Gene Roddenberry DROVE THE CENSORS CRAZY With This Decision!

[@Taranau]

And, who can forget McCoy asking Spock, "Are you out of your Vulcan mind?"

[@samr.england613]

Or when Kirk asks Spock, Scotty and McKoy for suggestions, and McKoy says, "I got a suggestion, captain,... let's get the hell outta here!"

[@JLH1956]

My favorite was when McCoy was operating on Spock's brain, and he said, "it's so simple a child could do it".

[@markblocker4981]

​@@JLH1956, he was artificially enhanced at the time.

[@heedmywarning2792]

2:50 Mariette Hartley has such subtle beauty. Kinda like the fantasy 'girl next door'. I recall seeing her in shows like Columbo, Twilight Zone and Logan's Run. A quick look at IMDB shows that she has been EVERYWHERE, wow.

[@jdsundstrom]

Don't forget those Polaroid commercials!

[@heedmywarning2792]

@@jdsundstrom Ah, yes, they are just at the fringes of my memories.

[@docsavage-8616]

I liked her in the Two-Part Episode Bride of the Incredible Hulk.

[@stevemiller1517]

An episode of death valley days also.

[@acefox1]

I had the pleasure of meeting Mariette Hartley several times. I worked at a flight school with her soon-to-be ex-husband. She was always as sweet, kind, gracious and classy as you could hope for. Very genuine and down to Earth as well. No Hollywood ego.

[@jdsundstrom]

Very cool! Thanks for sharing, acefox1!

[@marksauck8481]

Ex-husband? Why would any man want to do anything to her that would end your partnership. I would never want to hurt a woman like that to make her want to leave me.

[@acefox1]

@@marksauck8481 yeah it was quite a mess. I was ringside for the whole end of the marriage, I was well acquainted with the three folks involved and it was pretty depressing. MH deserved far better. Their kids were all high school and college aged, pretty nice people and didn’t deserve to go through that soap opera. If it makes anyone feel better her husband significantly downgraded IMHO. Hopefully MH’s life was happier afterwards.

[@michaelmcchesney6645]

I am going to assume the ex-husband was NOT James Garner. So many people thought they were married because of their great chemistry in all the Polaroid commercials they did together in the 70s and 80s. Mariette had a t-shirt made that said, "I am not Mrs. James Garner."

[@bridgetmccracken1381]

All our Yesterdays was one of my favorite episodes :) . How could you not feel sorry for her character! Hartley played it sooo well!! Thanks for this video Dave

[@jdsundstrom]

Thanks for sharing, Bridget. 🙂

[@mikesilva3868]

@@jdsundstrom the arena is my favorite star trek episode 💖

[@JP5466]

Yes, but that was 5000 years ago... and she is dead... dead and buried.

[@johnbockelie3899]

Notice on the episode " Shore leave " McCoys dancing girls at the end have fuzz in their belly buttons that match the fur of their outfits.😂

[@Hammster69official]

If only McCoy hadn't rode in on Spock's transport. He could have stayed with her.

[@faithcastillo9597]

I remember Genesis II and the double belly button. Thanks for linking that movie and my favorite TV show. I love these tidbits!

[@cindycrosby1292]

All our Yesterdays was one of my favorites!! Just awesome!

[@mikentx57]

Absolutely, mine too. When I first saw it I thought that a frozen wasteland was very barrable if your partner was Zarabeth.

[@rogerking7258]

The biggest mystery about this episode is - why did she choose to wear such skimpy clothes when she was stranded in an ice age?

[@jdsundstrom]

Good question!

[@Bob-1802]

Because if she had not, this video would have no purpose.🤗

[@babsbybend]

Have you ever tried to tan hides as was done back in the day?

[@onusgumboot5565]

I hear hot flashes can be tough for a woman at a certain time in her life.

[@geronimogeronimovaldivia5471]

A strain on resources wich could affect the amount of functionally available materials, hence the skimpy wardrobe. But not a strain on appreciative eyes, such as Spocks. PURE ENERGY!

[@tyrport]

Goldie Hawn on Laugh In broke the belly button rule. It was such a huge hit that the censors backed down.

[@j.robertsergertson4513]

Gene really took "To Boldly Go Where No Man Has Gone Before" seriously .StarTrek broke alot of rules and taboos! and Don't forget the sheer force of nature that William Shatner is !

[@jdsundstrom]

Well said, J. Robert!

[@sergioleone3583]

Nearly 90 years old and going up in a rocket. Shatner IS Captain James T. Kirk, there IS no other!!!

[@j.robertsergertson4513]

@@sergioleone3583 Very very well said👍

[@frankharte9617]

Did Mr. Spock ears get more erect in this episode??

[@mikesilva3868]

@@jdsundstrom agreed 😊

[@Clothahump1]

Mariette Hartley was just so stunningly beautiful in this show. One of the few really good TOS shows!

[@wdd3141]

Not a big ego, she was actually self-deprecating. She described her eyes as two pissholes in the snow.

[@thrashpondopons2776]

Ha Ha! As SOON as you mentioned 'Genisis II' I saw where you were going! GREAT catch Dave!

[@jdsundstrom]

Thanks TP!

[@tirmyta]

How was the censor like a warship? He was a navel destroyer.

[@jdsundstrom]

😂🤣😀

[@rojoeditor]

Buh dump bump. Chhhhhh.

[@tgh2048]

Mariette Hartley also was a belly dancer in the Columbo episode "Try And Catch Me".

[@richardbidinger2577]

I find it ironic that in the decade of free love, that belly buttons and husband's and wives sleeping in the same bed were taboo on TV.

[@jdsundstrom]

There is definitely more than just a little bit of irony there.

[@SuperMarioBrosIII]

@@jdsundstrom And you couldn't say pregnant on tv back then either! 🤔🙄🤨🤷

[@phillipstephens4522]

@@jdsundstrom Irony - the opposite of wrinkly.

[@mikeg2306]

“Free Love” was precisely to fight against those restrictions.

[@Have_A_Nice_Day242]

The Censors are the establishment. They did not participate in free love. They were more like no love, same as today

[@RobPento]

Many episodes in Star Trek had these doorways through time/space (TNG too). Hartley was wonderful. The best part was that Spock reverted back to his ancient past before logic drove the Vulcan psyche. Great video!

[@MichaelROBINSON-xf2hs]

I love Star Trek

[@blakjack3053]

Hartley was hot!

[@robertszekely8686]

I definitely like the way they did that with Spock's character. Making him revert back to the way his ancestors acted.

[@alpha-omega2362]

@@blakjack3053 yes, in a very wholesome way...she had natural beauty....

[@alfredodoardi2717]

What gets me, is, the incredibly high amount of commercial ads on tv that would be rejected by the censors and sponsors from 'the golden rage' of tv. an aside, The librarian in the highlighted episode was aptly named- something id not realized for half a century, until seeing it with captioning. Mr AtoZ.

[@jimbackusbackus2382]

Rodenberry was a visionary, so far ahead of his time. Loved every second of it

[@pcatful]

Star Trek "alien" women could be wearing the most primitive strip of hide, but their hair is perfectly coiffed with hair spray in 60's style.

[@mileshigh1321]

Dave, I can't believe you showed Genesis II ! One of my all time favourite 70's Sci-Fi tv movies! I have a copy on my computer. I think Alex Cord from it passed away last year. Mariette has always been great ! Thanks Dave!

[@jdsundstrom]

I loved Genesis II as well. I haven't seen it in years though. I need to track it down and watch it again.

[@docsavage-8616]

Doesn't really hold up. Especially the scene where our "Hero" knocks Marriotte Hartley out.

[@calql8er]

I saw it on the original broadcast but haven't seen hide nor hair of it since.

[@sekenamcmurren2217]

Star Trek was one of if not the greatest sci fi show ever! 🙆

[@jdsundstrom]

I love it!

[@robertszekely8686]

I definitely agree

[@anonymike8280]

As it reran and reran, I kept on thinking, what was going to come along that would make it definitively anachronistic. Well, it was the analog gauges. Eventually, gauges went digital, and Star Trek 1.0 officially became a relic of a lost age.

[@robynzelickson6164]

Not even just the greatest sci fi show ever, the greatest show ever! The collaboration of costumes, sets, writing, acting and directing came together in brilliant storytelling. Nowadays, stories are overshadowed by special effects. Please bring back writing; stories and characters that are engaging and memorable.

[@anonymike8280]

@@robynzelickson6164 But no analog gauges, please.

[@johncollins1884]

Excellent video; nice touch in the end showing personality when you said "go ahead, I'm done here..." Lol the line caused me to have a gentle gafaw!

[@jdsundstrom]

Glad you enjoyed it, John!

[@vanmoody]

Gene's vision of a better world was what really grabbed hold of the fans of Star Trek. Today's Picard is a little more dark and thus the fans are not happy. With all the dystopian visions of the future we see today it would seem like they could have left Star Trek alone.

[@Dan0__]

Since Roddenberry passed away, I don't think I've seen any hopeful views of the future. If you can't imagine a positive future... you're probably not going to create one.

[@schizoidboy]

Reminds me of something I heard about one early rock and roll show that got cancelled. What happened was a white girl got on the stage with singer Frankie Lymon of the Four Teenagers and danced with him. We wouldn't think twice about it now, but back then the producers were so incensed they cancelled the show.

[@Thenogomogo-zo3un]

It had nothing to do with colour. It was that the girl was dancing with a minor.

[@terrasmiley7076]

Very interesting!!! All of us who were kids watching these shows back then, missed so many of these hidden gems and themes that were too adult for us to truly understand! It makes me want to watch many of these shows again as an adult!!! It is too bad that some of these episodes are so difficult to find!!!

[@marthawelch4289]

Perhaps it was a result of my parents decision to not have a child until they were 40 years old, but I was not too uninformed to understand the themes of the TV shows of the later 60's shows. My mom and her mother (who had my mother when she and my grandfather were 40 years old) believed in conveying information and discussing differing opinions. Our topics included the holocaust, politics, racism, religion, sex, World War I, World War II, the [really BIG] Depression, Vietnam, etc. I have always appreciated their decision.

[@MzzzNettie]

I actually laughed out loud at the second bellybutton! That was a classic move.

[@MagnumMike44]

Gene Roddenberry drove censors crazy in the late 1960s, censors would have a heart attack if censorship standards remained unchanged and they had to contend with modern day TV producers.

[@Studio-62]

The thing about Spock (and a tribute to Nimoy) is that Spock was always so cool and logical, so when he did become aggressive, it was frightening, especially with his superhuman strength!

[@omnivorous65]

An interesting twist about the Vulcans was the origin of their obsession with logic and self-control. It is mentioned that they were a passionate (pon farr!) and violent race that almost brought upon the end of their civilisation. The mastered their violent impulses but they were not eradicated.

[@Thenogomogo-zo3un]

Nimoy was tanked-up every episode. Fully functional type

[@mikesilva3868]

[Opening title narration] Narrator: Chosen from among all others by the immortal elders - Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, Mercury - Billy Batson and his mentor travel the highways and byways of the land on a neverending mission: to right wrongs, to develop understanding, and to seek justice for all! In time of dire need, young Billy has been granted the power by the immortals to summon awesome forces at the utterance of a single word! Billy Batson: SHAZAM! Narrator: A word which transforms him, in a flash, into the mightiest of mortal beings, Captain Marvel! 💖

[@McMahonHater]

He let hot women be hot, and strong men be bad asses. That's how it should be.

[@jdsundstrom]

He also recognized that women could be bad asses as well. 🙂

[@McMahonHater]

@@jdsundstrom True, he originally had a female 2nd in command for Trek and the Romulan comamder too

[@peterg76yt]

And small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri be real small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri.

[@McMahonHater]

@@peterg76yt INDEED SIR, INDEED!

[@PaulHarris-sl1ct]

Really strong men don't need to be badasses. Men don't need to be asses at all.

[@gaufrid1956]

In Cebuano "Usa ka problema sa mga pusod"... A problem with belly buttons! Very funny! Everyone has one, so what was the problem? An enjoyable video!

[@sureshmukhi2316]

I am from Manila so I will answer in Tagalog. 1960s pa iyan. Iba ang panahon noon. Ngayon, kahit walang bra puwede sa TV. That was the 1960s. That was a different time. Now, even braless is ok on TV.

[@gaufrid1956]

@@sureshmukhi2316 Nakakaintini ako ng Tagalog. Tama na walang bra walang problema ngayon! Tulad sa Australia sa TV sa 1970's walang problema ng hubad!

[@alpha-omega2362]

there is a sequel novel entitled "Yesterday's Child".....that part of the story was most certainly censored.....lol...

[@williamblakehall5566]

William Ware Theiss was a genius. He was the costume man for Star Trek and figured out endless ways for women to look fine and still have their navels covered. It's a shame that some new shows that Roddenberry wanted never got started, like "Assignment: Earth," a show suggested by an episode starring Robert Lansing and Teri Garr, and of course "Genesis II," which the TV movie was a pilot for. Hartley's character Lira-Ah was a "Terranian," a mutant human born with two hearts, which was the reason for the two navels. To which I say: Sure, Gene, sure, whatever you say. Hartley's characters kept messing things up -- trying to steal Spock in "All Our Yesterdays," acting as a double agent for the bad guys in "Genesis II," and even accidentally threatening to nuke the midwestern United States in a hard-to-find TV movie called "Earth II." I guess it's a tribute to how lovely and charming she was that I always forgave her. Thanks, Dave.

[@rojoeditor]

Then she hosted one of the big 3 network's morning news programs in the 80s.

[@McMahonHater]

He dipped Nichelle for the "none kiss", and the camera zoomed in on his eyes and he crossed them. He kept doing retake after retake of the actual kiss that they only had time for one shot of the "none kiss" and he nurfed it. -source Nichelle Nichols

[@jdsundstrom]

Love it!

[@richardbidinger2577]

@@jdsundstrom Absolutely

[@McMahonHater]

@@jdsundstrom Well he is Canadian you know 😉👌

[@mikesilva3868]

@@jdsundstrom It's one big sunny fun-filled Bataan Death March.”mst3k joke 😆

[@rickseiden1]

I knew that the two shots were the same except in one they didn't kiss, but I thought it was both of them that intentionally messed it up. If it was just Shatner, well, that's impressive.

[@larrymrobinson1051]

I remember seeing that kiss when it first aired , I guess I was 15. It was like a moment in history!

[@geoffreylee5199]

Roddenberry wrote “words” for the original theme song taking half of music and composer monies for doing nothing. When Alexander Courage was writing the music Next Generation, Roddenberry tried the same stunt. He was cut out and with a better tune, Courage made more money than ever.

[@boedilllard5952]

I can't picture Hartley without picturing James Garner doing a commercial for Polaroid

[@jdsundstrom]

Those commercials were so much fun!

[@dave8599]

There are no longer any censors, TV is all crap now.

[@harperstacey9604]

I agree with you. TV is not worth watching these days. From Ms. Harper Stacey.

[@MM-vv8mt]

Roddenberry stands far above other 60's producer-directors.

[@joegongora2200]

Gene Roddenberry on Star Trek he certainly pushed many boundaries to the limit. The 60's were certainly a time of change especially for Star Trek. The women that were part of the Enterprise wore short dresses because that's what was taking place in the 60's. The TV Series was just keeping up with the times. The interracial kiss between William Shatner and Barbara Nichols no doubt sent shockwaves through out TV Land. That was marking a change of what was to come later. Now in shows and movies you see interracial couples holding hands and kissing. Back in the 60's that sort of thing was unheard of.

[@mikegrossberg8624]

joe gongora: NICHELLE Nichols! Barbara Nichols was a different actress

[@joegongora2200]

@@mikegrossberg8624 Ok...Thanks for pointing that out!!!

[@Ifyernotawakeyet]

@@joegongora2200 Considering the subject matter, i think Barbara Eden in her Genie costume was lurking in your mind while typing that😃

[@joegongora2200]

@@Ifyernotawakeyet of course you have a point with Barbara Eden not only was she stunning in that Genie outfit, but to others she was their favorite Blonde. She certainly was mine. That showed that things were changing with TV shows.

[@rutabagasteu]

Southern states freaked out and most tv stations refused to show it.

[@vickilindberg6336]

The fashions were amazing. The designer had orders to cover up what the censors wanted covered but cut out spaces never shown before.

[@scotpens]

William Ware Theiss, the costume designer on Star Trek, had his own theory about provocative female costumes. It's not how much skin you show, it's how accident-prone a costume appears to be. An outfit is sexy if it looks like part of it might fall off or something might pop out at any moment.

[@DavidLS1]

Many TV stations in the South refused to air "Plato's Stepchildren" (the episode with the interracial kiss).

[@billcook4768]

Hated All Our Yesterdays. Something about being trapped in the past all alone, it’s just too horrible for me.

[@JJW77]

You are a good storyteller. Thanks for always putting a smile on my face!

[@johnwood551]

Star Trek making people uncomfortable ,TODAT would be BANNED as too many people would be “Offended” . I’m so glad I grew up in those years.

[@robertbecker9372]

Had such a crush on Marietta Hartley back in the day. So beautiful and so polished. A great speaking voice.

[@jdsundstrom]

Agreed!

[@PaulusN-p3m]

As a European, I must laugh a little when I see this. First there is the belly button taboo, and now we laugh about it. Nowadays however there is a female nipple taboo in the USA. How long will it take before we can laugh about that taboo too?

[@Ifyernotawakeyet]

A title for a Marriette Hartley Autobiography, "My Prosthetic Bellybutton" 😆😆

[@donjackson5522]

Now can someone explain to me why Apollo's nipples are missing in the episode Who Mourns For Adonais?

[@jdsundstrom]

Network censors?

[@Ravenscroft82]

I fancy myself a bit of an "pop culture historian" too and this is one fact I was not aware of. Roddenberry was indeed a visionary and we've not seen his like on TV since. BTw, Dave I know you are a fan of the 70s Logans Run show, and I wanted to mention that it's running for free on Tubi right now. Thanks!

[@rafaelmadrigal9038]

In the 1960's I saw Stark Trek break the barrier on racial equality and that was a breakthrough in America that pretended that racism did not exist.

[@charlesdemay4192]

I agree that is HILARIOUS that the SENSORS were so damn worried about seeing a BELLY BUTTON. LOL 😯😁👍

[@PaulHarris-sl1ct]

I guess that they couldn't figure out that everybody has one.

[@stephenadamsmusicalinterpr4203]

Star Trek was my first look at Mariette Hartley💗 Fun trivia: The first Star Trek episode was about a McCoy love interest. The last two were love interests of Spock and Kirk.

[@howardfrankfort]

With Scotty striking out in various ways all in between

[@charleshodgdon6168]

Wasn't the first episode the full episode with Captain Pike?

[@alpha-omega2362]

@@charleshodgdon6168 the first episode broadcast was "The Man Trap" about the salt vampire, shape shifter. which did feature McCoy's old flame who the shape shifter appeared as.....

[@charleshodgdon6168]

@@alpha-omega2362 my fault. I was thinking of The Cage which was the pilot episode. First episode made. Nearly completely different crew other than Spock and Majel Barrett who played a different character. The Cage was later broken up and turned into the double episode The Menagerie.

[@michaeltaylors2456]

@@alpha-omega2362. That episode with the salt vampire was pretty scary to me when it was first aired.

[@morlockmeat]

That double-button was definitely Roddenberry's revenge. 😁

[@jdsundstrom]

Yes it was!

[@Fizbin32111]

There was a scene in the episode Wink of an Eye that totally slipped past the censors. After a passionate moment it cuts to Kirk putting his boots back on, implying he had sex.

[@jdsundstrom]

I remember that!

[@JohnMichael-vy6hp]

Thats right.. I remember now

[@mikevignola4213]

Plato's Stepchildren wasn't a censorship issue. I mean it didn't get blacked out in the south because of the censors, it got blacked out due to southern politics.

[@esteeb67]

I have been ping pongy between old TV shows lately. I have a ton on DVD. I got around to watching Star Trek and ended up watching all three seasons in order. It was just that great of a show. That Mariette Hartley episode was in season 3. 2nd to last episode. They don't make em like that anymore.

[@jdsundstrom]

Thanks for sharing!

[@edwinstovall3334]

It's a good thing Gene Roddenberry was not influenced by politics today -- because where would his optimism be NOW?

[@jdsundstrom]

I suspect that Gene would still be an optimist. 🙂

[@Henry-dt9ht]

There are two points that I've seen overlooked about Lieutenant Uhura ; her character a number of times showed that Uhura had authority and had to be respected. I'm thinking of the mirror mirror episode. She actually demonstrated that she had authority and was to be respected. The other point is that as a lieutenant she was in charge of communications. The final point is that she's always she is always respected.

[@tomcline5631]

Yeah Uhura was a full lieutenant! Like a captain in the army, Air Force, Marines! She was a department head and like 3rd or 4th in command!! She had the most authority and power of Any woman(black or white) on TV then,and for a long time after!

[@exhaustguy]

In the pilot that eventually got pieced into The Menagerie the first officer was a woman (Majel Barrett who was also the voice of the computer, Nurse Chapel, and Roddenberry's wife). That was just a bridge too far in the 1960s. It is a shame because the scene where she sets the phaser to self destruct is great and you can see the history her and Pike had together. A great job of acting on their part. I hope Anston and Romijn can recapture it.

[@Henry-dt9ht]

@@exhaustguy I'm in full agreement with you on this point. She really gave that character a three-dimensional depth. A strong and decisive character that they really should have developed even further. She would have made a great character foil for the character of the captain and the character of Mr Spock

[@WilliamRWarrenJr]

Your analysis is *Spot On!* Gene was an iconoclastic s.o.b. with an absolutely wicked sense of humor. He'd push the limits wherever he could. Majel gave up on trying to keep his impulsive personality "in check". (I couldn't keep up with him, either -- he'd put down two Maker's Marks to my 1 Glenlivet ... I hadn't yet discovered The Glenfiddich or Lagavulin). RIP Gene and Majel -- LL&P, Eugene Jr!

[@petertimmins6657]

They wanted to make up the one she didn’t have in Star Trek…..

[@starmnsixty1209]

Well done as always, Dave. I've always enjoyed this episode a lot myself, and Mariette Hartley's character is a big part of that. I believe Genesis II was one of several pilots Gene tried in the 1970's. None picked up, regrettably. Guess it's a job requirement for TV executives to usually be unable to recognize good things when they see it. PS Trying to spot Barbara Eden's belly button has long been a part of being a "Jeannie" fan! Censors could get hung up on the craziest things, couldn't they?

[@jdsundstrom]

Thanks for sharing, my friend!

[@exhaustguy]

Until TNG and X-Files got onto TV, SF was a wasteland after an earlier golden age of Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, Star Trek, and even some of the Irwin Allen stuff. Even the earlier age of the 1950s had better SF than you had in the 1970s and early 1980s. The Brits helped by giving us Dr. Who and The Prisoner, but The Prisoner was only one short season and Dr. Who only started showing up on PBS in early 1980s.

[@alpha-omega2362]

yes, but Genies don't have belly buttons, so it was all very logical.....dang it!

[@JP5466]

Stuff doesn't get any "gooder" than this! Thanks Dave.

[@laikapupkino1767]

People who whine + moan about how repressive our "woke" times are of various forms of creative expression and how much more free from censorship films + TV were back in the Good Ol' Days obviously don't remember the 1960s like I do. And they sure as hell don't remember the 1950's, which were even stricter. Networks were afraid that even SEEING a toilet (for example) on TV would give Grandma a heart attack or something. So many normal, harmless things were taboo, it was ridiculous. And sure I'll subscribe. I honestly + unironically found your heartfelt admiration for Gene Rodenberry touching.

[@jdsundstrom]

Thanks for sharing. 🙂

[@CaesiusX]

_LOL!_ 😄 I remember the two belly buttons of _Genesis II,_ but even in later years I never made the connection. Well done Dave! 😁

[@jdsundstrom]

Thanks Thomas!

[@ivorybeast3508]

I just saw the episode with Joan Collins the other day an i noticed when the landing party beemed down to the planet their were 7 people but it looks like the transporter only holds 6.

[@sergioleone3583]

Don't forget the great work Gene Coon contributed to the series. Regarding "All Our Yesterdays", no doubt Mariette Hartley was great in that episode, and gorgeous as ever.

[@rparl]

In the annual from my High School, one of my friends had a candid shot where his naval showed. It caused quite a commotion.

[@jdsundstrom]

So...it wasn't just the network TV censors?

[@wilsoncrunch1330]

One of my favorite episodes. Loved how Yesterday's Son novel continued it as well.

[@jdsundstrom]

YES!

[@edryba4867]

Gene was a great man, and a great writer. If you take a look at other people’s shows that he wrote for (Have Gun, Will Travel comes to mind) you’ll notice that the use of guns was at a bare minimum, if at all! It was the most intellectual that show ever got. And that’s just one example.

[@camgere]

Mariette Hartley was great in "All Our Yesterdays (March 14, 1969)". I totally fell in love with her on the Twilight Zone episode "The Long Morrow" (January 10, 1964). Talk about setting high expectations!

[@jdsundstrom]

Another great episode!

[@melvinreed4136]

Kirk said, "A kiss?" Little do they know, I go to Uhura's cabinet damn near every night."

[@caryrodda]

Good one. When I saw the title I figured it would just be a rehash of the Kirk- Uhura kiss, which, while certainly noteworthy, has been done numerous times over the years. The belly button thing though was a good oddity of 60s TV that is good to inform younger viewers of.

[@jdsundstrom]

I figured that many viewers would think that I was going to focus on TV's first interracial kiss. 🙂

[@bonghunezhou5051]

For the record, the first notable inter-racial romance (if not an outright kiss) on Star Trek is between a Mexican portraying an Indian (of South Asia) and a White person (Scotland?) in the first season, which spawned at least one feature-length film. As for _navel displays_ , Gene had issues with that matter during earlier episodes as well; it was just fate that he turned out to be just a bit ahead of the times (Laugh-In and other shows that would come on at the tail end of the 1960s, as well as the 1970s, would not be impeded by those network gatekeepers on that).

[@mikesilva3868]

@@jdsundstrom mst3k joke it's the crummiest tv show in first run syndication 😆

[@cadeevans4623]

Just got done done watching the Adam West Batman movie yesterday Dave love it

[@jdsundstrom]

It's a lot of fun!

[@cadeevans4623]

Certainly is Dave

[@cadeevans4623]

Dave did you know there was gonna be a Batman vs Godzilla but got cancelled or never happened

[@cadeevans4623]

I loved Lee meriweather as catwoman

[@cadeevans4623]

Loved her accent t she used as Mrs kitka

[@Mad-Bassist]

I thought it was funny that Gene said at one point he would have liked to have gay characters, but he was having a hard enough time getting other things past the network people back then!

[@hariszark7396]

It seems hilarious to me that mini skirts were so small back at the "strict" 60s but got banned at the 90s and after 2000s Star Trek tv shows. I mean, what the heck was that? 😅😂

[@73honda350]

It's all about "going where no man has gone before". As an 11-13 year old boy during Star Trek's original run, I remember being quite impressed with more than a few alien females and their costumes. Too bad my family was still a few years away from it's first color TV, though.

[@rupe53]

like color TV mattered for a 13 year old looking at girls? Bigger screen was what mattered!

[@markrhodes1717]

If you showed a belly button then the Catholic League would threaten to boycott the show. No fooling. Standards and practices lived in fear of ticking the Catholic Church off.

[@blakjack3053]

My 60s TV favorites were Gilligan's island, Twighlight zone, the Munsters and Brady bunch

[@JP5466]

Nancy Kovack was simply stunning!

[@docsavage-8616]

She also played Medea in Jason & the Argonauts.

[@harperstacey9604]

She also played Darrin's old girlfriend on a couple of episodes on Bewitched. From Ms. Harper Stacey.

[@todgor]

Only Gene would find a way to get a female character in such an outfit on a planet in the middle of an Ice Age! Good on him! :)

[@joseyeastwood]

My favorite is the one with Joan Collins Kirk Spock and McCoy are stuck in i think the 1930s or something the ending always gets me.

[@RobPento]

City On The Edge Of Forever: That episode won a Hugo Award, and many believe it was also the best episode of the series.

[@joseyeastwood]

@@RobPento Thank you Rob every time i watch it i want him to save her but he knew he couldn't.

[@MrEsMysteriesMagicks]

According to Joan Collins, she had no idea what Star Trek was when she was asked to be on the show. She did it because her children told her it was a good show. Of course, she was excellent in her episode and it ended being one of her most memorable roles.

[@RobPento]

@@joseyeastwood It is gut wrenching. McCoy: "Jim, do you know what you just did?!?!" Spock: "He knows, Doctor ... he knows".

[@RobPento]

@@MrEsMysteriesMagicks Thanks for that insight. She did play the role very, very well.

[@marksauck8481]

Watching all those old movies and TV shows led me to think my parents and grandparents slept in separate twin beds. How our baby boom generation ever came to be is amazing.

[@nicholasmaude6906]

Apparently while filming the "All our Yesterdays" Shatner became interested in Mariete Hartley (She was a very attractive woman in her prime) but turned him down as she didn't date guys shorter than her (She's 5' 10").

[@jdsundstrom]

I didn't realize that Mariette was so tall!

[@nicholasmaude6906]

@@jdsundstrom I remember her saying how tall she was on a YT clip from one of her ST conference presentations.

[@harperstacey9604]

William shatner tried to sleep with most of the female guest stars. From Ms. Harper Stacey.

[@Ratboy2004]

Weird rules with FCC. ONE single complaint is all that is required. Apparently, the Janet Jackson issue...14 calls to complain.

[@RobertLeaverton]

I've long remembered Spocks statement at the end. "Yes, it happened. But that was five thousand years ago. And she is dead now. Dead and buried. Long ago."

[@gokugoma3258]

They need to release a box set of Gene roddenberry's failed TV pilots/movies.. he had at least three or four made for TV movies back in the 1970s

[@k.s.k.7721]

Other examples of network nervousness with clothing in tv shows: in the first episodes of "Happy Days", Fonzie wears a wind-breaker, instead of his iconic leather jacket - it was considered too hoodlum or something. And I remember Mary Tyler Moore discussing the concerns over her pants during the Dick Van Dyck series - where to put the zipper - on the side or on the back; which was more "suggestive"?.

[@thecarolinahoosier3596]

A different type of "navel warfare" on TV. Gotta love the 60's/70's - and Gene's sense of humor!

[@jdsundstrom]

"Naval warfare". Love it!

[@tillposer]

0:15 I suggest you buy, steal, hornswoggle or otherwise obtain Harland Ellison's "The Glass Teat" and "The other Glass Teat", a collection of articles from the media column he wrote for the Los Angeles Free Press from 1967 to 1974. He goes in depth into the TV series of that time, including Batman and Spiderman, I Dream of Jeanny, amongst many others. The parallels of that time and this are astounding.

[@jdsundstrom]

Thanks for the suggestion!

[@williamwelch7]

Thanks Dave

[@jdsundstrom]

You're welcome!

[@stephaniegormley9982]

1:08 Good for them. Contrast this with "Batman" the series in which the title character would flirt with Catwoman, but only when she was played by Julie Newmar or Lee Meriweather. As soon as Earth Kitt took over, the flirting was gone.

[@harperstacey9604]

The flirting with Catwoman was gone because Eartha Kitt was black. From Ms. Harper Stacey.

[@catmom1322]

I'm a 70-year-old Trekkie who just loves all the old TV shows & films. I didn't realize until now that censorship was happening at such high levels.

[@robertopiedimonte2078]

You are great!!! People all around the world would have to follow the behavior from Star Trek, a majestic lesson from Gene Roddenberry (a quiet appreciation would be welcomed). Never forget he is looking us from above, literally!

[@martinsonofwar395]

So, girls don't have belly buttons? 🤣

[@peacemakerle]

US americans do not have any gender characteristics.

[@CommentsProbablyDeleted]

Uhura's muscled belly was badass in "Mirror mirror"

[@1962mrpaul]

While Hartley is very pleasing to look at, when one considers that Star Trek generally made sincere efforts to be scientifically accurate, how logical is it for a woman expecting to remain in solitude in an ice age environment for the rest of her life would dress in such an impractical and provocative bikini?

[@CelestialLites]

Well she was an alien 🤔

[@raygale4198]

You are assuming the ice is frozen H2O, it could be another as yet unknown compound discovered by Rodenberry with a melting point of 27.6 Degree C. Perfect bikini temperature. :-)

[@ukestudio3002]

One of my favorite episodes. Another is with Agent Gary 7..👏🏽👏🏽

[@slipstick985]

Burke's Law (1963 TV series) Barbara Eden wore a harem suit like in Dream showing the navel. Early days of Dream also. I heard what freaked out the network was Laugh In party scene with the screen close up on her midriff.

[@noman6041]

I also had a fourth favorite show from the 60's which i neglected to mention. I loved the 'Green Hornet' series with Van Williams! I don't know why i didn't mention it before.

[@jdsundstrom]

Another great show!

[@harperstacey9604]

Bruce Lee made his debut on the Green hornet. From Ms. Harper Stacey.

[@johnwatson3948]

Great info - didn’t know that history of the censor ban. One might also suspect that “All Our Yesterdays” was another kind of revenge by Roddenberry and writer Fontana against Harlan Ellison - Ellison having badmouthed them for doing a necessary and masterful rewrite of his original “City on the Edge of Forever” script. Based on what Producer Bob Justman says, “All our Yesterdays” was likely ghost- written by Fontana and not the author of record Jean Lisette Aroeste - while not a direct rewrite “Yesterdays” borrows similar plot and romantic points from “City”.