Star Trek BBC debut - 12th July 1969

[@brianturner7919]

One of the greatest shows ever to be televised.

[@larzkruber822]

The writing was amazing. You know it ends well but you see a "no win scenario" and be captivated how they will get out of it every single week

[@00bikeboy]

The most influential TV show in history, and still the gold standard.

[@gameburn178]

In spite of small budgets, limited graphics, limited inspiration from other shows. The best of its time, and better than the Next Generation or the others. Should have had at least a five year run; a lot of good sci fi writers available then.... lost opportunity, but still a great show.

[@michaelrouse7186]

The first and the best. Imho

[@RangaTurk]

Giving Dr. Who a run for its money on BBC1.

[@MrDD931]

My father was a USAF Sargeant,, and our family left the US in August of 1966 when he was transferred to England , just before STAR TREK premiered. After a three year tour at High Wycombe AFS, we were about to return to the US when STAR TREK finally made it to the UK. I saw this episode as it aired, 12 July 1969...and then we left to head home the next week. Just in time to find that the show was cancelled in the US. This was the only complete episode I saw of STAR TREK for three more years, until it finally started the reruns in the early 70s that would bring it back into the public eye.

[@palerider964]

Wow. That's some story.👍🏻

[@garyodle5663]

That is a really sad story.

[@rongendron8705]

Great story! I didn't get a color t.v. until late in 1969, so I did see "Star Trek" from '66, but saw no episodes in color, until they were in re-runs! Question: why is this being shown in b/w, if it was originally shown in color, in Britain? p.s. I'm 76 & went through basic training in '64 & my 'bunkmate' was Terry Gilliam of "Monty Python", who was just starting that show in Britain, circa 1969!

[@chouseification]

I know what you mean... I've still never seen the full Babylon 5 for the reason that in the city I went to college, they replayed it at like 2:00 AM since they didn't view it as important... and my roommate in the dorm was definitely not the type to leave my damn VCR alone so I could record a show... gah, some peoples' children. :D Of course people where I live were talking about this cool new show, but I missed it except for random rare episodes, so gave up as I was missing the arc.

[@daxxonjabiru428]

Classic!. Here ya go: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d5iUoGahpLl_ja8

[@Wixom2200]

This show was waaaaay ahead of it's time.

[@williamhaynes4800]

It still is in a few aspects.

[@ouknow1446]

Yes, BBC went where none had gone before.

[@nicholsonjay4724]

It really was. Think about how cheesy some of the other show were around that same time….this had a lot less.

[@ShadowAngel606]

Npt really, there were a lot of similar Sci-Fi Shows on air at the time. Like here in Germany Raumpatrouille Orion which, like Star Trek, integrated real life issues into a Sci-Fi setting

[@geoffberesford]

Inspired by the 'Forbidden Planet' movie of 1956, of course.

[@davidsmith5523]

I loved this show almost immediately. I was 8. Still watching its various incarnations to this day.

[@Vidmr2407]

I was 8 also, but it was past my bedtime. i caught up later. cheers!

[@neilfletcher4951]

I was 9 and was absolutely amazed

[@tempestfury8324]

What do you think of the "remastered" CGI versions of the show? I got into Star Trek about 1973....reruns...and it was fantastic!

[@Jolafunk]

I was Seven. We had it on Sunday afternoon on TV so.. I had to wait 6 days in between. I also fabricated a model to play with, very inspiring show

[@rushedandlost]

Same here, I was 8. It was a great time for a kid, Star Trek, and the Apollo Space program. It also helped, My Mom and Dad named my middle name after Alan Shepard, an American Astronaut. I was adopted as an infant and my parents brought me home the same day Alan Shepard was launched into space.

[@20th_century_Ghost]

STILL one of the greatest Science Fiction shows to ever exist. And it's also still the greatest out of all of the other Star Trek shows as well.

[@tomfairbanks154]

Deep Space 9 is MY fave.

[@stevetrop]

@jdslyman After that punch Q did not want to take his chances against Sisko again.

[@johnredekop5818]

I agree, and I’d put Voyager second …🤙🏻

[@00bikeboy]

50+ years later TOS is still the gold standard.

[@ctrlzyx2]

Agree the greatest. I do think the vivid color pallette was a factor, not to mention a young, attractive, multicultural cast. So I could see where b&w might not catch on. Missing from later (re)incarnations was the sex appeal. Eddie Murphy spoofed this aspect pretty well in Delirious. But original star trek still untouchable compared to everything.

[@alanconway94]

Just before Armstrong set foot on the moon. I had just turned 5 years old, that April. Star Trek, TOS has been my constant, unfailing companion ever since. It's never let me down. On top of Stingray, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and Dr. Who, it made being a wee boy great - and keeps him alive in me to this day. Thanks Gene. 🙂

[@Chris-ut6eq]

Live long and prosper!

[@edwardbailey9759]

Very well said.

[@stephenconway2468]

I was 5 too when this happened.

[@alanconway94]

@@stephenconway2468 My long lost cousin. 🙂

[@tdirtyatl]

That's beautiful!

[@spudgunson]

As a man in his 60s I still love the show, especially reruns of the original show. It made a big impression on me and lead me into a lifetime love of sc-fi

[@laurak8240]

I'm your age and had the same experience. My parents watched Star Trek, so I did, too. I loved it more than they or older my brother and sister did. And I incorporated the philosophy into my life.

[@Chris-ut6eq]

Peace and long life!

Me too, and I'm in my 70s. Live long and prosper.

[@debracarter7290]

It’s been a life-long constant in my life since I was 13. Who’d would have thought it would have endured all these years and been such an influence. Way ahead of its time and many life lessons to be learned from it too.

[@MichaelWilliams-mo1vv]

+1 I was 7 in 1969. Loved this show and Voyage to the bottom of the sea.

[@brigidsingleton1596]

❤ I'm 70 now and was a 'Doctor Who' fan before I saw 'Star Trek' (& doubted I could _ever_ like 'Star Trek' as much... How wrong I was!!)... That first showing over here in London, UK changed my life, my viewpoints on tv shows - particularly Sci-Fi (which has always been my favourite genre), and I had not realised til later, just how much I would grow to _love_ 'Star Trek' ...in all its many forms, but particularly the films, which I have - plus the complete set of 79 episodes of TOS - all on dvd (& video!)🖖❤️❤️❤️🖖 🎵🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿❤️🖖'Live Long and Prosper'🖖❤ ❤️🖖'Peace and Long Life'🖖❤️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🎵😊

[@timothylock2043]

I AM NOW 58 when i was 16 i was homeless for a time and what kept me going was reading startrek books when i had nothing and thinking life has to be better than this

[@scottfitzpatrick1939]

The sound and effects are incredible for the time.

[@lazyhazeldaisy9596]

I was four and a half then and we had a colour television and Star Trek was one of the first programmes I saw in dazzling colour ( as programmes were still transmitted in black and white) I always remembered staring at the lovely man with the beautiful smile in the yellow top, I still do!

[@esecallum]

me too as well.

[@sarahfullerton6894]

Right with you. I was six, and my little heart fluttered!! Hahahaha 😅

[@rosemariemann1719]

So nice to read your appreciation of "Our Bill " in your posts 😊. Such an expressive face, such a warm smile , wonderful skin, and as I keep saying, " Beautifully Formed "😊. Well ! Men always look at pretty ladies, so we can notice the handsome men too ! Why not ?😊. We can't help having an " Artistic Eye", can we ?! 😊 But it's NOT just " eye candy", it's the thoughtful, " giving", philosophical , amiable, humourous nature behind the outward appearance..😊 Now here's MY running joke : " I'm 74 years old !" Even old ladies have eyes ! 😊. Love from England.🇬🇧 😊🐎💕🐎🇬🇧💕🇺🇲😊🐎

[@gerry5134]

I was 8 years old. We had an old black and white TV that used to make a buzzing sound lol really strange to think I must have sat and watched that actual episode !

[@tncorgi92]

@@gerry5134 oh those early TV sets were great for odd noises and behavior. Of course it didn't help that my brother and I constantly played with the vertical and horizontal hold, and the picture/tint controls.

[@tracyg7002]

Being born in 71, I was too young for this but I did watch random episodes when I was 19 on SKYTV in the UK. Loved them and I have recently finished watching all episodes, this time in order.

[@MackerelCat]

Nice!

[@johnbuggy9121]

That was in 1990. I recall those episodes being aired, twice daily (except Friday). 5pm was the first showing. Then it would be repeated at 11pm at night. I'd seen it in the early 80s on BBC, but it was the Sky TV broadcasts that made me a huge fan. Happy days, I was 15 years old.

[@Swindonboy56]

I remember it well. It was a Saturday, early evening just after the football results, I was 12, going on 13...Mum and Dad had a little Radio Rental TV, black and white of course. Eight days later Apollo 11 landed on the moon. Wonderful memories.

[@DunedinMultimedia2]

I had a Radio Rental TV in the 80s. Watched Neighbours on it lol.

[@mnirwin5112]

I love the fact that it ultimately triumphed, of course (and the music will always make me smile), but I do wish it had managed to get its original full five-year mission.

[@markw208]

You have to wonder why it took NBC and Paramount so long to see the obvious 💰💰💰💰💰 missed

[@Typo350]

The rest of the five year mission is in the animated series. Star trek and it's 3 seasons plus the animated series and it's two seasons make up Kirk's 5 year mission

[@yunencampi]

@@Typo350 Watch Star Trek Continues on KZbin. Episodes 10 and 11 are top Trek.

[@Typo350]

@@yunencampi you should check out star trek renegades, it has Walter Koenig as Chekov, and Tuvok from voyager, they have actual sets too. Best fan made Trek

[@angelag9172]

I have never seen these early ones before! This was really comforting to me on a rough night and Captain James T. Kirk is a soothing balm for my heart ♥️ Going Now to watch some more

[@tattyshoesshigure5731]

I still watch & thoroughly enjoy the Star Trek re-runs that air on random TV channels in the U.K. Everything about this show was great… the casting, the acting, the effects - waay ahead of their time - and of course the fantastic, inspired SF storylines! ❤

[@Boiing008]

My all time favourite sci fi series. loved in then & still love it now :-)

[@Alun49]

I loved it back then and despite its ups and downs, continue to watch over fifty years on.

[@fdcox]

I remember this first BBC broadcast so well. There was already a Star Trek comic strip in the UK before the show debuted, so I was familiar with Captain Kirk and Mister Spock. Star Trek looked like no other show on TV. It was also a sign of quality that it was on the BBC, which was usually much more staid than ITV.

[@evertonporter7887]

I remember coming across a pile of comics outside the headmaster's office at primary school. Most of them were copies of the Valiant. I'd head straight for the Star Trek strip.

[@natepeace1737]

Black and white? Damn!

[@bayster912]

I'm 69 now but I missed Star Trek in comics: I used to get the Victor, the Hornet & the Hotspur but obviously not the comic that it was in. My first ever knowledge of Star Trek was an article in a newspaper (The Daily Mirror I think, because that was my mother's favourite) with a picture of Leonard Nimoy saying something like 'this is Mr Spock of Star Trek which will take the place of Dr Who on BBC1'. I remember reading it with disgust as I loved Dr Who and thought nothing could be as good. Then I saw a bit on 'Junior Points Of View' with Robert Robinson, in which he showed a short clip of Star Trek: it was from 'Arena', where Kirk rolls a large boulder down onto the Gorn captain (of course I didn't know that at the time). I was impressed, and my attitude toward Star Trek began to change, and when it aired, I was absolutely blown away. Undoubtedly TV history.

[@scottmcculloch3605]

Wow. This is how I remember my earliest introduction to STAR TREK watching on a B&W TV when it aired in the UK back in 1969. My family didn’t get a colour TV until around 1972 whereupon it was a revelation to see my favourite TV programme in glorious colour. I had no idea that the crew wore different coloured uniforms to indicate the persons role and division until then. Also note that up until the early 1980’s the BBC edited the episodes such that shows opening titles played before the teaser so as you saw in the clip, the episode begins with the classic Enterprise flyby and narration. Thanks for sharing. It’s brought back a lot of fond memories.

[@terryblackman6217]

I was 14 and watched the first episode. It was so different from what we had seen before.

[@Brakdayton]

This is how I watched Star Trek with my siblings and parents until 1982. I had no idea their shirts were different colours or, indeed, what colour they were.

[@johnarnold893]

B&W in '82, we had HBO the in an isolated mining town with no road to it.

[@paultaylor7082]

By 1975, just over half the TV licences in the UK were for colour TV. BY 1982. I'd guess 80% plus were for colour sets.

[@saladinbob]

In fairness they weren't in the pilots.

[@brantdanger]

The shirts have colours?

[@gurugeorge]

This was absolutely mesmerizing to me as a child. I was already getting into s-f at the age of 10, so it was like heaven.

[@simondewolfe677]

Finally in black and white as i remembered..

[@williamhaynes4800]

We got our 1st color TV the day before Apollo 11's LEM landed on the moon. M&D bought it from Sears and the delivery truck dropped it off on Saturday 19 July 1969. Until then, I was 8, I watched Star Trek and Batman in black and white. The ironic thing was at beginning of Batman the cover screen always said: "BATMAN- IN COLOR".

[@allenjones3130]

I believe that the BBC1 network broadcast only in black and white at the time. Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong, though!

[@sarahfullerton6894]

Simon de Wolfe, me, too!

[@smallishfilms8362]

@@allenjones3130 the bbc broadcast about the first twenty episodes of Star Trek completely in black and white. (Bear in mind they didn’t follow the seasons and broadcast at random it seems). Then they started to broadcast in colour half way through the “first season” the first colour episode was “Arena”

[@STho205]

You can always turn off your colour on a TV monitor. I wonder the BBC order. This episode being the first produced of the Kirk cast...today it typically shown first in syndication since the 70s in the US...as it then Corbomite, then Charlie X, Naked Time, Mudd's Women, Man Trap ...was visually the evolution of cast, sets and costumes NBC didn't broadcast any season in production order. Elaan of Troyus was the first produced in S3. It introduces the Klingon D7 model with a dramatic slow reveal and was the first obvious man woman interracial kiss for ST (produced but shown second), with the same two actors that did the first US interracial US TV kiss in the 1950s...Shatner and Robert Culp's sexy asian wife France Nugyen. Though episodic, after broadcast originally, syndicates realized there was an obvious flow to the stories building a bigger storyline.

[@davidanderson4091]

Wow, does this ever bring back some memories!! This is how I saw it in New Zealand when I was 14 (the country didn't have colour TV until the early 1970s). I was a keen space nerd back then - I listened to the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions tuned to the Voice of America on a short-wave radio, and was an avid reader of Sci-Fi (Clarke, Asimov, LeGuin, Norton, Doc Smith, VanVogt, Aldiss, Blish et al). I'll be 67 later this year... and still a fan (except for Discovery!)

[@martynlees1719]

I watched it in NZ on CHTV3 in Christchurch.. in good old black and white.. have loved it ever since.. except for Discovery.. awful series.. now Strange New Worlds seems to be a return to classic Trek.. also, have a look at The Orville.. a wonderful homage to ST from Seth Mcfarlane.. :)

[@WillCamx]

@@martynlees1719 Strange New Worlds does seem to be better but to be honest Discovery and Picard set the bar so low that I couldn't imagine any way it could be worse.

[@christiannewakeham2514]

This - and the first moon landing a week later, changed my life. I'm still addicted to ST and to science 🙂

[@cpuuk]

All the elements are there- so cool.

[@johnbeechy]

this is the only time i will ever see the intro in black and white i always had access to a colour tv when ever watching star trek OS thanks for the upload

[@mitcha1065]

My parents took me to England in the summer of '68. I was 10. All my relatives there were crazy about Lost In Space. My dad told them all about Star Trek and that they would be really blown away when that arrived on their TV sets.

[@VisualBRON]

It was in the early afternoon. I came home from school, for lunch. I felt ill. I lay down ... and woke up moments before it started. Mom and I watched it together. It was odd, in my family, to watch midday TV in those days. Been a fan ever since.

[@Ben-xe8ps]

I doubt you and your 'MOM' live in the UK as star trek was not shown on daytime TV in those days but in prime time evening slots.

[@steelers6titles]

I think many U. S. stations aired it in the afternoon, in syndication. I remember it coming on at 4:30 p.m. or so, daily.

[@spike178]

Great 👍 My favourite show when was a kid.

[@thisisverytrue]

I was two months short of my 10th birthday, when I first saw this - we'd recently seen Patrick Troughton depart the role of the 'Doctor', and this 'new' sci-fi series filled the time-slot left vacant. Apart from the Irwin Allen and Gerry Anderson series, we'd never seen sci-fi like this in the UK, everything, from the music composed for each episode, the visuals/SFX, the stories, the characters and the acting. And for the first 4 years in our household, just like this, in black and white; better as transmissions moved form 405 to 625 horizontal lines making up the picture, on a 19" screen, but with just one small loudspeaker speaker. It was great stuff.

[@jamydeedhillon1309]

Gerry Anderson and Irwin Allen and gene Roddenberry, legends and everything they did In there days and times, there wouldn't be sci-fi as we see now without all there legendary programs and for doctor who still goin is remarkable and special I grew up on all these programs and they are truly special and memorable and magical

[@petejones879]

Yeah Jon Pertwee took over from Patrick

[@tancreddehauteville764]

I am not old enough to remember the original showings, but I saw the re-run of Star Trek on BBC1 in the late 70s/early 80s. Great memories.

[@Moondog-wc4vm]

I was still a wish in my Mum and Dad's eye when this was first transmitted on the BBC. I first saw it a few years later as my parents always watched Star Trek when it was on our few TV channels in the UK. I am still watching new episodes as they appear. I have not enjoyed every single episode, or every new show, or actor who reprised an old beloved role, but I can honestly say that my appetite for new Trek still continues undiminished today just as it did when I was a kid in the 1970's. May it live long and prosper.

[@TALKCalgary]

I still remember watching that first episode, It was a Saturday night and it replaced Dr. Who.

[@josefschiltz2192]

I remember it well and quite an apposite arrival. Just before Apollo 11, plus, sadly for me, one of the last of the few memories I retain of my father, standing on our front path and looking up at the moon and talking about the astronauts.

[@georgesenda1952]

Fifty of us watched The Man Trap when it first aired. On a date night on a college campus. We were all hooked from then on.

[@Steve_in_NJ]

Let's not forget that if it wasn't for Lucille Ball, there would be NO Star Trek!!!!!

[@iconicshrubbery]

A DesiLu Production. I ❤Lucy.

[@ebinrock]

Fascinating.

[@iconicshrubbery]

@@ebinrock She's dead Jim.

[@Steve_in_NJ]

@@iconicshrubbery DesiLu because Paramount didn't buy the rights until later.

[@jamesfrench7299]

Love those sound effects. Memories watching it as a kid in the 80s on Channel 7 in Sydney.

[@egosumhomovespertilionem]

Did anyone else note the UK debut date of "Star Trek" relative to other major world events? Nine days after "Star Trek" was first broadcast by the BBC, Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon. I'm sure that was not a coincidence, and Beeb management decided that there was never going to be a more opportune time to debut an American-made space opera on British television!

[@pwnmeisterage]

Star Trek popularized sci-fi genre beyond expectation. It even became something of a genre in itself. But popular interest in space - space missions, space exploration, space travel - along with popular interest of sci-fi set in space - seems to be a pendulum which swings every generation. It seems to be on the upswing right now, some interest (mostly in Mars landings and exoplanets) after languishing for a couple decades.

[@TheShootist]

It was 1969, how was Star Trek received by the Whovians?

[@TheShootist]

@@pwnmeisterage heh. Star Trek never languished, unless it was between 1968 and 1977 and even then there were re-runs, multiple novels, a comic book series and the animated television series.

[@worldcomicsreview354]

@@TheShootist There were British-made Star Trek comic strips, too. I have one in an issue of Valiant, it's more like a WW2 espionage story with a Star Trek coat of paint, though.

[@guytech7310]

I am guessing it was more of a money issue. I presume it was much cheaper to get a broadcast license from Desilu Productions\NBC after the show was cancelled than to air it when it was still in production. The last ST ToS aired in June 1969. Of course if the BBC and other international broadcasts did show ST back in 1966-1968 it may have not gotten cancelled. FWIW: I dream of Jeanie & Debbie Reynolds replaced ST in 1969 fall line up. ST never pulled the audience & people preferred watching comedies like Gomer Pyle or Police shows like the Mod squad over StarTrek.

[@dylanthomas6717]

I remember this first episode. It was on at the same time as Dr Who, which it replaced. I was very disappointed when Dr Who ended, and didn't know anything about this new Scifi series. But after watching this episode, I became a life long fan.

[@jslade60]

We lived out in the country when Star Trek debuted remember they were only three networks and depending on where you lived sometimes you didn't get all three. So I never saw a lot of good shows they view like Star trek, The Man from Uncle, the Old mission impossible. I later watch Star Trek in the 1970s in reruns. We did however in 1966 get the station Lost in space came on. Different world back then! But I wouldn't trade going back for a hundred of these lifetimes today!

[@robynzelickson6164]

3 networks?! 🤯 Wow, luxury!! We had 1 🤷‍♀️

[@The.Badger.]

Imagine watching these for the first time as they were broadcast!!!

[@keithnaylor1981]

Amazing… start of the greatest sci-fi series there will ever be!!! It was in colour when I first started watching it in the early seventies.

[@richardstevens8839]

It was originally shot in Technicolor and 35mm the remasters are beautifully clean. The original negatives must have been in a good condition.

[@darrensmith6999]

I think that this was the first time i saw Star Trek and it was Where No Man Has Gone Before that hooked me and been hooked ever since till " Enterprise " anyway (:

[@dan6442]

When I was a young boy, Star Trek gave me "hope". Later, as an adult, I enlisted in the military. I would often think to myself, what would Kirk, or Scotty, or Spock do in whatever situation I found myself in. I usually went with what I believed Mr. Scott would do. Reason being that Scotty liked his play as much as his work, as did I, and there isn't much room in the military for bravado or logic.

[@paulbacchus1015]

Wow, I remember raising well, beings back memories. Thank you for posting, bie the way, Star Trek came on before the Apollo lift off.

[@widetubevision4423]

It must have been the same time when the series was telecast in Australia because I remember watching a few episodes as a naive nine-year boy at a neighbour's place. I had never heard of science fiction nor did I go to the movies. My family didn't own a tv set until the early 1970s. I recall watching a few episodes and they terrified me.

[@ljchandler4876]

black and white and i learnt the opening voice over by heart - it was one of my favourite childhood programmes

[@tomasjoconnel5367]

I didn't come along until 1970, so I was a little late to the party. I saw the reruns when I was about 4, as well as the Star Trek cartoons on Saturday mornings. I haven't stopped watching it ever since.

[@lp115lp]

Ah the life lessons Star Trek taught us children! Much like 'Father Knows Best'.

[@tomasjoconnel5367]

@@lp115lp Not quite!

[@daveduffy2823]

Tapes in the 23rd century. They must have made a comeback.

[@WillCamx]

This was the second show I saw on a colour TV. The first was "One Million Years BC" And Raquel Welch made a lasting impression on this boy.

[@petergedd9330]

I used to have a Star Trek screen saver in the 90's, it was fantastic with Spok sometimes appearing with his stringed instrument and singing, and other times the whole crew would be on their knees searching for sponge-like aliens on board, even had a sick room with all the sounds of the monitors, and Scotty saying 'She Canna Take It Captain' I loved it.

[@DUCKDUCKGOISMUCHBETTER]

The fact that, from later Star Trek canon, we now "know" that Spock, and Kirk, both knew perfectly well that Spock knew all about human emotion, including "irritation", as well as the fact "one of his ancestors", was really just his mother, raises these comments to an even higher level of dry Vulcan wit, than it was intended to be at the time it was filmed. Spock, in the modern understanding of his character, and what he really knew at this point in his life, is really trolling his friend Captain Kirk. 😂

[@hubbsllc]

Yep - the character of Spock wasn't quite squared away by the time this second pilot was produced although partway through the episode you can see him take on the demeanor and tone of voice we've come to recognize. The creative process is fascinating.

[@TheShootist]

That writers and producers Retcon a property, does not make the retconning ethical or justified.

[@gratefulguy4130]

@@TheShootist I don't think he was talking about distardery

[@DUCKDUCKGOISMUCHBETTER]

@@philipocallaghan Yikes, you're right. I posted too quickly and reversed it in my head, lol. Thanks for correcting me. "Humans are illogical. Posting in the middle of the night...it will be your undoing!" - Spock, Revised for 2022 - 😂 (I corrected it, btw)

[@steelers6titles]

The last first-run episode of the third and final season, "Turnabout Intruder", had aired on NBC on June 3, 1969 (it had been filmed the previous January, and production ended for good). (Of course, the show gained a whole new life in rerun syndication.)

[@karnak50]

Best ever progrman ive watched from day one and still do, LLAP trekies

[@onlythewise1]

star trek was great ,made us Americans feel so proud , and keep us thinking of space and universe

[@petejones879]

I watched this episode on TV a few nights ago but in colour

[@tamlynburleigh9267]

I remember this from over fifty years ago. One of the best programs on at the time, I thought.

[@silentone11111111]

I remember watching this on a black and white tv in Scotland back then. Back when tv's still had valves. lol.

[@jesseMadoo]

Valves? To let the steam out??

[@blastfromthepast8344]

And four days later, Apollo 11 blasted off for the Moon. The Final Frontier was beckoning like never before! I remember the Apollo 11 Moon landing and watching Star Trek at that time. They were better days.

[@mdd1963]

And yet, for some reason, the three astronauts turned off the lights in the cabin, and filmed the earth thru a small round window to give the illusion of the earth being small...; and then eff'd up and accidentally released the tape decades later making it obvious what they'd done. Why fake filming being halfway to the moon, while still in low earth orbit?

[@blastfromthepast8344]

@@mdd1963 I bet you believe the Earth is flat too. Conspiracy theorists! LOL

[@mdd1963]

@@blastfromthepast8344 DId you see the video I am referring to? (NASA faking a video is one thing...hardly infers in a flat earth, especially in light of where I said 'low earth orbit'...or did you fail basic English remedial comprehension skills? )LOL!) Eff yourself.

[@adm58]

Now I need to find the whole episode!

[@PeterScargill]

I remember this and also remember the BBC let us all down by not continuing Star Trek over the years for which I've never forgiven them. Thank heavens for Sky and other services. Long past time the BBC was forced to self fund without a license.

[@Beery1962]

This is how I first saw Star Trek in England. I had just had my 7th birthday a month before. It was only later that I first saw the show in color. on my aunt's color TV. I couldn't believe how vibrant the colors were.

[@gorillazzillathemeh5897]

This is so well preserved 💝💝

[@naturalperfumist]

I was 9 years old watching this on 12th July 1969. It was and still is amazing and decades ahead of its time. It definately influenced me growing up.

[@charliemaguire2210]

i remember it because it was mentioned as being a new series coming in the between season Dr. Who slot after Grandstand. I still miss Pat Troughton's Doctor... The BBC always treated it as a kids programme & so often made many cuts sometimes butchering episodes , blanking three altogether & never giving a repeat showing of Miri until the 80s. The BBC's continued treatment of Dr. Who as a kids programme blights the modern Dr. to this day.

[@JeffreyBue_imtxsmoke]

The background music is so 60's. Loved watching this show as a kid.

[@kennethfink7060]

Man, I miss those days.

[@tortysoft]

Oh I miss them to - with utter delight. I hated childhood - at least outside of our house.

[@maypenja2819]

I remember watching Star Trek for the first when I was living in Jamaica in 1971. It was broadcast on Sunday afternoons in black and white. I have always been a fan of the original series.

[@Cirnenric]

I was 10 when it started in the USA and would rush home every Thursday to see the next episode!

[@williamnessanbaum7464]

Fascinating... Live long and prosper... Keep on trekkin'.

[@philosopher1a]

I'm so glad they changed spock's eye brows

[@garymcatear822]

I was exactly one month old when this first aired in the UK, i was born on 12th June.

[@altfactor]

BBC-1 went color in November, 1969 (I've heard an urban legend that the first color program on BBC-1 was a live broadcast of the Apollo 12 launch from Cape Canaveral).

[@rongendron8705]

If Britain had t.v. as early as the 1930's, then why was it so late to broadcast in color?

[@luislaplume8261]

That answers my comment above in the comments section. In a way TV was more advanced than that in England as we already had VHF and UHF channels.

[@paulohagan3309]

@@rongendron8705 There was a lot of debate about which color system to adopt and finally the decision was made.

[@pussypostlethwaitsaeronaut8503]

The correct English spellings should be colour ‒ not 'color' ‒ and programme ‒ not 'program'‒ unless you're American. As an English lady, one of the last few remaining and soon to be extinct, I find such spelling aberrations most disappointing. England = a country within the island of Great Britain; England shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north and is part of the United Kingdom. Great Britain = large geographical island in the British Isles containing three small countries: England, Scotland, and Wales. United Kingdom = country and kingdom consisting of four smaller countries: England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. English = belonging to or relating to England, or its people: Englishwoman, Englishman. British = belonging to or relating to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, or to its people (English, Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Irish) or its culture. Hope this helps. xx

[@altfactor]

I'm from.the United States.

[@stevenoneill7166]

I must admit that, as Star Trek had been made in colour, I'm surprised that it's UK TV premiere wasn't on BBC TWO as, at the time, it was still the only TV network in Britain to have the ability to broadcast in colour. BBC ONE & the big 5 ITV companies - ATV, Granada, LWT, Thames & Yorkshire - had to wait until November 15th that year before following suit

[@markdillon5494]

The most important sci-fi show to ever exist. Everything spawned from this.

[@specialandroid1603]

Everything spawned from the film Forbidden Planet - including Star Trek

[@stevedickson5853]

Doctor who was broadcast 3 years before star trek in 63 , just saying.

[@neilwilliams4684]

@@specialandroid1603 I almost said that but that was a film, not a 'show'.

[@javiercastro8466]

I was flipping channels (all 4 or 5 of them) when I was a kid and then...this show appears and it was an instant, "Whoa!"

[@cstaeger]

This is amazing! It seems as if producers made sure the series looked great in black and white, too.

[@hannosolo]

Good to see that Spock managed his inner frown outer surprise reduction over the subsequent years.

[@garfieldsmith332]

The way I remember seeing Star Trek, in glorious B&W. We did not have colour TV until 1975. We would go downtown Toronto to Eatons to get a glimpse of the show in colour on the TV sets on display.

[@jasonpye4649]

Is Eaton's a department store?

[@robynzelickson6164]

@@jasonpye4649 yup from back in the day. They had a Christmas catalogue similar but not as good as the Christmas Wish Book from Sears. From Wikipedia: T. Eaton Company Limited, later known as Eaton's, was a Canadian department store chain that was once the largest in the country. It was founded in 1869 in Toronto by Timothy Eaton, an immigrant from what is now Northern Ireland. Eaton's grew to become a retail and social institution in Canada, with stores across the country, buying-offices around the globe, and a mail-order catalog that was found in the homes of most Canadians. A changing economic and retail environment in the late twentieth century, along with mismanagement, culminated in the chain's bankruptcy in 1999.

[@jasonpye4649]

@@robynzelickson6164 well those were the days I guess. I remember the wish book from sears.

[@robynzelickson6164]

@@jasonpye4649 yup they sure were. We used to circle what we wanted in the wish book first and then Eaton's after that. It wasn't as good as the wish book. It was a very sad day when Sears went under and there was no more wish book.

[@jasonpye4649]

@@robynzelickson6164 sadness abounds

[@boris8787]

Would have been nice if some of the Earth scenes were filmed in my favourite movie town. 🎥🎥🎥

[@kurtb8474]

This is the way I saw TV growing up. In black and white.

[@rodneylee4026]

Every time I hear this intro it's dinner time and I'm in 5th grade just came in from playing outside. Seems like this was on the TV non stop.

[@danielwilliamson6180]

RIP Leonard Nimoy. Nichelle Nichols. DeForest Kelley and James Doohan.

[@AdrianBoyko]

Majel Barrett

[@danielwilliamson6180]

@@AdrianBoyko "And now on BBC1, a new science fiction series for television. William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy set out to boldly go where no man has gone before in... Star Trek".

[@jasonpye4649]

@@AdrianBoyko and all the rest who weren't exactly primary cast like Grace Lee Whitney.

[@AdrianBoyko]

@@jasonpye4649 The Professor an’ Mary Anne (:

[@jasonpye4649]

@@AdrianBoyko ok

[@job38four10]

I didn't know this was ever in black and white, it's much better in color.

[@johnking5174]

BBC One was not transmitting in color until November 15th 1969, so the first batch of episodes of season one aired in black and white until Saturday November 15th 1969, when the episode Arena was the first one to be aired in color.

[@romonaelrod7870]

I was very young when Star Trek premiered in the USA. I watched it often in the 1970's. I have loved it and most of the other Star Trek TV shows and movies that have come along since.

[@eltel4498]

I remember watching this in colour when I was 7 years old. My father worked for a TV studio and managed to acquire loan of a colour TV through his job. Star Trek was a real game changer for me and I suspect influenced my life more than I suspect. It was exciting (most of the time) but also had positive views about the future that my young mind took onboard. 1969 - the moon landing, first flight of Concorde, Harrier transatlantic air race - the pinnacle of human achievement (well at least in aeronautics)

[@palerider964]

Spock was FULL of emotion at first...😊

[@xaenon]

Generally speaking, the very first few episodes of most new television shows are subject to 'fine tuning'.

[@xaenon]

@jdslyman Even the current ST:SNW. the show started with a lot of story threads and they're already weeding out several and expanding on others that 'work'. M'Benga's daughter, for instance. They can still revisit it if they wish, but there's no longer a need to keep milking the 'girl in a transporter buffer' thing, so they 'resolved' it. The other was Number One being an Illyrian. The moment that came up, I know that was going to turn into a major story arc, and I even predicted it would be the season wrap-up.

[@MrGchiasson]

Whenever I watch these TOS. episodes..I remember munching on 'jiffy-pop' popcorn when I was 12. I bought the paperbacks and comic books.. Couldn't get enough. Classic geek/nerd at the time..space buff, rocket club, science club and Star Trek! Now 2022...I watched this episode...with my grandson..on my tablet.

[@kiranerys6728]

Best show EVER ❤️

[@CarlosSanchez-bg4wf]

Yes

[@thisolddog2259]

Always on the edge of my seat!

[@francismcmenamin982]

As I recall as a five year old child the BBC always used to dispense with the opener, show the intro credits and then the opening teaser, unlike America!

[@rodtough2235]

As I recall as a nine year old child you are absolutely correct. The show was initially scheduled as a replacement for Doctor Who on Saturdays and my immediate thought was "Wow! Doctor Who looks so CHEAP compared to this!!"

[@crispin8888]

@@rodtough2235 I recall that too, but felt disappointed as there was 'no more' Dr. Who.

[@francismcmenamin982]

@@rodtough2235 Once Dr Who was in colour and had Jon Pertwee and Barry Letts onboard it was a different story! I loved Star Trek and Dr Who and even as a child could understand and follow it!

[@rodtough2235]

@@francismcmenamin982 Absolutely! Once Pertwee's run started it was back to loving Who again and then the joy of the Doctor and Star Trek happily co-existing (budgets ignored) right up to the present day.

[@francismcmenamin982]

@@rodtough2235 Spread the word to the infidels watching SNW, the Show Nobodies Watch! Also seek out Star Trek Continues!

[@celtspeaksgoth7251]

I recall episodes here and there when it first aired. What I found interesting decades later was catching previously unaired episodes on a random minor TV channel. It seems some were not broadcast on the BBC due to content deemed controversial. There was a Lord of the Flies story for example. As an 8 year old back then I'd seen nothing like Star Trek. Literally ahead of its time with an unmatchable cultural impact. Mind blowing and fully formed.

[@ewaf88]

I remember being driven home in my friend's parents Mk3 Cortina after a day out and just got in to see the last few minutes where Kirk is firing at Garry from near point blank range. I thought wow this looks great - I was only 11 at the time. Still watching it although a bit disappointed with Strange New World's - it's lacking something

[@laurak8240]

It's lacking Gene Roddenberry. And I'm saying this as someone who is grateful for every version of Trek we've ever had, and who enjoys watching them. But Trek was made into versions of us--our wars, our money-based economy (gold-pressed latinum, my foot!), our corrupt politicians, etc--rather than kept as Roddenberry's vision of how humanity (and other sentient beings) grew up and came together to form a better society.

[@ewaf88]

​@@laurak8240 Well I pray that there are no more musicals or invasions by cartoon characters in the New series of Strange New Worlds later this year. However the very last episode looked good, with hopefully an exciting conclusion

[@roxanneweichinger9318]

What a classic Sci-Fi show this was! Watching this video brought back some cool memories for me.☺️

[@CyberChud2077]

Crazy to think that UFO would premiere a bit more than a year later.

[@jesseMadoo]

Another great memory!

[@IvesMarcelin]

That is allways nice to see again this old serie in originale first version

[@dflf]

This is how I watched it. On a 13” B&W tv

[@christopherpearson3266]

When the BBC first broadcast Star Trek in the UK, they showed the opening titles first, then the opening scene second, when it was supposed to be the other way round. That was how Star Trek was broadcast in the USA.