· Star
Trek folklore maintains that the year after NBC cancelled the
original series, the networks changed their system of measuring
ratings from one in which the total number of viewers mattered,
to one in which the composition of the audience was assessed. In
analyzing the data which showed that Star Trek had enjoyed a
strong following among young males, one of the advertising
industry’s most avidly sought group of consumers. An NBC
executive is reported to have said that if the network had based
its decisions on demographics one year earlier, Star Trek would
never had been canceled.
· Roddenberry
recalled the 1970’s as lean years. He often told the story that,
at one point in that period, he could have purchased all the
rights to the original Star Trek for only $100,000 - at that
time a sum he could not come close to raising. But during the
lean seventies, Roddenberry found he could augment his income by
making appearances at a rapidly growing phenomenon, the Star
Trek convention.
· “Star
Trek: The Next Generation” borrowed its theme music from Star
Trek: The Motion Picture (1979).
· According
to Mike Okuda, if you look closely at the Enterprise during the
fly-by in the opening credits, you can see someone walking past
one of the windows. This person is Captain Picard. (Star Trek:
The Official Fan Club Magazine #60)
· The
junkyard in "Unification II" consisted mostly of ships dragged
out from wherever Mike Okuda could find 'em. Some of the models
included: models from the unmade "Star Trek: Phase II" series,
models from ILM that were never used, models of the Enterprise
that didn't come out of the mold right, and a very unusual
looking Enterprise. Some of the models were designed by Greg
Jein and Robert McCall.
· "A
Matter Of Time" was written partially
because Robin Williams, a fan of the show, wanted to appear.
However, when the script was ready for shooting, Robin was
unavailable, so Matt Frewer was cast instead.
· The
shuttle Onizuka, which Data used in "Ensigns of Command", was
named in tribute to one of the Space Shuttle "Challenger"
astronauts.
· For
"Relics", it was impossible
to re-use the original bridge, partially because it was broken
up and destroyed after the original series. Instead, they used a
captain's chair and helm/navigation console build by a Star Trek
fan named Steve Horch. The only other part that was built was
from about a foot to the left of the turbolift to the end of
Scotty's engineering station, as well as the railing that
separates that from the center of the bridge. Also, the Con and
Ops chairs were look-alikes, and are tilted back more than the
real ones. The rest was a still from "This Side of Paradise",
not "The Mark Of Gideon". Also, the Aldebran Whiskey was
actually Hi-C Ecto Cooler.
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