1968 TREK movie?

[RobertScorpio]

We might've also gotten lucky, the displeasure over the direction Freddie Freiberger was taking the show could've been recognized and Gene Coon might've been coaxed back, or Bob Justman could've been promoted to producer in his own right, with the fourth season being a runaway success, leading to a fifth season that either wrapped everything up or a massive recasting with a new captain and crew on another five year mission.

Of course, this would've meant no feeling of mission interruptus, with no frustrated fanbase pestering the studio for the succeeding twenty-odd years demanding Star Trek's return. It would've all been said and done, with the franchise probably closing up shop no later than 1976, notwithstanding the success or failure of any spinoffs that might be attempted, like that "Harry Mudd, Space Pirate" idea they kicked around for about ten minutes. Maybe a few reunion tv movies over the next several years, but nowhere near the behemoth we have now.

So, yeah, even if a fourth season was a success, it probably would've been the beginning of the end for Star Trek.

the more I think about it the more I think you're right...good post...

Rob

 

[Christopher]

Again, why do you think the Enterprise was on a five year mission? Five seasons means around a hundred episodes, which is the magic number to ensure syndication in the rerun market. That's why whenever a show hits that one hundredth episode, there's a story on Entertainment Tonight about the party on the set, with the big sheet cake emblazoned with "Happy 100th Episode!" across the face.

I think you're back-projecting some anachronistic assumptions there. Keep in mind that the three seasons of TOS (not counting pilots) were an average of 26 episodes long, which was the standard season length well into the 1980s. So it only would've taken four seasons to top 100. The idea that you need five seasons to reach 100 is a concept younger than TNG.

 

[Maurice]

One advantage Batman had was the twice-a-week timeslot, which meant by the end of the third season, they already had 120 episodes, nearly twice the number of episodes of a typical show of that age, so they were ready for strip syndication.

Not quite. Batman was twice a week only for the first two seasons, by the end of which it had 94 episodes. The third season was only once a week and most episodes were not two parters.

Episode list on Wikipedia.

 

[RobertScorpio]

Did ADAM WEST and SHATNER have the same acting coach? They both use that sticcotto form of acting...maybe Avery Brooks was their protege...dont get me wrong, I LOVE the way they act..just wondering...

Rob

 

[Captain Robert April]

Again, why do you think the Enterprise was on a five year mission? Five seasons means around a hundred episodes, which is the magic number to ensure syndication in the rerun market. That's why whenever a show hits that one hundredth episode, there's a story on Entertainment Tonight about the party on the set, with the big sheet cake emblazoned with "Happy 100th Episode!" across the face.

I think you're back-projecting some anachronistic assumptions there. Keep in mind that the three seasons of TOS (not counting pilots) were an average of 26 episodes long, which was the standard season length well into the 1980s. So it only would've taken four seasons to top 100. The idea that you need five seasons to reach 100 is a concept younger than TNG.

I might be off on some apsects, but I distinctly recall reading in David Gerrold's "The World of Star Trek", loooooooooong before TNG was even a glint in Roddenberry's eye, that the general formula for ensuring your show would get picked up for the rerun market was to get at least a hundred episodes under your belt, and since there were all sorts of things beyond your control that might cut into the total number of episodes you might get in a given season (writers strikes, frequent preemptions, etc.), the magic number for seasons was five, in order to ensure you got over that one hundred episode hump. It all has to do with how long you can strip a show (i.e., run them five days a week) before you start repeating episodes, and with five seasons' worth, you can figure on going close to four months before you swing around to the same episode again.

And I distinctly remember Majel herself saying that since they only got 79 episodes, their first thought was that they were dead in the water, because they didn't think they had enough to have a reasonable shot at a syndication deal.

 

[Captain Robert April]

One advantage Batman had was the twice-a-week timeslot, which meant by the end of the third season, they already had 120 episodes, nearly twice the number of episodes of a typical show of that age, so they were ready for strip syndication.

Not quite. Batman was twice a week only for the first two seasons, by the end of which it had 94 episodes. The third season was only once a week and most episodes were not two parters.

Episode list on Wikipedia.

Same difference. After three seasons, they had one hundred and twenty episodes, which was plenty for syndication, so no need, from the studio's or network's perspectives, to keep pouring money into the show, especially if the ratings were starting to slide. Just pull the plug, get the thing into reruns, and start cashing in.

 

[Captain Atkin]

That would have been amazing. A true TOS film.

 

[Sector 7]

That would have been amazing. A true TOS film.

It took 41 years, but we finally got one. It does make one wonder how different Star Trek's history would have been if the movie had been done in 1968.

 

[RobertScorpio]

That would have been amazing. A true TOS film.

It took 41 years, but we finally got one. It does make one wonder how different Star Trek's history would have been if the movie had been done in 1968.

I suspect not good...but you never know..

Rob

 

[Captain Robert April]

At the very least, no more constant use of shots from the first two pilots as stock footage. And more elaborate sets, and possibly enough justification to keep that Monday night @ 8 timeslot for the third season and telling Laugh-In to go take a hike (which would've meant no Fred Freiberger coming in to muck things up).

To carry it further, no major drop in quality, no disgruntled Nimoy jumping at a chance to move across the street to Mission: Impossible, meaning that if NBC canceled the show anyway, Nimoy might still be available when CBS calls to ask if they could pick up the show for a fourth season (CBS has a long tradition of picking up NBC rejects and making hits out of 'em, going all the way back to Guiding Light).

And still no Fred Frieberger to muck things up.

 

[Broccoli]

I think they hit it pretty close to the mark. The bit with the kid showing up at a public appearance with his daddy's gun actually happened, and George had to talk the kid down, just as they showed. I bet he was glad he had a couple of swigs before going out after having to deal with that bit of insanity.

Actually no. That never happened. It is an urban myth. As was audiences laughing at Reeves's appearance in From Here to Eternity.

I was disappointed with Hollywoodland, mostly because the film centered itself on the fictional Adrien Brody character and not so much George Reeves.

 

[Nerys Myk]

At the very least, no more constant use of shots from the first two pilots as stock footage. And more elaborate sets, and possibly enough justification to keep that Monday night @ 8 timeslot for the third season and telling Laugh-In to go take a hike (which would've meant no Fred Freiberger coming in to muck things up).

To carry it further, no major drop in quality, no disgruntled Nimoy jumping at a chance to move across the street to Mission: Impossible, meaning that if NBC canceled the show anyway, Nimoy might still be available when CBS calls to ask if they could pick up the show for a fourth season (CBS has a long tradition of picking up NBC rejects and making hits out of 'em, going all the way back to Guiding Light).
And still no Fred Frieberger to muck things up.

Laugh In was a top rated show in 68, so I doubt NBC would ask it to take a hike.

I thought part of the reason Nimoy appeared on MI was to fullfill his contract with Paramount.