inscrutable philosophizing and self-examination . But in fact , a major reason had to do with NBC ’s Broadcast Standards Office , being concerned about the “ eroticism ” of the pilot , with the green dancing girls and the caressing and all that natural sexuality . ( To be sure , the internet was also worried that it was “ too smart , ” a female first officer was going too far , and Mr. Spock looked too diabolical . ) Later , after Trek was on the air , the producer used the web ’s headache about sexuality to their advantage — they would deliberately put aphrodisiacal material into sequence for the web to gross out out about , so the censors would n’t notice other things . For instance , in the episode “ A Private Little War , ” the producers deliberately put in a scene of Kirk get an open - oral fissure kiss with a half - naked woman , so the meshing could throw a conniption about that — and not observe the blatant Vietnam allegory .
Source : Inside Star Trek by Herb Solow and Robert Justman , pp . 60 and 356 .
2 . Mr. Spock ’s skin people of colour was originally different .
Originally , Gene Roddenberry and friends wanted Spock ’s skin to be a glowering violent , or at least to have a red tint . This was abandoned when they realize that on black - and - white TVs , Spock ’s pelt would wait sinister , peradventure as if Spock was in blackface . Plus Leonard Nimoy would have need minute more in makeup every morning . ( See early Spock concept art , with a very different undifferentiated intent and a helmetflower , at left , via Star Trek chronicle . ) finally , it was decide to make Spock ’s hide yellow - tinged instead — but when the web converted the motion-picture show for the first episode for electronic broadcast medium , the web ’s color specialiser , Alex Quroga , “ corrected ” Spock ’s face to make it bet pinker . ( watch out “ The Man Trap , ” and you may still seea more pink - faced Spock . )
Sources : Star Trek 365 , NBC : America ’s internet by Michelle Hilmes , ed . ,TrekBBS , Star Trek History — that last site is full of insane details .
3 . Spock originally did n’t eat or drink
Not only would he have been red - faced , but Spock also was n’t in the beginning planned to eat or drink anything — instead , he had a plate in the middle of his abdomen , and he fed off any vigour that struck this special home plate .
reference : Star Trek : A story in Pictures by J.M. Dillard
4 . Paramount was so desperate to get rid of Star Trek , they tried to cash out to Gene Roddenberry
Star Trek was originally grow by Desilu , the studio apartment owned by I Love Lucy star Lucille Ball — who personally approve the show and trifle a prominent role in keeping it animated after the first pilot was eliminate . But in July 1967 , Desilu was bought by Gulf+Western , which had just purchased Paramount Pictures in 1966 . That put Paramount in charge of Star Trek . According to producer Herb Solow , “ Paramount did n’t want Star Trek because it was losing too much money each week and did n’t have enough episodes to syndicate . ” So Paramount offer to sell all of its fairness in Trek to Gene Roddenberry for $ 150,000 — or about a million dollars today . But Roddenberry could n’t afford to pay that much money , so the right stayed with Paramount . ( In his original deal , Roddenberry had agreed his own Norway production studio apartment would share last profits with Desilu , NBC , and William Shatner himself . )
Source : Interview with Solow in NBC : America ’s internet by Michelle Hilmes
5 . The U.S.S. Enterprise had a six - lane bowling alley on board .
harmonize to Star Trek Blueprints , an authentic band of blueprint for the Constitution - class Starships released in booklet conformation in 1975 , there ’s a pretty giant bowling skittle alley on Deck 21 , right next to the “ Refreshments Area ” and the “ Food and Beverages Preparation Facility . ”
reservoir : Memory Alpha , Lucky Puppy Odd Facts(image ) .
6 . Gene Roddenberry secern Isaac Asimov to shush
When Gene Roddenberry bring the 2d Star Trek pilot , “ Where No Man Has Gone Before , ” to the World Science Fiction Convention in Cleveland , he shushed a trashy man at the start — who turned out to be Asimov . ( Roddenberry was unquiet about how the show would be received , but it wound up getting a standing ovation . ) Later , in 1967 , Asimov wrote an essay for television set Guide called “ Mr. Spock is Dreamy ! ” , all about the baffling phenomenon of woman and girl finding the cerebral Spock sexually likable — include Asimov ’s own twelve - yr - older daughter . Wrote Asimov , Through the agency of Mr. Spock , Star Trek has been capitalise upon a fact not generally known among the virile half of the universe . Women think being impertinent is sexy ! ” ( Read the whole essayhere . )
Source : Star Trek : A story in Pictures , Facebook
7 . The Federation uniforms were made by a sweatshop
The Federation may be a Socialist Zion of sorts , but Starfleet ’s uniform did n’t exactly come out of a Replicator . According to producers Robert Justman and Herb Solow , the show ’s budget was so midget , they could n’t afford to have costumes made by union costume - makers — instead , they had them made overnight by a “ sweatshop , ” and sneaked the ruined costume in through a back windowpane at the studio apartment .
Source : Inside Star Trek by Solow and Justman .
8 . William Shatner has never check Star Trek .
The James Kirk actor tell his daughter , Lizbeth Shatner , that he ’d never seen the television show or any of the flick , in a video blog they did together . Said Shatner :
I never watched Star Trek . I have not even seen any of the Star Trek pic . I do n’t view myself .
He added that he hated watch himself , because he experience as though “ I breastfeed . ” When he was manoeuver himself and had to watch the footage afterwards — for good example in Star Trek V — he found it really uncomfortable .
Source : The Telegraph .
9 . That famous interracial kiss was originally between Spock and Uhura
Star Trek is well - known for featuring the first mixed osculation on television , between Captain Kirk and Lt . Uhura . But in the installment ’s existent book , that osculation would have transpire between Uhura and Spock , instead . According to Uhura actor Nichelle Nichols :
My understanding is Bill Shatner take one look at the setting and say , ‘ No you will not ! If anyone ’s going to be part of the first interracial buss in goggle box history , it ’s going to be me ! ’ So they rewrote it .
Perhaps that original scene was one inspiration for the Spock / Uhura love story in the most late Trek motion-picture show ?
Source : Star Trek : A History in Pictures page 44 .
10 . Star Trek visited Mayberry … twice .
The show was so stony-broke , it recycle slews of out-of-door set from The Andy Griffith Show , particularly in the sequence “ Miri ” and “ City on the Edge of Forever . ” you may actually see Floyd ’s Barber Shop , where Andy regularly got his hair foreshorten , in the background of scenes where Captain Kirk is walking along with Edith Keeler . you may also see the Mayberry Courthouse , Walkers Drugstore and several other major landmarks quite prominently in both episodes . There are tons and scads of picture , including set picture , at the nexus below .
germ : iMayberry.com
Screencaps mostly taken fromTrekcore .
This post was in the beginning published on August 4 , 2011.Republished today in honor of yesterday ’s 46th anniversary of the original serial .
https://gizmodo.com/10-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-the-original-st-5827581
Gene RoddenberryStar TrekTelevision
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