A Brief Guide to Star Trek

firming up that audience appeal. This was quite far-sighted and fortuitous, especially as one
Star Trek
character provedto be more popular with 1960s viewers than any other: the ‘satanic-looking’ Mr Spock.

    Prior to
Star Trek
’s September 1966 debut, a few pivotal details had to be locked down. The opening of the show would be important in highlighting the setting of
Star Trek
in the viewers’ minds every week. This had to be done in a succinct manner, quickly and easily over the show’s opening credits. Alexander Courage had been commissioned to produce the theme tune for the first pilot and that would be retained, but Gene Roddenberry wanted a voiceover explaining what the series was about (following Herb Solow’s early suggestion). As the episodes featured regular ‘Captain’s Log’ story updates, it seemed sensible to have the ‘saga sell’ (as the dramatic statement of the concept of a show is called today) narrated in character by William Shatner as Captain Kirk. The only debate was around the exact detail of what he would say.
    In August 1966, just five weeks before the first episode aired, associate producer Robert Justman sent an urgent memo to Roddenberry pointing out: ‘It is important that you compose, without delay, our standard opening narration for Bill Shatner to record. It should run about fifteen seconds in length.’ That opened the floodgates for various
Star Trek
creatives to try their hands at crafting a suitable opening narration, something that encapsulated the story of this new show. Roddenberry’s first attempt was rather long-winded: ‘This is the story of the United Space Ship
Enterprise
. Assigned a five-year patrol of our galaxy, the giant starship visits Earth colonies, regulates commerce, and explores strange new worlds and civilizations. These are its voyages . . . and its adventures.’
    Although that contained some of the now classic
Star Trek
opening narration, it wasn’t quite snappy enough. Justman’s turn at honing Roddenberry’s words got closer to what was needed: ‘This is the story of the starship
Enterprise
. Its mission: to advance knowledge, contact alien life and enforce intergalactic law . . . to explore strange new worlds, where no man has gone before.’
    Although Justman developed the distinctive rhythm that would be used in the final narration, it still needed editing and revising. Producer John D. F. Black took a pass at crafting suitable opening words. ‘The USS
Enterprise
. . . starship . . . Its mission, a five-year patrol to seek out and contact alien life . . . to explore the infinite frontier of space . . . Where no man has gone before . . . A Star Trek!’
    His second attempt introduced more pivotal elements that would influence the final, now classic, narration: ‘Space, the final frontier . . . Endless, silent, waiting . . . This is the story of the United Space Ship
Enterprise
. Its mission, a five-year patrol of the galaxy – to seek out and contact all alien life, to explore, to travel the vast galaxy where no man has gone before . . . A Star Trek!’
    After over a week of this, Gene Roddenberry pulled together the various drafts on 10 August 1966 and crafted this final (and now famous) version for Shatner to record: ‘Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship
Enterprise
. . . Its five-year mission to explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before . . .’
    Roddenberry had successfully fused the best elements of all the drafts by himself, Justman and Black to craft a new, snappier and more rhythmic narration, while also introducing, in ‘to boldly go’, the infamous split infinitive that would haunt him. The narration’s indication of a five-year mission for the
Enterprise
was also a statement of intent on behalf of the show’s producers, who hoped to secure a lengthy and profitable run for
Star Trek
, as after five years there’d be enough episodes to put the show into syndication.

    Prior to the launch of
Star Trek
, Gene Roddenberry had the good sense to court the growing body of science fiction fans that gathered regularly at conventions. He felt they could act as ambassadors for his show, spreading awareness to their friends and family via word of mouth. Roddenberry felt that such fans(often more wedded to literary science fiction than the ‘lighter’ film and TV variety) were so starved of decent television fantasy that they’d