Editing Star Trek: The Original Series (section)

==Creation==
On March 11, 1964, [[Gene Roddenberry]], a long-time fan of [[science fiction]], drafted a short [[Film treatment|treatment]] for a science-fiction television series that he called ''Star Trek''.<ref name=STPitch1>Roddenberry, Gene (March 11, 1964). [http://leethomson.myzen.co.uk/Star_Trek/1_Original_Series/Star_Trek_Pitch.pdf ''Star Trek'' Pitch] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160512162509/http://leethomson.myzen.co.uk/Star_Trek/1_Original_Series/Star_Trek_Pitch.pdf |date=May 12, 2016 }}, first draft. Accessed at ''LeeThomson.myzen.co.uk''.</ref> This was to be set on board a large [[starship]] named S.S. ''Yorktown'' in the 23rd century<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.startrek.com/custom/include/feature/intro/timeline_future.html |title=STARTREK.COM: Universe Timeline |publisher=Startrek.com |access-date=July 14, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090703073608/http://www.startrek.com/custom/include/feature/intro/timeline_future.html |archive-date=July 3, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Star Trek Chronology: The History of the Future |last1=Okuda |first1=Michael |author-link1=Michael Okuda |first2=Denise |last2=Okuda |author-link2=Denise Okuda |date=November 1, 1996 |publisher=Pocket Books |isbn=0-671-53610-9 }}</ref> bearing a crew dedicated to exploring the [[Milky Way]] [[galaxy]].

Roddenberry noted a number of influences on his idea, some of which includes [[A. E. van Vogt]]'s tales of the spaceship ''[[The Voyage of the Space Beagle|Space Beagle]]'', [[Eric Frank Russell]]'s ''Marathon'' series of stories, and the film ''[[Forbidden Planet]]'' (1956). Some have also drawn parallels with the television series ''[[Rocky Jones, Space Ranger]]'' (1954), a [[space opera]] that included many of the elements integral to ''Star Trek''—the organization, crew relationships, missions, part of the bridge layout, and some technology.<ref name=Asherman />{{rp|24}} Roddenberry also drew heavily from [[C. S. Forester]]'s [[Horatio Hornblower]] novels that depict a daring sea captain who exercises broad discretionary authority on distant sea missions of noble purpose. He often humorously referred to Captain Kirk as "Horatio Hornblower in Space".<ref name="whitfield1968">{{cite book |last1=Whitfield |first1=Stephen E. |last2=Roddenberry |first2=Gene |author-link2=Gene Roddenberry| year=1968 |title=The Making of Star Trek |url=https://archive.org/details/makingofstartrek00whit |url-access=registration |location=New York |publisher=Ballantine Books |oclc=23859 |isbn=0-345-31554-5}}</ref>

Roddenberry had extensive experience in writing for [[western (genre)|series about the Old West]] that had been popular television fare in the 1950s and 1960s. Armed with this background, he characterized the new show in his first draft as "''[[Wagon Train]]'' to the stars".<ref name=STPitch1 /><ref name="25th">{{cite video |people=Beck, Donald R. (Director) |date=1991 |title=Star Trek: 25th Anniversary Special}}</ref> Like the familiar ''Wagon Train'', each episode was to be a self-contained adventure story, set within the structure of a continuing voyage through space.

In Roddenberry's original concept, the protagonist was Captain [[Robert April]] of the starship S.S. ''Yorktown''. This character was developed into [[Christopher Pike (Star Trek)|Captain Christopher Pike]], first portrayed by [[Jeffrey Hunter]]. April is listed in the ''Star Trek Chronology'', ''[[The Star Trek Encyclopedia]]'', and at startrek.com as the ''Enterprise''{{'}}s first commanding officer, preceding Captain Pike.<ref name="Chrono">{{cite book |title=Star Trek Chronology: The History of the Future |publisher=Pocket Books |year=1996 |isbn=0-671-53610-9 |first1=Michael |last1=Okuda |author-link1=Michael Okuda |first2=Denise |last2=Okuda |author-link2=Denise Okuda}}</ref><ref name="Encyc">{{cite book |title=The Star Trek Encyclopedia |isbn=0671869051|title-link=The Star Trek Encyclopedia|last1=Okuda|first1=Michael|last2=Okuda|first2=Denise|author-link1=Michael Okuda | author-link2=Denise Okuda |last3=Mirek|first3=Debbie|year=1994|publisher=Pocket Books }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/library/ships/article/70377.html |title=Enterprise, U.S.S. |date=April 21, 2007 |access-date=October 16, 2017 |archive-date=July 12, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100712191014/http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/library/ships/article/70377.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The character's only television/movie appearance was in the ''[[Star Trek: The Animated Series]]'' episode "[[The Counter-Clock Incident]]",<ref name="CCI">{{cite episode |title=[[The Counter-Clock Incident]] |series=[[Star Trek: The Animated Series]] |season=2 |number=6 |date=October 12, 1974 |publisher=[[Paramount Television (original)|Paramount Television]] |network=[[NBC]]}}</ref> until ''[[Star Trek: Strange New Worlds]]'', where he is portrayed by [[Adrian Holmes]].

[[Lloyd Bridges]] was offered a starring role on what became ''Star Trek''.<ref>Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman (2016). The Fifty-Year Mission: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Trek: The First 25 Years. Thomas Dunne Books, ISBN 1250065844</ref> Bridges declined, saying he got along well with Roddenberry on a personal level but had no desire to work in science fiction.