12-05-2021, 12:58 AM
Baggers, Star Trek was also a more conventional show that was shoehorned into SF. Its studio pitch was that it would be "Wagon Train to the Stars". Wagon Train was a popular western series with 1 hour episodes where the main cast moved with the wagon train and each new 1 hour episode involved a new place and new guest stars with some drama to resolve. The space program obviously provided an interesting new backdrop (and John F. Kennedy wasn't a bad role model for James T. Kirk). Both the western and SF formats allowed scriptwriters to deal with topical issues without being seen to be directly critical of contemporary politics. More recently, shows like West Wing and Law & Order have been able to rip stories out of the news headlines.
No doubt Star Trek hit a nerve in the US with its optimistic vision of its future as the country confronted fears of nuclear war in the wake of the Cuban Missile Crisis together with the Vietnam War and Civil Rights battles.
No doubt Star Trek hit a nerve in the US with its optimistic vision of its future as the country confronted fears of nuclear war in the wake of the Cuban Missile Crisis together with the Vietnam War and Civil Rights battles.