For those interested, reading a book with the 'insider story' on the original Star Trek, by Herb Solow and Bob Justman. Lots of insider tv stories about it.
Solow was the studio executive in charge of that and other tv series, Justman was the associate producer who was in charge of most production.
A couple 'fun details':
- Nichelle had a much more significant affair with Rodenberry than I'd realized. (On Rodenberry's birthday, Justman went in his office to see if he was there, he wasn't but Nichelle was hiding in the office naked to surprise him). The character name Uhura came from the title of a book Nichelle was carrying, Uhuru, the day she got the part.
- Rodenberry tried to cancel Scotty's character behind the studio's backs but the studio learned of it from Doohan's agent and they reversed him
- I already knew about the crappy behavior by Roddenberry on stealing half of the theme song composer's payments by sneaking in and using a clause allowing him to write 'lyrics' to the song, but I found out here that led to the composer refusing to continue working on the series after season 1.
- It's interesting getting more info about how strong the NBC sales opposition was to the Spock character at the beginning over concerns the south would reject him as Satanic.
For example, the sales department secretly had Spock's ears airbrush to look rounded in the publicity photos.
- The series used the same models you could buy at the store in some of the filming.
- Not Star Trek, but the same studio did Mission Impossible at the same time; the famous theme song came from the studio not liking the one first submitted, and turning a small bit of music from a chase scene at the end of the pilot into the theme song. (Not in the book, but it's also interesting the story of the James Bond theme, which was written for a very different type of use, but kept track for some later project by the right person).
- Trivia like the various edits of the series' intro speech, which was crap before the final version.
Tons of stories about production issues, staff conflicts, studio politics.
Fan of the show, you might like the book.
Solow was the studio executive in charge of that and other tv series, Justman was the associate producer who was in charge of most production.
A couple 'fun details':
- Nichelle had a much more significant affair with Rodenberry than I'd realized. (On Rodenberry's birthday, Justman went in his office to see if he was there, he wasn't but Nichelle was hiding in the office naked to surprise him). The character name Uhura came from the title of a book Nichelle was carrying, Uhuru, the day she got the part.
- Rodenberry tried to cancel Scotty's character behind the studio's backs but the studio learned of it from Doohan's agent and they reversed him
- I already knew about the crappy behavior by Roddenberry on stealing half of the theme song composer's payments by sneaking in and using a clause allowing him to write 'lyrics' to the song, but I found out here that led to the composer refusing to continue working on the series after season 1.
- It's interesting getting more info about how strong the NBC sales opposition was to the Spock character at the beginning over concerns the south would reject him as Satanic.
For example, the sales department secretly had Spock's ears airbrush to look rounded in the publicity photos.
- The series used the same models you could buy at the store in some of the filming.
- Not Star Trek, but the same studio did Mission Impossible at the same time; the famous theme song came from the studio not liking the one first submitted, and turning a small bit of music from a chase scene at the end of the pilot into the theme song. (Not in the book, but it's also interesting the story of the James Bond theme, which was written for a very different type of use, but kept track for some later project by the right person).
- Trivia like the various edits of the series' intro speech, which was crap before the final version.
Tons of stories about production issues, staff conflicts, studio politics.
Fan of the show, you might like the book.
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