60 Years Later, The Star Trek NBC Replaced Is Carrying The Franchise
John Orquiola is a New & Classic TV Editor, Senior Writer, and Interviewer with a special focus on Star Trek. John has over 5,000 published articles at SR, and he has interviewed the biggest names in Star Trek on the red carpet and VIP events, among other beloved shows, movies, and franchises.
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It's remarkable that, as Star Trek marks its 60th anniversary, the modernized version of Star Trek that NBC rejected in 1965 is currently carrying the franchise. As executive producers and co-showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers, and star Anson Mount, have joked, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, which premiered in 2022, is the longest pilot-to-series pick up in television history.
Gene Roddenberry wrote and produced "The Cage," the original Star Trek pilot episode, in 1965. "The Cage" starred Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Christopher Pike of the USS Enterprise, who was flanked by two revolutionary characters: Number One (Majel Barrett Roddenberry), a female First Officer, and Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy), a Vulcan Science Officer.
NBC famously rejected "The Cage" for being "too cerebral," but gave Roddenberry a chance to try again after making drastic changes. Following the network's edict, Gene changed all of the characters, keeping only Mr. Spock. The result was Star Trek's second pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before," with William Shatner starring as the dynamic Captain James T. Kirk. Star Trek was greenlit and ran for three seasons on NBC.
60 Years Later, Star Trek’s “The Cage” Continuation Is Carrying The Franchise
60 years, fourteen feature films, and a dozen TV spinoffs later, Star Trek officially turns 60 on September 8, the date when Star Trek: The Original Series premiered on NBC in the United States. 60 years later, the only Star Trek series currently on the air when the calendar turns on September 8 is Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, the 21st-century continuation of "The Cage."
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is a melting pot of characters from "The Cage" and Star Trek: The Original Series. Captain Pike (Anson Mount), Number One (Rebecca Romijn), and Lieutenant Spock (Ethan Peck) are central characters. They are surrounded by younger versions of The Original Series' Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding), Scotty (Martin Quinn), Nurse Chapel (Jess Bush), Dr. M'Benga (Babs Olusanmokun), and even the future Captain Kirk (Paul Wesley).
Strange New Worlds also created popular new characters, Lieutenants La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong), Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia), and Commander Pelia (Carol Kane), whose destinies are unfolding. Perhaps the most important character of all is the USS Enterprise itself, more sleekly designed and impressive than it could ever be in the 1960s, thanks to modern-day production design and visual effects.
Sadly, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is not meant to last, and will end in 2027 after five seasons. Strange New Worlds' fate is part of Paramount Skydance's greater overall revamp of the Star Trek franchise. Star Trek's corporate parent has canceled the last 10 years of TV series on Paramount+, and is nebulously plotting a different future for Gene Roddenberry's creation on film and television.
Strange New Worlds Redeemed Roddenberry’s Original Star Trek Vision
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds proves the merit of Gene Roddenberry's original vision for Star Trek that NBC's corporate suits rejected. Refreshed for modern audiences, Strange New Worlds updates Captain Pike as a caring and collaborative leader, gives Number One more depth and complexity, and allows Spock to explore his romantic human side before he fully embraces Vulcan logic.
Stardate 47988.1 · Crew Assessment
The Final Frontier
Trivia Challenge
🚀ShipsEnterprise!
⭐CrewMake it so
☠EnemiesResistance is…
⚡TechWarp speed!
📖LoreLive long…
01
The USS Enterprise is the most iconic starship in science fiction. What is the registry number of Captain Kirk’s original Enterprise from The Original Series?
✓ Correct! NCC-1701 is the registry of Kirk’s original Constitution-class Enterprise. The “-D” suffix belongs to Picard’s Galaxy-class ship, NX-01 is Archer’s Enterprise, and NCC-74656 is Voyager.
✗ Red alert! The answer is NCC-1701. Kirk’s original Constitution-class Enterprise carried this now-legendary registry. NCC-1701-D is Picard’s Enterprise from TNG, NX-01 is Captain Archer’s, and NCC-74656 belongs to Voyager.
02
Kirk’s most trusted officer is a half-human, half-Vulcan science officer famous for his logic and iconic salute. Who is this legendary character?
✓ Correct! Mr. Spock, played by Leonard Nimoy, is the half-Vulcan science officer whose “Live long and prosper” salute became a cultural icon. His struggle between logic and emotion defines the heart of the Original Series.
✗ Red alert! The answer is Spock. Data is an android from TNG, Tuvok is Voyager’s Vulcan tactical officer, and Sarek is Spock’s Vulcan father. Only Spock is the half-human, half-Vulcan first officer of Kirk’s Enterprise.
03
Starfleet’s most important regulation forbids interference with the natural development of alien civilizations. What is this guiding principle called?
✓ Correct! The Prime Directive (also known as General Order 1) is Starfleet’s most sacred law. It prohibits interfering with less-developed civilizations — though Kirk, Picard, and Janeway have all famously bent or broken it when lives were at stake.
✗ Red alert! The answer is the Prime Directive. While “General Order One” is technically another name for it, the Prime Directive is the universally known term. The Omega Directive and Temporal Accord are separate, more specialized Starfleet protocols.
04
“Resistance is futile.” This chilling declaration belongs to a cybernetic collective that assimilates entire civilizations into its hive mind. What is this fearsome species called?
✓ Correct! The Borg are Star Trek’s most terrifying villains — a hive-mind collective that forcibly assimilates species and technology. Captain Picard was famously assimilated and transformed into Locutus in the landmark TNG episode “The Best of Both Worlds.”
✗ Red alert! The answer is the Borg. The Dominion is the Gamma Quadrant empire from DS9, the Romulans are a rival empire, and Species 8472 is actually one of the few species that the Borg themselves fear. Only the Borg declare “Resistance is futile.”
05
Captain Jean-Luc Picard commands the Enterprise-D in The Next Generation and later received his own series, Star Trek: Picard. Which acclaimed actor portrays him?
✓ Correct! Sir Patrick Stewart brought gravitas, Shakespeare, and Earl Grey tea to the captain’s chair for seven seasons of TNG, four films, and three seasons of Star Trek: Picard. His “Make it so” is one of TV’s most iconic catchphrases.
✗ Red alert! The answer is Patrick Stewart. William Shatner plays Captain Kirk, Avery Brooks is Captain Sisko on Deep Space Nine, and Scott Bakula captains the NX-01 Enterprise. Only Sir Patrick Stewart portrays the legendary Jean-Luc Picard.
06
Starfleet vessels travel faster than light by bending space around them using a matter-antimatter reaction. What is this propulsion system called?
✓ Correct! Warp Drive is the standard faster-than-light propulsion in Star Trek, powered by dilithium-regulated matter-antimatter reactions. Zefram Cochrane invented it in 2063, which led to humanity’s first contact with the Vulcans.
✗ Red alert! The answer is Warp Drive. Transwarp is an advanced Borg technology, Slipstream is an experimental quantum drive, and the Spore Drive uses mycelial network navigation (from Discovery). Standard Starfleet vessels use Warp Drive.
07
At Starfleet Academy, cadets face a notorious no-win scenario designed to test their character under impossible circumstances. James Kirk is the only cadet who ever beat it — by cheating. What is this test called?
✓ Correct! The Kobayashi Maru is an unwinnable rescue simulation that tests how cadets handle certain death. Kirk reprogrammed it so he could win — earning a commendation for original thinking. It was memorably featured in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
✗ Red alert! The answer is the Kobayashi Maru. The Corbomite Maneuver is a TOS episode, not an Academy test. The Kobayashi Maru is the famous no-win scenario that Kirk defeated by reprogramming the simulation — because he doesn’t believe in the no-win scenario.
08
In the widely regarded greatest Star Trek film, a genetically enhanced superhuman from Earth’s past seeks revenge against Captain Kirk. “KHAAAAN!” Who is this iconic villain?
✓ Correct! Khan Noonien Singh, played by Ricardo Montalbán, is Star Trek’s greatest villain. First appearing in the TOS episode “Space Seed,” he returned in The Wrath of Khan (1982) for a devastating revenge plot that cost Spock his life.
✗ Red alert! The answer is Khan Noonien Singh. General Chang is a Klingon from Star Trek VI, Q is TNG’s omnipotent trickster, and Gul Dukat is DS9’s Cardassian antagonist. Only Khan inspired Kirk’s legendary scream across the cosmos.
Mission Complete Your Starfleet Record
/ 8
Are you an Admiral — or still a cadet on deck-scrubbing duty?
Strange New Worlds began as a throwback to the episodic voyages of 1960s Star Trek, where the USS Enterprise visits a new planet every week. However, Strange New Worlds became even bolder, turning the 'strange new worlds' Captain Pike's Enterprise crew encounters into different genres, so that anything goes, from musicals, horror, noir, comedy, soap operas, and yes, even puppets.
In the 1960s, Captain Kirk's USS Enterprise faced various powerful space gods, visited planets themed for 1930s gangsters, ancient Rome, and the OK Corral, encountered space hippies, evil doppelgängers, and President Abraham Lincoln beamed aboard the Starship Enterprise. Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) was, infamously, even robbed of his brain. Risk was always Star Trek's business.
Strange New Worlds' embrace of weirdness is Star Trek through and through, in the spirit of how Captain Pike was once placed in a space zoo on Talos IV in "The Cage." Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' planned conclusion of its five-season mission will directly lead into and sync with the start of Star Trek: The Original Series, bringing the 23rd-century saga full circle.
Although Star Trek feels like it's currently at an ebb, and its future is cause for concern, it's fitting that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is embodying Gene Roddenberry's original vision for the final frontier as the flagship series on Star Trek's 60th anniversary. Star Trek turns 60 with new voyages of the Starship Enterprise, Kirk, Spock, Uhura, et al, led by Captain Pike, on television, and that feels right.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is streaming on Paramount+
- Release Date
- 2022 - 2027-00-00
- Network
- Paramount+
- Showrunner
- Henry Alonso Myers, Akiva Goldsman
-
Captain Christopher Pike
-
Spock
- Directors
- Dan Liu, Amanda Row, Maja Vrvilo, Akiva Goldsman, Dermott Downs, Eduardo Sánchez, Jeffrey W. Byrd, Jonathan Frakes, Jordan Canning, Leslie Hope, Valerie Weiss, Sydney Freeland, Christopher J. Byrne, Rachel Leiterman
- Writers
- Onitra Johnson
- Franchise(s)
- Star Trek
- Creator(s)
- Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, Jenny Lumet
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