127. Star Trek

The Star Trek franchise is one of the largest and most successful franchises in the entertainment industry. Unlike Star Wars, which is a very popular movie franchise, Star Trek crosses both film and television boundaries. Star Trek precedes Star Wars by about 10 years, having been developed in the mid-1960s for television.

The Star Trek franchise is one of the largest and most successful franchises in the entertainment industry. Unlike Star Wars, which is a very popular movie franchise, Star Trek crosses both film and television boundaries. Star Trek precedes Star Wars by about 10 years, having been developed in the mid-1960s for television. 

The original Star Trek series was a ground-breaking show that addressed many sensitive issues that existed in the 60s. The show featured a multi-cultural cast that included white, black, Asian, and female actors. This was unheard of in the 60s. During that time period, nearly all shows on American TV had only white cast members. 

The few minority actors in these shows usually had minor roles that depicted them as gardeners, butlers, outlaws, or misfits. For the first time in television history, minority members of society had positive role models depicted on TV. This diversity led, in large part, to the popularity of Star Trek. 

The original series ran for only three seasons, but gained a large fan base in the years following its cancellation in 1969. It spawned many future series. In all, there have been five television series and 11 films in the Star Trek franchise, which is nearly twice the number of Star War films to date. 

Some of the issues covered in the original series were racism, homosexuality, gender bias, religion, and drugs. The series developers did not shy away from these important social issues. The original creator of the series had a difficult time selling his show to the networks because of this. 

TV executives felt American viewers were not ready to bring these issues into their homes, but the series became very successful soon after it was launched.

Vocabulary Words

                                                           

No.	Word	Definition	Example Sentence
01	franchise	an authorization granted by a government or company to an individual or group enabling them to carry out specified commercial activities	The Star Trek franchise is one of the largest and most successful.
02	entertainment industry	the sector of the economy dealing with activities that provide amusement and pleasure	...in the entertainment industry.
03	crosses both film and television boundaries	exists successfully in both movies and broadcast series	Star Trek crosses both film and television boundaries.
04	precedes	comes before something in time or order	Star Trek precedes Star Wars by about 10 years.
05	ground-breaking show	a highly innovative or influential television program	The original Star Trek series was a ground-breaking show.
06	sensitive issues	topics that are easily affected or offended, especially controversial social matters	...addressed many sensitive issues that existed in the 60s.
07	multi-cultural cast	actors who represent many different cultures, races, and genders	The show featured a multi-cultural cast.
08	unheard of	not previously known or done; unprecedented	This was unheard of in the 60s.
09	minority actors	performers belonging to a small portion of the population based on race, ethnicity, or gender	The few minority actors in these shows usually had minor roles.
10	positive role models	people whose behavior, example, or success is emulated by others, depicted in a good light	...minority members of society had positive role models depicted on TV.
11	diversity	the state of being varied or composed of different elements, especially people	This diversity led, in large part, to the popularity of Star Trek.
12	series cancellation	the ending or discontinuation of a television program	...following its cancellation in 1969.
13	spawned	produced a number of new things, often rapidly (in this context, new series)	It spawned many future series.
14	racism	prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race	Some of the issues covered... were racism, homosexuality, gender bias.
15	homosexuality	sexual attraction between members of the same sex	Some of the issues covered... were racism, homosexuality.
16	gender bias	prejudice in favor of or against one gender over another	Some of the issues covered... were racism, homosexuality, gender bias.
17	social issues	problems or matters concerning the relationship between people in society	The series developers did not shy away from these important social issues.
18	TV executives	high-level managers or decision-makers within television networks	TV executives felt American viewers were not ready...
19	successful	having achieved fame, wealth, or a desired result	The series became very successful soon after it was launched.
20	developed	grew or caused to grow and become more mature, advanced, or elaborate	...having been developed in the mid-1960s for television.

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Comprehension Questions

                                                       

No.	Question	Answer
01	How is the Star Trek franchise different from Star Wars?	Star Trek crosses both film and television boundaries, while Star Wars is a movie franchise.
02	Approximately how many years does Star Trek precede Star Wars?	About 10 years.
03	What was a key feature of the original Star Trek cast?	It was multi-cultural (white, black, Asian, and female actors).
04	What types of people did the multi-cultural cast include?	White, black, Asian, and female actors.
05	In the 1960s, what type of cast members did nearly all American TV shows have?	Only white cast members.
06	What were common minor roles for minority actors in shows of that time?	Gardeners, butlers, outlaws, or misfits.
07	What positive thing did Star Trek provide for minority members of society?	Positive role models depicted on TV.
08	How many seasons did the original series run for?	Only three seasons.
09	How many total television series have there been in the Star Trek franchise?	Five television series.
10	How many films have there been in the Star Trek franchise (according to the text)?	Eleven films.
11	Name one social issue covered in the original series.	Racism, homosexuality, gender bias, religion, or drugs.
12	Why did the original creator have a difficult time selling the show?	Because it covered important social issues that TV executives felt viewers were not ready for.
13	What factor led, in large part, to the popularity of Star Trek?	Its diversity (the multi-cultural cast).
14	In what decade was the original Star Trek developed?	The mid-1960s.
15	What happened to the original series in 1969?	It was cancelled.
16	The number of Star Trek films is nearly twice the number of which other major franchise's films?	Star Wars.
17	The original series addressed many issues that existed in what decade?	The 60s.
18	The TV executives were worried about American viewers bringing what into their homes?	Sensitive social issues.
19	What does the term "multi-cultural" refer to in the context of the cast?	The variety of races and genders represented.
20	What did the series gain after its cancellation?	A large fan base.