   #copyright

Star Trek

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Films

        Part of the article series on
             Star Trek

                  TV series
   Original Series · 80 episodes
   Animated Series · 22 episodes
   Next Generation · 178 episodes
   Deep Space Nine · 176 episodes
   Voyager · 172 episodes
   Enterprise · 98 episodes
                    Films
   The Motion Picture · II: Wrath of Khan
   III: Search for Spock
   IV: Voyage Home · V: Final Frontier
   VI: Undiscovered Country
   Generations · First Contact
   Insurrection · Nemesis · Star Trek (XI)
            Major nations & races
   UFP · Human · Vulcan · Romulan · Q
   Klingon · Cardassian · Bajoran · Borg
   Ferengi · Dominion · Mirror Universe
              Spin-off fiction
   Phase II · Novels · Comics · SFU · CCG
   Games · Fan productions · Experience
               Further reading
   Canon · Characters · Starfleet · Wars
   Chronology · Timeline · Ships by class
   Planets classification · Physics · Law
             Cultural influence
   Society · Trekkies · Trekdom · Motto
              Star Trek Portal

   Star Trek is an American science fiction franchise. The Star Trek
   fictional universe created by Gene Roddenberry is the setting of six
   television programs including the original 1966 Star Trek, in addition
   to ten feature films (with an eleventh in pre-production), dozens of
   computer and video games, hundreds of novels and other fan stories, as
   well as a themed attraction in Las Vegas.

   In the Star Trek "universe," humanity developed faster-than-light space
   travel following a post-apocalyptic period in the mid-21st century.
   Later, humans united with other sentient species of the galaxy to form
   the United Federation of Planets. As a result of alien intervention and
   science, humanity largely overcame many Earth-bound frailties and vices
   by the twenty-third century. Star Trek stories usually depict the
   adventures of humans and aliens beings who serve in the Federation's
   Starfleet.

   The protagonists are essentially altruists whose ideals are sometimes
   only imperfectly applied to the dilemmas presented in the series. The
   conflicts and political dimensions of Star Trek form allegories for
   contemporary cultural realities; the original Star Trek television
   series addressed issues of the 1960s, just as later spin-offs have
   reflected more modern topics. Issues depicted in the various series
   include war and peace, authoritarianism, imperialism, class warfare,
   racism, human rights, sexism, and the role of technology.

Television series

   Star Trek originated as a television series in 1966, although it had
   been in the planning stages for at least six years prior to that.
   Although The Original Series was canceled after its third season due to
   low ratings, it has served as the foundation for five additional Star
   Trek television series. Altogether, the six series comprise a total of
   726 episodes and ten theatrical films (with an 11th in the works)
   across twenty-two different television seasons (twenty-nine, if one
   separately counts seasons running concurrently), making it the second
   most prolific science-fiction franchise in history after Doctor Who.
   See Lengths of science fiction film and television series for more on
   comparative series lengths.

Star Trek: The Original Series (1966–1969)

   Star Trek debuted in the United States on NBC on September 8, 1966. The
   show, starring William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk (originally
   James R. Kirk), told the tale of the crew of the starship Enterprise
   and that crew's five-year mission "to boldly go where no man has gone
   before." In its first two seasons it was nominated for Emmy Awards as
   Best Dramatic Series. After only three seasons, the show was canceled
   and the last episode aired on June 3, 1969. The series subsequently
   became popular in reruns, and a cult following developed, complete with
   fan conventions. Originally aired as simply Star Trek, it has in recent
   years become known as Star Trek: The Original Series or as "Classic
   Trek" – retronyms that distinguish it from its sequels and the
   franchise as a whole. All subsequent films and television series,
   except the animated series of the 1970s, have had secondary titles
   included as part of their official names. The series was re-released in
   September 2006 with CGI enhancements as a high-definition "
   Re-mastered" edition. The first season of Star Trek also is available
   for download from Apple's iTunes Store. Most of the episodes offered by
   iTunes are in their original forms. However, a handful are the recently
   remastered versions, except Where No Man Has Gone Before, despite
   having been remastered and aired. Currently airs on TV Land, BBC2 and
   The Sci-Fi Channel in the UK.

Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973–1974)

   Star Trek: The Animated Series was produced by Filmation and ran for
   two seasons. Most of the original cast performed the voices of their
   characters from The Original Series (the character of Chekov did not
   appear) as well as many of the original series' writers like DC
   Fontana. Larger and more exotic alien landscapes and lifeforms were
   featured, however animation and soundtrack quality, with the liberal
   re-use of shots and musical cues as well as occasional animation
   errors, has detracted from the reputation of the series. Although
   originally sanctioned by Paramount (who became the owners of the Star
   Trek franchise following its acquisition of Desilu in 1967), the series
   is not considered to be canon (see Star Trek canon). Even so, elements
   of the animated series have been used by writers in later live-action
   series and movies (e.g. Kirk's middle name, Tiberius, made official in
   Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country), and elements thus incorporated
   are canon. TAS came back to television in the mid- 1980s on the
   children's cable network Nickelodeon, and in the early 1990s on cable
   network Sci-Fi Channel and was released to DVD in 2006.

Star Trek: Phase II

   Star Trek: Phase II was set to air in 1978 as the flagship series of a
   proposed Paramount television network, and 12 episode scripts were
   written before production was due to begin. The series would have put
   most of the original crew back aboard the Enterprise for a second
   five-year mission, except for Leonard Nimoy as Spock, who did not agree
   to return. A younger, full-blooded Vulcan named Xon was planned as a
   replacement, although it was still hoped that Nimoy would make guest
   appearances. Sets were constructed and several minutes of test footage
   were filmed. However, the risks of launching a fourth network and the
   popularity of the then-recently released film Star Wars led Paramount
   to make a Star Trek film instead of a weekly television series. The
   first script of this aborted series formed the basis of Star Trek: The
   Motion Picture, while two others were eventually adapted as episodes of
   Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994)

   Star Trek: The Next Generation is set nearly a century after The
   Original Series and features a new starship, the Enterprise-D, and a
   new crew led by Captain Jean-Luc Picard, played by Patrick Stewart. It
   also features first Klingon in Starfleet, Worf. The show premiered on
   September 28, 1987 and ran for seven seasons, ending on May 23, 1994.
   The Next Generation had the highest ratings of all the Star Trek series
   and was the #1 syndicated show during the last few years of its
   original run. It was nominated for an Emmy for Best Dramatic Series
   during its final season in 1994. It also received a Peabody Award for
   Outstanding Television Programming. The series currently airs on TV6 in
   Sweden, Sky One and, Foxtel channel Sci Fi in Australia, SIC Radical in
   Portugal, Space: The Imagination Station in Canada, as well as G4 and
   Spike TV in the United States.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993–1999)

   Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is set during the same timeframe as The Next
   Generation and ran for seven seasons, debuting in 1993. It is the only
   Star Trek series to take place primarily on a space station, rather
   than aboard a starship. The show chronicles the events of the station's
   crew, led by Commander (later Captain) Benjamin Sisko, played by Avery
   Brooks, living on the Cardassian-built Bajoran spacestation Deep Space
   Nine, which initially orbited the planet Bajor but was moved to a
   nearby, newly-discovered, uniquely stable wormhole that provides
   immediate access to the distant Gamma Quadrant. Recurring plots include
   the repercussions of the lengthy and brutal occupation of the nearby
   planet Bajor by the Cardassians, Sisko's unique spiritual role for the
   Bajorans as the Emissary of the Prophets, and a major war with the
   Dominion of the Gamma Quadrant. Deep Space Nine stands apart from other
   Trek series for its lengthy serialized storytelling and conflict within
   the crew – things that Roddenberry had forbidden in earlier Trek
   series.

Star Trek: Voyager (1995–2001)

   Star Trek: Voyager was produced for seven seasons from 1995 to 2001 and
   is the only Star Trek series to feature a woman as the commanding
   officer: Captain Kathryn Janeway, played by Kate Mulgrew. Voyager takes
   place at about the same time as Deep Space Nine. The series' pilot
   shows the USS Voyager and its crew stranded in the Delta Quadrant,
   70,000 light years from Earth. Given a 70-year voyage back to Earth,
   the crew must avoid conflict and defeat challenges on its long and
   perilous journey home. Voyager was originally isolated from many of the
   familiar aspects and races of the Star Trek franchise (with the
   exception of the individual races amongst the crew). This allowed for
   the creation of new races and original plotlines within the series;
   however, later seasons saw an influx of characters and races from prior
   shows, such as the Borg, Q, the Ferengi, Romulans, Klingons,
   Cardassians, and even multiple instances where members of the Next
   Generation crew appear in the series. The series is currently airing on
   Space: The Imagination Station in Canada, Spike TV in the United
   States, and Sky One in the United Kingdom.

Star Trek: Enterprise (2001–2005)

   Star Trek: Enterprise (originally aired as "Enterprise"), produced from
   2001- 2005, is a prequel to the other Star Trek series. The pilot
   episode takes place ten years before the founding of the Federation,
   about one hundred years before the original Star Trek series. The
   series depicts the exploration of space by the crew of the Earth
   starship Enterprise. Commanded by Captain Jonathan Archer ( Scott
   Bakula), Enterprise is able to go farther and faster than any human
   vessel had previously gone. Enterprise showed the origins of several
   features that would become common in the sequel series, such as the
   inventing of new technologies, primarily the static warp bubble, and
   first contact with new species, such as the Klingons. For the first two
   seasons Enterprise was episodic, like the original series and The Next
   Generation. During the third and fourth seasons, the series used long
   story arcs spanning several episodes at a time. Ratings for Enterprise
   started strong, but declined rapidly. The show continued to lose
   ratings during the third season, and Paramount cancelled the show in
   early 2005. It is currently airing on HDNet, Sky Two and The Sci-Fi
   Channel.

Feature films

   Paramount Pictures has produced ten Star Trek feature films, with an
   eleventh in pre-production:
     * Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
     * Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
     * Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
     * Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
     * Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
     * Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
     * Star Trek: Generations (1994)
     * Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
     * Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)
     * Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)
     * Star Trek (2008)

   The first six continue the adventures of the The Original Series cast,
   while the next four feature The Next Generation's cast. Although North
   American and UK releases of the films were no longer numbered following
   the sixth film, European releases continued numbering the films.

   A common sentiment among fans is that the even-numbered Star Trek films
   are superior to the odd-numbered Star Trek films (the so-called " Star
   Trek movie curse"); the second, fourth, sixth, and eighth films are
   considered fan favorites, whereas the first and fifth are often called
   the worst films.

   An eleventh film, simply titled Star Trek, has been announced for
   release on Christmas Day, 2008, to be written by Roberto Orci and Alex
   Kurtzman and produced and directed by Lost creator J.J. Abrams. The
   film has been rumoured to focus on the early lives of Captain James T
   Kirk and Mr Spock.

Other storylines and canonicity

   The Star Trek canon comprises the five live-action television series
   and ten motion pictures. The animated series, novels, comic books,
   video games, and other materials based on Star Trek, though licensed by
   CBS Paramount, are generally considered non-canon, as are fan-made (or
   " fanon") productions set within the Star Trek universe.

   The Star Trek novels typically fill "holes" in the Star Trek story and
   timeline, with explanations of events that have never been thoroughly
   explained through live action productions. Many have been accepted by
   Trek fans as part of the Star Trek canon, even though CBS, owners of
   the Star Trek franchise, say otherwise. Several authors have created
   spin-off series that are self-contained within their novels.

   Outside of the television series and motion pictures produced by
   Paramount pictures, the Star Trek franchise has been officially
   expanded and elaborated by various authors and artists, despite the
   fact that CBS does not consider these derivative works canon. These
   works' creators are generally free to tell their own stories set in the
   Star Trek universe, and are free either to keep an existing continuity,
   or to use their own. (Similarly, writers for TV and film are under no
   obligation to pay heed to any of the derivative works.) These works
   often expand the back stories of characters, species, planets, etc.,
   already seen in the official live-action productions. For example, the
   Voyager novels Mosaic and Pathways give background information for
   characters in the Voyager live-action series. These are usually in the
   printed form, usually in the form of novels and reference manuals, but
   also manga.

   The Star Trek series have also inspired many unofficial fan-made
   productions. For example, in recent years, Star Trek fan films have
   been created for distribution over the Internet. Currently, Star Trek:
   Hidden Frontier, which is a continuation of the time line after the
   Dominion War from the perspective of a station and fleet in the Briar
   Patch, and Star Trek: New Voyages, a "continuation" of the original
   Star Trek, are prominent fan series. While none of these projects are
   licensed by CBS, some have attracted participation from television and
   film series' cast and crew. One fan production, Star Trek: Of Gods and
   Men, features several veteran Trek actors, with Voyager star Tim Russ
   directing and reprising his role of Tuvok.

Cultural impact

   The Star Trek franchise is a multi-billion dollar industry, currently
   owned by CBS. Gene Roddenberry sold Star Trek to NBC as a classic
   adventure drama; he pitched the show as " Wagon Train to the stars" and
   as Horatio Hornblower in space. Though set on a fictional starship,
   Roddenberry wanted to tell more sophisticated stories using futuristic
   situations as analogies to current problems on Earth and rectifying
   them through humanism and optimism. The opening line, "to boldly go
   where no man has gone before", was taken almost verbatim from a US
   White House booklet on space produced after the Sputnik flight in 1957.
   The central trio of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy was modeled on classical
   mythological storytelling. Harking of human diversity and
   contemporaneous political circumstances, Roddenberry included a
   multi-ethnic crew.

   Star Trek and its spin-offs have proved highly popular in television
   repeats, and are currently shown on TV stations worldwide. The show’s
   cultural impact goes far beyond its longevity and profitability. Star
   Trek conventions have become popular, though now are often merged with
   conventions of other genres and series, and fans have coined the term "
   Trekkies" to describe themselves. An entire subculture has grown up
   around the show.

   The Star Trek franchise is believed to have motivated the design of
   many current technologies, including the Tablet PC, the PDA, mobile
   phones, and the MRI (based on Dr. McCoy's diagnostic table). It has
   also brought to popular attention the concept of teleportation with its
   classic depiction of "matter-energy transport". Phrases such as " Beam
   me up, Scotty" have entered the public vernacular. In 1976, following a
   letter-writing campaign, NASA named one of its space shuttles
   Enterprise, after the fictional starship.

   The city of Garland, Texas has the only known official place name of
   the TV series: Star Trek Lane, located off of Apollo Road and east of
   North Jupiter Road.

   Parodies of Star Trek include the internet-based cartoon series Stone
   Trek and the song " Star Trekkin'".

Current status and future

   After Enterprise was canceled in 2005, the Star Trek franchise found
   itself for the first time in over 25 years without a series or film in
   production or development. In April 2006, the official announcement of
   an eleventh feature film made it probable that the franchise has not
   yet ended.

   In 2006, CBS Paramount Domestic Television began syndicating an
   enhanced version of the original 79 Star Trek episodes.
   State-of-the-art visual effects replaced those in the series (created
   in-house by CBS), the original theme music has been re-recorded, and
   the show was transferred from the original negatives in high
   definition. The show will eventually be syndicated in HD.

   Also in 2006, CBS has announced that it is considering a new animated
   series that will likely debut as several 6-minute episodes available
   online. The series is to be set 150 years after the Star Trek: The Next
   Generation time line, during a time of upheaval and strife in the
   Federation. The Romulans have used several "Omega Particle" explosions
   to render much of Federation space impassable by traditional Federation
   vessels. Many Federation worlds have been isolated, and some races,
   including the Vulcans, have withdrawn from the Federation altogether.
   The series is, as yet, untitled and there has been no full
   confirmation.

   On January 19, 2007, CBS announced that its newly-formed home
   entertainment unit would begin releasing the remastered episodes on
   Blu-Ray Disc and HD-DVD before the end of 2007.

   Perpetual Entertainment is also developing a MMOG based on Star Trek
   called Star Trek Online. IDW Publishing have also bought the rights to
   the comic book. The original series' characters are also featured in a
   manga.
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
