Star Trek: Why the Original Series Was Canceled | CBR - CBR - Comic Book Resources

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It's a fantastic time to be a fan of Star Trek, with Paramount+ unveiling new programming on a regular basis for its digital platform while a new feature film is reportedly in development. And to add to the fun, the series that started the entire global phenomena hits its 55th anniversary this year as one of the most wildly influential television shows to grace the airwaves.

And yet, the original series would only run for three seasons, coming to a quiet end on June 3, 1969, seemingly ending the franchise for good before it found its dedicated fan following in syndication years later. Here's why the original Star Trek television series was canceled by NBC.

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Ever since Star Trek's development, the series had existed as a bit of curio for the network executives. The network was concerned that the series' tone was too cerebral for casual viewers, initially refusing to pick up the series on the basis of its original pilot episode before commissioning a second pilot with a revised cast and tone. Still, despite boasting then-revolutionary special effects and acclaimed episodes that blended science fiction thrills with more philosophical questions about the human condition against its cosmic backdrop, the series was never a particularly huge hit in terms of ratings, even in its first season. However, with network execs paying more attention to key demographics to study more desired portions of audiences and vocal fan support, NBC chose to renew Star Trek for a second season, with a third season announced on March 1, 1968.

Two things presaged the third season of Star Trek being the original series' last: A change in its time slot and a significant reduction of its production budget by approximately $10,000 per episode. While there were plans to move Star Trek to Monday nights and take advantage of the time slot's higher viewership numbers, the series was ultimately relegated to air on Friday nights at 10 pm. Not just an unpopular time slot for the key male aged 18-39 demographic, but a barely-viewed time slot across the board, the show was officially on life support. Disgusted with the change, series creator Gene Roddenberry limited his creative input on the series, including rewrites and script reviews, publicly noting that the network had effectively killed his show with the time change.

The cast recalled that there was a noticeable drop in quality for episodes for the third season and, with ratings continuing to slide, NBC announced it was canceling Star Trek on February 18, 1969, when it was conspicuously absent from the network's programming schedule for the 1969-1970 television season. The cast and crew thought that was the end of it but began syndication later that year after broadcasters saw value from the first season. The series performed better in its syndicated time slots, resulting in its fanbase swelling by 1972, leading to the production of an animated series, fan conventions and eventual feature film series revival in 1979.

Star Trek is a series that always had its vocal, loyal fanbase, and while the show was far from a runaway success in its initial broadcast run, it would eventually defy cancellation to become part of television history. A dismal time slot and severe budget cuts may have led the original series to end on a subdued note, but if there's one thing that Star Trek has excelled at, it's reinvention.

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Sam Stone (6945 Articles Published)

Sam Stone is a 10th level pop culture guru living just outside of Washington, DC who knows an unreasonable amount about The Beatles. You can follow him on Twitter @samstoneshow and ask him about Nintendo, pop punk, and Star Trek.