If there had been a Season 4 of TOS ...

[Orphalesion]

I seriously doubt Gene would have come up with the bumpy head look for the Klingons if things had gone differently. In the real world the failure of the Genesis II pilot resulted in the Planet Earth pilot, which featured very familiar spine-headed looking guys called the Kreeg . I'm betting it was the Kreeg which in part inspired the TMP Klingons, in which case no Planet Earth = no idea for bumpy headed Klingons.

Oh thank you! I didn't know that. Sometimes it's hard to believe how many lucky mishaps conspired to create the TNG era verion of Trek. Very interesting!

However I still doubt that Roddenberry would have been "laughed out of the room" had he proposed to change the appearance of the Klingons. TV producers do not care for continuity, they care for what looks impressive and what sells well. In this and any other timeline.

 

[Therin of Andor]

As to TAS, I didn't single it out, as I know "BEM" and "More Tribbles" started as TOS pitches.

The extra Klingon chapters in "Star Trek Log Seven", by Alan Dean Foster, adapts a two-hour script he wrote for a hypothetical Season Four of TOS and combines those scenes with a TAS adaptation ("The Counterclock Incident").

I think Marc Daniels' TAS episode probably started out as "The Beast", a synopsis on the slush pile for TOS. And there had been talk of both Harry Mudd and "Shore Leave" sequels for a live-action Season Four.

 

[Therin of Andor]

I'm betting it was the Kreeg which in part inspired the TMP Klingons, in which case no Planet Earth = no idea for bumpy headed Klingons.

According to my chat with Fred Phillips (Makeup, TOS & TMP) in January 1984, the bumpy-headed Klingons, changed Andorians and other over-the-head alien masks for TMP were made possible because of the now-ready supply of new foam latexes. Previously, TOS appliances were one- (perhaps two-) use only pieces and had to be baked in an oven overnight.

Can't see who the makeup artist was for "Planet Earth". Not mentioned on IMDb.

 

[Melakon]

Wow, I see Robert Kinoshita (designer of robots Robby and B-9) was art director for "Planet Earth". He died last month at 100.

 

[publiusr]

For those interested--here is a treatment of an alternate history of the Trek TV program:
http://spaceflighthistory.blogspot.com/2017/06/dreaming-different-apollo-part-six-star.html

 

[1001001]

Per the board rules, located here:

https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/rules-a-short-guide-to-posting-on-the-bbs.282269/#post-11662568

Please don't bump threads that haven't had a response for over a year.

This ones been dead for two and a half years. Let's leave it to Rest In Peace.

Thanks.