WAGON TRAIN TO THE STARS
“WAGON TRAIN TO THE STARS”
Gene Roddenberry
This was Gene Roddenberry's original concept pitch for his tv series STAR TREK that premiered in the USA in 1966.
Roddenberry wanted people of the world to get along, to realize they had more in common than they realized. Hence the TV series set in the future with a multi-racial, multi-gender, even a non-human character, all working together for a common purpose.
The network bosses were so upset that Leonard Nimoy’s character Spock had pointed ears, that they missed Roddenberry’s casting of Lieutenant Uhura as a bridge officer!
Lieutenant Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), didn’t think much of her role in the series until she was attending a dinner honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the off season. Dr. King surprised her by personally thanking her for her portrayal of a black woman in a role of authority - a rarity at the time.
Back to Leonard Nimoy’s character of Spock, half Vulcan, half human science officer, first officer of the crew. The television executives were so certain his character with pointed ears was a horrible mistake, they airbrushed the ears off all promotional materials. When Roddenbery, and the audience complained, the buck got passed so many times it wore out! In fact, they almost fired the artist who retouched the photos!
Spock - and his ears - remained!
Roddenberry wanted all world powers represented in his show. However, when he realized he forgot the Russians in the first season, he created Ensign Chekov who came aboard as navigator in the second season.
STAR TREK even had the first televised interracial kiss
between Lieutenant Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) and Captain Kirk (William Shatner). This time the sponsors objected. The South would be horrified, boycott the show along with their products.
Roddenberry decided to consult his actors on the matter.
William Shatner was asked if he had a problem with the scene. His response - Problem? I’m kissing a beautiful woman! How is that a problem?
They shot the scene.
It was included in the show.
No problem - everybody accepted it. Some TV stations got letters but the boycotts the sponsors feared never materialized.
Gene Roddenberry wanted a show that would demonstrate humanity at its best, where our similarities mattered more than our differences.
A final testament.
When the second STAR TREK series, THE NEXT GENERATION, was launched Whoopi Goldberg wanted to be a part of the show. The staff didn’t know how or what a star like Whoopi Goldberg could bring to this sci-fi world.
Roddenbery spoke to her. She explained she wanted to give back. Growing up she watched his first series where she saw the Lieutenant Uhura character and thought that could be her! Now that she was grown and in the business - Whoopi wanted to be part of that universe.
So Roddenbery invented the character of Guina - just for her.
Guina - the wise bartender of Ten Forward bar on the ship Enterprise.
Gene Roddenberry whose career began with writing westerns during the contentious Cold War era, envisioned STAR TREK as a better more positive world.
Gene Roddenberry did, in my humble opinion, achieve his objective of showing that all humanity is capable of good.
Previously published at "Secret Library Fantasy & Science Fiction Magazine."
