Buzz
The classic Star Trek series originally ran from 1966 to 1969. While some of its concepts, like a computer solely for managing library archives, may seem outdated now, others, such as the mandatory miniskirts for female crew members, reflect the era's gender biases. Yet, futuristic elements like the starship’s transporter beam and deflector shields still feel ahead of their time, even in today’s world.
The main characters and the talented actors portraying them continue to captivate audiences, making the show as enjoyable now as it was five decades ago. Below are ten fascinating, lesser-known facts that add depth to their legacy.
10. Captain James T. Kirk
For decades, the kiss between Captain James Tiberius Kirk from Iowa and Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, of African heritage, was believed to be the first interracial kiss on television. However, research reveals it was actually the third such instance.
In the third season’s tenth episode, “Plato’s Stepchildren,” which premiered in November 1968, Kirk and Uhura share a kiss. The USS Enterprise crew, including Kirk and Uhura, respond to a distress signal and land on Platonius, where the telepathic Platonians force Kirk to pursue Uhura for their amusement, leading to a passionate kiss between the two.
The British Film Institute notes that an earlier interracial kiss occurred in 1964 between Dr. Giles Farmer (John White) and Dr. Louise Mahler (Joan Hooley) on the British soap opera Emergency Ward 10. However, this was preceded by a 1962 kiss in the Grenada Play of the Week production You in Your Small Corner, featuring Lloyd Reckford as a black Cambridge student and Elizabeth MacLennan as a white working-class girl.
NBC executives, uncertain about the public reaction to the Kirk-Uhura kiss, ultimately chose to retain it in the episode. While not the first, the kiss is still regarded as a pivotal moment in breaking racial barriers, especially given the massive viewership of Star Trek compared to the earlier British shows.
9. Commander Spock
Leonard Nimoy, the actor behind Commander Spock, Kirk’s second-in-command and the Enterprise’s science officer, is credited with inventing Spock’s iconic Vulcan salute, the accompanying greeting, and the Vulcan “nerve pinch.”
In the episode “Amok Time,” Nimoy debuted the Vulcan salute during Spock’s encounter with the matriarch of Vulcan. The gesture involves an open hand with the palm facing outward, the forefinger and middle finger pressed together, and the ring finger and little finger similarly joined, with a gap between the two pairs. Nimoy drew inspiration from a hand gesture used by Jewish priests (Kohanim) during a blessing at an orthodox High Holy Days service he attended as a child.
The salute symbolizes the Hebrew letter shin, representing Shekinah, the divine feminine presence believed to enter the synagogue during the ceremony. Nimoy paired the gesture with the phrase “Live long and prosper,” a condensed version of a Jewish prayer akin to the Hebrew greeting Shalom aleichem, meaning “peace be upon you.”
Nimoy also devised the Vulcan nerve pinch, a move where Spock can incapacitate a human foe by applying pressure to a specific nerve in the neck and shoulder. The script for the 1966 episode “The Enemy Within” initially had Spock lunging from behind a generator to knock out an opponent. Believing that hand-to-hand combat was outdated for the 23rd century, Nimoy introduced the iconic pinch, which became a hallmark of Vulcan combat techniques.
Nimoy credits director Leo Penn’s approval of the nerve pinch partly to William Shatner’s acting skills. After overhearing Nimoy’s discussion with Penn about the technique, Shatner offered to demonstrate it. His convincing performance of collapsing on cue persuaded Penn of the move’s effectiveness.
8. Lieutenant Commander Leonard ‘Bones’ McCoy
DeForest Kelley, who played Lieutenant Commander Leonard “Bones” McCoy, the Enterprise’s chief medical officer and one of Kirk’s closest allies, nearly missed out on the original Star Trek series. When producer Gene Roddenberry offered him the role of Mr. Spock, Kelley turned it down.
Despite NBC’s rejection of the first Star Trek pilot, “The Cage,” the network urged Roddenberry to give it another shot. With William Shatner cast as Kirk and Leonard Nimoy as Spock, Kelley eventually joined the series as McCoy.
7. Lieutenant Commander Montgomery ‘Scotty’ Scott
James Doohan, the actor behind Lieutenant Commander Montgomery ‘Scotty’ Scott, named the Enterprise’s engineer after his maternal grandfather. Known for his versatility with accents, Doohan chose a Scottish brogue for Scotty, believing that Scotsmen were unparalleled in engineering prowess.
While Scotty and Kirk appeared to have a cordial relationship on screen, Doohan admitted, “I like Captain Kirk, but I’m not fond of Bill.” He found Shatner to be insecure, self-absorbed, and prone to dominating the camera.
6. Lieutenant Nyota Uhura
Roddenberry initially chose the surname “Zulu” for the Enterprise’s communications officer. However, recognizing that Nichelle Nichols, the African-American actress cast in the role, might benefit from a more fitting name, he opted for “Uhura.” Derived from the Swahili word uhuru, meaning “freedom,” Roddenberry feminized it by adding an “a” at the end.
Despite the show’s progressive themes of multiculturalism and diversity, Nichols faced racial prejudice on set. Discovering she was the only lead actor without a contract, she considered leaving the series. However, encouragement from civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who called her a “wonderful role model,” convinced her to stay.
5. Ensign Hikaru Sulu
The surname initially meant for Lieutenant Uhura was instead assigned to Ensign Hikaru Sulu. George Takei portrayed the Enterprise’s Asian helmsman. Roddenberry intended to further develop Sulu’s character in the second season, but Takei’s commitment to The Green Berets, starring John Wayne, led to his temporary absence. During this period, Walter Koenig filled in on the starship’s bridge.
Upon Takei’s return, he shared a dressing room and scripts with Koenig. Initially, Takei felt envious and worried Koenig might replace him, leading to tension between the two. However, as Takei discovered their shared interests, the actors grew close, maintaining their on-screen partnership as helmsman and navigator.
4. Ensign Pavel Chekov
Walter Koenig joined the cast as a recurring character to appeal to younger audiences, as Roddenberry sought to introduce a youthful figure to the Enterprise’s crew. Roddenberry envisioned Ensign Pavel Chekov as a promising genius, though his potential was often overshadowed by his impulsiveness, lack of experience, bluntness, eagerness to prove himself, and admiration for women. Chekov’s inclusion also provided Kirk with the opportunity to mentor the young Starfleet Academy graduate.
The strategy to attract younger viewers succeeded, and as Koenig began receiving an overwhelming number of fan letters from the targeted demographic, he was promoted to a regular cast member.
3. Kirk’s Predecessor
In the original pilot, Jeffrey Hunter played Captain Christopher Pike, the commander of the Enterprise. After the pilot was rejected, Hunter decided to step away from the role to focus on opportunities in movies, leaving Roddenberry to recast the part.
Pike makes a dramatic return in season one’s two-part episode “The Menagerie,” but in a severely deteriorated state. After saving children from lethal “delta rays,” he is left paralyzed and disfigured. Confined to a wheelchair and unable to speak, he communicates through a machine that emits beeps—one for “yes” and two for “no.” His condition implies a “living death,” from which he ultimately escapes into a realistic fantasy world, where he regains his mobility and health. While Sean Kennedy portrays the older Pike, flashbacks to his younger self are drawn from footage of the unaired pilot, “The Cage.”
Roddenberry likely drew inspiration for “The Menagerie” from the script of “The Cage,” which originally bore the same working title. The pilot’s footage is repurposed in the two-part episode to illustrate Pike’s bravery and eventual destiny through flashback sequences.
2. Yeoman Janice Rand
Despite her popularity, Yeoman Janice Rand was removed from the series. Grace Lee Whitney, the actress behind the character, revealed that Roddenberry wanted to avoid a steady romantic relationship between Kirk and Rand or any other woman. With hints of romance between them in several episodes, Rand was written out to ensure Kirk’s primary allegiance remained to the USS Enterprise.
Eventually, Whitney and Roddenberry mended their relationship, leading to her casting in Star Trek: The Motion Picture and several subsequent Star Trek films.
1. Nurse Christine Chapel
In the original Star Trek pilot, Nurse Christine Chapel did not exist. Majel Barrett, who later played Chapel, initially portrayed an unnamed first officer. NBC executives opposed a woman in such a high-ranking role, prompting Roddenberry to replace her with Leonard Nimoy as Spock, Kirk’s second-in-command. Barrett remarked that Roddenberry “kept the Vulcan and married the woman [because] he didn’t think Leonard [Nimoy] would have it the other way around.”
Barrett, who later married Roddenberry after the series’ cancellation, was cast as Chapel, a character she disliked. She found the nurse “wishy-washy” and criticized her unrequited love for Spock, who “only comes into heat once every seven years,” calling Chapel “a real loser.”
