History of Star Trek on NBC

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Star Trek originally was telecast in the United States on NBC from 1966 to 1969. Although it has become one of the most famous television programs of all time, it was not a success in its original network run. The following is the complete network broadcast history of the program. All times given are Eastern Standard Time. The schedule below reflects how the show aired on most NBC stations. Some NBC affiliates ran the program at a different night or time, and some did not even air it at all (especially the first season).

[edit] Season One (1966-1967)

NBC aired Star Trek in its first season on Thursdays, 8:30-9:30 P.M. The first Thursday of the Fall 1966 television season was September 15. However, the network premiered the series a week earlier as a "Sneak Preview."

• September 8, 1966: "The Man Trap" ("Sneak Preview")
• September 15, 1966: "Charlie X" (season premiere)
• September 22, 1966: "Where No Man Has Gone Before"
• September 29, 1966: "The Naked Time"
• October 6, 1966: "The Enemy Within"
• October 13, 1966: "Mudd's Women"
• October 20, 1966: "What Are Little Girls Made Of?"
• October 27, 1966: "Miri"
• November 3, 1966: "Dagger of the Mind"
• November 10, 1966: "The Corbomite Maneuver"
• November 17, 1966: "The Menagerie" part 1
• November 24, 1966: "The Menagerie" part 2
• December 1, 1966: pre-empted by a comedy special, "The Jack Benny Hour"
• December 8, 1966: "The Conscience of the King"
• December 15, 1966: "Balance of Terror"
• December 22, 1966: repeat of "What Are Little Girls Made Of?"
• December 29, 1966: "Shore Leave"
• January 5, 1967: "The Galileo Seven"
• January 12, 1967: "The Squire of Gothos"
• January 19, 1967: "Arena"
• January 26, 1967: "Tomorrow is Yesterday"
• February 2, 1967: "Court Martial" (NBC planned to air another episode, "The Alternative Factor," but was forced to change episodes at the last minute)
• February 9, 1967: "The Return of the Archons"
• February 16, 1967: "Space Seed"
• February 23, 1967: "A Taste of Armageddon"
• March 2, 1967: "This Side of Paradise"
• March 9, 1967: "The Devil in the Dark"
• March 16, 1967: pre-empted by highlights of the 1967 Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
• March 23, 1967: "Errand of Mercy"
• March 30, 1967: "The Alternative Factor" (originally scheduled to air February 2)
• April 6, 1967: "The City on the Edge of Forever"
• April 13, 1967: "Operation: Annihilate!" (season finale)
• April 20, 1967: repeat of "Where No Man Has Gone Before"
• April 27, 1967: repeat of "The Naked Time"
• May 4, 1967: repeat of "Mudd's Women"
• May 11, 1967: repeat of "The Corbomite Maneuver"
• May 18, 1967: repeat of "The Menagerie" part 1
• May 25, 1967: repeat of "The Menagerie" part 2
• June 1, 1967: repeat of "Charlie X"
• June 8, 1967: repeat of "Shore Leave"
• June 15, 1967: repeat of "The Devil in the Dark"
• June 22, 1967: repeat of "The Squire of Gothos"
• June 29, 1967: repeat of "Miri"
• July 6, 1967: repeat of "Arena"
• July 13, 1967: repeat of "Tomorrow is Yesterday"
• July 20, 1967: repeat of "A Taste of Armageddon" (NBC planned to air a repeat of "Balance of Terror," but this was changed at the last minute)
• July 27, 1967: repeat of "The Return of the Archons"
• August 3, 1967: repeat of "Balance of Terror" (originally scheduled to air July 20)
• August 10, 1967: repeat of "This Side of Paradise"
• August 17, 1967: pre-empted by a music special, "An Evening at Tanglewood"
• August 24, 1967: repeat of "Space Seed"
• August 31, 1967: repeat of "The City on the Edge of Forever"

[edit] Season Two (1967-1968)

NBC pre-empted Star Trek on September 7, 1967, the last Thursday of the 1966-1967 season, with a repeat broadcast of "Damn Yankees" on General Electric Theater.

For the series' second season, the network moved Star Trek from Thursdays to a new night, Fridays, 8:30-9:30 P.M.

• September 15, 1967: "Amok Time" (season premiere)
• September 22, 1967: "Who Mourns for Adonais?"
• September 29, 1967: "The Changeling"
• October 6, 1967: "Mirror, Mirror"
• October 13, 1967: "The Apple"
• October 20, 1967: "The Doomsday Machine"
• October 27, 1967: "Catspaw"
• November 3, 1967: "I, Mudd"
• November 10, 1967: "Metamorphosis"
• November 17, 1967: "Journey to Babel"
• November 24, 1967: pre-empted by a music special, "Singer Presents Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass", which had aired the previous season on CBS
• December 1, 1967: "Friday's Child"
• December 8, 1967: "The Deadly Years"
• December 15, 1967: "Obsession"
• December 22, 1967: "Wolf in the Fold"
• December 29, 1967: "The Trouble With Tribbles"
• January 5, 1968: "The Gamesters of Triskelion"
• January 12, 1968: "A Piece of the Action"
• January 19, 1968: "The Immunity Syndrome"
• January 26, 1968: pre-empted by a dramatic special, "Flesh and Blood"
• February 2, 1968: "A Private Little War"
• February 9, 1968: "Return to Tomorrow"
• February 16, 1968: "Patterns of Force"
• February 23, 1968: "By Any Other Name"
• March 1, 1968: "The Omega Glory"
• March 8, 1968: "The Ultimate Computer"
• March 15, 1968: "Bread and Circuses"
• March 22, 1968: pre-empted by highlights of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
• March 29, 1968: "Assignment: Earth" (season finale)
• April 5, 1968: repeat of "I, Mudd"
• April 12, 1968: repeat of "Mirror, Mirror"
• April 19, 1968: repeat of "The Doomsday Machine"
• April 26, 1968: repeat of "Amok Time"
• May 3, 1968: repeat of "The Gamesters of Triskelion"
• May 10, 1968: repeat of "Who Mourns for Adonais?"
• May 17, 1968: repeat of "The Changeling"
• May 24, 1968: repeat of "Catspaw"
• May 31, 1968 repeat of "By Any Other Name"
• June 7, 1968: repeat of "The Immunity Syndrome"
• June 14, 1968: pre-empted by a news special, "The Art Game"
• June 21, 1968: repeat of "The Trouble With Tribbles"
• June 28, 1968: repeat of "The Ultimate Computer"
• July 5, 1968: repeat of "Journey to Babel"
• July 12, 1968: repeat of "The Apple"
• July 19, 1968: repeat of "Metamorphosis"
• July 26, 1968: repeat of "The Omega Glory"
• August 2, 1968: repeat of "Return to Tomorrow"
• August 9, 1968: repeat of "Assignment: Earth"
• August 16, 1968: repeat of "The Deadly Years"
• August 23, 1968: repeat of "A Private Little War"
• August 30, 1968: repeat of "A Piece of the Action"

[edit] Season Three (1968-1968)

NBC pre-empted the series on the final two Fridays of the 1967-1968 season. On September 6, 1968, the network televised a pro football game between the Cincinnati Bengals and San Diego Chargers. On September 13, 1968, NBC aired a special episode of the news series NBC White Paper, "Ordeal of the American City: Cities Have No Limits."

For Star Trek's third season NBC originally planned to air the program on Monday nights, 7:30-8:30 P.M. However, the network ultmately decided that it should remain on Fridays, although moved to a new time, 10:00-11:00 P.M. (commonly called the "Friday night death slot"):

• September 20, 1968: "Spock's Brain" (season premiere)
• September 27, 1968: "The Enterprise Incident"
• October 4, 1968: "The Paradise Syndrome"
• October 11, 1968: "And the Children Shall Lead"
• October 18, 1968: "Is There in Truth No Beauty?"
• October 25, 1968: "Spectre of the Gun"
• November 1, 1968: "Day of the Dove"
• November 8, 1968: "For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky"
• November 15, 1968: "The Tholian Web"
• November 22, 1968: "Plato's Stepchildren"
• November 29, 1968: "Wink of an Eye"
• December 6, 1968: "The Empath"
• December 13, 1968: pre-empted by a special episode of the documentary series Project 20, "Down to the Sea in Ships"
• December 20, 1968: "Elaan of Troyius"
• December 27, 1968: repeat of "The Enterprise Incident"
• January 3, 1969: "Whom Gods Destroy"
• January 10, 1969: "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield"
• January 17, 1969: "The Mark of Gideon"
• January 24, 1969: "That Which Survives"
• January 31, 1969: "The Lights of Zetar"
• February 7, 1969: pre-empted by a special episode of NBC Experiment in Television, "This is Sholom Aleichem"
• February 14, 1969: "Requiem for Methuselah"
• February 21, 1969: "The Way to Eden"
• February 28, 1969: "The Cloud Minders"
• March 7, 1969: "The Savage Curtain"
• March 14, 1969: "All Our Yesterdays"
• March 21, 1969: pre-empted by a documentary special, "Hollywood: The Selznick Years"
• March 28, 1969: pre-empted by a news special about the life of former president Dwight D. Eisenhower, who had died earlier that day (NBC had planned to air the season finale, "Turnabout Intruder", but this was cancelled at the last minute)
• April 4, 1969: repeat of "Spectre of the Gun"

On April 11, 1969 Star Trek was pre-empted by a special episode of NBC Experiment in Television, "Fellini, a Director's Notebook." The following week NBC replaced the series with reruns of The Saint.

After an absence of several months, NBC brought back the series on a new night and time, Tuesdays, 7:30-8:30 P.M.:

• June 3, 1969: "Turnabout Intruder" (season finale, originally scheduled to air March 28))
• June 10, 1969: repeat of "Is There in Truth No Beauty?"
• June 17, 1969: repeat of "Day of the Dove"
• June 24, 1969: repeat of "Wink of an Eye"
• July 1, 1969: repeat of "The Savage Curtain"
• July 8, 1969: repeat of "Spock's Brain"
• July 15, 1969: pre-empted by coverage of the Apollo 11 moon landing
• July 22, 1969: pre-empted by the Major League Baseball All-Star Game
• July 29, 1969: repeat of "That Which Survives"
• August 5, 1969: repeat of "All Our Yesterdays"
• August 12, 1969: repeat of "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield"
• August 19, 1969: repeat of "The Tholian Web"
• August 26, 1969: repeat of "The Lights of Zetar"
• September 2, 1969: repeat of "Requiem for Methuselah" (final broadcast)

v • d • e Star Trek television series and feature films
Television series	The Original Series (Eps)· The Animated Series (Eps)· The Next Generation (Eps) · Deep Space Nine (Eps)· Voyager (Eps) · Enterprise (Eps)
TOS-era Feature films	The Motion Picture · The Wrath of Khan · The Search for Spock · The Voyage Home · The Final Frontier · The Undiscovered Country · Star Trek (planned release 2008)
TNG-era Feature films	Generations · First Contact · Insurrection · Nemesis