Star Trek (1966): 15 Shocking Facts You Totally Missed

Star Trek: 15 insane behind-the-scenes facts you never knew Lucille Ball greenlit the show believing it was about entertainers traveling by ship to perform for US troops. When someone explained it was about a starship and pointed ears she said fine, we're doing it. NBC erased the original female first officer from the show and her defining traits of cold logic and emotional restraint were transferred directly into Spock. The Vulcan salute came from Leonard Nimoy peeking during a Jewish religious ceremony as a boy when he was told not to look. Shatner and Nichols sabotaged every alternate take of the interracial kiss until they ran out of time and the only usable footage was the real one. Gene Roddenberry wrote lyrics to the theme song he never intended to broadcast just to legally collect half of Alexander Courage's royalties for the rest of his life. James Doohan landed on D-Day, was shot six times by friendly fire, and survived because a cigarette case stopped a bullet to his chest. Martin Luther King Jr. personally convinced Nichelle Nichols not to quit after season one. "Beam me up, Scotty" was never said once in the entire original series. And the bonus: when Star Trek entered syndication after cancellation it completely dwarfed its original ratings. A show the industry labeled a failure had simply been running on the wrong schedule. Everything that came after traces back to fans with typewriters who refused to accept it was over. ⏱ Timestamps in the chapters below 👇 Comment which fact blew your mind