New crew, new starship, new adventures: "Star Trek: Discovery" comes more than 50 years after the original series debuted on TV. Here's a look back at how it became so successful.
A still from "Star Trek: Discovery"Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J.Thijs
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Star Trek Day marks series' 55th anniversary
The cult science fiction series was launched in the US on September 8, 1966. On Star Trek Day, revisit the story of the show.
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From the moon to the entire universe
The Starship Enterprise got off to a rather bumpy start in the US, when it first launched on September 8, 1966. This changed with the growing interest in the Apollo program and the successful lunar landing in 1969. Suddenly, people felt closer to space and science fiction was hip. With more and more TV channels featuring the series, Star Trek was first shown in Germany in 1972.
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The first Enterprise
The original version of the ship which flew through the endless expanses of space carried the label "U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701." The show's canon says it was built in the year 2245 and commanded by Captain Kirk from 2264 until 2269. Kirk eventually had to destroy it, to keep it from being used by enemies. Later models can separate the "saucer" section from the hull in an emergency.
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Beam me up, Scotty
When Scotty is in the transporter room and is moving the oversized sliders, the beamers give off a high-pitched squeal and the bodies of the crew split into molecules to be transported to alien planets. If all goes well, travelers eventually return to the ship in their original form, like above.
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Multicultural workplace
The original show managed to overcome all racial and gender boundaries in the 1960s America. Characters from Scotland, Russia and Japan work together on the bridge with Americans. Two women are also part of the team. One of them — Lt. Uhura played by African American actress Nichelle Nichols — serves as a Starfleet officer. She became the first Black woman with such a strong role.
In 1976, NASA engineers named the prototype of their space shuttle "Enterprise." Of course, on the day of the big press event, the entire crew was present — except one individual. Who could that be?
Image: NASA/gemeinfrei
Spock is a legend
Meet the iconic half-human, half-Vulcan Spock. He is the first officer aboard the Enterprise and Captain James T. Kirk's right-hand man. His favorite word is "fascinating." The Vulcan salute (pictured) is still a fun party trick — not everyone can do it. The actor Leonard Nimoy, who passed away in 2015, never managed to get away from his role as Mr. Spock.
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Back to the past
In 1984, "Star Trek IV - The Voyage Home" was hugely successful and the first real hit movie in the Star Trek series. The Enterprise arrives from the future back in the middle of the 1980s. The now somewhat dated crew makes fun of itself. Scotty tries to talk to a computer mouse, and Spock hides his ears with bandana and dresses up as a hippie on drugs.
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The Next Generation
In 1987, the Enterprise saga got a fresh start. "Star Trek: The Next Generation" is set a good 100 years later than the first one. The team of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (left) boasts aliens of its own, including the Klingon Worf and the ship psychologist Troi from the planet Betazed. The friendly android Data (right) became the show's breakout character.
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'nuqneH - qapla': Exchanging pleasantries in Klingon
"Klingon" was invented in 1984 by linguist Marc Okrand. It is a speakable and writable language that was created for warlike Klingons from the planet Kronos and, accordingly, sounds harsh. Shakespeare plays have been translated into Klingon, and DW once even created a version of our website in Worf's mother tongue. Some Trekkies still make the effort of learning it.
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Humor transcends universes
Star Trek has inspired countless parodies in the US but also in Germany. German actor and filmmaker Michael "Bully" Herbig spoofed the show in his movie "(T)Raumschiff Surprise" ("Dreamship/Starship Surprise") where he portrayed Mr. Spuck (which translates as Mr. Spit). The movie revolves around a crew of a space cab and features references to the "Star Wars" universe as well.
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No end in sight
In July 2016, the feature film "Star Trek - Beyond" was released in cinemas. In it, Kirk, Spock & Co. are played by young actors and the blockbuster boasts cutting-edge special effects. And the Enterprise is still preparing for new missions into uncharted territory. In April 2021, Paramount Pictures announced an official release date for the next Star Trek movie: on June 9, 2023.
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The future is female
The Netflix series "Star Trek: Discovery" features Michelle Yeoh (left) as Captain Philippa Georgiou, and Sonequa Martin-Green as First Officer Michael Burnham (right). Star Trek has always been a pioneer in diversity, casting Asian and African American actors and actresses in leading roles. The first Star Trek female captain was Kathryn Janeway in "Star Trek: Voyager" (1995-2001).
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"Star Trek: Discovery" may be the latest installment of the sci-fi franchise, but its story is set in the past. It takes place 10 years before the events of the original series, which saw the crew of the starship Enterprise on their five-year-long mission to explore new worlds and meet new civilizations.
The episodes focus mainly on the trio of protagonists: Captain James T. Kirk, half-Vulcan half-human Commander Spock and Chief engineer Montgomery Scott.
New Star Trek breaks stereotypes
Following the example of the previous spin-offs and feature movies, the spaceship "Discovery" also travels to unknown worlds and explores new forms of life in the infinite vastness of the universe.
Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh as Captain Georgiou in "Star Trek: Discovery"Image: picture-alliance/J.Thijs
Philippa Georgiou, portrayed by Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh ("Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," 2000) commands the ship. The story however centers on First Officer Michael Burnham, portrayed by American actress Sonequa Martin-Green, known from other TV shows such as "The Walking Dead" or "New Girl."
The trailer revealed that Burnham plays a key role in ending "a war that would shape the future of the Federation" and that "in order to understand all things strange and unknown, she would have to understand herself in the first place."
Yeoh and Martin-Green continue the line of strong female characters that have appeared throughout the history of Star Trek, namely Captain Kathryn Janeway from "Star Trek: Voyager" and Nyota Uhura, who appeared in the original series.
The first openly gay character
American actor Anthony Rapp from "Star Trek: Discovery"Image: picture-alliance/AP Images/C.Pizzello
But "Star Trek: Discovery" goes one step further and features the first openly homosexual character in the history of the franchise, Lt. Paul Stamets, portrayed by American actor Anthony Rapp.
"I've always been a nerd and fan of 'Star Trek' and all sorts of science fiction," the actor said to press agency AP, "but I never conceived of myself as being inside of it as an actor. This is like a childhood fantasy gone wild, actually doing it in real life."
"It's about culture clash. I think that's a theme that's pretty relevant these days. But 'Star Trek' has always been grounded in philosophical and ethical questions, exploring what it means to be human and what do you do when you encounter another culture," Rapp added.
The new "Star Trek" premieres on CBS in the US; each episode is made available a day later on Netflix for the rest of the world, debuting on September 25.
