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STAR TREK IS CANCELED
By Jim Werbaneth
NBC is shortsighted about a farsighted TV show.
Perhaps no other television show had the long-term cultural impact of Star Trek. Yet the original series ran for just three years, seventy-nine episodes, and was canceled by NBC in 1969. It had started with excellent ratings, but they had fallen and become more erratic, a situation not made any better by NBC’s tendency to bounce the show from one time slot to another. Thus, by far the most important science-fiction show of all time passed from the network lineup into syndicated reruns.
Though it probably would have taken a clairvoyant to see it at the time, this was one of the worst decisions made by any broadcast network. In its short life, and with a budget so low that saltshakers were pressed into service as medical tricorders, the show acquired a hold on the imagination of millions that would make it a cultural mainstay, and eventually a highly profitable franchise of new series and films. But in 1969, unloved by network management, Star Trek was cut loose by NBC.
The show was a phenomenon in syndication, especially among independent UHF stations. Not only did the small Star Trek oeuvre exert its hold on millions of viewers; it provided a quick and easy route for independent stations to compete with network affiliates, especially during weekday afternoons, when the show, with its legions of primarily young male fans, competed against soap operas, with their older, primarily female viewers. And the competition was not only among viewers but also among advertisers; think of toy companies going against detergent. There was something supremely disruptive about coming home from grade school or junior high and insisting on watching Star Trek.
Then everyone grew up.
NBC seemed to recognize its mistake right away. Its response was to run two seasons of a new animated Star Trek in 1973 and 1974, featuring many of the original cast members. However, like the original series, it suffered from low budgets and production values to match. It was short-lived, in part because it did not appeal to the younger children who were the prime viewers of animation. Further, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry seemed almost ashamed of it, demanding that it not be considered part of the overall canon.
The real return of Star Trek to larger audiences came with the franchise’s first movie, unimaginatively entitled Star Trek: The Motion Picture, in 1979. This reunited the original cast in a live-action setting. Of lasting impact on the future of the franchise was the transformation of the Klingons; originally resembling humans with Attila the Hun’s facial hair, they became more alien-looking humanoids, sporting distinctive brow ridges, speaking their own language, and possessing their own samurai-like culture. Their evolution would continue as they became allies instead of enemies of the Federation. The movie was a commercial but not a critical success.
As Star Trek movies continued to be produced, a pattern seemed to emerge: the odd-numbered ones were less than impressive, while the even-numbered ones were worthwhile. This started with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, which resurrected the character of an exiled superhuman from the original series, again played by Ricardo Montalban.
Then came a new series, appropriately entitled Star Trek: The Next Generation. This took place a hundred years after the original, with a new, larger, improved Enterprise and, of course, a new crew. Running from 1987 to 1994, it spawned a new generation not just of Star Trek fans, but also disputes, such as who was a better captain, the original (James T. Kirk) or the new (Jean-Luc Picard). More series followed, with Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager set in the Next Generation era, and Enterprise, set at the dawn of human interstellar flight.
Finally, the characters and starship Enterprise of the original series were the subjects of a reboot by J. J. Abrams, with new movies, entitled simply Star Trek and Star Trek into Darkness, in 2009 and 2013 respectively.
Where was NBC in all of this, and how did it benefit? With the end of the animated series in 1974, the network’s affiliation with the franchise was over. Paramount Pictures produced the motion pictures and the Next Generation–era series, and syndicated The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine. Voyager and Enterprise were carried by the UPN network. But at no time after the animated series did NBC benefit from the success of the franchise. And so the network’s cancellation of the show turns out to have been one of the biggest mistakes in entertainment history.
One might argue that no one could foresee the enduring appeal of Star Trek. But there is evidence that it should have stayed on the air longer than three years. One story, told by Nichelle Nichols, is key. She was planning on leaving the role of Uhura in the original series to pursue her first love: music. Attending an NAACP convention, she was confronted by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who insisted that she remain on Star Trek as a role model to young girls of color. She changed her mind and stayed. It is sad that the network suits could not see what Dr. King saw.
In order to become a commercial success, the original Star Trek needed time and money to grow. This would have been more likely if NBC had found a good time slot and stuck to it. Had this happened, the network would have been in on the franchise and the profits. For the viewers and all of those devotees, whether they are called Trekkies or Trekkers, there would have been a lot more Star Trek to go around, a lot earlier.
In addition, the show would have probably motivated even more young people to raise their aspirations. Star Trek inspired students to explore science and technology as careers, even become astronauts. For example, the character of Scotty inspired some to become engineers in real life, and as Dr. King so emphatically stated, Uhura showed a future in which black girls could grow up to be technicians and leaders. Maybe the NBC bean counters could justify their decision at the time, but history tells a different story. They had their chance to be part of a constructive, inspiring phenomenon lasting generations, and they blew it.