The Making of Star Trek The Animated Series

[@gallery7596]

It was the best written and most adult Saturday morning animated series ever as far as I'm concerned. Nobody who watched it as a child is likely to have forgotten the death of Spock's pet.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

I agree! It was so well written, and the episodes still hold up today.

[@daneblarer8837]

I was only 9 years old when this animated series debuted. I remember how I was so excited that this series was returning, that I couldn't sleep all night; it was the longest night of my life. When the show began, and the shot of the Enterprise came across the screen, I got all choked up with goosebumps. While watching this, that feeling returned. At school I would try to recreate drawings of the USS ENTERPRISE and this got me involved in model making. Thank you for sharing this with us. My childhood memories were better with Star Trek.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Thank you so much for your heart-warming comment. I am so happy to share my love of the Animated series.

[@allanbard6048]

We share similar experiences. But my most personal best moment was when I went to the Smithsonian in 2018 her lights came on for 15 minutes every hour or so. When I went, it was (of course) daylight saving time so the wait was longer. But being that close to something I'd seen as a child was awe inspiring as it was. When the time came, and the lights went on...I remembered that 3rd grader was awestruck and actually teared up.(My friend said I couldn't even speak for 20 minutes and had to sit down.)

[@wallacelang1374]

I am a fan of both Star Trek The Original Series and Star Trek The Animated Series. When I was a child in the 1960s Star Trek The Original Series was one of the few shows that I was allowed to stay up and watch during the later hours of prime time. However when Star Trek The Animated Series was originally on Saturday mornings I was a teenager and I enjoyed how it captured the essence of The Original Series while expanding on the various places and creatures that they could encounter. Live Long And Prosper. 🖖

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Thank you so much. It is so cool how Star Trek The Animated Series so captured the essence of Star Trek. And some of the episodes are really good. 🖖 Live long and prosper, as well.

[@bettyleeist]

Yeah,I remember watching the original Star Trek animated series when I was aged twelve.And,I knew about syndication in the early 1970”s.What we called;reruns.I have bought the animated series several year’s ago when I had lived in a different neighborhood.And,I love ❤️ my James Blish novels by the way!😊

[@scottvela2944]

I was about to say the same thing it was over the producers of Laugh IN that had a cow iirc

[@counterweight47]

This is the best description of TAS I’ve seen. Well done.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Thank yo so much for the kind words. Welcome to my channel, and I hope you enjoy my other videos.

[@Sp33gan]

I can remember seeing the ads before the first animated season began and I couldn't have been more excited. Needless to say, I wasn't disappointed. At a time when Saturday morning cartoons were getting dumber and squeaky clean of even intimated violence, Star Trek brought a breath of fresh air to my favourite morning of the week. I have to point out, though, that the Gold Key Star Trek comic book had a continuous, though occasionally sporadic run and the stories written in that medium were often as good as the original series and the animated one. The comics were popular with both kids and college age adults so the brand was never quite forgotten.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

That's amazing. That is is so cool that you saw this live on Saturday mornings. I used to love Gold Key comics! Some great comics were published back then.

[@nunyabizness6595]

​@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast Wasn't Gold Key notorious for not having who the writer or artist for their comics were or was i wrong about that?

[@Sp33gan]

@@nunyabizness6595 It's true, they rarely gave credits, staying within the precedent set by most of comic book history. Up until EC Comics in the early 50s, it was uncommon for any publisher to give creator credits. By the time of Gold Key's arrival in 1962, it was still abnormal for any of the small publishers to allow credits to be shown. Gold Key, Archie, Harvey, Disney under any imprint, and several others rarely gave credit.

[@henrikharbin5521]

I started watching TOS when I was 3 years old, in 1968, with my brothers. TAS was my show for years and I loved it. At the same time, the Gold Key comics were out, and later,we had the Balls time novels ... So I was immersed in it and I loved it. And yes... I still watch TAS on Prime.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Ah, Gold Key comics! I loved them. Gold Key made some of the best comics of my childhood. The TAS episodes still hold up incredibly well!

[@nicevmax]

Always been a fan of the show, I was 10 years old in 66 when it went on the air, and loved it. Watched it in syndication and in 73 when I was 17 watched the animated series I loved that too. I now have it on DVD and it just so happens that I am going through it and watching all the episodes again after not watching it for some time. Great video really enjoyed it keep up the great work.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Thank you so much for the kind words. It really impressed me how well the TAS episodes hold up.

[@SpeedRacer-RacerMotors]

I was that perfect age to watch in 1974 being 9. I would sit glued to the tv holding my Mego Star Trek figures The way I always felt about it was since TOS was 3 years and the animated was 2 seasons that it gave us the full 5 year mission.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

That amazing you got to see TAS as they were coming out. So awesome!

[@SpeedRacer-RacerMotors]

@@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast They make really great anime today and such but the 70s were the golden age of children. All the cartoons, the freedom and OG Star Wars. It was TV nirvana.

[@omnimetric84]

Born in ’62, I was a fan from the very beginning on our 19” B&W TV. The animated series made my Sat mornings for years (same TV). I’ve always considered it canon.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

For me, the Animated Series is 100% canon. Thank you so much for your post.

[@StruggleoftheOutsider]

The idea of "canon" in fiction is largely ludicrous to me. It is All fiction, they are stories. Enjoy the stories you find engaging, but none of it is real.

[@Mr_Kenneth]

Loved this as a kid. Didn't even think about it being Filmation - I raced home from school, chuffed to watch new a Star Trek show

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

That's incredible! Thank you for your post!

[@nunyabizness6595]

Needed more episodes!❤❤❤

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Yes! I would love more episodes of this awesome show!

[@marpsr]

Always had a soft spot for this one. I’m sure watching it on Saturday mornings as a child has something to do with that, but it’s definitely well done. Should be canon.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

That is so cool you were able to see it live on Saturday mornings. 😀 And I agree. For me, this is canon.

[@CraigWhitley-c1m]

I am a fan of both Star Trek TOS and Star Trek Animated Series which is an Excellent and Phenomenal Series

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

I agree! Such a great series.

[@JamesA1102]

Paramount had no control over Star Trek’s time slot. NBC, the network which broadcast the show, controlled that.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Oh, you are 100% correct. My mistake. Thank you for clearing that up. 😊

[@thebagnechannel3183]

I might need to rewatch this series. I love the tie in to Lower Decks.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Yes! Give it a try! It's on Paramount Plus. On that note, I need to finish Lower Decks.

[@jasontoddman7265]

I'm so glad to see this show finally getting some of the recognition it deserves. I was a teenager when this first came out in 1973, and the only new Star Trek we were getting or had any hope of getting the previous few years were poorly-written novels and even more poorly-written comic books published by Gold Key (which made some excellent comic books overall at the time but kind of fell down on the job when it came to Star Trek). So to me the animated series was a bright light inside a dark tunnel that kept Star Trek alive at a time when there seemed to be little hope of its continuation let alone revival. Filmation itself was I have felt badly underappreciated and afaik was the last major holdout against American studios outsourcing all their animation to other countries like Japan and South Korea.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

It is indeed incredible that this TAS exists. It is such an amazing series.

[@jasontoddman7265]

@@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast Wholeheartedly agree. I have always wished they had kept making more. Animation wasn't the greatest and the continually reused clips were what they were, but I didn't care. I was enjoying the stories too much to even notice these the first couple of times, and imo the beautiful art, imaginative stories, and voice acting by the same actors were than enough to make it a worthwhile series to me.

[@indetigersscifireview4360]

Larry Niven also adapted one of his short stories for The Animated Series called The Shaver Weapon. Larry's known space series of books is hard sci Fi and his adaptation brought the Kzinti into the Trek universe.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

I also loved Larry Niven when he played Rebecca Howe's father on Cheers.

[@CGRREDACTED]

I know it was a very simply drawn show but when you're a kid you don't care I love when this came out on VHS I made a deal with the suncoast store for a discount if I bought the entire collection. Which is at the time was it being offered but they did it so I have all original still sealed VHS of Star Trek the animated series and then on top of that I was further elated when they finally released the special limited edition on DVD in these plastic Star Trek symbol cases I love it I'm so glad filmation made it.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Me too! I appreciate your post. I can feel your passion and love of the series through your post, and it makes me smile! Thank you for your comment and welcome to my channel.

[@philipanderson5529]

DC Fontana was brilliant! Absolutely loved her!

[@samr.england613]

Gene Coon as well.

[@gallery7596]

Her re-write of "City On The Edge Of Forever" is, in my opinion, superior to Harlan Ellison's original script.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

She was indeed incredible!

[@davidlewis1787]

I loved the music as a kid and still do

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

You are so right. The music is next level. I like the opening music better than the Original Series.

[@allanbard6048]

I am so blessed. My friend in 3rd grade introduced me to Star Trek. Within a few months I had the books, model kits, Mego Figures, etc. (this was 1973). So I had it back to front. The perfect timing of TAS was almost magical to a 4th grader. BUT a 4th grader who was steeped in lore that could truly enjoy it. (1973/4). More merch came out and I was collecting with my friend.(I also remember how dejected we were that the AMT Exploration models were undersized.) The 4th grade me looks around at his DST "exploration set" of today with satisfaction, tho!

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

That is awesome. I loved those Meego figures. It was an amazing time to be a kid!

[@5argetech56]

I am so glad I can again watch it on Paramount! Good story lines, written by some of the original writers, such as D.C. Fontana! R.I.P. Nichelle Nichols

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

I'm enjoying it on Paramount Plus myself! And R.I.P. Nichelle Nichols.

[@DevlinDomini]

Was at just the right age to watch the cartoon, have the toys, and then only later see live-action Trek. Was like, “Mom, they made a show my cartoon!” and she explained to me how it was the other way around.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

That's such a great story! That is so cool that you were intrigued to Star Trek through the Animated series.

[@ivane5110]

Me and my pals loved this series back in the day, sure it wasn't quite as great as the live one, but 99% great is still something. It had the actors and Fontana and Rodenberry's name (which at that age we just happen to notice, but it helped) and finally continually real alien-looking aliens. That was enough to seal the deal and make us glued to the screen each Saturday. It being Filmation was really a help too because of how many of us loved Superman, Superboy, Aquaman, Teen Titans and JLA from them. Though many of my friends and I came to view it as the unofficial 5th year of the mission. I think that was because of the aliens on the bridge suddenly there without explanation. Guess we figured that there had to have been a 4th year that that change had happened in. Either way, we and most on th3 playground agreed it was canon (even if we didn't know that term yet). Fun memories. Thanks for the deep dive video.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

My pleasure! And thank you for the kind words. I agree with the Animated show being the fourth and fifth season. I also loved Filmation cartoons growing up. Saturday mornings were a big deal back then!

[@therichieboy]

Another great piece of work. Thanks!

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Thank you so much. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[@thomaskalinowski8851]

Nitpick: Jane Wyatt didn't voice Amanda in "Yesteryear," Nichelle Nichols did.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

According to imdb, it was Majel Barrett. And yes, that's how errors happen! 😊 It just does. But thank you for your post.

[@JoséMiguelMarquésCampo]

The Alan Dean Foster novel adaptations of the Animated Series are excellent! Would that these had made it to the movies with the original cast… Could still be done today with the right people, and with today’s technology. We can always hope! 😌

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Wow! I need to check those out. I love Alan Dean Foster.

[@JoséMiguelMarquésCampo]

@ like I said, Foster’s Animated Series adaptations are excellent Star Trek stories. They of course flesh out the actual TV episodes. Fortunately, he was given leeway to adapt the series to his heart’s content. And he did a very fine job. Makes for great reading!

[@mikey6214]

Loved the show as a kid in the 70s. In Canada we had it on Sunday mornings. CBC if I recall.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

NBC. That's amazing you were able to see it as a kid. That is so cool. 🙂

[@ArmyJames]

@@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast I’m pretty sure it was licensed by NBC to air on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), since many Canadian markets at that time did not carry NBC.

[@unclepatrick2]

The Animated series was what got me into Star Trek . After about 12 weeks of the animated series , the channel started airing the original series after the animated show

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

That's great that the Animated Show was your introduction to Star Trek. Amazing!

[@junmochung]

Great job on the video!

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Thank you so much!

[@Ken19700]

Five year old Spock is why I'm a lifelong fan.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Yes! Such a great episode. It added so much dimension to Spock!

[@Ken19700]

@@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast I could relate, I was also five at the time.

[@scottfitzpatrick1939]

The animated series is wonderful anyone dismissing it for animation is missing out on some of the best TOS star trek

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

I agree 100%. Star Trek TAS has some excellent stories that shouldn't be missed.

[@CraigWhitley-c1m]

❤❤❤As a kid I really enjoyed watching the Animated Series Star Trek and it is real Star Trek series and should be credited to The Star Trek Franchise because it is Worthy of its own Efforts

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

I agree! Star Trek TAS is real Star Trek and should absolutely be considered canon.

[@calebleland8390]

I had no idea that this existed until the early 90s. I was at my great-great-grandmother 's house and was flipping through the channels and saw it on Nickelodeon. It wasn't until much later that I was able to check the whole series out, and I love it (except for the bright colors). I do accept it as the fourth season of Star Trek.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

I also discovered this much later, although I remember some toys and comics during the 70's, but when I found it, it blew my mind that it existed. Now I'm a full-fledged fan.

[@scifiguy26]

Great video 🖖🏾 I love this show as a kid & I was happy it wasn't Goofy .. but I kept waiting to see Mr Chekov 😆

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Thank you so much for the kind words. It is such a shame that they didn't hire Walter Koening. It just doesn't make sense.

[@kyleking284]

This video was "Fascinating"😂😂⭐👍👍👍

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Thank you! Live Long and Proper! 🖖🖖🖖

[@marks47]

24:12 ""More Tribbles, More Troubles""

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Thank you.

[@hadji828]

Yes.

[@roberthutchison8197]

I LOVE STAR TREK no matter if it's real or drawn! It's a lot easier to watch the animated Trek because it's much shorter and so because of that reason I can watch more episodes in shorter time. What I usually do when watching Star Trek is to first watch live action then animated, on and on, which means I watch more animated than real action! I often wish Star Trek had been animated in the first place because of what you can do a lot easier that way. Just look at those colors and those monsters, plant and animal, not to mention the different planetary surfaces. I better quit now because I could go on and on and on, well, you get the idea. Live Long and Prosper fellow Star Trekkers...

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Thank you for your comment. I can appreciate your love of Star Trek. And I agree with you. I think the shorter run time of the Animated series make them easier to watch. And I have some to love the vibrant colors.

[@SamLowryDZ-015]

The series was first shown in the UK on Saturday tea-time before Dr Who and it remains my fav ST.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

That must have been an amazing double feature! Star Trek Animated followed by Dr Who! I'm assuming Tom Baker?

[@SamLowryDZ-015]

@@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast Yes

[@wilomica]

I loved the animated series even though I found some of the animation annoying. The stories were often good so it was always real Star Trek to me. As a pre-teen I may not have had sophisticated taste in s.f. but I knew what I liked.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

You are so right! The animation sucks but I continue to be impressed by the stories. Most of them till hold up to this day!

[@JimmyNotes]

Imagine if we could reanimate the animated series in a similar style to "Star Trek: Prodigy" using the original voiceovers of the main characters, but cast new voice actors for the secondary characters. It could allow for the stories from the animated series to to presented in a new way.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Oh man! That would be so epic. Let's hope!

[@JimmyNotes]

@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast it's an idea that's been in my head for a while. "The Original Series" did not get a good send-off. But by upscaling the animated series, maybe we could get a better version of the last 2 years of the five-year mission. We could even take the "lower decks" approach and create secondary plots focusing on the crew during those missions therefore allowing new stories to be told within the existing stories.

[@LLNYRN]

Loved this show to death as a kid. When My Grandfather gifted Me a Tape Recording Machine, I would tape the episodes (place the machine by the TV) every Saturday Morning just so I could listen to them (and the Music Cues) throughout the week. My only regret is that when My Grandfather took Me to My first "ST" Convention in '75 in Philadelphia (via New York City), I didn't pick up a few of the Animated Cels. Those cels were going for about $20. Now they are worth hundreds. If not thousands. But Grandfather placed a budget. And at 12 years old, I didn't see the value of Animated cels at the time. I've gone through VHS, DVD, and currently own the Blu-Ray Box of "TAS". It still gives Me Childhood vibes to this day. I also still have My GAF 3D Talking View-Master reel of "YESTERYEAR". Along with some of the Alan Dean Foster book adaptions. My Sister found them in a storage bin last year. I've not seen that stuff in DECADES!!! Got to meet Lou Scheimer at a San Diego Comic Con in 2000. One of the NICEST Dudes I ever met. He (and his Daughter) spoke of his love for both "TAS" and "FAT ALBERT". I always felt that FILMATION Studios kept much of Saturday Morning more "Adult" in those days, without losing the childhood enthusiasm of Cartoons. And had no issues involving Diversity. Especially in those days. Diversity and Inclusion came so naturally for that studio. GREAT VIDEO!

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Thank you for the kind words. Oh man, that would have been so cool to buy some of those animation cells. That is so incredibly amazing that you met Lou Scheimer. Everything I've heard was that he was a very kind man. Thank you for your post.

[@samr.england613]

NBC should never have cancelled or cut the budget (in half), or aired it on Friday night. TOS deserved to run for at least 10 years. 'MASH' ran for 9 years, and 'Bonanza' ran for 14 years. Oh and, "Gunsmoke"? Um, over 20 years. Besides the 'Andy Griffith Show', 'Star Trek' is one of the best shows to ever come out of US broadcast television.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

I agree! It's a shame they did that to such an iconic show.

[@samr.england613]

@@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast It truly is a shame. All those great writers (Fontana among them) and directors (Marc Daniels among them), AND actors, put out of work.

[@sail2byzantium]

The "Star Trek Academy" idea did survive: it became Filmation's Space Academy debuting in the Fall 1977, a live action show however but even using Star Trek TAS incidental music.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Oh my Gosh. Really? I will have to look into this. This is awesome! Thank you for letting me know! 😀

[@patricktilton5377]

Does that make SPACE ACADEMY part of the STAR TREK canon???

[@sail2byzantium]

@@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast Sure thing! Thank you! Also Trek related, the stories of Space Academy had much input by Samuel Peeples, who did the ST: TAS pilot (Beyond the Farthest Star) and the 2nd pilot of ST: TOS (Where No Man Has Gone Before). SA's timing as premiering early Sept.1977 strikes me as a definite Star Wars influence which came out about 4 months earlier in the year. Esp. as the show had to a have a cute little, R2-D2-like robot--named Peepo. Filmation did this too with their other 1977 animated show, The Space Sentinels, the cute robot named "Mo," (from M.O. = "maintenance operator'). Both voiced (synthetically) by Lou Scheimer. Originally called The Young Sentinels--the name was changed in hopes that Star Wars mania might rub off and improve the ratings, which it didn't, so just one season. Space Academy had great ratings but was quite expensive to make for Saturday morning TV (as probably helped by late 70's inflation) so the show was retooled as Jason of Star Command, with serialized episodes just 15 minutes each, instead of 30 minute stand alone ones, as integrated with the show Tarzan and the Super 7. JSC's first season starred James Doohan as the commander of Star Command, the operation understood to be a secret section of Space Academy (though SA's episodes and characters were not tied into the show--and SA's commander was played by Jonathan Harris, of Lost in Space fame). The 2nd season of JSC went back to the 30 minute format, with John Russell replacing Doohan, who left as he could now make much bigger money doing Star Trek movies playing Scotty. Both Space Academy and The Space Sentinels episodes are out there on the web (last I checked). Unsure about Jason of Star Command. Thank you too for your respectful homage to Star Trek TAS. The show gets its knocks but I always loved it. I was a kid of 9 when it first debuted and it was my full initiation into the world of Trek which I had only known peripherally before then . The animation may be of the limited type--but all Saturday morning cartoon studios did this. Yet, IMO, Filmation, with good commercial properties like Trek, or Tarzan or Flash Gordon, always strove to be a cut above typical Saturday morning fare, still made some excellent design and aesthetic choices from that restriction by which I thought the show always looked fantastic (well drawn and I loved that brighter coloring given us by Erv Kaplan, who also gives us those lush landscape backgrounds of TAS and other shows). I do go on--apologies for length . . .

[@hadji828]

In spite of a few minor errors, this is a great video. Thanks!

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Thank you so much!

[@gsr4535]

TAS was all we had back then. Other than the bad coloring (purple!), it was and is quite good!

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

It was such a great show despite the odd colors.

[@samr.england613]

@@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast I think it was great, in part, because of the 'odd' colors.

[@JoséMiguelMarquésCampo]

Truly excellent video. Totally awesome, absolutely! Thank you so much!😊

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Thank you so much for the kind words. It is truly appreciated. 🙂

[@JoséMiguelMarquésCampo]

Well deserved!

[@richelliott9320]

I definitely remember the Superman cartoons the trek toons eere great(mostly)

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Me too. I remember all of them. Superman, Batman, and Aquaman. But my favorite were the Superfriends by Hanna Barbara.

[@bucksdiaryfan]

Is there any other example of an hour long show that didn't initially do well in the ratings catching on in syndication like Star Trek? Most shows that are hits in syndication are half hour long, and usually sitcoms. An amazing feat but it shows how innovative and interesting the original show was.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

You're right. It's such a rare event hat it happened. Bu then again, Star Trek broke so many rules and broke so many patterns!

[@dondickerson9978]

Im 65 and I have the animation series on Blu-ray. It is so nice to see it when I want to

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

That's awesome!

[@mhklein57]

There is a series of Star Trek animations under the title "Start Trek Logical Thinking" which can be viewed on KZbin. Does anyone have any information on how this series was produced?

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

I'll check it out.

[@bonghunezhou5051]

1) There likely would not have been any Trek _films_ (another live-action show is a different matter) without a certain space fantasy film in 1977 raking in balefuls of moolah. 2) Was there ever any on-screen explanation for the absence of Ensign Pavel Chekov? 3) My favorite episode is "More Troubles More Tribbles" - but then that is the only one I have viewed thus far.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Thank you for your comment. I don't think the show itself ever explained why Chekov was not on the show.

[@elfeintwentyfives]

fun fact... a lot of aliens from animated tos characters ended up on st the lower decks

[@nelljrbr]

DC Fontana also wrote He-Man episodes, I know because I watched it a few time ago

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

DC Fontana was such an amazing writer. She is an inspiration!

[@Mozart12201]

6:15. The graphic for "Paramount" is missing the first "r". It says "Paamount bought Desilu"

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Oh man! I missed that! Too late to correct now. I wish I could talked to you before I uploaded it. 🙂 Oh well. Thanks for letting me know.

[@Mozart12201]

@@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast LOL. I have printed everything from cassette tapes to T shirts. I'm a terminal proofreader.

[@theessentials450]

Terrific series! Yesteryear is one of the best moments. Steve the Vulcan sounds very stupid.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Yes. So many great episodes. And you are right. Steve the Vulcan? So weird.

[@stevenewman1393]

🖖😎👍Very totally wonderfully cool and very nicely greatly informatively explained and executed in every detail way shape and format provided on Startrek the Animated Series, A job very nicely fabulously well done indeed Sir!; And I myself own all 3 seasons of TOS as well as the complete Animated Series and also all of the Startrek Movies indeed!👌.

[@kerry-j4m]

What about the other trek series ??? Star Trek the Next Generation,Deep Space 9,Voyager. Then there's Star Trek Discovery,Picard trek show & Star Trek Discovery,then Star Trek Strange New Worlds.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Thank you so much for the kind words. I hope you keep checking out my videos, as well as the other videos on my channel!

[@jpofgwynedd3878]

I remember being very excited for this show and bitterly disappointed at Filmation's cost cutting techniques. Even years later, I didn't mind it on Masters Of The Universe; I thought it just didn't fit... Considering how Lower Decks is animated... Mind you, I don't like THAT very much: the bridge crew get live action yet the unseen minions who make the ship work get a cartoon comedy sits badly with me. However, we have the audio... I'd love to see the episodes remade with less skinflint animation.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Thay would be so awesome if they went back and recreated the animation like they did with the Remastered episodes.

[@ReconViper1]

A few concepts from this show have been accepted as canon by fans. The fact that the first captain of the Enterprise was Robert April and that McCoy has a daughter. Also the existence of the Kzinti and the Caitians (Lt, M'Ress)

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Yes! TAS is canon!

[@christophersnyder1532]

Yes, I have the complete series of this on DVD, which in the complete DVD of the original Star Trek, they include the animated tribble episode, as well as the Deep Space Nine episodes, with the tribbles. There is also a Keep It Beautiful America ad, with the animated series. And this series established Kirk's middle name, and was mentioned in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, and J.J. Abrams' Star Trek. Seasons greetings, and nanu nanu.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Thank you so much! I hope you enjoyed the video!

[@christianboyd4635]

I fully believe that the animated series is Star Trek canon. It follows the events of the original series and basically competed the 5 year mission from the original series. I remember really liking it as a kid. It was kinda weird to have the alien helmsman replacing Checkov but at least Nimoy was able to get all the rest of the original cast back to do their voices.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

I agree. I consider it canon as well.

[@j.r.marchley1563]

With so many of the animated episodes being written by original series writers it definitely was well made for the limitations of its production budgets. Perfect no.. but truly Star Trek.🖖

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Yes! You are so right. Star Trek The Animated Series is so good, and I feel it is absolutely canon. 🙂🖖

[@countgeekula9143]

Absolutely canon to me. Love it. Wish we'd had more to cover the fifth year of the five year mission.

[@kenefdz]

My only quibble to an otherwise very well-done video is that you really should utilize a spell-checker more often because I saw at minimum four spelling errors in your captions.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Where were you when I was editing the show! 😄 It's amazing. No matter how many times you edit and proof-read an essay, a presentation, or a KZbin video, a few mistakes always seem to creep through. Unfortunately, I can't spell-check once I'm in the Video Text creation mode. Oh well! Too late to correct it now!

[@angelo2k1]

I counted 8! Horrendous!

[@joeescobar6575]

I really enjoyed this look back on the animated series. Here're some other things that it introduced: 1 Klingons using cloaking devices. More Tribbles, More Troubles 2 The rec room is almost identical to the holodeck. Practical Joker 3. "Safe tribbles." We see a tribble in Star Trek III and there doesn't seem to be any problem with it. I'd like to make one correction. Jane Wyatt was not in Yesteryear. Majel Barrett is credited with the role. I don't remember if you mentioned that Roger C. Carmel and Stanley Adams reprised their roles as Harry Mudd and Cyrano Jones. That's impressive for a Saturday morning cartoon. You may have mentioned this. I'm too lazy to go back and check. This one is very obscure, but as a kid I was a huge fan of the Gerry Anderson series, UFO. Ed Bishop (Commander Straker) was in The Magick's of Megas-Tu. This is an excellent analysis of the series. I appreciate your efforts.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Thank you for the kind words. This was an excellent comment. I wish I had you before I uploaded the video. 🙂 You presented so awesome info that should have gone into my video. At least people can read them in the comments. Thank you!

[@marks47]

Tribble sighting in TNG, as well. "When the Bough Breaks" I think. The one with Aldea, the cloaking planet that needs kids... The little girl had a tribble in a clear dome/cage.

[@joeescobar6575]

@@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast You're very welcome!

[@marks47]

18:55 No. Kirk's middle name was in TOS. I think it was Court Martial but it was definitely in an episode where he was being sworn in and the computer was reading his service record.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Really? You'll have to tell me which episode. That would blow my mind.

[@leandar]

No, the computer recording read his name as "James T. Kirk." He's right, "Tiberius" as Kirk's middle name didn't appear in live-action until Star Trek VI.

[@hadji828]

It was writer David Gerrold (think tribbles) that came up with the Tiberius name during the animated series.

[@FAMUCHOLLY]

I thought it was a good show at the time, but as more time has passed, most of the episodes were good but not great. Still worth watching, though. Thanks for the retrospective!

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Thank you for the kind words!

[@maundamartin59]

It's sad .. I bought the DVD SET AT THE GREAT ESCAPE IN LOUISVILLE,KY IN 2010 and I don't have it anymore...I MOVE STATE to State too much .Greetings from NORFOLK,VA

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Greetings! Oh, it must have been nice to own the DVD set. By the way, I did summer school for graduate school in Louisville, and so that city has a soft spot in my heart. I also spent this summer in Virginia, and visited some friends in Norfolk. Welcome to my channel!

[@maundamartin59]

@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast Born and Raised in Detroit by the way. But the transition was PARAMOUNT🤣(pardon the pun)as of 2024. I got some really cool children here That aren't into SCI-FI. That unattended trait comes from my EX.😂THANK YOU FOR THE WELCOME.

[@bflaminio]

Always been a TAS fan. I really like the way Lower Decks has leaned in on the canonicity of TAS. The bones of giant Spock, a Caitian crewmember, the return of the "Bem" species, and especially when Mariner looks up the old Enterprise crew it shows their images from TAS (even though the animation style is completely different).

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

I started Lower Decks and enjoyed it, but I fell off of it in the middle of Season 1. I need to return to it.

[@djplong]

I’ve long wondered if we could use TAS artifacts and modern CGI to make a new, updated TAS. Use the original voices, with additional ones, if possible. Use modern CGI to improve upon 1970s-era animation.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

That would be so amazing!

[@djplong]

@@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast - Star Trek: Prodigy has proven the job can be done. Some of the writers of those episodes are still alive and could flesh out the content a little. Walter Koenig said that if he'd known how good the series was going to be, he would have written more than one episode. Sadly a lot of the talent isn't around anymore to record additional dialog - but perhaps with the permission of the estates (and appropriate compensation) dialog could be looped or AI-assisted. You could turn 22 episodes of 24 minutes into a lot more than that and, although it shouldn't be necessary, that might be enough to convince more people that "it's canon".

[@TheMetalVagabond]

Love Star Trek Animated series, watch it every so many years, not much different than the show except for being a cartoon and new music.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Yes! Star Trek TAS is real Star Trek, and absolutely should be considered canon.

[@curtistate8524]

Very interesting video.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Thank you so much!

[@EddieBloecher]

I was up and at the tv every Saturday when it aired, followed be the live action Monster Squad with Fred Grandy (Senator, and Gopher from Love Boat) on NBC. 😊

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

That is amazing. 😊😊

[@CaptRobertApril]

Jane Wyatt did not voice Amanda in "Yesteryear", that was Majel.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Thank you for the correction. I just learned that as soon as I uploaded my video.

[@dr_cynix]

Super disappointed that you did not mention the Larry Niven written episode which was Star Treks first crossover with another fictional universe.😢

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Oh man. I should have included him. I love Larry Niven. I remember when he played Rebecca's father on Cheers. He was a great writer. Thank you for your comment.

[@Enevan1968]

Leonard Nimoy is a hero!

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

He is! He did so many incredible things, and advocating for Nichols and Takei is just one more example of what an incredible person he was. He is a role-model!

[@samr.england613]

He brilliantly developed, and played, the character of Spock.

[@HowardLewisShip]

My nitpick: during the segment on "odd colors", he identifies one race as "the Slavers" that were the Kzin (who were trying to unlock the Slaver technology). And of course, that episode was adapted from Larry Niven's Known Space short stories.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

That's right! I made a mistake. Thanks for the correction. 😊

[@EddieBloecher]

I HAD NEVER SEEN THAT PICTURE OF GEORGE TAKAI WITH LONG HAIR!!!! 😂😂😂😂😂

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

He was rocking the look! haha! 🤣🤣🤣

[@RodgerDodger196]

I LOVED THE ANIMATED STAR TREK SERIES NEVER WAS AGAINST IT! HAD NO IDEA FANS WERE AGAINST IT! NEVER KNEW IT WON AN EMEY HAD NO IDEA WHAT DC FONTANA LOOKED LIKE PROBY ASSUMED BELONGED TO A MAN BECAUSE I ALSO KNEW MANY FEMALE CREATORS LIKE IN THE 1800’s 1900’s were forbidden to have their names front and center-and having a name not saying female may havee come from that ? Don’t know. HER EPISODES/Stories were some of my favorites. I KNEW FIMATION FOR FLASH GORDAN TARZAN AND ZORRO!!( yes a lot of scenes were reused But I ALSO GREW UP WITH CLUTCH CARGO!! And ONLY THEIR LIPS MOVED!!! SO I HAD WAY MORE MOVEMENT THAN THAT!! Also Amazing Spider-Man with our iconic song still blazed in my head $ I can SGILL HETE THE CAT LADYS TONE OF VOICE IN THE ANIMATED TREK! I like Anything with Time Travel and LA’s First ep was one of my fav’s. -MANY YEARS LATER WHEN I FOUND OUT A FELLOW FAMILY MEMBEF LIKED A CERTAIN SCI FI SERIES WITH NATHAN FILLION? There was I think a bruh ha about -something being out of order Or the won’t watch a certain BBC show out of order by. 🤣😂WHEN WE GREW UP! WE NEVER EVER SAW ANYTHING IN ORDER!!! & when a UHF channel showed ORIGINAL STAR TREK((THAT WAS THEEEEE ONLY TREK OTHER THAN THE ANIMATED IN EXISTENCE!!) IN ORDER!!! EEEEGADS!! LOVEY!!! STOP THE PRESSES!!! MAN THE LIFEBOATS!!!! ALL ENGINES FULL STOP!!!!! IT WAS LIKE A NAGIONAL HOLIDAY!!!! To see CAPTAIN KIRK AND CREW IN ORDER😱😱😱😱🤩🤩🤣🤣😂😎😎😎👍👍‼️‼️‼️‼️🤩🖖🖖🖖🖖🖖

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Thank you for your amazing and passionate post! I love it! 😄 Filmation's Saturday morning cartoon were a staple of my childhood as well.

[@adriangillock700]

Please bring star trek back

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Yes!

[@Fizbin1701]

This was a pretty good video, but it got a couple things wrong. Jane Wyatt did NOT return to voice Amanda in "Yesteryear" . That was Majel Barrett's voice. Also, the Tribble episode was called "More Troubles, More Tribbles", NOT "More Trouble with Tribbles". I'm sure dozens more pointed this out as well.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Thank you for your corrections. Always appreciated.

[@theuberbob]

It's actually called "More Tribbles, More Troubles", fwiw.

[@sonic31century1]

The stories were wonderful but the repetitive animation was tiring to watch.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Excellent stories, but terrible re-used stock footage. I agree!

[@gallery7596]

Music cues (some of it rather juvenile-sounding) played relentlessly also got tiresome.

[@RobertEricJenkins]

Great sounding narrator.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Thank you so mcuh!

[@jsfbr]

It was fun then, but not much rewatchable now. Way too slow, and everyone looks like Spock, no emotional expression at all.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Thank you for your post. The animation is stifled, but I think most of stories still hold up.

[@dale3852]

Loved it over here 🇬🇧

[@christopheralvarez3269]

Pretty sure Jane Wyatt did not return. Sounds like Majel Barrett.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

You're right! I just learned this after I posted my video. I spent my whole live thinking she was in this.

[@davidanderson3586]

I have just bought the animated series on dvd 🙂

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

That is awesome! That is something worth having! 😄

[@Chrisoula17]

I watched it!!

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

That's amazing!

[@earlperson741]

THEIR CHEAP LOOKING ARTWORK, AS A KID..... DID BUG ME A BIT......

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Filmation's animation is so bad! Especially the re-used stock footage. However, the stories were no good!

[@angelo2k1]

I am a fan but please spell check LEARLIER? EXCELIBER? PAAMOUNT? 10pm instead of 10:30. Is Is True? EPSIODE? OFFICALLY? OUTSTANING? CHILREN’S? OFFICAL?

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Thank you for watching, and thank you for the honest feedback. No matter how many times I proof-read, so many errors slip through. And unfortunately, you can't spell-check words on the video editor. I'll keep trying, but sometimes, it's just the nature of the beast: a timely release or one more day for another pass at proof-reading. You make a choice and commit to it. Regardless, thank you for your comment.

[@fubarmodelyard1392]

I loved the show but as a 12 year old watching cartoons I hated the animated series. Haven't tried to watch it since but now that I've seen Lower Decks I might give it another look. The colors and animation is still a turn off though

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

The colors are indeed very weird. But check it out. A lot of the episodes still hold up. So good. How is Lower Decks? I'm thinking of starting it.

[@fubarmodelyard1392]

Lower Decks is way better than I thought it would be. I didn't watch it until the Strange New Worlds TOS episode. The animation is nice and they often reference previous Star Trek series characters. What sucks is paramount decided to make this the final season, continuing their tradition of ending Star Trek shows too soon

[@nascarmadman]

I didn't remember it running for 2 seasons. Of course, there were only 22 eps so it was kinda like one season.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Season 1 had 16 episodes and Seaso 2 only had 6. It really was like one season with 22 episodes.

[@henrykujawa4427]

I tend to think the writing on average for the cartoons was BETTER than the 3rd season. This may be due to D.C. Fontana returning as story editor, after being missing from the 3rd season. I had no problem with the animation, because the show was simply WAY better than 95% of what was on Saturday mornings at that time! As an aside, these days, I tend to think of the cartoons as more "canon" than THE MOVIES. As for earlier... SUPERMAN (with Superboy cartoons as well) was 1966, AQUAMAN (plus other new cartoons) was 1967, BATMAN was 1968. The first 2 were very nice. The BATMANs, even at the time, sucked by comparison. Even at age 9 I sensed a drop in quality, just as the Adam West series dropped in quality between each season. I only recently found out Joe Simon was story editor on the '68 BATMAN cartoons. That probably explains a lot.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

I agree with you. I think the Animated Series had more percentage of excellent episodes and less "bad" episodes compared to TOS Season 3. The quality of the animation never bothered me either because the stories and the voice acting were so good.

[@mhklein57]

I'm curious. Why didn't the animated series use the same music as the original series? Even the theme is different.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

I'm not sure. But I really like the music for the Animated Series. It is so awesome!

[@samr.england613]

@@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast Copyright issues, probably.

[@samr.england613]

Copyright issues, most likely.

[@misterlyle.]

Yes on copyright, but I suspect mainly due to budget concerns. To license the original theme was probably more expensive than creating a new one.

[@samr.england613]

@@misterlyle. You're probably right. It sucks that out of goodwill, and love of concept, they wouldn't just let the others use the original score. But, of course, legal reality is another thing.

[@EddieBloecher]

This series is the very first time Kirk's middle name Tyberius is ever used. Also that Spock's mother's maiden name was Amanda Grayson. Also first appearance of Commodore April. I FULLY LOOK AT THIS SERIES AS ABSOLUTELY CANON. I don't care what anyone says.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Those facts are presented in this video. Please watch the video! 😊

[@chrisdale3087]

The Animated Series stories have sequels to previous stories, have been with intelligence and care, and have better writing than anything being written and made today. Abrams botched and raped version of Roddenberry's legacy can't even hold a candle to this animated series, much less anything else.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

I really love the stories of the Animated series. They realy hold up well, even to today. Such great writing.

[@chrisdale3087]

@@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast Yes!! The were written by the original writers of TOS. So how can we go wrong with writing like that?

[@stu6097]

what do people think if this serious was redone but all in 3d using todays tech?

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Oh man! I would love it! I don't think they ever will, but if they did.... That would be epic!

[@samr.england613]

Traditional, hand drawn and old-school animation is more appealing to me. But, that's just me.

[@johnbeechy]

walter k did get a job working on the cdn production (TV) 'the starlost' . walter was in only 2 eps, but his presence was tremendous // he added more creditability to the short lived show.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

That's right! Thank you for the info!

[@chadryan9900]

I didn’t watch the Animated series until the 80’s when Nickelodeon aired it. I didn’t like the fact Filmation couldn’t use the opening theme from the original series. I know it was a budgetary thing but it just didn’t sound right.

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Personally, I love the opening music. I think I actually like it a little better than the classic TOS opening.

[@Superman679]

Not where I am from. I remember watching an episode while decorating the Christmas tree after grade school and after dinner, around 6 p.m. in December 73

[@TotallyAwesomeFilmsPodcast]

Wow! That is very interesting that it didn't air on Saturday morning, but rather in the afternoon.