• Welcome! The TrekBBS is the number one place to chat about Star Trek with like-minded fans.
    If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Star Trek In History

Mojochi

Vice Admiral
Admiral
You'll have to forgive my ignorance, but even as a life long Star Trek fan, I still happened to have been born 2 years after its cancellation, & thereby lack 1st hand knowledge of the circumstances of the time. So I have to wonder.

The one thing that still flabbergasts me about the cancellation of Star Trek is specifically when in history it took place. How, in a time where a solid decade or more of space racing between superpowers had been capturing the attention of all the world's media, & gripping the imaginations of the entire human race, could a t.v. show that fantasizes a future built on that very initiative lose its foothold in television broadcasting? I mean, less than half a year after Star Trek was cancelled, the world rejoiced in the 1st man to walk on the surface of another celestial body. The adding of Chekov to the crew was even a timely nod to how advanced the Russians were in that very endeavor

It defies all sense to me. Surely, one couldn't ask for a BETTER time in history to broadcast a show about spacefaring humans. What do you think explains how the best one out there was yanked, right in the middle of the whole space craze? The show itself was very likely an imaginative reaction, on Roddenberry's part, to our real life space endeavors. How does Star Trek miss the mark when there couldn't have been a more appropriate environment in which to have it air? Part of me has to think it might have been a little sour grapes. After all, until Neil Armstrong's moon landing in July of the year Star Trek was cancelled, the U.S. had gotten beaten out by the Russian space program at almost every turn.

Did Star Trek pay the price for America's bruised ego? & perhaps because America succeeded thereafter in landing a dozen men on the moon, & leaping out in front of the space initiative, throughout the next several years, could the U.S. t.v. viewership beginning to feel good about the real space program have been one of the contributing factors in why Star Trek's fan base grew in reruns, at that time, as well, giving it the due success that it has now long enjoyed? Food for thought.
 
Herb Solow said the cancellation of TOS was caused by poor ratings and the failure to aquire adequate sponsorship through commercials, as in money, money, money.
:sigh:
 
Last edited:
Herb Solow said the cancellation of TOS was caused by poor ratings and the failure to aquire adequate sponsorship through commercials, as in money, money, money.
:sigh:
Oh, absolutely. I'm not disputing that. I'm just wondering why the ratings, & viewership dropped, & sponsorship got hard to find. Clearly people were losing interest in the show at a time when the height of the space race was going on, & I'm wondering if that reality, which didn't favor America throughout the decade, among other real life woes of the 60's played a part in people being too jaded to get into the show anymore. Did Star Trek fall at the alter of hard times, because of it's ultra-positive look at the future?
 
Many persons involved in the production of TOS noticed the drop in quality in episodes after season 2. All tv series go through birth, maturity and death. I think TOS just had that process accelerated for numerous reasons. Other notable posters on this forum could provide better details. IMO, the positive attitude of TOS is what attracted many viewers, but I don't think the network executives were interested in TOS being idealistic. They were only concerned with the ratings/revenue game.
 
One data point. My dad was an adult during TOS's network run. He said he was aware that it existed but never bothered watching it, assuming it was likely some silly show that just happens to take place in Space. He wasn't against shows about Space necessarily, but he assumed it was likely just another silly show. Like all his friends, apparently. He said he knew no adults that watched it or ever mentioned it.

Go to early/mid-'70s and people his age at work start telling him that he has to check out this show called "Star Trek" at 6 pm every night on DC 20. So he grudgingly turns it on to witness Balance of Terror, which blew him away, and from which point Star Trek after work became a regular thing. He said he couldn't believe a show of that quality had been on network tv.

So, I would guess that my dad was fairly typical and preconceived notions about "sci-fi" kept many people away. As well, time slots weren't generally favorable, at least for its younger demographic. Lastly, as has been long-claimed, the ratings didn't take into account that room fulls of college students in dorms that would watch it together, for example, so the ratings were probably not reflective of its actual audience.
 
I wasn't alive when Star Trek originally aired either. It's probably worth noting that while the timing was right for sci-fi, Star Trek weren't the only ones to figure that out. There was plenty of science fiction (with varying degrees of quality) in TV/Film/Literature. Maybe Trek sort of got lost in the shuffle.

I wouldn't think sour grapes had anything to do with it, but as I said I wasn't there. Lost In Space was pretty successful, though it too was cancelled. Supposedly it had the ratings to continue but was very expensive to make. 2001: A Space Odyssey did very well at the box office in America where it was the highest grossing film of 1968. I'd imagine that for many people, especially the younger demographic or those with a scientific curiosity, the idea of space exploration captured their imagination and wasn't just about a dong measuring contest with the Russians.
 
During the turbulent 1960's, Star Trek was a simple way to escape the madness. It's message of hope for a better future was refreshing.
 
One data point. My dad was an adult during TOS's network run. He said he was aware that it existed but never bothered watching it, assuming it was likely some silly show that just happens to take place in Space. He wasn't against shows about Space necessarily, but he assumed it was likely just another silly show. Like all his friends, apparently. He said he knew no adults that watched it or ever mentioned it.

Go to early/mid-'70s and people his age at work start telling him that he has to check out this show called "Star Trek" at 6 pm every night on DC 20. So he grudgingly turns it on to witness Balance of Terror, which blew him away, and from which point Star Trek after work became a regular thing. He said he couldn't believe a show of that quality had been on network tv.

This is it exactly. Science fiction had a terrible reputation, it was bottom of the barrel for most people. Science fiction was not connected in people's minds to the real space program. Besides, look how quickly Americans tired of the real space program after a few moon landings.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kor
In the UK it was placed in the Saturday night Doctor Who spot and that caused a lot of grief for fans of DW who refused to watch it on those grounds I kid you not! Nowadays it seems ridiculous that that was ever a reason!
JB
 
One data point. My dad was an adult during TOS's network run. He said he was aware that it existed but never bothered watching it, assuming it was likely some silly show that just happens to take place in Space. He wasn't against shows about Space necessarily, but he assumed it was likely just another silly show. Like all his friends, apparently. He said he knew no adults that watched it or ever mentioned it.

Go to early/mid-'70s and people his age at work start telling him that he has to check out this show called "Star Trek" at 6 pm every night on DC 20. So he grudgingly turns it on to witness Balance of Terror, which blew him away, and from which point Star Trek after work became a regular thing. He said he couldn't believe a show of that quality had been on network tv.

So, I would guess that my dad was fairly typical and preconceived notions about "sci-fi" kept many people away. As well, time slots weren't generally favorable, at least for its younger demographic. Lastly, as has been long-claimed, the ratings didn't take into account that room fulls of college students in dorms that would watch it together, for example, so the ratings were probably not reflective of its actual audience.
Yep, I grew up in the 70s and it was largely considered a "kids' show" by most people.
 
In the UK it was placed in the Saturday night Doctor Who spot and that caused a lot of grief for fans of DW who refused to watch it on those grounds I kid you not! Nowadays it seems ridiculous that that was ever a reason!
JB

To me it seems more like something I'd expect to happen nowadays as opposed to back then. Was this when Doctor Who was cancelled or when it was still on and they'd just moved DW to a new slot?
 
To me it seems more like something I'd expect to happen nowadays as opposed to back then. Was this when Doctor Who was cancelled or when it was still on and they'd just moved DW to a new slot?

1969 apparently when Patrick Troughton left the series! I have no memories of Trek starting despite remembering many Troughton episodes as a child but I don't recall his final story at all either!
JB
 
One data point. My dad was an adult during TOS's network run. He said he was aware that it existed but never bothered watching it, assuming it was likely some silly show that just happens to take place in Space. He wasn't against shows about Space necessarily, but he assumed it was likely just another silly show. Like all his friends, apparently. He said he knew no adults that watched it or ever mentioned it.

Go to early/mid-'70s and people his age at work start telling him that he has to check out this show called "Star Trek" at 6 pm every night on DC 20. So he grudgingly turns it on to witness Balance of Terror, which blew him away, and from which point Star Trek after work became a regular thing. He said he couldn't believe a show of that quality had been on network tv.

So, I would guess that my dad was fairly typical and preconceived notions about "sci-fi" kept many people away. As well, time slots weren't generally favorable, at least for its younger demographic. Lastly, as has been long-claimed, the ratings didn't take into account that room fulls of college students in dorms that would watch it together, for example, so the ratings were probably not reflective of its actual audience.

People have long had preconceived notions that SF is forgettable, disposable kiddie fare, regardless of what may be happening with real-world technology. To the general public who thinks along those lines, what exactly does some TV space opera with pointy-eared aliens have to do with the actual space program?

Kor
 
1969 apparently when Patrick Troughton left the series! I have no memories of Trek starting despite remembering many Troughton episodes as a child but I don't recall his final story at all either!
JB

So if DW was still on why were they pissed off? Did it get a crappy new time slot?
 
There might have been a big gap between Troughton and Pertwee. I know DW was very nearly cancelled at the end of Troughton's period. Anyway, that time slot is sort of traditional and sacred to UK DW viewers.
 
So if DW was still on why were they pissed off? Did it get a crappy new time slot?

There was a big seven month gap between Troughton and Pertwee at the time! Nothing compared to say Tom Baker and Peter Davison which was nine and half months but it was a lot of time back then! Some idiot I used to know told me he was in that boat and had never watched Trek because it took over from Who in that era!
JB
 
There might have been a big gap between Troughton and Pertwee. I know DW was very nearly cancelled at the end of Troughton's period. Anyway, that time slot is sort of traditional and sacred to UK DW viewers.

It was sacred indeed until Peter Davison's era which was put on twice weekly in the eighties in a Monday and Tuesday slot and then later a Tuesday and Wednesday slot finally it ended up in a Thursday and Friday slot! Colin Baker's reign was restored to Saturdays before Sylvester McCoy's time went back to a midweek slot again!
JB
 
According to the Genome project, the last part of The War Games (Troughton's last story) aired at 17:15 on Saturday 21 June, 1969.

(http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/bbcone/london/1969-06-21 )

...and Spearhead From Space (Pertwee's first episode) aired at 17:15 on Saturday 3 January, 1970.

(http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/bbcone/london/1970-01-03)

Checking various Saturdays between those dates shows Star Trek airing out of order.
(http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/years/1969).

Out of interest, I checked to see what aired in the UK after Pertwee's first season and BBC1 showed extended editions of Grandstand starting a tradition in the UK for sport to take priority over science fiction.
 
If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Sign up / Register


Back
Top