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''Star Trek'' is an American
science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...
media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture
phenomenon A phenomenon ( : phenomena) is an observable event. The term came into its modern philosophical usage through Immanuel Kant, who contrasted it with the noumenon, which ''cannot'' be directly observed. Kant was heavily influenced by Gottfried ...
. The franchise has expanded into various films,
television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...
,
video games Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedbac ...
, novels, and comic books. With an estimated $10.6 billion in revenue, it is one of the most recognizable and highest-grossing media franchises of all time. The franchise began with ''
Star Trek: The Original Series ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry that follows the adventures of the starship and its crew. It later acquired the retronym of ''Star Trek: The Original Series'' (''TOS'') to distinguis ...
'', which debuted in the US on September 8, 1966 and aired for three seasons on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
. It was first broadcast on September 6, 1966 on Canada's CTV network. It followed the voyages of the crew of the starship USS ''Enterprise'', a space exploration vessel built by the
United Federation of Planets In the fictional universe of ''Star Trek'' the United Federation of Planets (UFP) is the interstellar government with which, as part of its space force Starfleet, most of the characters and starships of the franchise are affiliated. Commonly refe ...
in the 23rd century, on a mission "to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before". In creating ''Star Trek'', Roddenberry was inspired by C. S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower series of novels,
Jonathan Swift Jonathan Swift (30 November 1667 – 19 October 1745) was an Anglo-Irish satirist, author, essayist, political pamphleteer (first for the Whigs, then for the Tories), poet, and Anglican cleric who became Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dubl ...
1726 novel '' Gulliver's Travels'', the 1956 film ''
Forbidden Planet ''Forbidden Planet'' is a 1956 American science fiction film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, produced by Nicholas Nayfack, and directed by Fred M. Wilcox from a script by Cyril Hume that was based on an original film story by Allen Adler and Irvi ...
'', and television
westerns The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referred ...
such as ''
Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings ...
''. The ''Star Trek'' canon includes the ''Original Series'', nine spin-off television series, and a film franchise; further adaptations also exist in several media. After the conclusion of the ''Original Series'', the adventures of its characters continued in the 22-episode '' Star Trek: The Animated Series'' and six feature films. A television revival beginning in the 1980s saw three sequel series and a prequel: '' The Next Generation'', following the crew of a new starship ''Enterprise'' a century after the original series; '' Deep Space Nine'' and '' Voyager'', set in the same era as the ''Next Generation''; and ''
Enterprise Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to: Business and economics Brands and enterprises * Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company * Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company * Enterpris ...
'', set before the original series in the early days of human interstellar travel. The adventures of the ''Next Generation'' crew continued in four additional feature films. In 2009, the film franchise underwent a
reboot In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...
, creating an alternate continuity known as the ''Kelvin'' timeline; three films have been set in this continuity. The newest ''Star Trek'' television revival, beginning in 2017, includes the series ''
Discovery Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discover ...
'', '' Picard'', '' Short Treks'', '' Lower Decks'', ''
Prodigy Prodigy, Prodigies or The Prodigy may refer to: * Child prodigy, a child who produces meaningful output to the level of an adult expert performer ** Chess prodigy, a child who can beat experienced adult players at chess Arts, entertainment, and ...
'', and '' Strange New Worlds'', streaming exclusively on digital platforms. ''Star Trek'' has been a cult phenomenon for decades. Fans of the franchise are called " Trekkies" or "Trekkers". The franchise spans a wide range of
spin-offs Spin-off may refer to: *Spin-off (media), a media work derived from an existing work *Corporate spin-off, a type of corporate action that forms a new company or entity * Government spin-off, civilian goods which are the result of military or gov ...
including games, figurines, novels, toys, and comics. From 1998 to 2008, there was a ''Star Trek''–themed attraction in
Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
. At least two museum exhibits of props travel the world. The
constructed language A constructed language (sometimes called a conlang) is a language whose phonology, grammar, and vocabulary, instead of having developed naturally, are consciously devised for some purpose, which may include being devised for a work of fiction ...
Klingon The Klingons ( ; Klingon: ''tlhIngan'' ) are a fictional species in the science fiction franchise ''Star Trek''. Developed by screenwriter Gene L. Coon in 1967 for the original ''Star Trek'' (''TOS'') series, Klingons were swarthy humanoids c ...
was created for the franchise. Several ''Star Trek'' parodies have been made, and viewers have produced several fan productions. ''Star Trek'' is noted for its cultural influence beyond works of science fiction. The franchise is also notable for its progressive civil-rights stances. ''The Original Series'' included one of the first multiracial casts on US television.


Conception and setting

As early as 1964, Gene Roddenberry drafted a proposal for the science fiction series that would become ''Star Trek''. Although he publicly marketed it as a Western in outer space—a so-called "''
Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings ...
'' to the stars"—he privately told friends that he was modeling it on
Jonathan Swift Jonathan Swift (30 November 1667 – 19 October 1745) was an Anglo-Irish satirist, author, essayist, political pamphleteer (first for the Whigs, then for the Tories), poet, and Anglican cleric who became Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dubl ...
's '' Gulliver's Travels'', intending each episode to act on two levels: as a suspenseful adventure story and as a morality tale. Most ''Star Trek'' stories depict the adventures of humans and aliens who serve in
Starfleet Starfleet is a fictional organization in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. Within this fictional universe, Starfleet is a uniformed space force maintained by the United Federation of Planets ("the Federation") as the principal means for conduc ...
, the space-borne humanitarian and peacekeeping armada of the
United Federation of Planets In the fictional universe of ''Star Trek'' the United Federation of Planets (UFP) is the interstellar government with which, as part of its space force Starfleet, most of the characters and starships of the franchise are affiliated. Commonly refe ...
. The protagonists have
altruistic Altruism is the principle and moral practice of concern for the welfare and/or happiness of other human beings or animals, resulting in a quality of life both material and spiritual. It is a traditional virtue in many cultures and a core asp ...
values, and must apply these ideals to difficult dilemmas. Many of the conflicts and political dimensions of ''Star Trek'' are
allegories As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory th ...
of contemporary cultural realities. ''The Original Series'' addressed issues of the 1960s, just as later spin-offs have tackled issues of their respective decades. Issues depicted in the various series include war and peace, the value of personal loyalty,
authoritarianism Authoritarianism is a political system characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political ''status quo'', and reductions in the rule of law, separation of powers, and democratic voti ...
, imperialism, class warfare, economics, racism, religion, human rights,
sexism Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but it primarily affects women and girls.There is a clear and broad consensus among academic scholars in multiple fields that sexism refers pri ...
, feminism, and the role of technology. Roddenberry stated: "
y creating Y, or y, is the twenty-fifth and penultimate letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. According to some authorities, it is the sixth (or sevent ...
a new world with new rules, I could make statements about sex, religion,
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
, politics, and intercontinental missiles. Indeed, we did make them on ''Star Trek'': we were sending messages and fortunately they all got by the network. If you talked about purple people on a far off planet, they (the television network) never really caught on. They were more concerned about cleavage. They actually would send a censor down to the set to measure a woman's cleavage to make sure too much of her breast wasn't showing." Roddenberry intended the show to have a progressive political agenda reflective of the emerging counter-culture of the youth movement, though he was not fully forthcoming to the networks about this. He wanted ''Star Trek'' to show what humanity might develop into, if it would learn from the lessons of the past, most specifically by ending violence. An extreme example is the alien species known as the
Vulcan Vulcan may refer to: Mythology * Vulcan (mythology), the god of fire, volcanoes, metalworking, and the forge in Roman mythology Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * Vulcan (''Star Trek''), name of a fictional race and their home p ...
s, who had a violent past but learned to control their emotions. Roddenberry also gave ''Star Trek'' an anti-war message and depicted the United Federation of Planets as an ideal, optimistic version of the United Nations. His efforts were opposed by the network because of concerns over marketability, e.g., they opposed Roddenberry's insistence that ''Enterprise'' have a racially diverse crew.


History and production


Timeline


The ''Original Series'' era (1965–1969)

In early 1964, Roddenberry presented a brief treatment for a television series to
Desilu Productions Desilu Productions () was an American television production company founded and co-owned by husband and wife Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball. The company is best known for shows such as ''I Love Lucy'', ''The Lucy Show'', ''Mannix'', ''The Untouchabl ...
, calling it "a ''
Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings ...
'' to the stars." Desilu studio head
Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedienne and producer. She was nominated for 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning five times, and was the recipient of several other accolades, such as the Golde ...
was instrumental in approving production of the series. The studio worked with Roddenberry to develop the treatment into a script, which was then pitched to NBC.
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
paid to make a pilot, " The Cage", starring Jeffrey Hunter as ''Enterprise'' Captain Christopher Pike. NBC rejected "The Cage", but the executives were still impressed with the concept, and made the unusual decision to commission a second pilot: "
Where No Man Has Gone Before "Where No Man Has Gone Before" is the third episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series, ''Star Trek''. Written by Samuel A. Peeples and directed by James Goldstone, it first aired on September 22, 1966. In t ...
". While the show initially enjoyed high ratings, the average rating of the show at the end of its first season dropped to 52nd out of 94 programs. Unhappy with the show's ratings, NBC threatened to cancel the show during its second season. The show's fan base, led by
Bjo Trimble Betty JoAnne Trimble (née Conway; born August 15, 1933), known as Bjo (, ), is an American science fiction fan and writer, initially entering fandom in the early 1950s. Introduction to fandom Trimble's introduction to science fiction fandom ...
, conducted an unprecedented letter-writing campaign, petitioning the network to keep the show on the air. NBC renewed the show, but moved it from primetime to the "
Friday night death slot The "Friday night death slot" or "Friday evening death slot" is a perceived graveyard slot in American television. It implies a television program in the United States scheduled on Friday evenings (typically, between 8:00 and 11:00 p.m. ET) ...
", and substantially reduced its budget. In protest, Roddenberry resigned as producer and reduced his direct involvement in ''Star Trek'', which led to
Fred Freiberger Fred Freiberger (February 19, 1915March 2, 2003) was an American film and television writer and television producer, whose career spanned four decades and work on such films as '' The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms'' (1953) and TV series including '' ...
becoming producer for the show's third and final season. Despite another letter-writing campaign, NBC canceled the series after three seasons and 79 episodes.


Post–''Original Series'' rebirth (1969–1991)

After the original series was canceled, Desilu, which by then had been renamed Paramount Television, licensed the broadcast syndication rights to help recoup the production losses. Reruns began in late 1969, and by the late 1970s the series aired in over 150 domestic and 60 international markets. This helped ''Star Trek'' develop a cult following greater than its popularity during its original run. One sign of the series' growing popularity was the first ''Star Trek'' convention, which occurred on January 21–23, 1972 in New York City. Although the original expectation was that only a few hundred fans would attend, several thousand turned up. ''Star Trek'' fans continue to attend similar conventions worldwide. The series' newfound success led to the idea of reviving the franchise.
Filmation Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live-action programming for television from 1963 until 1989. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1962. Filmation's founders and ...
with Paramount Television produced the first post–original series show, '' Star Trek: The Animated Series'', featuring the cast of the original series reprising their roles. It ran on NBC for 22 half-hour episodes over two seasons on Saturday mornings from 1973 to 1974. Although short-lived, typical for animated productions in that time slot during that period, the series garnered the franchise's only Emmy Award in a "Best Series" category—specifically Outstanding Entertainment Children's Series; later Emmy awards for the franchise would be in technical categories. Paramount Pictures and Roddenberry began developing a new series, ''
Star Trek: Phase II ''Star Trek: Phase II'' was the initial working title for what officially became titled ''Star Trek II,'' an unproduced American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as a sequel to (and continuation of) the original ''S ...
'', in May 1975 in response to the franchise's newfound popularity. Work on the series ended when the proposed Paramount Television Service folded. Following the success of the science fiction movies '' Star Wars'' and ''
Close Encounters of the Third Kind ''Close Encounters of the Third Kind'' is a 1977 American science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Richard Dreyfuss, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, Cary Guffey, and François Truffaut. It tells the story ...
'', Paramount adapted the planned pilot episode of ''Phase II'' into the feature film '' Star Trek: The Motion Picture''. The film opened in North America on December 7, 1979, with mixed reviews from critics. The film earned $139 million worldwide, below expectations but enough for Paramount to create a sequel. The studio forced Roddenberry to relinquish creative control of future sequels. The success of the sequel, '' Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan'', reversed the fortunes of the franchise. While the sequel grossed less than the first movie, ''The Wrath of Khan''s lower production costs made it net more profit. Paramount produced six ''Star Trek'' feature films between 1979 and 1991, each featuring the ''Original Series'' cast in their original roles. In response to the popularity of ''Star Trek'' feature films, the franchise returned to television with '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' in 1987. Paramount chose to distribute it as a first-run syndication show rather than a network show. ''The Next Generation'' was set a century after the original series, following the adventures of a new starship ''Enterprise'' with a new crew.


Post-Roddenberry television era (1991–2005)

Following ''Star Trek: The Motion Picture'', Roddenberry's role was changed from producer to creative consultant with minimal input to the films while being heavily involved with the creation of '' The Next Generation''. Roddenberry died on October 24, 1991, giving executive producer
Rick Berman Richard Keith Berman (born December 25, 1945) is an American television producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his work as the executive producer of several of the '' Star Trek'' television series: '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', ...
control of the franchise. ''Star Trek'' had become known to those within Paramount as "the franchise", because of its great success and recurring role as a tent pole for the studio when other projects failed. ''The Next Generation'' had the highest ratings of any ''Star Trek'' series and became the most syndicated show during the last years of its original seven-season run. In response to the ''Next Generation'' success, Paramount released a spin-off series, '' Deep Space Nine'', in 1993. While never as popular as the ''Next Generation'', the series had sufficient ratings for it to last seven seasons. In January 1995, a few months after the ''Next Generation'' ended, Paramount released a fourth television series, '' Voyager''. ''Star Trek'' production reached a peak in the mid-1990s with ''Deep Space Nine'' and ''Voyager'' airing concurrently and three of the four ''Next Generation''-based feature films released in 1994, 1996, and 1998. By 1998, ''Star Trek'' was Paramount's most important property and the profits of "the franchise" funded a significant portion of the studio's operations. ''Voyager'' became the flagship show of the new
United Paramount Network The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that launched on January 16, 1995. It was originally owned by Chris-Craft Industries' United Television. Viacom (through its Paramount Television unit, which prod ...
(UPN) and thus the first major network ''Star Trek'' series since the original. After ''Voyager'' ended, UPN produced ''
Enterprise Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to: Business and economics Brands and enterprises * Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company * Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company * Enterpris ...
'', a prequel series. ''Enterprise'' did not enjoy the high ratings of its predecessors and UPN threatened to cancel it after the series' third season. Fans launched a campaign reminiscent of the one that saved the third season of the ''Original Series''. Paramount renewed ''Enterprise'' for a fourth season, but moved it to the
Friday night death slot The "Friday night death slot" or "Friday evening death slot" is a perceived graveyard slot in American television. It implies a television program in the United States scheduled on Friday evenings (typically, between 8:00 and 11:00 p.m. ET) ...
. Like the ''Original Series'', ''Enterprise''s ratings dropped during this time slot, and UPN cancelled ''Enterprise'' at the end of its fourth season. ''Enterprise'' aired its final episode on May 13, 2005. A fan group, "Save ''Enterprise''", attempted to save the series and tried to raise $30 million to privately finance a fifth season of ''Enterprise''. Though the effort garnered considerable press, the fan drive failed to save the series. The cancellation of ''Enterprise'' ended an eighteen-year continuous production run of ''Star Trek'' programming on television. The poor box office performance in 2002 of the film '' Nemesis'' cast an uncertain light upon the future of the franchise. Paramount relieved Berman, the franchise producer, of control of ''Star Trek''.


Reboot (''Kelvin timeline'') film series (2009–2016)

Paramount hired a new creative team, in 2007, to reinvigorate the franchise on the big screen. Writers
Roberto Orci Roberto Gaston Orcí (born July 20, 1973) is a Mexican-American film and television screenwriter and producer. He began his longtime collaboration with Alex Kurtzman while at school in California. Together they have been employed on television ...
and
Alex Kurtzman Alexander Hilary Kurtzman (born September 7, 1973) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for his work on the ''Star Trek'' franchise since 2009, co-writing the scripts to ''Transformers'' (2007), '' Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'' and ...
and producer
J. J. Abrams Jeffrey Jacob Abrams (born June 27, 1966) is an American filmmaker and composer. He is best known for his works in the genres of action, drama, and science fiction. Abrams wrote and produced such films as '' Regarding Henry'' (1991), '' F ...
had the freedom to reinvent the feel of the franchise. The team created the franchise's eleventh film, '' Star Trek'', releasing it in May 2009. The film featured a new cast portraying the crew of the original show. ''Star Trek'' was a prequel of the original series set in an
alternate timeline Alternate history (also alternative history, althist, AH) is a genre of speculative fiction of stories in which one or more historical events occur and are resolved differently than in real life. As conjecture based upon historical fact, altern ...
, later named the ''Kelvin'' Timeline. This gave the film and sequels freedom from the need to conform to the franchise's canonical timeline and minimized the impact these films would have on CBS's portion of the franchise. The eleventh ''Star Trek'' film's marketing campaign targeted non-fans, stating in the film's advertisements that "this is not your father's ''Star Trek''". The film earned considerable critical and financial success, grossing (in inflation-adjusted dollars) more box office sales than any previous ''Star Trek'' film. The plaudits include the franchise's first
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
(for
makeup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...
). Two sequels were released. The first sequel, ''
Star Trek Into Darkness ''Star Trek Into Darkness'' is a 2013 American science fiction action film directed by J. J. Abrams and written by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof. It is the 12th installment in the ''Star Trek'' franchise and the sequel to t ...
'', premiered in the spring of 2013. While the film did not earn as much in the North American box office as its predecessor, internationally, in terms of box office receipts, ''Into Darkness'' is the most successful of the franchise. The thirteenth film, ''
Star Trek Beyond ''Star Trek Beyond'' is a 2016 American science fiction action film directed by Justin Lin, written by Simon Pegg and Doug Jung, and based on the television series ''Star Trek'' created by Gene Roddenberry. It is the 13th film in the ''Star T ...
'', was released on July 22, 2016. The film had many pre-production problems and its script went through several rewrites. While receiving positive reviews, ''Star Trek Beyond'' disappointed in the box office.


Expansion of the Star Trek Universe (2017–present)

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
turned down several proposals in the mid-2000s to restart the franchise on the small screen. Proposals included pitches from film director
Bryan Singer Bryan Jay Singer (born September 17, 1965) is an American filmmaker. He is the founder of Bad Hat Harry Productions and has produced almost all of the films he has directed. After graduating from the University of Southern California, Singer ...
, ''
Babylon 5 ''Babylon 5'' is an American space opera television series created by writer and producer J. Michael Straczynski, under the Babylonian Productions label, in association with Straczynski's Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Warner Bros. Domestic Tele ...
'' creator J. Michael Straczynski, and ''Trek'' actors Jonathan Frakes and William Shatner. While CBS was not creating new ''Star Trek'' for network television, the ease of access to ''Star Trek'' content on new streaming services such as
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
and Amazon Prime Video introduced a new set of fans to the franchise. CBS eventually sought to capitalize on this trend, and brought the franchise back to the small screen with the series '' Star Trek: Discovery'' to help launch and draw subscribers to its streaming service
CBS All Access Paramount+ is an American subscription video on-demand service owned by Paramount Global. The service's content is drawn primarily from the libraries of CBS Media Ventures (including CBS Studios), Paramount Media Networks (formerly Viacom Media ...
. ''Discovery's'' first season premiered on September 24, 2017. While ''Discovery'' is shown in the United States exclusively on
Paramount+ Paramount+ is an American subscription video on-demand service owned by Paramount Global. The service's content is drawn primarily from the libraries of CBS Media Ventures (including CBS Studios), Paramount Media Networks (formerly Viacom Media ...
(formerly CBS All Access), for its first three seasons, Netflix, in exchange for funding the production costs of the show, owned the international screening rights for the show. This Netflix distribution and production deal ended right before the fourth season premiere of ''Discovery'' in November 2021. ''Discovery'' has since been exclusive to Paramount Global owned platforms. In June 2018, after becoming sole showrunner of ''Discovery'', Kurtzman signed a five-year overall deal with CBS Television Studios to expand the ''Star Trek'' franchise beyond ''Discovery'' to several new series, miniseries, and animated series. Kurtzman wanted to "open this world up" and create multiple series set in the same universe but with their own "unique storytelling and distinct cinematic feel", an approach that he compared to the
Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...
. However, the franchise would not tell a single story across multiple series, allowing audiences to watch each series without having to see all of the others. CBS and Kurtzman refer to this expanded franchise as the ''Star Trek'' Universe. In October 2020, Kurtzman stated that ''Star Trek'' series have been planned through 2027. Kurtzman cautioned that this was a preliminary plan, but it was necessary to plan so far out due to the long production schedules for each series. The second series of the expansion of the ''Star Trek'' Universe, '' Star Trek: Picard'', features
Patrick Stewart Sir Patrick Stewart (born 13 July 1940) is an English actor who has a career spanning seven decades in various stage productions, television, film and video games. He has been nominated for Olivier, Tony, Golden Globe, Emmy, and Screen Actors ...
reprising the character Jean-Luc Picard from ''The Next Generation''. ''Picard'' premiered on CBS All Access on January 23, 2020. Unlike ''Discovery'', Amazon Prime Video streams ''Picard'' internationally. CBS has also released two seasons of '' Star Trek: Short Treks'', a series of standalone mini-episodes which air between ''Discovery'' and ''Picard'' seasons. A new live-action series, '' Star Trek: Strange New Worlds'', a spinoff of the second season of ''Discovery'' and prequel to the original series, premiered on May 5, 2022. '' Lower Decks'', an animated adult comedy series, was released on August 6, 2020 on CBS All Access. Another animated series, '' Star Trek: Prodigy'', premiered on the rebranded service
Paramount+ Paramount+ is an American subscription video on-demand service owned by Paramount Global. The service's content is drawn primarily from the libraries of CBS Media Ventures (including CBS Studios), Paramount Media Networks (formerly Viacom Media ...
first on October 28, 2021, and on December 17, 2021 on
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...
. ''Prodigy'' is the first Star Trek series to specifically target younger audiences, and is the franchise's first fully
computer animated Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating animations. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both static scenes ( still images) and dynamic images ( moving images), while computer animation re ...
series.
Paramount Global Paramount Global ( doing business as Paramount) is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate owned and operated by National Amusements (79.4%) and headquartered at One Astor Plaza in Midtown Manhattan, New York. ...
announced in February 2021 that the ''Star Trek'' Universe would be available on Paramount+, including ''Discovery'', ''Picard'', ''Lower Decks'', ''Prodigy'', and ''Strange New Worlds''. The service's Executive Vice President of Development and Programming, Julie McNamara, said they were unlikely to expand the slate of Star Trek series until one of these five shows ended, which could happen when a series' story runs its course or a lead actor's contract expires. McNamara hoped to release a new season of ''Star Trek'' each quarter. Discussing the next phase of the franchise, Kurtzman said several projects were in development and the success of ''Prodigy'' could lead to more young audience-focused series. He added that future live-action series would likely explore new parts of the ''Star Trek'' franchise's timeline in a similar way to ''Discovery''s jump to the far future in its third season. Kurtzman also felt there would be opportunities for future series to be associated to other Paramount Global brands such as
BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...
and Showtime, similar to ''Prodigy'' being developed for Nickelodeon. Monthly meetings with the showrunners of each new series are held to allow coordination between the different series and ensure that "they're not stepping on each other's toes" by using the same elements of the universe, according to Kurtzman.


Television

Eight live-action television series, three animated series and one short-form companion series make up the bulk of the ''Star Trek'' mythos: ''The Original Series'', ''The Animated Series'', ''The Next Generation'', ''Deep Space Nine'', ''Voyager'', ''Enterprise'', ''Discovery'', ''Short Treks'', ''Picard'', ''Lower Decks'', ''Prodigy'' and ''Strange New Worlds''. All the series in total amount to episodes across seasons of television.


''The Original Series'' (1966–1969)

''Star Trek: The Original Series'', frequently abbreviated as ''TOS'', debuted on NBC on September 8, 1966. The show tells the tale of the crew of the starship and its five-year mission "to boldly go where no man has gone before", under the command of Captain James T. Kirk. During the series's initial run, it was nominated for
Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation The Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation is given each year for theatrical films, television episodes, or other dramatized works related to science fiction or fantasy released in the previous calendar year. Originally the award covered both ...
multiple times, and won twice. Cast included: NBC canceled the show after three seasons; the last original episode aired on June 3, 1969. A petition near the end of the second season to save the show signed by many
Caltech The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...
students and its multiple Hugo nominations would, however, indicate that despite low Nielsen ratings, it was highly popular with science fiction fans and engineering students. The series later became popular in reruns and found a cult following.


''The Animated Series'' (1973–1974)

''Star Trek: The Animated Series'', produced by
Filmation Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live-action programming for television from 1963 until 1989. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1962. Filmation's founders and ...
, ran for two seasons from 1973 to 1974. Most of the original cast performed the voices of their characters from the ''Original Series'', and some of the writers who worked on the ''Original Series'' returned. While the animated format allowed the producers to create more exotic alien landscapes and life forms, animation errors and liberal reuse of shots and musical cues have tarnished the series' reputation. Gene Roddenberry often spoke of it as
non-canon In fiction, canon is the material accepted as officially part of the story in an individual universe of that story by its fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction. The alternative terms mythology, tim ...
, though more recent productions have treated it as canonical. The cast included: ''The Animated Series'' won ''Star Trek''s first Emmy Award on May 15, 1975. The series briefly returned to television in the mid-1980s on the children's cable network
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...
, and again on
Sci-Fi Channel Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. ...
in the mid-90s. The complete series was released on LaserDisc during the 1980s. The complete series was first released in the U.S. on eleven volumes of VHS tapes in 1989. All 22 episodes were released on DVD in 2006.


''The Next Generation'' (1987–1994)

''Star Trek: The Next Generation'', frequently abbreviated as ''TNG'', takes place about a century after the ''Original Series'' (2364–2370). It features a new starship, , and a new crew: The series premiered on September 28, 1987, and ran for seven seasons. It had the highest ratings of any of the ''Star Trek'' series and became the highest rated syndicated show near the end of its run, allowing it to act as a springboard for other series. Many relationships and races introduced in the ''Next Generation'' became the basis for episodes in ''Deep Space Nine'' and ''Voyager''. The series earned several Emmy awards and nominations—including Best Dramatic Series for its final season—two Hugo Awards, and a Peabody Award for Outstanding Television Programming for one episode.


''Deep Space Nine'' (1993–1999)

''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'', frequently abbreviated as ''DS9'', takes place during the last years of and immediately after the ''Next Generation'' (2369–2375). It debuted the week of January 3, 1993, and ran for seven seasons. Unlike the other ''Star Trek'' series, ''Deep Space Nine'' was set primarily on a space station of the same name rather than aboard a starship. The cast included: The show begins after the conclusion of the brutal
Cardassian The Cardassians () are a fictional Extraterrestrial life in popular culture, extraterrestrial species in the American science fiction franchise ''Star Trek''. They were devised in 1991 for the series ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' before b ...
occupation of the planet
Bajor The Bajorans (variously pronounced , , ) are a fictional species in the science-fiction '' Star Trek'' franchise. They are a humanoid extraterrestrial species native to the planet Bajor, who have a long-standing enmity with the Cardassians, o ...
, introduced in ''The Next Generation''. The liberated Bajoran people ask the United Federation of Planets to help run a space station near Bajor. After the Federation takes control of the station, the protagonists of the show discover a uniquely stable
wormhole A wormhole ( Einstein-Rosen bridge) is a hypothetical structure connecting disparate points in spacetime, and is based on a special solution of the Einstein field equations. A wormhole can be visualized as a tunnel with two ends at separate p ...
that provides immediate access to the distant Gamma Quadrant, making Bajor and the station a strategically important location. The show chronicles the events of the station's crew, led by Commander
Benjamin Sisko Benjamin Lafayette Sisko is a fictional character in the '' Star Trek'' franchise portrayed by Avery Brooks. He first appeared in the television series '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (''DS9'') and became prominent on the TV show in the United ...
(
Avery Brooks Avery Franklin Brooks (born October 2, 1948) is an American actor, director, singer, narrator and educator. He is best known for his television roles as Captain Benjamin Sisko on ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'', as Hawk on '' Spenser: For Hire'' ...
), and Major
Kira Nerys Kira Nerys is a fictional character in the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (1993–1999). She was played by actress Nana Visitor. The character is from the fictional planet Bajor, a world which has rec ...
( Nana Visitor). ''Deep Space Nine'' stands apart from earlier ''Trek'' series for its lengthy serialized storytelling, character conflicts, and religious themes—all elements praised by critics and audiences, but which Roddenberry had forbidden as a producer of the original series and the ''Next Generation''.


''Voyager'' (1995–2001)

''Star Trek: Voyager'' ran for seven seasons, airing from January 16, 1995 to May 23, 2001. It features
Kate Mulgrew Katherine Kiernan Maria Mulgrew (born April 29, 1955) is an American actress and author. She is best known for her roles as Captain Kathryn Janeway on '' Star Trek: Voyager'' and Red on ''Orange Is the New Black''. She first came to attention ...
as Captain
Kathryn Janeway Kathryn Janeway is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' franchise. She was the Captain of the Starfleet starship USS ''Voyager'' (on '' Star Trek: Voyager'') while it was lost in the Delta Quadrant on the other side of the galaxy. After re ...
, the first female commanding officer in a leading role of a ''Star Trek'' series. Cast included: ''Voyager'' takes place during the same time period as ''Deep Space Nine'' and the years immediately following (2371–2378). The militant renegade movement known as the Maquis, introduced on ''Deep Space Nine'', is part of the premise of ''Voyager''. The premiere episode has the USS ''Voyager'' and its crew pursuing a Maquis ship; both ships become stranded in the
Delta Quadrant Several films and episodes of the science fiction franchise ''Star Trek'' are set in distinct astrographical regions of space. Some of these fictional locations exhibit anomalous physical properties; others are defined as sensitive buffer zones ...
about 70,000 light-years from Earth. Faced with a 75-year voyage to Earth, the crews must work together to overcome challenges and shorten the voyage on their long and perilous journey home. Like ''Deep Space Nine'', early seasons of ''Voyager'' feature more conflict between its crew members than seen in ''The Next Generation''. Such conflict often arose from friction between "by-the-book" Starfleet crew and rebellious Maquis fugitives forced by circumstance to work together. The starship ''Voyager'', isolated from its home, faced new cultures and dilemmas not possible in shows based in the Alpha Quadrant. Later seasons brought in an influx of characters and cultures from prior shows, such as the
Borg The Borg are an alien group that appear as recurring antagonists in the ''Star Trek'' fictional universe. The Borg are cybernetic organisms (cyborgs) linked in a hive mind called "the Collective". The Borg co-opt the technology and knowledge ...
, Q, the Ferengi,
Romulan The Romulans () are an extraterrestrial race in the American science fiction franchise '' Star Trek''. They first appeared in the series '' Star Trek'' (1966–1969). They have appeared in most subsequent ''Star Trek'' releases, including '' The ...
s,
Klingon The Klingons ( ; Klingon: ''tlhIngan'' ) are a fictional species in the science fiction franchise ''Star Trek''. Developed by screenwriter Gene L. Coon in 1967 for the original ''Star Trek'' (''TOS'') series, Klingons were swarthy humanoids c ...
s,
Cardassian The Cardassians () are a fictional Extraterrestrial life in popular culture, extraterrestrial species in the American science fiction franchise ''Star Trek''. They were devised in 1991 for the series ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' before b ...
s and cast members of the ''Next Generation''.


''Enterprise'' (2001–2005)

''Star Trek: Enterprise'', originally titled ''Enterprise'', is a prequel to the original ''Star Trek'' series. It aired from September 26, 2001 to May 13, 2005 on
UPN The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that launched on January 16, 1995. It was originally owned by Chris-Craft Industries' United Television. Viacom (through its Paramount Television unit, which pr ...
. ''Enterprise'' is set about a century earlier than ''The Original Series'', early in the fictional history of humanity's space exploration and shortly before the creation of the United Federation of Planets. The show follows the crew of an earlier starship on Earth's first deep-space exploration mission. The cast included: Initially, ''Enterprise'' featured self-contained episodes, much like the ''Original Series'', ''Next Generation'' and ''Voyager''. The third season comprised a single narrative arc. The fourth and final season consisted of several three- and four-episode arcs, which explored the origins of some elements of previous series, and resolved some continuity errors with ''The Original Series''. Ratings for ''Enterprise'' started strong but declined rapidly. Although critics received the fourth season well, both fans and the cast reviled the series finale, partly because of the episode's focus on the guest appearance of members of the ''Next Generation'' cast. The cancellation of ''Enterprise'' ended an 18-year run of new ''Star Trek'' series, which began with the ''Next Generation'' in 1987.


''Discovery'' (2017–present)

''Star Trek: Discovery'' is the first series of the
streaming television Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as TV shows, as streaming media delivered over the Internet. Streaming television stands in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air a ...
''Star Trek'' revival; it begins as a prequel to the ''Original Series'', set roughly ten years prior. It premiered September 24, 2017 in the United States and Canada on
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
. The series is shown on
Paramount+ Paramount+ is an American subscription video on-demand service owned by Paramount Global. The service's content is drawn primarily from the libraries of CBS Media Ventures (including CBS Studios), Paramount Media Networks (formerly Viacom Media ...
in the United States; elsewhere, Netflix distributes the series worldwide, except for Canada. The cast includes: ''Discovery'' is a serialized drama in which each season follows a single overarching narrative. In a departure from previous ''Star Trek'' series, the primary protagonist, Michael Burnham (portrayed by Martin-Green), is not the captain of the titular ship for the first few seasons. The first season follows a war between the
United Federation of Planets In the fictional universe of ''Star Trek'' the United Federation of Planets (UFP) is the interstellar government with which, as part of its space force Starfleet, most of the characters and starships of the franchise are affiliated. Commonly refe ...
and the
Klingon The Klingons ( ; Klingon: ''tlhIngan'' ) are a fictional species in the science fiction franchise ''Star Trek''. Developed by screenwriter Gene L. Coon in 1967 for the original ''Star Trek'' (''TOS'') series, Klingons were swarthy humanoids c ...
Empire, instigated by Burnham, who is court-martialed, demoted, and assigned to the starship ''Discovery''; later seasons follow the crew of ''Discovery'' on other adventures.


''Short Treks'' (2018–2020)

''Star Trek: Short Treks'' is a short film anthology companion series initially exploring settings and characters from ''Discovery''. Later episodes feature the crew of the ''Enterprise'' under the command of Christopher Pike. The final episode of the second season serves as a teaser for '' Picard.''


''Picard'' (2020–present)

''Star Trek: Picard'', like ''Discovery'', is a serialized drama created for CBS All Access; it premiered on January 23, 2020. Set about 30 years after ''The Next Generation'', the series sees
Patrick Stewart Sir Patrick Stewart (born 13 July 1940) is an English actor who has a career spanning seven decades in various stage productions, television, film and video games. He has been nominated for Olivier, Tony, Golden Globe, Emmy, and Screen Actors ...
reprise his ''TNG'' role of Jean-Luc Picard. The first season follows Picard in his retirement, seeking redemption for what he sees as his past failings, as he goes on an adventure to save the daughter of his late crewmate
Data In the pursuit of knowledge, data (; ) is a collection of discrete Value_(semiotics), values that convey information, describing quantity, qualitative property, quality, fact, statistics, other basic units of meaning, or simply sequences of sy ...
. The cast includes:


''Lower Decks'' (2020–present)

''Star Trek: Lower Decks'' is an animated adult comedy series created by the ''
Rick and Morty {{Infobox television , image = Rick and Morty title card (cropped).png , alt = , caption = , genre = {{Plainlist, * Animated sitcom * Adult animation * Science fiction * Black comedy * ...
'' writer
Mike McMahan Mike McMahan is an American comedy writer and television producer. He is the creator of the animated comedies ''Solar Opposites'' (with Justin Roiland) and '' Star Trek: Lower Decks''. Career McMahan, a native of Chicago, first worked in pro ...
. The series follows the support crew of "one of Starfleet's least important ships." The series premiered on August 6, 2020 on CBS All Access. The cast includes:


''Prodigy'' (2021–present)

''Star Trek: Prodigy'' is an animated series created by Kevin and Dan Hageman for Paramount+, and the cable channel
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...
. The series follows a group of teenagers who use an abandoned starship to search for adventure. The series premiered on October 28, 2021. The cast includes:


''Strange New Worlds'' (2022–present)

''Star Trek: Strange New Worlds'' is a spinoff of ''Discovery'' and a prequel to the Original Series, created by Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, and Jenny Lumet for Paramount+. It premiered in May 2022. It portrays the adventures of the U.S.S. ''Enterprise'' prior to James Kirk's captaincy, and focuses on episodic storytelling in contrast to the serialized narratives of ''Discovery''. The ''Enterprises crew in this series features several characters who were first introduced in the Original Series, now played by new actors, including Ethan Peck,
Anson Mount Anson Adams Mount IV (born February 25, 1973) is an American actor. He is known for his television roles as Cullen Bohannon in the AMC western drama series '' Hell on Wheels'', as Jim Steele on the NBC series '' Conviction'' (2006), as the Marv ...
and
Rebecca Romijn Rebecca Alie O'Connell (née Romijn ; born November 6, 1972) is an American actress and former model. She is known for her role as Mystique in the original trilogy (2000–2006) of the ''X-Men'' film series, as Joan from '' The Punisher'' ( ...
reprising their ''Discovery'' season 2 roles as Spock, Captain Pike and Number One respectively. The cast includes:


In development

CBS and ''Star Trek'' producers Alex Kurtzman and Heather Kadin have announced that further animated and live-action television series are currently in development. In February 2021, it was announced that further series would only move forward once at least one of the current slate of series (''Discovery'', ''Picard'', ''Lower Decks'', ''Prodigy'', and ''Strange New Worlds'') concludes its run. One such series includes
Michelle Yeoh Michelle Yeoh Choo Kheng, ( ; born 6 August 1962) is a Malaysian actress. Credited as Michelle Khan in her early Hong Kong films, she rose to fame in the 1990s after starring in a series of Hong Kong action films where she performed her own ...
reprising her role as the mirror universe's Philippa Georgiou of Section 31 from ''Discovery''. The expanded franchise reportedly also includes several series, including a series being developed by Stephanie Savage and
Josh Schwartz Joshua Ian Schwartz (born August 6, 1976) is an American screenwriter and television producer. Schwartz is best known for creating and executive producing the Fox teen drama series '' The O.C.'' which ran for 4 seasons. Schwartz is also known fo ...
that is set at
Starfleet Academy In the fictional universe of ''Star Trek'', Starfleet Academy is where recruits to Starfleet's officer corps are trained. It was created in the year 2161, when the United Federation of Planets was founded. The Academy's motto is "''Ex astri ...
, as well as ''Ceti Alpha V'', a limited series based on the character
Khan Noonien Singh Khan Noonien Singh is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' science fiction franchise, who first appeared as the main antagonist in the ''Star Trek: The Original Series'' episode "Space Seed" (1967), and was portrayed by Ricardo Montalbán ...
and his ''The Wrath of Khan'' storyline, written by Nicholas Meyer.


Film

Paramount Pictures has produced thirteen ''Star Trek'' feature films, the most recent being released in July 2016. The first six films continue the adventures of the cast of the ''Original Series''; the seventh film, ''Generations'', was intended as a transition from original cast to the cast of the ''Next Generation''; the next three films focused completely on the ''Next Generation'' cast. The eleventh film and its sequels occur in an alternate timeline with a new cast portraying the ''Original Series'' characters. Leonard Nimoy portrayed an elderly Spock in the films, providing a narrative link to what became known as the Prime Timeline. The alternate timeline was named "The ''Kelvin'' Timeline" by ''
Star Trek Encyclopedia ''The Star Trek Encyclopedia: A Reference Guide to the Future'' is a 1994 encyclopedia of in-universe information from the ''Star Trek'' television series and films. It was written by Michael Okuda and Denise Okuda, who were production staff on ...
'' writers Michael and Denise Okuda, in honor of the starship USS ''Kelvin'' which was first seen in the 2009 film.


Films in development

Though initially reported as being placed on hold, Paramount confirmed in September 2020 that they haven't cancelled any of the ''Star Trek'' films that are currently in development. This includes the Tarantino film, ''Star Trek 4'' with the ''Kelvin'' Timeline cast, and Noah Hawley's film * Untitled Mark L. Smith film: In December 2017, an R-rated ''Star Trek'' film was announced as in-development with a script written by Mark L. Smith, from an original story pitch by
Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, dark humor, non-linear storylines, cameos, ensembl ...
and
J. J. Abrams Jeffrey Jacob Abrams (born June 27, 1966) is an American filmmaker and composer. He is best known for his works in the genres of action, drama, and science fiction. Abrams wrote and produced such films as '' Regarding Henry'' (1991), '' F ...
. Though the studio was courting Tarantino to serve as director, the filmmaker decided to pass on the project. The plot takes place primarily on Earth during the '30s in a
mobster A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from '' mob'' and the suffix '' -ster''. Gangs provide a level of organization and ...
setting, and was based on an episode from the original ''Star Trek'' television series. The studio is open to adapting the script with another director. * ''Star Trek 4'': In April 2018, a fourth film in ''The Kelvin Timeline'' was announced to be in development with S. J. Clarkson hired as director. The script co-written by J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay, focused on Captain Kirk and his deceased father, George Kirk. The project was delayed due to scheduling conflicts and additional work on the script was required. In July 2021, it was announced that the next film would be directed by
Matt Shakman Matt Shakman is an American film, television, and theatre director, and former child actor. He produced and directed '' WandaVision'' and has directed episodes of ''The Great'', ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'', '' Fargo'' and ''Game of Thr ...
, using a script by Lindsey Beer and Geneva Robertson-Dworet. In February 2022, at the Paramount Global Investors' Day event, it was officially announced that ''Star Trek 4'' will begin production in Spring of 2022. The main cast is in negotiations to return in their respective roles. Josh Friedman and Cameron Squires were hired to do a rewrite of the previous draft of the script. The project will be a joint-venture production between Paramount Pictures and Bad Robot Productions, with J. J. Abrams and Lindsey Weber signed on as producers. * Untitled Noah Hawley film: In November 2019, an additional film was announced as being in-development with
Noah Hawley Noah ''Nukh''; am, ኖህ, ''Noḥ''; ar, نُوح '; grc, Νῶε ''Nôe'' () is the tenth and last of the pre-Flood patriarchs in the traditions of Abrahamic religions. His story appears in the Hebrew Bible (Book of Genesis, chapters 5– ...
signed onto the project as writer/director. By August 2020, the project was placed on hold, while studio executives decide which project will be
green-lit To green-light is to give permission to proceed with a project. The term is a reference to the green traffic signal, indicating "go ahead". Film industry In the context of the film and television industries, to green-light something is to ...
first. * Untitled Kalinda Vasquez film: In March 2021, it was announced that another film is in development. Kalinda Vasquez, who previously worked on ''Star Trek: Discovery'', will serve as screenwriter. The project will be a joint-venture production between Paramount Pictures and Bad Robot Productions, with J. J. Abrams serving as producer. * Untitled Nicholas Meyer film project: In March 2021, Nicholas Meyer announced that he and Steven Charles-Jaffe had written a treatment for a ''Star Trek'' film that takes place between ''The Motion Picture'' and ''Wrath of Khan''. The duo had proposed the project within the prior year to Alex Kurtzman, J. J. Abrams, and Paramount Pictures' Emma Watts.


Merchandise

Many licensed products are based on the ''Star Trek'' franchise. Merchandising is very lucrative for both studio and actors; by 1986 Nimoy had earned more than $500,000 from royalties. Products include novels, comic books, video games, and other materials, which are generally considered
non-canon In fiction, canon is the material accepted as officially part of the story in an individual universe of that story by its fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction. The alternative terms mythology, tim ...
. ''Star Trek'' merchandise generated $4 billion for Paramount by 2002.


Books

Since 1967, hundreds of original novels, short stories, and television and movie adaptations have been published. The first original ''Star Trek'' novel was '' Mission to Horatius'' by
Mack Reynolds Dallas McCord "Mack" Reynolds (November 11, 1917 – January 30, 1983) was an American science fiction writer. His pen names included Dallas Ross, Mark Mallory, Clark Collins, Dallas Rose, Guy McCord, Maxine Reynolds, Bob Belmont, and Todd Har ...
, which was published in hardcover by Whitman Books in 1968. In 1968, Gene Roddenberry cooperated with Stephen Edward Poe, writing as Stephen Whitfield, on the nonfiction book ''The Making of Star Trek'' for Ballantine Books. Among the most recent is th
Star Trek Collection of Little Golden Books
Three titles were published by Random House in 2019, a fourth is scheduled for July 2020. The first publisher of ''Star Trek'' fiction aimed at adult readers was Bantam Books.
James Blish James Benjamin Blish () was an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He is best known for his '' Cities in Flight'' novels and his series of ''Star Trek'' novelizations written with his wife, J. A. Lawrence. His novel '' A Case of Conscie ...
wrote
adaptations In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the ...
of episodes of the original series in twelve volumes from 1967 to 1977; in 1970, he wrote the first original Star Trek novel published by Bantam, '' Spock Must Die!''.
Pocket Books Pocket Books is a division of Simon & Schuster that primarily publishes paperback books. History Pocket Books produced the first mass-market, pocket-sized paperback books in the United States in early 1939 and revolutionized the publishing ...
published subsequent ''Star Trek'' novels. Prolific ''Star Trek'' novelists include
Peter David Peter Allen David (born September 23, 1956), often abbreviated PAD, is an American writer of comic books, novels, television, films and video games.Buxton, Marc (March 29, 2014)"From 'Future Imperfect' to '2099': Peter David's Greatest Hits" Co ...
,
Diane Carey Diane L. Carey-Brodeur (born October 2, 1954) is an American fiction writer, publishing under the pen names Lydia Gregory, Diane Carey, and D. L. Carey. Background Diane L. Carey was born on October 2, 1954 in Flint, Michigan, United States. Sh ...
, Keith DeCandido, J.M. Dillard,
Diane Duane Diane Duane (born May 18, 1952) is an American science fiction and fantasy author, long based in Ireland. Her works include the ''Young Wizards'' young adult fantasy series and the '' Rihannsu'' Star Trek novels. Biography Born in New York ...
, Michael Jan Friedman, and
Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens are a ''New York Times''-bestselling husband-and-wife writing/producing team. In June, 2013, at the Constellation Awards ceremony in Toronto, the writing couple were honored with the Constellation Award for "Out ...
. Several actors from the television series have also written or co-written books featuring their respective characters:
William Shatner William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1965 debut as the captain of the starship ''Enterpris ...
,
John de Lancie John Sherwood de Lancie, Jr. (born March 20, 1948) is an American actor, director, producer, writer, and comedian, best known for his role as Q in various ''Star Trek'' series (1987–present); beginning with '' Star Trek: The Next Generation ...
, Andrew J. Robinson, J. G. Hertzler and
Armin Shimerman Armin Shimerman (born November 5, 1949) is an American actor and author. Early life Shimerman was born into a Jewish family in Lakewood, New Jersey, on November 5, 1949, the son of accountant Susan and house painter Herbert Shimerman. When he wa ...
. ''Voyager'' producer
Jeri Taylor Jeri Taylor (born June 30, 1938) is a television scriptwriter and producer, who wrote many episodes of the '' Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Voyager'' series. Early life She is an alumna of Indiana University, where she was a me ...
wrote two novels detailing the personal histories of ''Voyager'' characters. Screenplay writers
David Gerrold David Gerrold (born Jerrold David Friedman; January 24, 1944)Reginald, R. (September 12, 2010)''Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature, Volume 2'' Borgo Press p. 911. Archived at Google Books. Retrieved June 23, 2013. is an American science fic ...
, D. C. Fontana, and Melinda Snodgrass have also penned books. A 2014 scholarly work Newton Lee discussed the actualization of ''Star Trek's'' holodeck in the future by making extensive use of artificial intelligence and cyborgs.


Comics

''Star Trek''-based comics have been issued almost continuously since 1967, published by
Marvel Marvel may refer to: Business * Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company ** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment ** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe ** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics * ...
, DC, Malibu,
Wildstorm Wildstorm Productions, (stylized as WildStorm), is an American comic book imprint. Originally founded as an independent company established by Jim Lee under the name "Aegis Entertainment" and expanded in subsequent years by other creators, Wild ...
, and Gold Key, among others. In 2009,
Tokyopop Tokyopop (styled TOKYOPOP; formerly known as Mixx Entertainment) is an American distributor, licensor and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa and Western manga-style works. The German publishing division produces German translations of licensed ...
produced an anthology of ''Next Generation''-based stories presented in the style of Japanese manga. In 2006, IDW Publishing secured publishing rights to ''Star Trek'' comics and issued a prequel to the 2009 film, '' Star Trek: Countdown''. In 2012, IDW published the first volume of ''Star Trek – The Newspaper Strip'', featuring the work of Thomas Warkentin. As of 2020, IDS continues to produce new titles.


Games

The ''Star Trek'' franchise has numerous games in many formats. Beginning in 1967 with a
board game Board games are tabletop games that typically use . These pieces are moved or placed on a pre-marked board (playing surface) and often include elements of table, card, role-playing, and miniatures games as well. Many board games feature a co ...
based on the original series and continuing through today with online and DVD games, ''Star Trek'' games continue to be popular among fans. Video games based on the series include '' Star Trek: Legacy'' and '' Star Trek: Conquest''. An MMORPG based on ''Star Trek'' called '' Star Trek Online'' was developed by
Cryptic Studios Cryptic Studios is an American video game developer specializing in massively multiplayer online role-playing games. It is headquartered in Los Gatos, California and was a wholly owned Perfect World subsidiary, and is now owned by Embracer Gro ...
and published by Perfect World. It is set during the ''Next Generation'' era, about 30 years after the events of '' Star Trek: Nemesis''. The most recent video game was set in the alternate timeline from Abrams's ''Star Trek''. On June 8, 2010, WizKids announced the development of a ''Star Trek'' collectible miniatures game using the
HeroClix HeroClix is a collectible miniatures game that uses the Clix system that centers on the world of superhero comic books, especially the DC Comics and Marvel universes like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, the X-Me ...
game system. On December 9, 2021, ''Star Trek: Resurgence'', a narrative adventure video game set in the ''Next Generation'' era, was announced by Dramatic Labs.


Magazines

''Star Trek'' has led directly or indirectly to the creation of a number of magazines which focus either on science fiction or specifically on ''Star Trek''. '' Starlog'' was a magazine which was founded in the 1970s. Initially, its focus was on ''Star Trek'' actors, but then it expanded its scope. '' Star Trek: The Magazine'' was a magazine published in the U.S. that ceased publication in 2003. '' Star Trek Magazine'', originally published as ''Star Trek Monthly'' by
Titan Magazines Titan Magazines is the magazine-publishing division of Titan Publishing Group. Titan Magazines' publishing directors are Ricky Claydon and John Dziewiatkowski. History Titan Magazines launched in 1995 with '' Star Trek Magazine'' with John ...
for the United Kingdom market, began in February 1995. The magazine has since expanded to worldwide distribution. Other magazines through the years included professional, as well as magazines published by fans, or fanzines.


Cultural impact

The ''Star Trek'' media franchise is a multibillion-dollar industry, owned by Paramount Global. Gene Roddenberry sold ''Star Trek'' to
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
as a classic adventure drama; he pitched the show as "''Wagon Train'' to the Stars" and as '' Horatio Hornblower in Space''. The opening line, "to boldly go where no man has gone before," was taken almost verbatim from a U.S.
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...
booklet on space produced after the Sputnik flight in 1957. ''Star Trek'' and its spin-offs have proven highly popular in syndication and was broadcast worldwide. The show's cultural impact goes far beyond its longevity and profitability. ''Star Trek'' conventions have become popular among its fans, who call themselves " trekkie or "trekkers". An entire subculture has grown up around the franchise, which was documented in the film '' Trekkies''. ''Star Trek'' was ranked most popular cult show by ''
TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corpora ...
''. The franchise has also garnered many comparisons of the '' Star Wars'' franchise being rivals in the science fiction genre with many fans and scholars. The ''Star Trek'' franchise inspired some designers of technologies, the Palm PDA and the handheld mobile phone. Michael Jones, Chief technologist of Google Earth, has cited the
tricorder A tricorder is a fictional handheld sensor that exists in the ''Star Trek'' universe. The tricorder is a multifunctional hand-held device that can perform environmental scans, data recording, and data analysis; hence the word "tricorder" to refer ...
's mapping capability as one inspiration in the development of Keyhole/Google Earth. The Tricorder X Prize, a contest to build a medical tricorder device was announced in 2012. Ten finalists were selected in 2014, and the winner was to be selected in January 2016. However, no team managed to reach the required criteria. ''Star Trek'' also brought
teleportation Teleportation is the hypothetical transfer of matter or energy from one point to another without traversing the physical space between them. It is a common subject in science fiction literature and in other popular culture. Teleportation is oft ...
to popular attention with its depiction of "matter-energy transport", with the famously misquoted phrase "
Beam me up, Scotty "Beam me up, Scotty" is a catchphrase and misquotation that made its way into popular culture from the science fiction television series ''Star Trek: The Original Series''. It comes from the command Captain Kirk gives his chief engineer, Mont ...
" entering the vernacular. The ''Star Trek'' replicator is credited in the scientific literature with inspiring the field of diatom nanotechnology. In 1976, following a letter-writing campaign,
NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...
named its prototype
space shuttle The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program ...
''Enterprise'', after the fictional starship. Later, the introductory sequence to ''Star Trek: Enterprise'' included footage of this shuttle which, along with images of a naval sailing vessel called ''
Enterprise Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to: Business and economics Brands and enterprises * Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company * Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company * Enterpris ...
'', depicted the advancement of human transportation technology. Beyond ''Star Trek'' fictional innovations, its contributions to television history included a multicultural and multiracial cast. While more common in subsequent years, in the 1960s it was controversial to feature an Enterprise crew that included a Japanese helmsman, a Russian navigator, and a black female communications officer. Captain Kirk's and Lt. Uhura's kiss, in the episode " Plato's Stepchildren", was also daring, and is often mis-cited as being American television's first scripted, interracial kiss, even though several other interracial kisses predated this one. Nichelle Nichols, who played the communications officer, said that the day after she told Roddenberry of her plan to leave the series, she was told a big fan wanted to meet her while attending a NAACP dinner party: After the show, Nichols used this public standing to speak for women and
people of color The term "person of color" ( : people of color or persons of color; abbreviated POC) is primarily used to describe any person who is not considered "white". In its current meaning, the term originated in, and is primarily associated with, the U ...
and against their exclusion from the US human space program; NASA reacted by asking her to find people for its future Space Shuttle program. Nichols proceeded and successfully brought the first non-white people and women into the US space program, working in this quality for NASA from the late 1970s until the late 1980s. In 2020, the US effort to develop a vaccine to protect against
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
was named
Operation Warp Speed Operation Warp Speed (OWS) was a public–private partnership initiated by the United States government to facilitate and accelerate the development, manufacturing, and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics. The firs ...
, which was suggested by a ''Star Trek'' fan, Dr. Peter Marks. Dr. Peters leads the unit at the
Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respon ...
which approves vaccines and therapies.


Parodies

Early parodies of ''Star Trek'' included a famous sketch on ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...
'' titled " The Last Voyage of the Starship ''Enterprise''", with
John Belushi John Adam Belushi (January 24, 1949 – March 5, 1982) was an American comedian, actor, and musician, best known for being one of the seven original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). Throughout his c ...
as Kirk,
Chevy Chase Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase (; born October 8, 1943) is an American comedian, actor and writer. He became a key cast member in the first season of ''Saturday Night Live'', where his recurring ''Weekend Update'' segment became a staple of the ...
as Spock and Dan Aykroyd as McCoy. In the 1980s, ''Saturday Night Live'' did a sketch with William Shatner reprising his Captain Kirk role in ''The Restaurant Enterprise'', preceded by a sketch in which he played himself at a ''Trek'' convention angrily telling fans to "Get a Life", a phrase that has become part of ''Trek'' folklore. ''
In Living Color ''In Living Color'' is an American sketch comedy television series that originally ran on Fox from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994. Keenen Ivory Wayans created, wrote and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions in ...
'' continued the tradition in a sketch where Captain Kirk is played by a fellow Canadian Jim Carrey. A feature-length film that indirectly parodies ''Star Trek'' is ''
Galaxy Quest ''Galaxy Quest'' is a 1999 American science fiction comedy film directed by Dean Parisot and written by David Howard and Robert Gordon. A parody of and homage to science-fiction films and series, especially ''Star Trek'' and its fandom, the ...
''. This film is based on the premise that aliens monitoring the broadcast of an Earth-based television series called ''Galaxy Quest'', modeled heavily on ''Star Trek'', believe that what they are seeing is real. Many ''Star Trek'' actors have been quoted saying that ''Galaxy Quest'' was a brilliant parody. ''Star Trek'' has been blended with Gilbert and Sullivan at least twice. The North Toronto Players presented a ''Star Trek'' adaptation of Gilbert & Sullivan titled ''H.M.S. Starship Pinafore: The Next Generation'' in 1991 and an adaptation by Jon Mullich of Gilbert and Sullivan's '' H.M.S. Pinafore'' that sets the operetta in the world of ''Star Trek'' has played in Los Angeles and was attended by series luminaries Nichelle Nichols, D.C. Fontana and David Gerrold. A similar blend of Gilbert and Sullivan and ''Star Trek'' was presented as a benefit concert in San Francisco by the Lamplighters in 2009. The show was titled ''Star Drek: The Generation After That''. It presented an original story with Gilbert and Sullivan melodies. ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...
'' and '' Futurama'' television series and others have had many individual episodes parodying ''Star Trek'' or with ''Trek'' allusions. ''
Black Mirror ''Black Mirror'' is a British anthology television series created by Charlie Brooker. Individual episodes explore a diversity of genres, but most are set in near-future dystopias with science fiction technology—a type of speculative fiction ...
's'' ''Star Trek'' parody episode, "
USS Callister "USS Callister" is the first episode of the fourth series of the dystopian anthology series ''Black Mirror''. Written by series creator Charlie Brooker and William Bridges and directed by Toby Haynes, it first aired on Netflix, along with the re ...
", won four Emmy Awards, including the Outstanding Television Movie and Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or Drama, and was nominated for three more. In August 2010, the members of the Internal Revenue Service created a ''Star Trek'' themed training video for a conference. Revealed to the public in 2013, the spoof along with parodies of other media franchises was cited as an example of the misuse of taxpayer funds in a congressional investigation. ''Star Trek'' has been parodied in several non-English movies, including the German '' Traumschiff Surprise – Periode 1'' which features a gay version of the ''Original Series'' bridge crew and a Turkish film that spoofs that same series' episode "
The Man Trap "The Man Trap" is the first episode of season one of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by George Clayton Johnson and directed by Marc Daniels, it featured design work by Wah Chang and first aired in the Uni ...
" in one of the series of films based on the character Turist Ömer. An entire series of films and novel parodies titled '' Star Wreck'' has been created in
Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...
. ''
The Orville ''The Orville'' is an American science fiction comedy-drama television series created by Seth MacFarlane, who also stars as series protagonist Ed Mercer, an officer in the Planetary Union's line of exploratory space vessels in the 25th century. ...
'' is a comedy-drama science fiction television series created by Seth MacFarlane that premiered on September 10, 2017, on Fox. MacFarlane, a longtime fan of the franchise who previously guest-starred on an episode of ''Enterprise'', created the series with a similar look and feel as the ''Star Trek'' series. MacFarlane has made references to ''Star Trek'' on his animated series '' Family Guy'', where the ''Next Generation'' cast guest-starred in the episode " Not All Dogs Go to Heaven". ''
Other Space ''Other Space'' is an American science fiction comedy streaming television series created by Paul Feig for Yahoo! Screen. Set in the 22nd century, it follows the dysfunctional crew of an exploratory spaceship who become trapped in an unknown ...
'' is a science fiction comedy streaming series which premiered on
Yahoo! Screen The company Yahoo! ran several similar video services. Yahoo! Video, a video hosting service, was established in 2006. Later, the ability to upload videos was removed, changing it to a more pure video on demand service; the website became a port ...
on April 14, 2015. Created by
Paul Feig Paul Samuel Feig (; born September 17, 1962) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. He is known for directing films starring frequent collaborator Melissa McCarthy, including '' Bridesmaids'' (2011), '' The Heat'' (2013), '' Spy'' (20 ...
, it is set in the 22nd century and follows the dysfunctional crew of an exploratory spaceship who become trapped in an unknown universe.


Fan productions

Until 2016, Paramount Pictures and CBS permitted fan-produced films and episode-like clips to be produced. Several veteran ''Star Trek'' actors and writers participated in many of these productions. Several producers turned to crowdfunding, such as Kickstarter, to help with production and other costs. Popular productions include: ''New Voyages'' (2004–2016) and '' Star Trek Continues'' (2013–2017). Additional productions include: ''Of Gods and Men'' (2008), originally released as a three-part web series, and ''
Prelude to Axanar ''Prelude to Axanar'' (working title: ''Star Trek: Prelude to Axanar'', and long title: ''The Four Years War Part III: Prelude to Axanar'') is a 2014 fan-made short film, directed by Christian Gossett and written by Gossett and Alec Peters. Fun ...
''. Audio dramatizations such as ''The Continuing Mission'' (2007–2016) have also been published by fans. In 2016, CBS published guidelines which restricted the scope of fan productions, such as limiting the length of episodes or films to fifteen minutes, limiting production budgets to $50,000, and preventing actors and technicians from previous ''Star Trek'' productions from participating. A number of highly publicized productions have since been cancelled or have gone abeyant.


Documentaries

Star Trek has been a popular subject for
documentaries A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in term ...
reviewing the history of the franchise. Some examples include: * ''Journey’s End: Saga of Star Trek Next Generation,'' hosted by Jonathon Frakes, it reviewed the final season of the series and the upcoming ''Generations.'' *'' Trekkies'' (1997), exploring the subculture of Star Trek fandom. * '' Star Trek: Beyond the Final Frontier'' (2007), exploring a giant Christie's auction of tens of thousand of ''Star Trek'' props, hosted by actor Leonard Nimoy. * ''The Center Seat'' (2016), an 85-minute special on ''Star Trek'' for its 50th anniversary, aired by the
History History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
network. * '' For the Love of Spock'' (2016), focusing on the history and impact of the character Spock. * ''What We Left Behind'' (2019), about the production and legacy of ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine''. * '' The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek'' (2021), an eight-episode documentary series ordered by the cable network
History History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
covering the franchise's decades-long history. It was narrated by
Gates McFadden Cheryl Gates McFadden (born March 2, 1949) is an American actress and choreographer. She is usually credited as Cheryl McFadden when working as a choreographer and Gates McFadden for acting work. She is best known for playing Dr. Beverly Crusher ...
, who was also one of the executive producers. Some documentaries have been funded by the community by money raised by crowdfunding. ''What We Left Behind'' raised nearly $650,000 in this way, and a planned Voyager documentary raised $450,000 in 24 hours.


Awards and honors

Of the various science fiction awards for drama, only the Hugo Award dates back as far as the original series. In 1968, all five nominees for a Hugo Award were individual episodes of ''Star Trek'', as were three of the five nominees in 1967. The only ''Star Trek'' series not to receive a Hugo Award nomination are the ''Animated Series'' and ''Voyager'', though only the ''Original Series'' and ''Next Generation'' won in any nominated category. No ''Star Trek'' feature film has ever won a Hugo Award. In 2008, the fan-made '' Star Trek: New Voyages'' episode "World Enough and Time" was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Short Drama. One of the most successful films was ''Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home'', which grossed a global total of $133 million against a $21 million budget.''The Voyage Home'' garnered 11 nominations at the 14th annual Saturn Awards, tying '' Aliens'' for number of nominations. Nimoy and Shatner were nominated for best actor for their roles, and Catherine Hicks was nominated for best supporting actress. At the
59th Academy Awards The 59th Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on March 30, 1987, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles beginning at 6:00 p.m. PST / 9:00 p.m. EST. During ...
, ''The Voyage Home'' was nominated for Best Cinematography, Sound (
Terry Porter Terry Porter (born April 8, 1963) is an American former college basketball coach and former player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was most recently the head men's basketball coach at the University of Portland. A native of Wis ...
,
David J. Hudson David James Hudson (December 16, 1943 – May 21, 2011) was an American sound engineer. He was nominated for three Academy Awards in the category Best Sound. Selected filmography * '' Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home'' (1986) * '' Beauty and ...
, Mel Metcalfe and Gene Cantamessa), Sound Effects Editing, and Original Score. The episode "
The Big Goodbye "The Big Goodbye" is the twelfth episode of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation''. The episode first aired in broadcast syndication on January 11, 1988. This was the second writing credit of the s ...
" in the first season of ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'', in recognition of its "new standard of quality for first-run syndication", the episode was honored with a Peabody Award in 1987. "The Big Goodbye" was also nominated for two Emmy Awards in the categories of Outstanding Cinematography for a Series and Outstanding Costumes for a Series, with costume designer
William Ware Theiss William Ware Theiss (; November 20, 1931 – December 15, 1992), was an American costume designer for television and film. His film credits as costume designer include ''Spartacus'', ''Harold and Maude'', '' Bound for Glory'', '' Pete's Drag ...
winning the award in the latter category. '' Star Trek'' (2009) won the
Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling The Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling is the Academy Award given to the best achievement in makeup and hairstyling for film. Traditionally, three films have been nominated each year with exceptions in the early 1980s and 2002 when the ...
, the franchise's first Academy Award. In 2016, the franchise was listed in the
Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
as the most successful science fiction television franchise in the world. Examples: * List of awards and nominations received by ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' * List of awards and nominations received by ''Star Trek: Enterprise'' * List of awards and nominations received by ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' * List of awards and nominations received by ''Star Trek: The Original Series'' * List of awards and nominations received by ''Star Trek: Voyager''


Episode rankings


''TV Guide'' (1996)

In 1996, ''
TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corpora ...
'' published the following as the ten best ''Star Trek'' episodes for the franchise's 30th anniversary: # "
The City on the Edge of Forever "The City on the Edge of Forever" is the twenty-eighth and penultimate episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by Harlan Ellison, contributors and/or editors to the script included S ...
" (''The Original Series'') # "
Amok Time "Amok Time" is the second season premiere episode of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek''. Written by science fiction author Theodore Sturgeon, scored by Gerald Fried, and directed by Joseph Pevney, it first aired o ...
" (''The Original Series'') # " Mirror, Mirror" (''The Original Series'') # " The Doomsday Machine" (''The Original Series'') # "
Journey to Babel "Journey to Babel" is the tenth episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by D. C. Fontana and directed by Joseph Pevney, it was first broadcast on November 17, 1967. In the episode, '' ...
" (''The Original Series'') # " 11001001" (''The Next Generation'') # " Yesterday's Enterprise" (''The Next Generation'') # " The Best of Both Worlds" (Part I) (''The Next Generation'') # "
Tapestry Tapestry is a form of textile art, traditionally woven by hand on a loom. Tapestry is weft-faced weaving, in which all the warp threads are hidden in the completed work, unlike most woven textiles, where both the warp and the weft threads ma ...
" (''The Next Generation'') # " The Visitor" (''Deep Space Nine'')


50th Anniversary Convention (2016)

At the 50th Anniversary ''Star Trek'' Las Vegas (STLV) convention, in 2016, the following were voted by fans as the best episodes: #"
The City on the Edge of Forever "The City on the Edge of Forever" is the twenty-eighth and penultimate episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by Harlan Ellison, contributors and/or editors to the script included S ...
" (''The Original Series'') # " In the Pale Moonlight" (''Deep Space Nine'') # " The Inner Light" (''The Next Generation'') # "
Amok Time "Amok Time" is the second season premiere episode of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek''. Written by science fiction author Theodore Sturgeon, scored by Gerald Fried, and directed by Joseph Pevney, it first aired o ...
" (''The Original Series'') # " Yesterday's Enterprise" (''The Next Generation'') # " The Visitor" (''Deep Space Nine'') # "
Chain of Command A command hierarchy is a group of people who carry out orders based on others' authority within the group. It can be viewed as part of a power structure, in which it is usually seen as the most vulnerable and also the most powerful part. Milit ...
" (''The Next Generation'') # " Balance of Terror" (''The Original Series'') # " In a Mirror, Darkly" (''Enterprise'') # "
The Magnificent Ferengi "The Magnificent Ferengi" is the tenth episode of the sixth season of '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'', the 134th episode overall, originally aired in syndication on December 29, 1997. It was written by Ira Steven Behr and Hans Beimler, and direct ...
" (''Deep Space Nine'') Additionally, fans voted the following as the worst episodes: #" These Are the Voyages..." (''Enterprise'') # " Code of Honor" (''The Next Generation'') # " Threshold" (''Voyager'') # " Turnabout Intruder" (''The Original Series'') # "
Shades of Gray Variations of gray or grey include achromatic grayscale shades, which lie exactly between white and black, and nearby colors with low colorfulness. A selection of a number of these various colors is shown below. Chart of computer web color ...
" (''The Next Generation'') # "
Sub Rosa ''Sub rosa'' (New Latin for "under the rose") denotes secrecy or confidentiality. The rose has an ancient history as a symbol of secrecy. History In Hellenistic and later Roman mythology, roses were associated with secrecy because Cupid ga ...
" (''The Next Generation'') # " And the Children Shall Lead" (''The Original Series'') # " Move Along Home" (''Deep Space Nine'') # " The Alternative Factor" (''The Original Series'') # " Precious Cargo" (''Enterprise'')


Washington Post (2016)

In 2016, ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' ranked the best live-action television episodes: # " The Best of Both Worlds" (''The Next Generation'') # " Darmok" (''The Next Generation'') # " Balance of Terror" (''The Original Series'') # " In the Pale Moonlight" (''Deep Space Nine'') # "
Chain of Command A command hierarchy is a group of people who carry out orders based on others' authority within the group. It can be viewed as part of a power structure, in which it is usually seen as the most vulnerable and also the most powerful part. Milit ...
" (''The Next Generation'') # " Yesterday's Enterprise" (''The Next Generation'') # " The Doomsday Machine" (''The Original Series'') # " The Measure of a Man" (''The Next Generation'') # "
Journey to Babel "Journey to Babel" is the tenth episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by D. C. Fontana and directed by Joseph Pevney, it was first broadcast on November 17, 1967. In the episode, '' ...
" (''The Original Series'') # " First Contact" (''The Next Generation'')


Corporate ownership

''Star Trek'' began as a joint-production of Norway Productions, owned by Roddenberry, and
Desilu Desilu Productions () was an American television production company founded and co-owned by husband and wife Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball. The company is best known for shows such as '' I Love Lucy'', ''The Lucy Show'', ''Mannix'', ''The Untouchab ...
, owned by
Desi Arnaz Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III (March 2, 1917 – December 2, 1986) was a Cuban-born American actor, bandleader, and film and television producer. He played Ricky Ricardo on the American television sitcom '' I Love Lucy'', in which he c ...
. The profit-sharing agreement for the series split proceeds between Norway, Desilu (later Paramount Television), William Shatner's production company, and the broadcast network,
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
. However, ''Star Trek'' lost money during its initial broadcast, and NBC did not expect to recoup its losses by selling the series into syndication, nor did Paramount. With NBC's approval, Paramount offered its share of the series to Roddenberry sometime in 1970. However, Roddenberry could not raise the $150,000 () offered by the studio. Paramount would go on to license the series to television syndicators worldwide. NBC's remaining broadcast and distribution rights eventually returned to Paramount and Roddenberry sometime before 1986, which coincided with the development of what would become '' The Next Generation''. As for Desilu, the studio was acquired by
Gulf+Western Gulf and Western Industries, Inc. (stylized as Gulf+Western) was an American conglomerate. Originally, the company focused on manufacturing and resource extraction. Beginning in 1966, and continuing throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the company ...
. It was then reorganized as the television production division of Paramount Pictures, which Gulf+Western had acquired in 1966. Gulf+Western sold its remaining industrial assets in 1989, renaming itself Paramount Communications. Sometime before 1986,
Sumner Redstone Sumner Murray Redstone ( Rothstein; May 27, 1923 – August 11, 2020) was an American billionaire businessman and media magnate. He was the founder and chairman of the second incarnation of Viacom which was dissolved in 2019 (a year before Redst ...
had acquired a controlling stake of Viacom via his family's theater chain, National Amusements. Viacom was established in 1952 as a division of
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
responsible for syndicating the network's in-house productions, originally called
CBS Films CBS Films Inc. was an American film production and distribution company founded in 2007 as a subsidiary of CBS Corporation and was considered a mini-major studio up until 2019. CBS Films originally was planned to distribute, develop and prod ...
. In 1994, Viacom and Paramount Communications were merged. Viacom then merged with its former parent,
CBS Corporation The second incarnation of CBS Corporation (the first being a short-lived rename of the Westinghouse Electric Corporation) was an American multinational media conglomerate with interests primarily in commercial broadcasting, publishing, and ...
, in 1999. National Amusements and the Redstone family increased their stake in the combined company between 1999 and 2005.


Split ownership (2005–2019)

In 2005, the Redstone family reorganized Viacom, spinning off the conglomerate's assets as two independent groups: the new Viacom, and the new
CBS Corporation The second incarnation of CBS Corporation (the first being a short-lived rename of the Westinghouse Electric Corporation) was an American multinational media conglomerate with interests primarily in commercial broadcasting, publishing, and ...
. National Amusements and the Redstone family retained approximately 80% ownership of both CBS and Viacom. ''Star Trek'' was split between the two entities. The terms of this split were not known. However, CBS held all copyrights, marks, production assets, and film negatives, to all ''Star Trek'' television series. CBS also retained the rights to all likenesses, characters, names and settings, and stories, and the right to license ''Star Trek'', and its spin-offs, to merchandisers, and publishers, etc. The rights were exercised via the new
CBS Television Studios CBS Studios, Inc. is an American television production company which is a subsidiary of CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global. It was formed on January 17, 2006, by CBS Corporation as CBS Paramount Television, as a renaming of the o ...
, which was carved out of the former Paramount Television. Viacom, which housed Paramount Pictures, retained the feature film library, and exclusive rights to produce new feature films for a limited time. Viacom also retained home video distribution rights for all television series produced before 2005. However, home video editions of the various television series released after the split, as well as streaming video versions of episodes available worldwide, carried variants of the new CBS Television Studios livery in addition to the original Paramount Television Studios livery. It was unclear who retained the synchronization or streaming rights. Rights and distribution issues, and the fraught relationship between the leadership at CBS, Viacom, and the National Amusements' board of directors, resulted in a number of delayed and or cancelled ''Star Trek'' productions between 2005 and 2019. Additionally, the development and release of the new '' Star Trek'' film, in 2009, was met with resistance by executives at CBS, as was '' Into Darkness'' (2013) and '' Beyond'' (2016), which affected merchandising, tie-in media, and promotion for the new films. During this period, both CBS and Viacom continued to list ''Star Trek'' as an important asset in their prospectus to investors, and in corporate filings made to the Securities and Exchange Commission.


Current ownership

While several attempts were made to merge Viacom and CBS, power struggles between the major stakeholders of the companies prevented this from happening. In 2019, after the resignation of CBS CEO
Leslie Moonves Leslie Roy Moonves (; born October 6, 1949) is an American media executive who was the chairman and CEO of CBS Corporation from 2003 until his resignation in September 2018 following numerous allegations of sexual harassment, sexual assault and ...
, negotiations to merge CBS and Viacom began in earnest. These negotiations were led by
Shari Redstone Shari Ellin Redstone (born April 14, 1954) is an American media executive with a background in numerous aspects of the entertainment industry and related ventures. She currently serves as the non-executive chairwoman of Paramount Global (formerly ...
, chairman of the National Amusements, and Joe Ianniello, then CEO of Viacom. On August 13, 2019, CBS and Viacom boards of directors reached an agreement to reunite the conglomerates as a single entity called
ViacomCBS Paramount Global (doing business as Paramount) is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate owned and operated by National Amusements (79.4%) and headquartered at One Astor Plaza in Midtown Manhattan, New York. It ...
. National Amusements' board of directors approved the merger on October 28, 2019, which was finalized on December 4. This entity would be renamed Paramount Global on February 15, 2022.


See also

*
List of space science fiction franchises The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to science fiction: Science fiction – a genre of fiction dealing with the impact of imagined innovations in science or technology, often in a futuristic setting. Expl ...
* Outline of ''Star Trek'' * Timeline of science fiction * Comparison of Star Wars and Star Trek


Notes


References


Further reading


External links

* *
''Star Trek''
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NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...
– Enterprising
Nebulae A nebula ('cloud' or 'fog' in Latin; pl. nebulae, nebulæ or nebulas) is a distinct luminescent part of interstellar medium, which can consist of ionized, neutral or molecular hydrogen and also cosmic dust. Nebulae are often star-forming region ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Star Trek American science fiction television series Mass media franchises introduced in 1966 Paramount Global franchises Science fantasy Science fiction Soft science fiction Fiction about outer space Space opera Television franchises Television shows adapted into comics Television shows adapted into films Television shows adapted into novels Television shows adapted into video games