I had the pleasure of checking out The Sixty-Year Mission: How Star Trek Changed Television And The World, and as a millennial who came into the fandom in adulthood, I learned a lot. Sure, there was much I already knew about the history of TOS, but one thing I loved about this doc was how it spoke about the shows that inspired it.
As we wait for news about when we’ll be watching more Trek with our Paramount+ subscription, or when that in-development movie will hit theaters, I’m going to spend my time seeking out these movies and shows that influenced the original series.
The Lieutenant
I guess it’s silly in hindsight to assume Gene Roddenberry’s first television series was Star Trek, but this documentary was the first I’d ever learned of The Lieutenant. The military series only lasted for one season, but as many said in the doc, it contained a lot of the bones of what would become the beloved sci-fi franchise. It also featured a ton of the same cast, such as Nichelle Nichols, Leonard Nimoy, Walter Koenig, and many more.
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Unfortunately, the series isn’t available to stream, though the entire series can be purchased. The brief clips I saw in the Star Trek doc have me intrigued, especially seeing how different Nimoy’s character is compared to Spock.
Forbidden Planet
Forbidden Planet is one of the most acclaimed sci-fi films of all time, and to be frank, I should’ve checked it out before I learned of its influence on Star Trek. It’s fair to say almost all of the best sci-fi movies were inspired by this 1956 film. Based on William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, it’s centered around a starship crew visiting a “strange new world.”
Forbidden Planet is available to watch right now on Tubi, which means it’s absolutely free. If you can handle watching it with ads, what are you waiting for?
Master Of The World
The connection between Master Of The World and Star Trek may not be immediately clear at first, but after watching The Sixty-Year Mission: How Star Trek Changed Television And The World, I get it. Both projects feature a crew from all parts of the world/universe, and they’re all united in their shared mission to help others. It all comes down to diversity being the key to unity, or IDIC, as Trekkies might say.
Readers can actually check this one out on demand if they have a YouTube TV subscription, so hop on it if you feel so inclined. I love the use of color, which is also something I appreciate about the early era of Star Trek.
These projects aside, I do encourage any Star Trek fan to check out The Sixty-Year Mission: How Star Trek Changed Television And The World when they get the opportunity. Screenings are quickly fading out after the release in the United States, but the doc is about to start its run in the UK. After that, I’m hoping it’ll find a home on streaming.
