The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek

It all began when Gene Roddenberry convinced Desilu to foot the bill for not one, but two "Star Trek" pilots; thanks to Desilu's boss, America's darling Lucille Ball, the world met Kirk, Spock and McCoy.

Didn't realize there was a cartoon version of Star Trek in the early 1970s? Not only was it great, but also with original series creator Gene Roddenberry, writer D.C. Fontana, and the series' original stars on board, it is the fourth season.

Paramount wanted to launch a fourth network with the new "Star Trek" series "Phase II" as its flagship; when the network proved unworkable, "Phase II" appeared doomed until "Star Wars" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" proved box office hits.

The 1980s saw Paramount release three linked "Star Trek" movies to huge box-office success; the first, "The Wrath of Khan," had a villain from the original series return, and it was followed by "The Search for Spock" and "The Voyage Home."

In 1987, Paramount decided "Trek" should return to its roots: television; "ST: The Next Generation" would become the first hour-long scripted show sold directly to the syndicated television market.

Plagued by fledgling UPN's under performance, Enterprise's premise (a prequel about the Federation's founding) was undercut by the decision to make the third season a reaction to 9/11. Lackluster ratings meant Captain Archer and his crew would only get four seasons.