Editing Star Trek: The Original Series (section)

==Production==
[[Image:STIn Beauty.jpg|thumb|right|230x230px|The original [[Starship Enterprise|starship ''Enterprise'']]]]
Once the series had been picked up by NBC, the production moved to what was then Desilu Productions' Gower Street location. It had previously been the main studio complex used by [[RKO Pictures]] and is now part of the [[Paramount Pictures]] lot. The series used what are now stages 31 and 32.<ref name="memory-alpha.org"/> The show's production staff included art director [[Matt Jefferies]], who designed the starship ''Enterprise'' and most of its interiors.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Matt_Jefferies |title=Matt Jefferies |work=Memory Alpha |access-date=February 12, 2015 |archive-date=February 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150218015559/http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Matt_Jefferies |url-status=live }}</ref> His contributions to the series were honored in the name of the "[[Jefferies tube]]", an equipment shaft depicted in various ''Star Trek'' series. In addition to working with his brother, John Jefferies, to create the hand-held phaser weapons of ''Star Trek'', Jefferies also developed the set design for the bridge of the ''Enterprise'' (which was based on an earlier design by [[Pato Guzman]]). Jefferies used his practical experience as an airman during [[World War II]] and his knowledge of aircraft design to devise a functional, and [[Human factors and ergonomics|ergonomic]] bridge layout.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Walter Matt Jefferies - Official Website - Beyond the Clouds |url=https://www.mattjefferies.com/ |access-date=2024-08-30 |website=www.mattjefferies.com}}</ref>

The costume designer for ''Star Trek'', [[William Ware Theiss|Bill Theiss]], created the look of the [[Star Trek uniforms|Starfleet uniforms]] for the ''Enterprise'', the costumes for female guest stars, and for various [[extraterrestrials|aliens]], including the [[Klingon]]s, [[Vulcan (Star Trek)|Vulcan]]s, [[Romulan]]s, [[Tellarite]]s, [[Andorian]]s, and Gideonites.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}}

Artist and sculptor [[Wah Chang]], who had worked for [[Walt Disney Productions]], was hired to design and manufacture props: he created the flip-open communicator, often credited as having influenced the configuration of the portable version of the [[cellular telephone]].<ref name="WSFTF">{{cite book |author=William Shatner |author2=Chip Walter |author3=William Walters |title=I'm Working on That: A Trek From Science Fiction to Science Fact |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5dVh1OBvwhgC |access-date=June 26, 2010 |year=2002 |publisher=Star Trek |isbn=978-0-671-04737-5}}</ref> Chang also designed the portable sensing-recording-computing "tricorder" device, and various fictitious devices for the starship's engineering crew and its sick bay. As the series progressed, he helped to create various memorable aliens, such as the [[Gorn (Star Trek)|Gorn]] and the [[Horta (Star Trek)|Horta]].
{{anchor|S1|Season1|Season 1}}

===Season 1 (1966–1967)===
{{Main|Star Trek: The Original Series season 1}}
[[File:William Shatner Star Trek first episode 1966.JPG|thumb|left|180px|[[William Shatner]] as [[James T. Kirk|Captain James T. Kirk]] in action, from the episode "[[Where No Man Has Gone Before]]", 1966]]

NBC ordered 16 episodes of ''Star Trek'', besides "Where No Man Has Gone Before".<ref name="davies2007">{{cite book |author1=Davies, Máire Messenger; Pearson, Roberta |author2=Michael Lowell Henry |editor1=Hilmes, Michele |editor2=Henry, Michael Lowell |title=NBC: America's Network |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lhmw637JRgUC&pg=PA209 |year=2007 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-25079-6 |chapter=The Little Program That Could: The Relationship Between NBC and ''Star Trek'' |pages=212–222 |access-date=November 12, 2015 |archive-date=June 11, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160611020828/https://books.google.com/books?id=lhmw637JRgUC&lpg=PP1&pg=PA209 |url-status=live }}</ref> The first regular episode of ''Star Trek'', "[[The Man Trap]]",<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0708469/ |title=The Man Trap |work=IMDb |date=September 8, 1966 |access-date=June 30, 2018 |archive-date=December 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222231751/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0708469/ |url-status=live }}</ref> aired on Thursday, September 8, 1966, from 8:30 to 9:30 as part of an NBC "sneak preview" block. Reviews were mixed; while ''[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]'' and ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' liked the new show, ''[[The New York Times]]'' and ''[[The Boston Globe]]'' were less favorable,{{r|to20060901}} and ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' predicted that it "won't work", calling it "an incredible and dreary mess of confusion and complexities".<ref name="millrod19960916">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=fIgNAAAAIBAJ&pg=4322,132360 |title=The Trek Continues (? Illegible) |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=September 16, 1996 |access-date=April 26, 2011 |author=Millrod, Jack |page=D1 |archive-date=May 8, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160508080626/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=fIgNAAAAIBAJ&sjid=kG8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4322,132360 |url-status=live }}</ref> Debuting against mostly reruns, ''Star Trek'' easily won its time slot with a 40.6 share.<ref>"The numbers game, part one". ''Broadcasting''. September 19, 1966: 58–60.</ref> The following week against new programming, however, the show fell to second (29.4 share) behind CBS. It ranked 33rd (out of 94 programs) over the next two weeks, then the following two episodes ranked 51st in the ratings.<ref>Gowran, Clay. "Nielsen Ratings Are Dim on New Shows". ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''. October 11, 1966: B10.</ref><ref>Gould, Jack. "How Does Your Favorite Rate? Maybe Higher Than You Think". ''The New York Times''. October 16, 1966: 129.</ref>

{{quote box|align=right|width=25em|quote=I am an avid fan of ''Star Trek'', and would simply die if it was taken off the air. In my opinion it is the best show on television.|source=—M.P., Oswego, New York, February 20, 1967<ref name="tvkey19670220">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5glIAAAAIBAJ&pg=4615,5689397 |title=TV Key Mailbag |work=The Morning Record |date=February 20, 1967 |access-date=May 12, 2011 |author=Scheuer, Steven H. |location=Meriden, Connecticut |page=4A |archive-date=May 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160505024113/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5glIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UwANAAAAIBAJ&pg=4615,5689397 |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

[[File:TOSopeninglogo.png|thumb|right|Title used for the first season]]

[[Frederik Pohl]], editor of ''[[Galaxy Science Fiction]]'', wrote in February 1967 of his amazement that ''Star Trek''{{'}}s "regular shows were just as good" as the early episodes that won an award at [[24th World Science Fiction Convention|Tricon]] in September. Believing that the show would soon be canceled because of low ratings, he lamented that it "made the mistake of appealing to a comparatively literate group", and urged readers to write letters to help save the show.<ref name="pohl196702">{{cite magazine |last=Pohl |first=Frederik |date=February 1967 |title=More About Being Bad |department=Editorial |url=https://archive.org/stream/Galaxy_v25n03_1967-02#page/n3/mode/2up |magazine=Galaxy Science Fiction |pages=4, 6 }}</ref> ''Star Trek''{{'}}s first-season ratings would in earlier years likely have caused NBC to cancel the show. The network had pioneered research into viewers' [[demographic profile]]s in the early 1960s, however, and by 1967, it and other networks increasingly considered such data when making decisions;{{r|pearson2011}}{{rp|115}} for example, CBS temporarily canceled ''[[Gunsmoke]]'' that year because it had too many older and too few younger viewers.{{r|to20060901}} Although Roddenberry later claimed that NBC was unaware of ''Star Trek''{{'}}s favorable demographics,<ref name="thomas19760525">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=DaVDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2272,5465964 |title=Roddenberry would like to leave 'Star Trek' behind |agency=[[Associated Press]] |work=Williamson Daily News |date=May 25, 1976 |access-date=May 15, 2011 |author=Bob Thomas |location=Williamson, WV |page=14 |archive-date=December 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222215757/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=DaVDAAAAIBAJ&sjid=4a4MAAAAIBAJ&pg=2272,5465964 |url-status=live }}</ref> awareness of ''Star Trek''{{'}}s "quality" audience is what likely caused the network to retain the show after the first and second seasons.<ref name="pearson2011">{{cite book |author=Pearson, Roberta |author2=Niki Strange |editor1=Bennett, James |editor2=Strange, Niki |title=Television as Digital Media |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3cYJndq9K1IC |date= 2011 |publisher=Duke University Press |isbn=978-0-8223-4910-5 |pages=105–131 |chapter=Cult Television as Digital Television's Cutting Edge}}</ref>{{rp|115}} NBC instead decided to order 10 more new episodes for the first season, and order a second season in March 1967.{{r|davies2007}}<ref>"NBC fills final hole for 1967–68." Broadcasting. March 6, 1967: 52.</ref> The network originally announced that the show would air at 7:30–8:30&nbsp;pm Tuesday, but it was instead given an 8:30–9:30&nbsp;pm Friday slot when the 1967–68 NBC schedule was released,<ref>Gent, George. "Alex Segal to Produce 3 Danny Thomas TV Shows." ''The New York Times''. March 15, 1967: 9.5.</ref> making it less appealing to young adult viewers.{{r|davies2007}}
{{clear left}}
{{anchor|S2|Season2|Season 2}}

===Season 2 (1967–1968)===
{{Main|Star Trek: The Original Series season 2}}
[[File:Leonard Nimoy William Shatner Star Trek 1968.JPG|thumb|left|180px|[[Spock]], Kirk and the ''Enterprise'', 1968]]
''Star Trek''{{'}}s ratings continued to decline during the second season. Although Shatner expected the show to end after two seasons and began to prepare for other projects,{{r|lowry19680329}} NBC nonetheless may have never seriously considered canceling the show.{{r|lowry19680117}}<ref name="to20060901">{{cite web |url=http://www.tvobscurities.com/articles/star_trek_look/ |title=Television Obscurities – A Look at Star Trek |publisher=Television Obscurities |date=September 1, 2006 |access-date=May 14, 2011 |archive-date=August 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110816132833/http://www.tvobscurities.com/articles/star_trek_look/ |url-status=live }}</ref> As early as January 1968, the [[Associated Press]] reported that ''Star Trek''{{'}}s chances for renewal for a third season were "excellent". The show had better ratings for NBC than ABC's competing ''[[Hondo (TV series)|Hondo]]'', and the competing CBS programs (number-three ''[[Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.]]'' and the first half-hour of the number-12 ''CBS Friday Night Movie'') were in the top 15 in the Nielsen ratings.{{r|lowry19680117}}<ref name="nielsen19671968">{{cite web |url=http://ctva.biz/US/TV-Ratings/CTVA_NielsenRatings_1967-1968.htm |title=US TV Nielsen Ratings 1967–1968 |work=The Classic TV Archive |access-date=April 29, 2011 |archive-date=January 21, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110121140919/http://ctva.biz/US/TV-Ratings/CTVA_NielsenRatings_1967-1968.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Again, demographics helped ''Star Trek'' survive.{{r|pearson2011}}{{rp|116}} Contrary to popular belief among its fans, the show did not have a larger audience of young viewers than its competition while on NBC.{{r|to20060901}} The network's research did indicate that ''Star Trek'' had a "quality audience" including "upper-income, better-educated males", however, and other NBC shows had lower overall ratings.{{r|pearson2011}}{{rp|116}}<ref name="lowry19680117">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hIdjAAAAIBAJ&pg=7271,1556535 |agency=Associated Press |title=One Network Goes 'Unconventional' |work=[[Nashua Telegraph]] |date=January 17, 1968 |access-date=April 29, 2011 |author=Lowry, Cynthia |page=13 |archive-date=May 11, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160511132808/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hIdjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9nkNAAAAIBAJ&pg=7271,1556535 |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{quote box|align=right|width=25em|quote=Look! Look! It doesn't stop! They're lined up all the way down the street!|source=—Norman Lunenfeld, NBC executive, on the mail trucks delivering ''Star Trek'' fans' letters{{r|poe1998}}}}
The enthusiasm of ''Star Trek''{{'}}s viewers surprised NBC.{{r|to20060901}} The show was unusual in its serious discussion of contemporary societal issues in a futuristic context, unlike ''[[Lost in Space]]'', which was more [[Camp (style)|campy]] in nature.<ref name="conley19720416">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hrwqAAAAIBAJ&pg=6159,556852 |title=Day-To-Day Fare Can Help People Cope With Life |work=[[Sarasota Herald-Tribune]] |date=April 16, 1972 |access-date=May 4, 2011 |author=Conley, Rita |page=13 |archive-date=May 6, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160506200734/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hrwqAAAAIBAJ&sjid=iWYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6159,556852 |url-status=live }}</ref> The network had already received 29,000 fan letters for the show during its first season, more than for any other except ''[[The Monkees (TV series)|The Monkees]]''.{{r|davies2007}} When rumors spread in late 1967 that ''Star Trek'' was at risk of cancellation, Roddenberry secretly began and funded an effort by [[Bjo Trimble]], her husband John, and other fans to persuade tens of thousands of viewers to write letters of support to save the program.<ref name="poe1998">{{cite book |title=A Vision of the Future |publisher=Simon & Schuster |author=Poe, Stephen Edward |year=1998 |pages=138–139 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MiJTlrdSkpAC&pg=PA138 |isbn=0-671-53481-5 |access-date=July 14, 2017 |archive-date=June 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200623092654/https://books.google.com/books?id=MiJTlrdSkpAC&lpg=PP1&pg=PA138 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="solow1997">{{cite book |last=Solow |first=Herbert F. |author2=Justman, Robert H. |title=Inside Star Trek: The Real Story |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X2cBAAAACAAJ |date= 1997 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |isbn=0-671-00974-5}}</ref>{{rp|377–394}}<ref name="page19680815">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=QPFOAAAAIBAJ&pg=7135,2042483 |title='Star Trek' Lives Despite Taboos |work=Toledo Blade |date=August 15, 1968 |access-date=April 29, 2011 |author=Page, Don |archive-date=May 12, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160512185742/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=QPFOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=nQEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7135,2042483 |url-status=live }}</ref> Using the 4,000 names on a mailing list for a science-fiction convention, the Trimbles asked fans to write to NBC and ask 10 others to also do so.<ref name="michaud1986">{{cite book |title=Reaching for the high frontier: the American pro-space movement, 1972–84 |publisher=Praeger |author=Michaud, Michael A.G. |year=1986 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8oZTAAAAMAAJ |isbn=0-275-92150-6}}</ref>{{rp|128}} NBC received almost 116,000 letters for the show between December 1967 and March 1968, including more than 52,000 in February alone;<ref name="modbee19680414">{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/26178233/ |title=Letters For 'Star Trek' Hit 114,667 |work=The Modesto Bee |date=April 14, 1968 |access-date=December 9, 2014 |pages=26}}</ref><ref>"[https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courant/access/936607972.html?dids=936607972:936607972&FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&type=historic&date=Mar+17%2C+1968&author=&pub=Hartford+Courant&desc=Star+Trekkers+Are+Restored&pqatl=google Star Trekkers Are Restored] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512050953/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courant/access/936607972.html?dids=936607972:936607972&FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&type=historic&date=Mar+17%2C+1968&author=&pub=Hartford+Courant&desc=Star+Trekkers+Are+Restored&pqatl=google |date=May 12, 2012 }}". ''[[Hartford Courant]]'' March 17, 1968. 12H.</ref>{{r|davies2007}} according to an NBC executive, the network received more than one million pieces of mail but only disclosed the 116,000 figure.{{r|poe1998}} Newspaper columnists encouraged readers to write letters to help save what one called "the best science-fiction show on the air".<ref name="scott19680207">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FgBSAAAAIBAJ&pg=4987,1126992 |title=Letters Can Save 'Star Trek' |work=The Press-Courier |agency=United Press International |date=February 7, 1968 |access-date=April 29, 2011 |author=Scott, Vernon |location=Oxnard, California |page=17 |archive-date=April 24, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160424234619/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FgBSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=kjQNAAAAIBAJ&pg=4987,1126992 |url-status=live }}</ref> More than 200 [[Caltech]] students marched to NBC's [[Burbank, California]] studio to support ''Star Trek'' in January 1968, carrying signs such as "[[Conscription in the United States|Draft]] Spock" and "[[Black Power|Vulcan Power]]".<ref name="harrison20110425">{{cite web |url=http://framework.latimes.com/2011/04/25/star-trek-protest/ |title='Star Trek' protest |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=April 25, 2011 |access-date=April 26, 2011 |author=Harrison, Scott |archive-date=May 25, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525130935/http://framework.latimes.com/2011/04/25/star-trek-protest/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[University of California, Berkeley|Berkeley]] and [[MIT]] students organized similar protests in San Francisco and New York City.{{r|scott19680207}}

The letters supporting ''Star Trek'', whose authors included [[Governor of New York|New York State Governor]] [[Nelson Rockefeller]],{{r|svetkey19910927}} were different in both quantity and quality from most mail that television networks receive:

{{blockquote|The show, according to the 6,000 letters it draws a week (more than any other in television), is watched by scientists, museum curators, psychiatrists, doctors, university professors, and other highbrows. The [[Smithsonian Institution]] asked for a print of the show for its archives, the only show so honored.{{r|scott19680207}}}}

In addition:

{{blockquote|Much of the mail came from doctors, scientists, teachers, and other professional people, and was for the most part literate–and written on good stationery. And if there is anything a network wants almost as much as a high Nielsen ratings, it is the prestige of a show that appeals to the upper middle class and high-brow audiences.<ref name="lowry19680329">{{cite news |last=Lowry |first=Cynthia |date=March 29, 1968 |title=TV Fans Save Space Ship Enterprise From Mothballs |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kSgsAAAAIBAJ&pg=821,4386600 |newspaper=[[TimesDaily|Florence Times – Tri-Cities Daily]] |location=Florence, AL |publisher=Tri-Cities Newspapers, Inc. |agency=Associated Press |page=15 |access-date=2013-11-03 |archive-date=March 11, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311235823/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kSgsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=jMYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=821,4386600 |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

{{quote box|align=right|width=25em|quote=And now an announcement of interest to all viewers of ''Star Trek''. We are pleased to tell you that ''Star Trek'' will continue to be seen on NBC Television. We know you will be looking forward to seeing the weekly adventure in space on ''Star Trek''.|source=—NBC announcer, March 1, 1968{{r|modbee19680414}}{{r|svetkey19910927}}{{r|to20060901}}}}
NBC—which used such anecdotes in much of its publicity for the show—made the unusual decision to announce on television, after the episode "[[The Omega Glory]]" on March 1, 1968, that the series had been renewed.{{r|pearson2011}}{{rp|116–117}}<ref name="svetkey19910927">{{cite magazine | url=https://ew.com/article/1991/09/27/enterprise-turns-25/ | title=The 'Enterprise' turns 25 | magazine=Entertainment Weekly | date=September 27, 1991 | access-date=May 14, 2011 | author=Svetkey, Benjamin | archive-date=November 19, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111119155909/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,315603,00.html | url-status=live }}</ref> The announcement implied a request to stop writing—NBC's policy of replying to each viewer mail meant that the campaign cost the network millions of dollars{{r|poe1998}}—but instead caused fans to send letters of thanks in similar numbers.<ref>David Gerrold, quoting Bjo Trimble, in ''The World of Star Trek'', Ballantine Books, 1973, p. 166.</ref>
{{anchor|S3|Season3|Season 3}}

===Season 3 (1968–1969)===
{{Main|Star Trek: The Original Series season 3}}
[[Image:Leonard Nimoy William Shatner Spock's Brain Star Trek 1968.JPG|thumb|right|"[[Spock's Brain]]" was the first episode of the third season.]]
NBC at first planned to move ''Star Trek'' to Mondays for the show's third season, likely in hopes of increasing its audience after the enormous letter campaign that surprised the network.{{r|to20060901}} In March 1968; however, NBC instead moved the show to 10:00&nbsp;pm [[Friday night death slot|Friday night]], an hour undesirable for its younger audience,{{r|page19680815}}<ref name="lowry19690521">{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=SfJNAAAAIBAJ&pg=5818,2216392 | title=Why Some Shows Expired | work=The Free Lance-Star | date=May 21, 1969 | access-date=May 6, 2011 | author=Lowry, Cynthia | agency=Associated Press | location=Fredericksburg, Virginia | page=2 | archive-date=April 29, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160429074410/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=SfJNAAAAIBAJ&sjid=pYoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5818,2216392 | url-status=live }}</ref> so as not to conflict with the highly successful ''[[Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In]]'' on Monday evenings,<ref>''"Laugh-In'' staying put." Broadcasting. March 18, 1968: 9.</ref> from whose time slot ''Laugh-In'' producer [[George Schlatter]] had angrily demanded it not be rescheduled. In addition to the undesirable time slot, ''Star Trek'' was now being seen on only 181 of NBC's 210 affiliates.<ref>"Missing links in the TV chains." Broadcasting. January 13, 1969: 48–52.</ref>

Roddenberry was frustrated, and complained, "If the network wants to kill us, it couldn't make a better move."{{r|page19680815}} He attempted to persuade NBC to give ''Star Trek'' a better day and hour, but was not successful. As a result of this and his own growing exhaustion, he chose to withdraw from the stress of the daily production of ''Star Trek'', though he remained nominally in charge as its "executive producer".<ref>David Gerrold, ''The World of Star Trek'', Ballantine Books, 1973.</ref> Roddenberry reduced his direct involvement in ''Star Trek'' before the start of the 1968–69 television season, and was replaced by [[Fred Freiberger]] as the producer of the television series. [[Arthur H. Singer]] served as story editor. NBC next reduced ''Star Trek's'' budget from $185,000 per episode in season 2 (it was $190,000 per episode in season 1) to $175,000 per episode in season 3 (as the per-minute commercial price had dropped from $39,000 to $36,000 compared to the season-two time slot).<ref>"Fall line-ups go on the street." Broadcasting. March 4, 1968: 23–28.</ref> This caused what some perceive as a decline in quality for the 1968–69 season, although there was a trade off in some lower production costs since the special effects technology had improved over time. By season 3 William Shatner felt that the main characters had become more compromised or exaggerated and the story lines more improbable.<ref>{{cite book |last=Shatner |first=William |title=Star Trek Memories |date=1993 |page=[https://archive.org/details/startrekmemories00shat/page/266 266]|title-link=Star Trek Memories }}</ref> Leonard Nimoy felt that financial concerns dominated.<ref>{{cite book |last=Nimoy |first=Leonard |title=I Am Spock |date=1995 |page=[https://archive.org/details/iamspock00nimo/page/120 120]|title-link=I Am Spock }}</ref> Associate Producer Bob Justman, who left during the third season, said budget cuts caused the crew to become necessarily limited in the type of filming that could be done, such as outdoor work,<ref>{{cite book |last=Shatner |first=William |title=Star Trek Memories |date=1993 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/startrekmemories00shat/page/290 290–293]|title-link=Star Trek Memories }}</ref> with only one episode, "The Paradise Syndrome", shot largely outdoors. Nichelle Nichols described the budget-cutting during the final year as an intentional effort to kill off ''Star Trek'':

{{blockquote|While NBC paid lip service to expanding ''Star Trek''{{'s}} audience, it [now] slashed our production budget until it was actually 10% lower than it had been in our first season{{nbsp}}... This is why in the third season you saw fewer outdoor location shots, for example. Top writers, top guest stars, top anything you needed was harder to come by. Thus, ''Star Trek's'' demise became a self-fulfilling prophecy. And I can assure you, that is exactly as it was meant to be.<ref name="nichols1994">{{cite book |title=Beyond Uhura: Star Trek and Other Memories |publisher=G. P. Putnam's |author=Nichols, Nichelle |year=1994 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1HJZAAAAMAAJ |page=189 |isbn=0-399-13993-1 |access-date=November 12, 2015 |archive-date=May 8, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160508235359/https://books.google.com/books?id=1HJZAAAAMAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

The last day of filming for ''Star Trek'' was January 9, 1969,{{r|davies2007}} and after 79 episodes<ref name="ST7879">{{cite web |url=http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/features/intro/article/7693.html |title=Star Trek |work=[[CBS Corporation|CBS Studios]] |publisher=Startrek.com |access-date=June 26, 2010 |archive-date=June 28, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100628212803/http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/features/intro/article/7693.html |url-status=live }} "''78 episodes (counting the two-part "The Menagerie" only once, and not counting the first commissioned pilot, "The Cage," which did not air during this time).''"</ref> NBC canceled the show in February despite fans' attempt at another letter-writing campaign.{{r|to20060901}} One newspaper columnist advised a protesting viewer:

{{blockquote|You ''Star Trek'' fans have fought the "good fight", but the show has been cancelled and there's nothing to be done now.<ref name="tvscout19690718">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=daM1AAAAIBAJ&pg=3957,5008799 |title=Ask TV Scout |work=The Palm Beach Post |date=July 18, 1969 |access-date=April 29, 2011 }}{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>}}

In 2011, the decision to cancel ''Star Trek'' by NBC was ranked number four on the [[TV Guide Network]] special, ''25 Biggest TV Blunders 2''.<ref>{{cite episode |title=25 Biggest TV Blunders 2 |series=25 Biggest TV Blunders |network=TV Guide Network |airdate=July 31, 2011 |quote=#4 – NBC Cancels 'Star Trek' |language=en}}</ref>

===Syndication===
{{quote box|align=right|width=25em|quote=Surprisingly, one show no longer programmed by a network but syndicated to local television stations (''Star Trek'') sometimes appeared among the top-five favorites in areas where the show is carried.|source=—"Students rate television", 1971<ref name="co19710428">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=SONFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5243%2C3819872 |title=Students rate television |work=Telegraph Herald |date=April 28, 1971 |access-date=May 12, 2011 |location=Dubuque, IA |pages=6 |archive-date=May 16, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160516104919/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=SONFAAAAIBAJ&sjid=iL0MAAAAIBAJ&pg=5243,3819872 |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

Although some of the third season's episodes were considered of poorer quality, it gave ''Star Trek'' enough episodes for [[television syndication]].<ref name="teitelbaum19910505">{{cite news | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-05-05-tm-2100-story.html | title=How Gene Roddenberry and his Brain Trust Have Boldly Taken 'Star Trek' Where No TV Series Has Gone Before : Trekking to the Top | work=Los Angeles Times | date=May 5, 1991 | page=16 | access-date=January 24, 2012 | author=Teitelbaum, Sheldon | archive-date=November 6, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106201722/http://articles.latimes.com/print/1991-05-05/magazine/tm-2100_1_star-trek | url-status=live }}</ref> Most shows require [[100 episodes|at least four seasons]] for syndication, because otherwise not enough episodes are available for daily [[stripping (television)|stripping]]. [[Kaiser Broadcasting]], however, purchased syndication rights for ''Star Trek'' during the first season for its stations in several large cities. The company arranged the unusual deal because it saw the show as effective [[Counterprogramming (television)|counterprogramming]] against the [[Big Three networks]]' 6 pm evening news programs.<ref name="abbott2010">{{cite book| author = Abbott, Stacey| title = The Cult TV Book| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=gA7qK_VhVH0C| date = March 10, 2010| publisher = I.B. Tauris| isbn = 978-1-84885-026-2 }}</ref>{{rp|138}}{{r|davies2007}} Paramount began advertising the reruns in [[trade press]] in March 1969;<ref name="to20081215">{{cite web | url=http://www.tvobscurities.com/2008/12/star-trek-syndication-advertisements-circa-1969-1970/ | title=Star Trek Syndication Advertisements, Circa 1969–1970 | publisher=Television Obscurities | date=December 15, 2008 | access-date=May 15, 2011 | archive-date=July 17, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717200546/http://www.tvobscurities.com/2008/12/star-trek-syndication-advertisements-circa-1969-1970/ | url-status=live }}</ref> as Kaiser's ratings were good, other stations, such as [[WPIX]] in New York City and WKBS in Philadelphia, also purchased the episodes<ref name="meehan2005">{{cite book| author = Meehan, Eileen R.| title = Why TV is not our fault: television programming, viewers, and who's really in control| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=SEtw4yGRjwUC| year = 2005| publisher = Rowman & Littlefield| isbn = 0-7425-2486-8 }}</ref>{{rp|91–92}} for similar counterprogramming.{{r|pearson2011}}{{rp|121}}

Through syndication, ''Star Trek'' found a larger audience than it had on NBC, becoming a cult classic.{{r|hale19750426}}{{r|abbott2010}}{{rp|138–139}} Airing the show in the late afternoon or early evening attracted many new viewers, often young.{{r|shult19720703}} By 1970, Paramount's trade advertisements claimed that the show had significantly improved its stations' ratings,{{r|to20081215}} and the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' commented on ''Star Trek''{{'}}s ability to "acquire the most enviable ratings in the syndication field".{{r|pearson2011}}{{rp|121}} By 1972, what the Associated Press described as "the show that won't die" aired in more than 100 American cities and 60 other countries; and more than 3,000 fans attended the first [[Star Trek convention|''Star Trek'' convention]] in New York City in January 1972.<ref name="buck19720314">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9y9JAAAAIBAJ&pg=861%2C5406685 |title='Star Trek' Engenders Cult in U.S., England |access-date=March 4, 2011 |author=Buck, Jerry |date=March 14, 1972 |agency=Associated Press |archive-date=May 10, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160510015919/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9y9JAAAAIBAJ&sjid=KYQMAAAAIBAJ&pg=861,5406685 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="shult19720703">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=rx0eAAAAIBAJ&dq=star-trek%20syndication%20%7C%20rerun&pg=6303%2C2206524 |title=Cult Fans, Reruns Give 'Star Trek' an Out of This World Popularity |access-date=March 4, 2011 |author=Shult, Doug |date=July 3, 1972 |publisher=[[Milwaukee Journal]] |archive-date=May 6, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160506052824/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=rx0eAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gX4EAAAAIBAJ&dq=star-trek%20syndication%20%7C%20rerun&pg=6303,2206524 |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{quote box|align=right|width=25em|quote=Since that dark day in 1969 when NBC brought the programming hammer down on ''Star Trek'', there probably hasn't been a 24-hour period when the original program, one of the original episodes, wasn't being aired somewhere.|source=—''Chicago Tribune'', 1987<ref name="daley19870104">{{cite news |title=Staying Power: What Is It That Transforms a Few TV Programs into Cult Classics While Thousands of Others Fade into Oblivion? |work=Chicago Tribune |date=January 4, 1987 |author=Daley, Steve |page=4}}</ref>}}

Fans of the show became increasingly organized, gathering at conventions to trade merchandise, meet actors from the show, and watch screenings of old episodes. Such fans came to be known as "[[trekkie]]s",{{r|hale19750426}} who were noted (and often ridiculed) for their extreme devotion to the show and their encyclopedic knowledge of every episode.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=startrek | title=Star Trek | publisher=[[Museum of Broadcast Communications]] | access-date=August 11, 2012 | archive-date=June 29, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629005037/http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=startrek | url-status=live }}</ref> Because fans enjoyed re-watching each episode many times, prices for ''Star Trek'' rose over time, instead of falling like other syndicated reruns.{{r|pearson2011}}{{rp|122}}<ref name="ei19720506">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qG1IAAAAIBAJ&pg=3950,1720002 |title=Star Trek Rechanneled |work=[[Evening Independent]] |date=May 6, 1972 |access-date=May 12, 2011 |location=St. Petersburg, Florida |pages=3A |archive-date=May 20, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160520105748/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qG1IAAAAIBAJ&sjid=61cDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3950,1720002 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="sedgeman19720529">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UcVaAAAAIBAJ&pg=6958,3634972 |title=Fan of Star Trek Works At Getting TV Show Returned |work=[[St. Petersburg Times]] |date=May 29, 1972 |access-date=May 4, 2011 |author=Sedgeman, Judy |archive-date=November 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117212214/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UcVaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JGEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6958%2C3634972 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="hale19750426">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=LnBkAAAAIBAJ&pg=2771,3366878 |title=Believing in Captain Kirk |work=[[Calgary Herald]] |date=April 26, 1975 |access-date=May 14, 2011 |author=Hale, Barrie |page=10 |archive-date=September 25, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130925104804/http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=LnBkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=nX0NAAAAIBAJ&pg=2771,3366878 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="montgomery19730311">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WhpXAAAAIBAJ&pg=4866,3596265 |title='Star Trekkies' Show Devotion |work=The Ledger |agency=The New York Times |date=March 11, 1973 |access-date=May 12, 2011 |author=Montgomery, Paul L. |location=Lakeland, Florida |page=34 |archive-date=May 12, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160512204655/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WhpXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=a_oDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4866,3596265 |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[People (magazine)|People]]'' magazine commented in 1977 that the show "threatens to rerun until the universe crawls back into its little black hole".<ref name="darrach19770725">{{cite news |url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20068391,00.html |title=Leonard Nimoy Beams Himself Aboard 'Equus' and Out from Under Mr. Spock's Pointy Ears |work=People |date=July 25, 1977 |access-date=March 2, 2015 |author=Darrach, Brad |archive-date=March 2, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150302023847/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20068391,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref> By 1986, 17 years after entering syndication, ''Star Trek'' was the most popular syndicated series;<ref name="harmetz19861102">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/11/02/arts/new-star-trek-plan-reflects-symbiosis-of-tv-and-movies.html?pagewanted=all |title=New 'Star Trek' Plan Reflects Symbiosis of TV and Movies |work=The New York Times |date=November 2, 1986 |access-date=February 11, 2015 |last=Harmetz |first=Aljean |page=31 |archive-date=February 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150212145559/http://www.nytimes.com/1986/11/02/arts/new-star-trek-plan-reflects-symbiosis-of-tv-and-movies.html?pagewanted=all |url-status=live }}</ref> by 1987, Paramount made $1&nbsp;million from each episode;{{r|davies2007}} and by 1994, the reruns still aired in 94% of the United States.<ref name="cerone19940402">{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-04-02-ca-41242-story.html |title=Trek on into the 21st Century |access-date=March 7, 2011 |author=Cerone, Daniel |date=April 2, 1994 |work=Los Angeles Times |archive-date=November 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117212215/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-04-02-ca-41242-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

From September 1 to December 24, 1998, the Sci-Fi Channel broadcast a "Special Edition" of all the original series episodes in an expanded 90-minute format hosted by William Shatner. Now titled ''Star Trek: The Original Series'', these broadcasts restored scenes that had been edited out of the syndicated episodes.<ref name=tos/><!-- cites previous sentence only --> In addition to introductory and post-episode commentary by Shatner, the episodes included interviews with members of the regular production team and cast, writers, guest stars, and critics (titled as "''Star Trek'' Insights"). The episodes were broadcast in the original broadcast sequence, followed by "The Cage", to which a full 105-minute segment was devoted. (For details on each episode's original airdate, see [[List of Star Trek: The Original Series episodes|List of ''Star Trek: The Original Series'' episodes]].) Leonard Nimoy hosted a second run from December 28, 1998, to March 24, 1999, but not all the episodes were broadcast because the show was abruptly canceled before completion.{{citation needed|date=January 2012}}{{original research inline|date=January 2012}}

===Remastered edition===
<!-- This section is linked from [[Star Trek]] -->
To celebrate the series' 40th anniversary in September 2006, CBS Paramount Domestic Television (now known as [[CBS Media Ventures]], the current rights holders for the ''Star Trek'' television franchises) began syndication of an enhanced version of ''Star Trek: The Original Series'' in [[High-definition television|high definition]] with new [[Computer-generated imagery|CGI]] visual effects.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://trekmovie.com/2006/08/28/star-trek-tos-gets-redone-with-new-cgi |title=Original Star Trek Getting a CGI Makeover! |publisher=TrekMovie.com |date=August 28, 2006 |access-date=April 23, 2007 |archive-date=April 3, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070403094320/http://trekmovie.com/2006/08/28/star-trek-tos-gets-redone-with-new-cgi/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Under the direction of ''Star Trek'' producer David Rossi, who consulted with Mike and Denise Okuda, the visual and special effects were recreated to give ''Star Trek: The Original Series'' a more modern look. Special attention was given to such elements as the ''Enterprise'', alien planets and their images depicted from space, planets seen from orbit, alien spacecraft, and technology such as computer readouts, viewscreen images, and phaser beams.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}}

The restoration and enhancement was performed by [[CBS|CBS Digital]]. All live-action footage was scanned in high definition from its first-generation 35&nbsp;mm film elements. While it was possible to retouch and remaster some visual effects, all new exterior ship, space, and planet shots were recreated under the supervision of Niel Wray.<ref>{{cite web |title=TOS Remastered |url=https://trekmovie.com/trek-remastered/tos-in-hd/ |website=Trekmovie.com |access-date=30 May 2024}}</ref>

"Original camera negatives" were used for all live-action footage, but not for external shots of the ship and planets. Notable changes include new space shots with a CGI ''Enterprise'', and other new models (for example, a [[Gorn (Star Trek)|Gorn]] ship is shown in "[[Arena (Star Trek: The Original Series)|Arena]]"), redone [[Matte (filmmaking)|matte]] background shots, and other minor touches such as tidying up viewscreens.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}}

A small number of scenes were also recomposed, and sometimes new actors were placed into the background of shots.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://trekmovie.com/2006/11/20/behind-the-scenes-at-cbs-digital/ |title=Behind the Scenes at CBS Digital |publisher=TrekMovie.com |author=Anthony Pascale |date=November 20, 2006 |access-date=April 23, 2007 |archive-date=April 3, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070403094344/http://trekmovie.com/2006/11/20/behind-the-scenes-at-cbs-digital/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The opening theme music was also re-recorded in digital stereo.

The first episode to be released to syndication was "[[Balance of Terror]]" on the weekend of September 16, 2006. Episodes were released at the rate of about one a week and broadcast in a 4:3 aspect ratio. Despite the [[High-definition video|HD]] remastering, CBS delivered the broadcast syndication package in [[Standard-definition television|Standard Definition (SD TV)]]. The HD format was made commercially available through [[Blu-ray Disc|Blu-ray]], or by streaming and downloads.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://trekmovie.com/tos-in-hd/ |title=TOS Remastered: Format |publisher=Trekmovie.com |access-date=September 7, 2012 |archive-date=September 20, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120920041550/http://trekmovie.com/tos-in-hd/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

While the CGI shots were mastered in a 16:9 aspect ratio for future applications, they were initially broadcast in the U.S. and Canada—along with the live-action footage—in a 4:3 aspect ratio to respect the show's original composition.

On July 26, 2007, [[CBS Home Entertainment]] (with distribution by Paramount Home Entertainment) announced that the remastered episodes of ''TOS'' would be released on an [[HD DVD]]/DVD hybrid format. Season one was released on November 20, 2007. Season two had been scheduled for release in the summer of 2008, but it was canceled when [[Toshiba]] (which had been helping finance the remastering of the show) pulled out of the HD DVD business.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Star-Trek-Season-2-HD-DVD-Cancelled/9018 |title=Reports Say HD DVD Format To Be Discontinued |publisher=tvshowsondvd.com |author=David Lambert |date=February 18, 2008 |access-date=February 19, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080221190546/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Star-Trek-Season-2-HD-DVD-Cancelled/9018 |archive-date=February 21, 2008 }}</ref> On August 5, 2008, the remastered season two was released on DVD only.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Star-Trek-Season-2/9215 |title=Release Date for Star Trek – Season 2 (Remastered) on DVD |publisher=TVShowsOnDVD.com |author=David Lambert |date=March 21, 2008 |access-date=March 22, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080324032706/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Star-Trek-Season-2/9215 |archive-date=March 24, 2008 }}</ref> Season 3 was released on DVD on November 18, 2008.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Star-Trek-Season-3/10189 |title=Release Date, Exclusive Early Look at Package Art, for Remastered 3rd Season of TOS |publisher=TVShowsOnDVD.com |author=David Lambert |date=March 21, 2008 |access-date=March 22, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080730091800/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Star-Trek-Season-3/10189 |archive-date=July 30, 2008}}</ref> On February 17, 2009, Paramount announced the season one of ''TOS'' on [[Blu-ray Disc]] for a May release to coincide with the new feature film coming from Paramount.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/movies.php?id=4189 |title=Star Trek – The Original Series – Season 1 – Complete Blu-ray |access-date=February 18, 2009 |archive-date=February 25, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090225205555/http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/movies.php?id=4189 |url-status=live }}</ref> The second season was released in a seven disc set on Blu-ray in the U.S. on September 22, 2009.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.homemediamagazine.com/blu-ray-disc/star-trek-season-2-blu-ray-due-sept-22-16319 |title=Home Media Magazine " 16319 " Star Trek Season 2 Blu Ray Due Sept 22 16319 |publisher=Homemediamagazine.com |date=July 9, 2009 |access-date=July 15, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090716142604/http://www.homemediamagazine.com/blu-ray-disc/star-trek-season-2-blu-ray-due-sept-22-16319 |archive-date=July 16, 2009}}</ref> The third season was released on Blu-ray in the U.S. on December 15.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Star-Trek-Season-3-Bluray/12702 |title=Star Trek DVD news: Announcement for Star Trek – Season 3 on Blu-ray Disc |publisher=TVShowsOnDVD.com |access-date=September 7, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120914050802/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Star-Trek-Season-3-Bluray/12702 |archive-date=September 14, 2012}}</ref> With the release of the "Alternate Realities" box set, remastered ''Original Series'' episodes were included in a multi-series compilation for the first time.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Star-Trek-Alternate-Realities/10174 |title=Star Trek DVD news: Update about Star Trek: Alternate Realities |publisher=TVShowsOnDVD.com |access-date=September 7, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023184606/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Star-Trek-Alternate-Realities/10174 |archive-date=October 23, 2012}}</ref>