SERIESSTStar Trek1966

Tvseries

Star Trek

Name: Star Trek
Genre: SF, fantasy, cult classic
Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Grace Lee Whitney, George Takei

19661hSF • fantasy • cult classic

SF series with a runtime of 60 minutes, released in 1966. Presented in English.

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Availability can vary by country and over time.

Spoiler-Free Synopsis

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Although it undoubtedly goes without saying at this late date, the original Star Trek is the most popular and influential science fiction series ever seen on American network televsion--and as far as many people are concerned, it remains absolutely the best TV series of any kind. The weekly, hour-long Star Trek was conceived as "Wagon Train in outer space" by its creator, Gene Roddenberry, who had long labored in the TV-western mills before his pet project made its NBC debut on September 8, 1966. Describing space as "the final frontier" in the opening narration, Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), commander of the starship U.S.S. Enterprise, informed the viewer that his vessel's five-year mission was to "seek out new life forms and new civilizations", and "to boldly go where no man has gone before." The series was set in the 23rd century, a time in which most of the various intergalactic civilizations (with the notable exception of the warlike Klingons!) had forged a lasting peace and formed the United Federation of Planets, for whom the Enterprise was the flagship. While the heroic, self-sacrificing Kirk was the leading character and primary plot motivator, the series' most famous character was the Enterprise's pointy-eared first officer/science officer Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy). Born on the planet Vulcan and the product of a Vulcanian father and human mother, Mr. Spock was cool, unflappable, unemotional, meticulously logical--and to thousands upon thousands of female Star Trek enthusiasts, irresistable. Other members of the multiethnic crew included Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (DeForest Kelley), the ship's short-tempered chief medical officer ("Dammit, Jim, I'm a doctor, not a mind-reader!"); chief engineer Montgomery "Scotty" Scott (James Doohan); Lt. Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), the African American communications officer; Lt. Sulu (George Takei), the Asian helmsman; nurse Christine Chapel (played by Majel Barrett, later Mrs. Gene Roddenberry); and, beginning in the second season, Russian-born ensign Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig). Another principal character, Yeoman Janice Rand (Grace Lee Whitney), appeared sporadically during the first two seasons. Unlike so many other sci-fi/fantasy programs, Star Trek favored strong characterizations and solid story values over gadgetry and monsters: indeed, it was originally touted as "TV's first adult science fiction series." As such, the program attracted the best writers of the genre, among them Richard Matheson, Theodore Sturgeon, Robert Bloch, David Gerrold and Harlan Ellison, and the series' prolific story consultant, D.C. Fontana). Even so, there were still plenty of special photographic effects, which may seem a bit primitve when seen today but were sufficiently impressive to earn an Emmy award. The most memorable special effect was utilized whenever Kirk and his officers were "disintegrated" in order to be transported from the deck of the Enterprise to the surface of the planet of the week, and back again--inspiring the series' most famous catchphrase, "Beam me up, Scotty". While NBC has come in for its share of criticism for dictating budget cuts and production-staff changes that gradually eroded the series' quality (especially during its much-maligned third season), the network deserves credit for keeping Star Trek alive for three seasons and 79 episodes, despite mediocre ratings. It was only after its cancellation on September 2, 1969 and its move into off-network syndication that Star Trek began steadily building a huge audience above and beyond its core fan base of "Trekkers" (or "Trekkies", depending upon the fan's age and extent of enthusiasm). By the time the first Star Trek convention was held in 1972, the series' place in the Valhalla of TV classics was assured. By popular demand, an animated version of the series, utilizing several of the original stars' voices, premiered as a Saturday-morning entry in 1973; and six years later the first of several expensive, high-grossing Star Trek theatrical features was released. The series' popular spinoff sequels began proliferating on television 1987 with Star Trek: The Next Generation, followed by Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in 1992 and Star Trek: Voyager in 1995; there was also a moderately successful "prequel", Enterprise, in 2001. Finally, the original Star Trek was repackaged for syndication in the fall of 2006, with new CGI-enhanced special effects and a lavishly rewritten and reorchestrated musical score (though happily, the classic theme music by Alexander Courage was retained).

Runtime Card

Runtime1h

Can Finish TonightYes

One SittingYes

With Break1h 12m

Movie Facts

Release Year1966

Runtime1h

LanguageEnglish

GenresSF, fantasy, cult classic

DirectorHerb Wallerstein, Ralph Senensky

ProducerGene Roddenberry, Gene L. Coon

Series Snapshot

Seasons3

Episodes621

Avg Episode8m

About This Guide

This series page summarizes the total episode count, average runtime, binge-time expectations, and supporting credits for Star Trek. The goal is to make the page useful both as a quick watch-time answer and as a fuller series overview.

Editorial Take

Star Trek is handled as a series hub rather than a single-record page, which means the content is organized around total commitment, episode count, and binge expectations. Right now the guide reflects 621 episodes across 3 seasons, giving readers a clearer sense of scale before they start. Genre signals such as SF, fantasy help frame what kind of binge this is likely to be, especially for visitors comparing multiple shows.

How OnlySynopsis Builds This Page

OnlySynopsis combines stored title metadata such as runtime, release information, genres, and cast or crew data into a reader-first guide. The goal is not just to list fields, but to help visitors understand whether a title fits their available time and viewing mood.

FAQ

How long is Star Trek?

Star Trek runs for 1h.

What language is it available in?

The primary language listed for this title is English.

What kind of series is this?

It is tagged under SF, fantasy, cult classic.

How big is the series commitment?

This series currently shows 621 episodes across 3 seasons.

Series Binge Profile

Total Content Density: 350 hours 0 minutes (621 episodes)

Intensity Rating: Epic Binge A massive saga. Set aside dedicated weekends for this run.

Binge Milestones

1 episode/day: 621 days

3 episodes/day: 207 days

5 episodes/day: 125 days

Episodes (621)

Related Collections

Same Genre

Yes

This is an easy single-evening watch.

Star Trek

Spoiler-Free Synopsis

Runtime Card

Movie Facts

Series Snapshot

About This Guide

Editorial Take

How OnlySynopsis Builds This Page

FAQ

Series Binge Profile

Binge Milestones

Episodes (621)

Related Collections

SF

fantasy

Herb Wallerstein

Yes

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