Editing Star Trek: The Original Series (section)

===Characterizations===
[[Image:ST TOS Cast.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Promotional photo of the cast of ''Star Trek'' during the third season (1968–1969). From left to right: [[James Doohan]], [[Walter Koenig]], [[DeForest Kelley]], [[Majel Barrett]], [[William Shatner]], [[Nichelle Nichols]], [[Leonard Nimoy]], and [[George Takei]].]]
''Star Trek'' made celebrities of its cast of largely unknown actors. Kelley had appeared in many films and television shows, but mostly in smaller roles that showcased him as a villain. Nimoy also had previous television and film experience but was not well known either. Nimoy had partnered previously with Shatner in a 1964 episode of ''[[The Man from U.N.C.L.E.]]'', "The Project Strigas Affair", and with Kelley (as a doctor) in a 1963 episode of ''[[The Virginian (TV series)|The Virginian]]'', "Man of Violence", both more than two years before ''Star Trek'' first aired. Before ''Star Trek'', Shatner was well known in the trade, having appeared in several notable films, played [[Cyrano de Bergerac (play)|Cyrano de Bergerac]] on Broadway, and even turned down the part of [[Dr. Kildare (TV series)|Dr. Kildare]]. However, when roles became sparse he took the regular job after Jeffrey Hunter's contract was not renewed.

After the original series ended, cast members found themselves [[Typecasting (acting)|typecast]] because of their defining roles in the show. (''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' actor [[Michael Dorn]] stated in 1991, however: "If what happened to the first cast is called being typecast, then I want to be typecast. Of course, they didn't get the jobs after ''Trek''. But they are making their sixth movie. Name me someone else in television who has made ''six'' movies!"){{r|teitelbaum19910505}}

The three main characters were Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, with writers often playing the different personalities off each other: Kirk was passionate and often aggressive, but with a sly sense of humor; Spock was coolly logical; and McCoy was sardonic, emotional, and illogical, but always compassionate. In many stories the three clashed, with Kirk forced to make a tough decision while Spock advocated the logical but sometimes callous path and McCoy (or "Bones", as Kirk nicknamed him) insisted on doing whatever would cause the least harm. McCoy and Spock had a sparring relationship that masked their true affection and respect for each other, and their constant arguments became popular with viewers.<ref name="rioux2005">{{cite book| author = Rioux, Terry Lee| title = From sawdust to stardust: the biography of DeForest Kelley, Star trek's Dr. McCoy| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=5JUOIKG2XcwC| date = February 1, 2005| publisher = Simon and Schuster| isbn = 0-7434-5762-5 }}</ref>{{rp|153–154}} The show so emphasized dialogue that writer and director [[Nicholas Meyer]] (involved with the ''Star Trek'' films) called it a [[radio drama]], playing an episode for a film class without video to prove that the plot was still comprehensible.{{r|teitelbaum19910505}}

The Spock character was at first rejected by network executives, who were apprehensive that his vaguely "Satanic" appearance (with pointed ears and eyebrows<!--and original red makeup, no? According to Whitfield IIRC-->) might prove upsetting to some viewers, and (according to Leonard Nimoy) they repeatedly urged Roddenberry to "drop the Martian". Roddenberry was also dismayed to discover that NBC's publicity department deliberately airbrushed out Spock's pointed ears and eyebrows from early publicity stills sent to network affiliates, because they feared that his "demonic" appearance might offend potential buyers in the religiously conservative southern states. Spock, however, went on to become one of the most popular characters on the show, as did McCoy's impassioned country-doctor personality. Spock, in fact, became a [[sex symbol]] of sorts<ref>Leonard Nimoy, ''I Am Spock'', Hyperion Books, 1995. pp. 85–88.</ref>—something no one connected with the show had expected. Leonard Nimoy noted that the question of Spock's extraordinary sex appeal emerged "almost any time I talked to someone in the press{{nbsp}}... I never give it a thought{{nbsp}}... to try to deal with the question of Mr. Spock as a sex symbol is silly."<ref>Robert Jewett & John Lawrence, ''The Myth of the American Superhero'', William B. Eerdsman Co, 2002. p. 230</ref>