70s Trek: Star Trek In The 1970s

Spock's Brain.  It’s considered by many to be the worst Star Trek episode ever!  In fact, Entertainment Weekly published a special Star Trek issue in 1995 and Spock’s Brain was picked as the worst all-time episode. But there is more to Spock’s Brain than just a search for...well...Spock’s brain.  Co-hosts Bob Turner and Kelly Casto take a deeper look at this show on this week's episode of 70s Trek. There was a lot happening leading up to the production of this episode that may have influenced its production.  Star Trek seemed to be on a high note at the end of Season Two when a fan-driven letter writing campaign saved the show.   But as the crew got to work on the third season, there were problems.  There was dissension amongst the producers and the budget had been reduced to such a degree that the production of each episode was limited.  The results of all of this played out on the screen throughout the third season.  Spock's Brain was just the most obvious sign of what was happening behind the scenes during

This week co-hosts Bob Turner and Kelly Casto discuss the Star Trek Log series of books by Alan Dean Foster.  They were adaptations of the animated series episodes. Foster wrote these adaptation from 1974 to 1978.  There were three episodes per book in the first six books.  That means Foster filled in a lot of detail that never appeared in The Animated Series.  It's this aspect of the Log books that makes these books so fun to read.    In the last four books of the Log series, Foster was assigned the job of taking one 22-minute episode and making it into a novel-length story.  He did this by really writing two stories that connected at the end. After The Animated Series left the air in 1974, there was no new Trek until 1979.  Foster's Log series, along with the James Blish novelizations, gave Star Trek fans something to look forward to as they hoped for something new to get produced.  

This week on 70s Trek co-hosts Bob Turner and Kelly Casto talk about the first reference book about Star Trek, The Starfleet Technical Manual by Franz Joseph. It was published in 1975, and is a great look into what Star Trek was in 1975, and what it might have been, as well. Joseph was a designer who came upon this project because his daughter was a Trek fan. The book is full of diagrams and proposed information about Starfleet, the academy and much, much more. Joseph closely examined frames of film from episodes to see what props, sets and consoles looked like. He then redrew them for the Manual. But this book is also unique for how it treats the material: Joseph wrote the book as if it was an intercepted computer file from the future.  He treats it as real, and enthusiastic fans in 1975 loved it!  

In 1975, Gene Roddenberry and Paramount Pictures struck a deal to develop a new Star Trek feature film.  The production was set to begin in July 1976 and the film would have a $50 million budget!  It was the culmination of six years of growing anticipation over bringing the show back. Co-hosts Bob Turner and Kelly Casto discuss what led to this deal and what eventually happened.  The treatment, entitled The God Thing, never made it to the big screen.  But while Paramount rejected Roddenberry's treatment, they didn't reject Star Trek and actively sought out ideas for a new script. This first development deal, even though it failed, was the crucial first step in bringing a live-action Star Trek back.  But it was just the first step, and there would be many more over the next four years.

In December 2016, CBS Video released the Roddenberry Vault.  It is a DVD collection of never-before-seen footage from the production of Star Trek.  70s Trek co-hosts Bob Turner and Kelly Casto discuss some of the highlights from this set.  Fans thought they's seen everything there was to be seen about the original series.  But in 2007, Mike and Denise Okuda were asked to catalog a large collection of film canisters by Rod Roddenberry, Gene's son.  It turned out that these canisters contained hundreds of hours of lost Star Trek footage! This footage included deleted scenes, omitted dialogue and alternate takes.  Viewers get a sense of what was happening behind the scenes.  There is also evidence of how some episodes evolved, even as late as when the script was being shot on the stage. One of the more touching scenes is from the episode The City on the Edge of Forever.  Fans will remember the scene between Kirk and Edith Keeler on the stairs.  This collection reveals omitted dialogue from that scene that showed

As Star Trek built its audience in the 1970s through syndication, and the Animated Series reached a new, younger audience, merchandising took off and toys were a natural. Co-hosts Bob Turner and Kelly Casto talk about the many different toys that were based on the show.  The company Mego manufactured action figures, playlets, walkie talkies and other hand held toys.  Remo created a utility belt and different versions of the phaser for kids.  Dinky Toys manufactured a die cast Enterprise and Klingon Battle Cruiser.  Colorforms made a Star Trek play set, too. While these toys weren't perfect as later versions would be, they were all we had...and we loved them! They were also evidence of the growing popularity of Star Trek during the decade.  After all, if Star Trek was just a dead, cancelled show, why would manufacturers create toys based on it?

One of the best parts of growing up in the 70s and being a fan of Star Trek were the model kits from AMT.  The company, formally known as Aluminum Model Toys out of Troy, Michigan, AMT recognized the value that the Star Trek license had and secured the rights to create model kits by august 1966, a full month before the show went on the air! Co-hosts Bob Turner and Kelly Casto talk about these kits on this episode of 70s Trek. During the original network run of Trek, AMT released just two kits, the U.S.S. Enterprise and the Klingon Battle Cruiser.  Interestingly, the Klingon ship was designed by Matt Jeffries, the designer of the Enterprise, specifically for AMT.  It was released as a model before it ever appeared on screen. During the 70s, AMT saw the growing popularity of Trek in syndication and moved to release more kits.  The Galileo 7 Shuttlecraft, the Romulan Bird of Prey, Space Station K-7, th eEnterprise Bridge and an Exploration Set that contained a phaser, communicator and tricorder. If you were a fa

Gene Roddenberry was a science fiction fan.  He loved reading the books of H.G. Wells growing up.  As an adult, he also appreciated films in the genre that made you think.  One of his favorites was 1951's The Day the Earth Stood Still. The film follows Klaatu, an alien who has landed on Earth with an important message for Earth's leaders, but he can't seem to get any help to deliver it.  The message is that Earth, after discovering the powers of the atom, is now a threat to other worlds. The people of our world were put on notice by Klaatu: Do want you want to do here, but don't threaten to extend your violent ways to other worlds, or the Earth will be destroyed. The director of Earth was Robert Wise who would go on to direct Star Trek: The Motion Picture.  Was he picked to direct TMP because of the job he did on The Day the Earth Stood Still?  Probably. It is thoughtful science fiction with some concepts that became part of Star Trek.  For kids who grew up in the 1970s, there is also a tie to that other sic-

While it in fact just a collection of sets, the Enterprise in Star Trek seems like another character.  It's probably because creator Gene Roddenberry wanted that feeling to come across.  He wanted the Enterprise to be something special and other writers picked up on that idea and carried it forward in future episodes. This week co-hosts Bob Turner and Kelly Casto talk about the Enterprise and how it influenced the entire Star Trek universe. Designer Matt Jefferies wasn't given much guidance when Roddenberry said he needed a starship.  The only guidance he was given was what NOT to do.  But his eventual design helped make Star Trek an iconic show and contributed to its rebirth in the 1970s.

This week on 70s Trek, co-hosts Bob Turner and Kelly Casto wrap their look at Star Trek: The Animated Series.  It is the only version of Star Trek to win an Emmy, being named the best Children's Show for the 1974-1975 TV season. The episodes we look at include: "Bem" "The Slaver Weapon" "The Practical Joker" "Eye of the Beholder" "Albatross" "Jihad" "How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth."

Orions, Vendorians and Tribbles!  Oh My! On this episode of 70s Trek, we continue our exploration of Star Trek the Animated Series.  Bob Turner and Kelly Casto take a look at eight episodes from the series: "One of Our Planets is Missing," "More Tribble, More Troubles," "The Survivor," "Once Upon a Planet," "Yesteryear," " The Terratin Incident," "The Ambergris Element" "The Pirates of Orion."

Star Trek: The Animated Series is often over-looked in the history of Star Trek.  But it is noteworthy because it is the moment when Star Trek moved from being a cancelled show to a franchise. Co-hosts Bob Turner and Kelly Casto take a look at the Animated Series in this episode of 70s Trek. The show aired from September 1973 to October 1974 and consisted of 22 episodes. Many writers that worked on the original series lent their talents to the Animated Series, which helped the stories be consistent with the live action version.  Some were also just good stories. The Animated Series won an Emmy for Best Children's Programming.  While the animation itself might be primitive, the show remains very faithful to The Original Series and is full of detail. If you're a Trek fan, it is worth your time. This is Part 1 of our look a the Animated Series.  We discuss the following episodes: "Mudd's Passion" "The Magicks of Megas Tu" "The Lorelei Signal" "Time Trap" "The Infinite Vulcan" "Beyond the Farthest Star" "The Cou

Mr. Scott is perhaps one of the most beloved characters in all of Star Trek, largely because of the way he was portrayed by actor James Doohan. Co-hosts Bob Turner and Kelly Casto take a look at the Canadian actor on this episode  of 70s Trek. Before Jimmy Doohan was an actor, he was a war hero, having stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day during the Second World War.  After leaving the armed services, Doohan decided to try his hand performing.  It eventually brought him to Hollywood during TV's Golden Age. After Star Trek, Doohan supported his family through the occasionally TV episode and personal appearances. But throughout the 70s, he stayed excited for Star Trek, believing the show would be back as a major motion picture.

After Star Trek went off the air, there was a 27-month period when there wasn’t much new science fiction on TV. Then in the fall of 1971, along came the British TV show UFO. It was ground breaking with a unique style.  But more importantly, UFO gave some comfort to the growing Star Trek audience.  The fact that it was on TV said to them, “Science fiction is relevant, here’s another form of it, and it’s of to like it." It also raised the bar for sci-fi producers.  This was a smart, stylish show dealing with contemporary issues such as politics, drug abuse, adultery and divorce.  UFO was not a hokey kids show. There's a Trek connection, as well.  Series star Ed Bishop voiced the character Asmodeus in the Animated Series episode The Magicks of Megas Tu. Co-hosts Bob Turner and Kelly Casto take a look at this unique show on this episode of 70s Trek.

They did it in a way that had not been done before.  Star Trek fans literally shocked the world in the 70s with their numbers, their devotion...and sometimes their behavior. They demonstrated that there was an audience for the show.  Studio executives who thought Star Trek was a dead property began tot are notice as fans published their own magazines and newsletters, attend conventions by the thousands, forced up the shows ratings in syndication and demanded that their president name the first-ever NASA space shuttle after their beloved starship, Enterprise. Co-hosts Bob Turner and Kelly Casto take a look at Trek fandom in the 70s on this episode of 70s Trek.

One of the reasons Star Trek has always been popular is its use of language.  That can really be seen in its episode titles. There’s something lyrical about them.  They sound like they were pulled from classic works of literature...and in fact, some of them were.   Consider these titles: "For the World is Hollow and I have Touched the Sky." "Requiem for Methuselah." "The City on the Edge of Forever." "The Conscience of the King." They’re not straight forward explanations about each episode.  In Fact, 50 years later, many of these titles still confuse fans. Star Trek's episode titles were unique in the 1960s and continue to be today.  In fact, it is a hallmark of every Trek series to have show titles that sound a bit "high-brow." This week co-hosts Bob Turner and Kelly Casto discuss their favorite Star Trek show titles. 

It’s the story of a United Planets cruiser following up on a lost colony expedition to a far away world.  There the young captain is faced with a mystery.  The leader of the lost expedition very much wants to be left alone. This is not the plot to the "Man Trap," "Requiem for Methuselah" or even "This Side of Paradise."  It is actually the plot to the 1956 film Forbidden Planet.  This was one of Gene Roddenberry's favorite films and is a big influence on the creation of Star Trek. Co-hosts Bob Turner and Kelly Casto take a look at this classic film on this episode of 70s Trek.

Richard Arnold has been around Star Trek most of his life. He was at the first Star Trek convention in 1972, and has, to date, attended over one thousand! In the 70s, Richard worked as a volunteer for Gene Roddenberry as the creator began plotting the return of Star Trek. He was there, in the Paramount offices, when Star Trek lurched from a movie, to a TV show, and back to a movie again.   While The Next Generation was in production, Richard finally became employed by Paramount and held the position of Research Consultant. As part of his job, Richard vetted proposals for manuscripts, merchandise and licensed ties-ins. He also has the unique distinction of being an extra in both Star Trek The Motion Picture and also J.J. Abrams' 2009 reboot. Co-hosts Bob Turner and Kelly Casto talk with Richard for this extended episode of 70s Trek.

After Star Trek's cancellation, the show's creator, Gene Roddenberry, faced limited prospects.  The opinion of many industry execs was that Star Trek was a failed and dead property and Roddenberry's reputation suffered because of it. But he did work.  He wrote a movie script and tried to sell several TV show concepts. But always under the surface in the early 70s was Star Trek, now on TVs around the country in syndication.  It bubbled in our collective consciousness, always there.  By the middle of the decade, it was clear that the show had a huge audience and Paramount was ready to try again. Co-hosts Bob Turner and Kelly Casto take a look at Gene Roddenberry's activities in the early years of the 1970s, and the events that led to him returning to write a Star Trek movie in 1975.

Shortly after recording Episode 11 about the James Blish books, Barnes and Noble released a leather-bound collection of some of his Star Trek adaptions.  Star Trek The Classic Episodes has 43 episodes adapted into novel form by Blish. The collection is part of Barnes and Noble's Collector Series and was released for the show's 50th Anniversary.  It features beautiful art work on the front and back of the leather cover.   The one drawback of this book is that it does not list James Blish as the author on the cover, or anywhere inside.  Norman Spinrad wrote the introduction and even he didn't mention Blish.  Barnes and Noble does include a card affixed to the back of the book that does state Blish adapted the stories.  Perhaps the fact that Blish was not on or in the book prompted them to add the card after printing. Despite this fact, we highly suggest Star Trek The Classic Episodes for any fan that collects Trek books.