Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Star Trek (TV Series 1966-1969)

In the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise, a powerful interstellar spacecraft dispatched by Earth-based Starfleet Command, explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets. Kirk commands a crew of 430 men and women aboard his starship, which can travel at speeds surpassing the speed of light. Kirk’s five-year mission, and his mandate from Starfleet, is to seek out new life and new civilizations and to boldly go where no man has gone before. Star Trek has to be one of the most enjoyable sci-fi shows I have ever watched and easily ranks up there with other big titles such as Star Wars. This 60s sci-fi show entails much in the ways of space exploration. It doesn't focus so much on the full-on action although, there is a fair amount present, however, the main focus is on discovery. We follow along on the journey of the 430 crew of the starship Enterprise and we spend most of that time with the characters: Captain James T. Kirk, Commander Spock, Chief Medical Officer McCoy, Lieutenant Sulu, Navigator Chekov, Communications Officer Uhura and Chief Engineer Scott. However, for the most part, we spend our time with Kirk and his best friends Spock and McCoy on these missions. The three of them are extremely enjoyable in their own way and I always enjoy seeing them all together in the countless interesting situations they are frequently put in. Their friendship and loyalty to one another are beautiful and one of the greatest trios in pop culture history. I think my favourite character of the three has to be Spock who is half human and half Vulcan. He is so cool with his vast knowledge and his logical thinking always comes in handy. He even has so many interesting abilities with being a Vulcan, which he frequently utilises that get the crew out of many difficult situations. Kirk is a great leader and his role as captain is constantly proven worthy in their most desperate predicaments. McCoy is always there to nurse those back to health after them, always keeping everyone else in check. I also love each other main member of the crew who is equally entertaining and each gets their moment to shine with their own unique set of skills. I truly adore the feel of the show and its episodes. I can't really explain it but for me, it gave off some 50s sci-fi vibes despite being a show of the 60s just with the opening music and all but I suppose that could be because it is only the decade after. My DVD boxset of the show is an updated remastered copy that features some modern graphical changes which didn't take me completely out of the experience but was a shame not to see the original effects in their entirety. I feel those original effects were amazing for their time and should be preserved rather than discarded. Some of my favourite episodes and scenarios were when the crew got sent backwards in time or to another universe, which entailed much danger. One story had Kirk, Scotty, McCoy and Uhura sent to a parallel universe where the Enterprise, and its crew, are part of an Empire and are all practically evil. Destroying life and civilisations rather than exploring and promoting peace. This show hits all of my personal 'space sci-fi' criteria, even exceeding them, by delivering what I consider to be a fantastic and perfect space action, adventure serial. Each character is enjoyable, and every story is creative and has great practical sets, with quite a high budget for its time. After the show was cancelled and had finished, years later the show continued in Star Trek: The Animated Series (TV Series 1973-1975), which brought back all of the original cast to voice their respected characters and led to more adventures with the crew of the Enterprise although is now not deemed part of the canon stories. Overall, I absolutely adore this show and I simply love every aspect of it. From the characters to the story and the effects, I was beyond entertained and would highly recommend this to all science fiction enthusiasts. Also, if you want more from the Star Trek universe, check out the continuation of the adventures of the U.S.S. Enterprise and its crew in their first film Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), which sprouted many phenomenal follow-ups.

Seasons & Episodes: 3 Seasons - 80 Episodes
Creator: Gene Roddenberry

Related Sites and Media:



Series Intro:


Series Trailer:


My DVD Boxset:

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