The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek - Season 1

First aired: 11/5/2021 4 episodes

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Episodes

1. Lucy Loves Trek

Aired: 11/5/2021

It all began when Gene Roddenberry convinced Desilu to foot the bill for not one, but two "Star Trek" pilots; thanks to Desilu's boss, America's darling Lucille Ball, the world met Kirk, Spock and McCoy.

2. Saturday Morning Pinks

Aired: 11/12/2021

A cartoon version of Star Trek in the early 1970s featured original series creator Gene Roddenberry, writer D.C. Fontana, and the series' original stars.

3. Trekking Through the '70s: Phase II and The Motion Picture

Aired: 11/22/2021

Paramount wanted to launch a fourth network with the new Star Trek series Phase II as its flagship. When the network proved unworkable, Phase II appeared doomed - until Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind proved box office hits. Phase II became the 1979 blockbuster Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

4. Trek Goes to the Movies

Aired: 11/22/2021

The 1980s saw Paramount release three linked Star Trek movies to huge box-office success. The first, The Wrath of Khan, saw Ricardo Montalban as Khan, a villain from the original series, return. It was followed by The Search for Spock, directed by Leonard Nimoy. He returned to the director's chair for The Voyage Home, the biggest Star Trek success yet.