Where no man has gone before?

7 August 2008 01:56pm

Given Star Trek's unbelievable popularity now, it is strange to think that the original series was axed after three seasons due to poor viewer ratings.

But thanks to a cult following, who picked up on the series when it aired as re-runs, the show has enjoyed a prolific and high profile history spanning five decades. In its various guises it has totalled 726 episodes and ten films - with this total due to rise with the show's latest incarnation.

Here we take a look at Star Trek series through the ages...

:: Star Trek: The Original Series (1966 - 1969)

Simply called Star Trek, the first series has come to be known as The Original Series since its various off-shoots appeared on scene. It followed the journey of the Starship Enterprise and its crew in the 23rd Century - after so-called warp-flight technology allowed people to travel into space.

After six years of planning the show, it must have been disappointing for creator Gene Roddenberry to see it axed after just three seasons. But those three series, which starred William Shatner as Captain Kirk and Leonard Nimoy as Spock, were enough to garner an obsessive, cult audience, thus cementing the show's future success.

:: Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973 - 1974)

This Emmy Award-winning animated series was produced by Filmation on a tighter budget than the original series. For this reason certain original cast members were omitted from the show, while the others provided the voice-over. Gene reportedly refused to abandon creative control over his project and instead issued the writers with the writing guidelines used on the original series. However the animation format allowed for more fantastical plots and characters.

:: Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987 - 1994)

After a 13-year break, in which four Star Trek feature films depicting the original cast and spaceship were made, the franchise returned to the small screen. But this series was set in the 24th Century, 80 years after the original series. It had an entirely new spaceship, the Galaxy Class USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D), and cast - including Patrick Stewart as commanding officer Jean-Luc Picard and Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan. However, some original characters make guest appearances in this series - such as Spock, still played by Leonard Nimoy.

:: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993 - 1999)

Also set in the 24th Century, this series was far-removed from the original. Rather than being set on a spaceship it was set at space station Deep Space Nine. It also explored themes which had previously been banned by Gene such as religion. The space station was led by Benjamin Sisko, played by Avery Brooks, and had longer serialised plots, such as the Cardassians' brutal occupation of Bajor.

:: Star Trek: Voyager (1995 - 2001)

This series depicted the crew of the USS Voyager as it is stranded in space. It had the first female commanding officer, in the form of Captain Kathryn Janeway - played by Kate Mulgrew - and featured much in-fighting between crew members. Original races such as the Klingons were also brought back to feature in this series.

:: Star Trek: Enterprise (2001 - 2005)

Enterprise is a prequel to the other Star Trek series, dating back to before the 23rd Century. It depicted events on board the Enterprise, commanded by Captain Jonathan Archer, played by Scott Bakula, and attempted to lay the foundations for what happened in the original series.

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