The Age of Fesarius
On November 10th 1966 “The Corbomite Maneuver” first aired on NBC television as Star Trek’s 10th episode. But it had actually been the first filmed episode of regular series production, and sort of an unofficial “third pilot” for the show. Here’s a 54th anniversary look at the episode focused on the First Federation flagship Fesarius, and a look at Clint Howard as its surprising captain, with photos never before seen publicly.
![John Belushi’s Last [Video] Trek](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d8938941257b15f27f817c2/1598000734815-8NY1QSBMBKSH8759KE4H/Belushi+Kirk+LLAP+on+TV2+WM+.png)
John Belushi’s Last [Video] Trek
Saturday Night Live bowed 45 years ago today, and the late great John Belushi appeared in its very first sketch.
Back in May we shone a light on the myth that Belushi spent part of his last full day on Earth visiting the set of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Here, in memory of Belushi’s SNL debut, is our video version of that story, narrated by FACT TREK Associate, Erik Braa (#VikingOfVoice).
The POLICE STORY Story
Police Story was one of the television series ideas Roddenberry brought to Desilu when he agreed to a pilot development deal with the studio in 1964. One of the other series concepts he brought with him? A little show you might have heard of called Star Trek.
But had Police Story’s story been a little different, Star Trek would not have been the same show we know and love. How? Read on…
Mea Culpa Culture
FACT TREK was established to try to get to the facts and get them as correct as the historical record permits. On our very first day we said if we made a mistake we could own it and post corrections.
That’s what we’re here to do today.
On August 26, the pop culture website What Culture published an article, “20 Things You Didn't Know About Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979),” (…) But, since the article went live, we’ve become aware of several oversights and outright errors that warrant a correction. We have submitted these corrections to the piece, but we’re going to set the record straight here.
We hope that by taking egg on our faces when we make a mistake, and correcting ourselves, we can lead by example.
Lucy Loves Star Trek?
Did Desilu president and TV legend Lucille Ball go to bat to save Star Trek from NBC, the Desilu Board of Directors, or both? Did she tap her personal fortune to make the show happen? That’s what the memes and many self-appointed experts say, but, as we like to ask, “Where’s the truth?” Read on to find out.
NBC & Black America, 1966
Although Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry enjoyed claiming that he had to fight for a multi-racial crew on the U.S.S Enterprise, just what was the NBC television network’s attitude towards diverse casting of minorities, and—specifically—blacks?
When Star Trek was months into production, and only three weeks before its premiere, NBC executive Mort Werner sent a letter to Roddenberry on this very subject.
John Belushi’s Last Trek
During a live commentary for a Virtual Screening of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), author Mark A. Altman made a bold claim about The Blues Brothers and Saturday Night Live actor John Belushi: that he spent part of his last full day on Earth on the set of Star Trek II.
As Fact Trekkers, we decided to get to the bottom of this. We searched through available production records and several accounts of John Belushi’s final days to see if we could verify or debunk this Belushi-Star Trek II anecdote.
Yeoman Jolt!
Why was “Cindy Robbins” in tests with Leonard Nimoy?
A longtime mystery solved. Our FACT TREK mission launched with the unraveling of the mystery of some long-circulated test photos of the young woman photographed with Leonard Nimoy in Spock makeup but sans ears.
Just who is “Cindy Robbins”? We have all the answers!
The Martian Within
54 years ago (the week we write this) costume designer Bill Theiss—who had worked on the early 60s fantasy sitcom My Favorite Martian—sent a memo to Gene Roddenberry about the similarity of Star Trek's “The Enemy Within" to a pair of second season episodes of the popular Ray Walston sitcom.
Did Captain Kirk duplicate Uncle Martin?
Archival Interview: Almost-Yeoman Cindy Robbins
Bubbling Cindy
By Dick Gray
There's a great volume of bubbling verbiage coming out of Hollywood these days about a new, young, blonde-type movie starlet named Cindy Robbins—the “champagne girl," according to the studio press releases.
To Baldly Show What No Fan Has Known Before
FACT TREK was in a sense, inevitable
In the 56 years since STAR TREK was conceived its fans and its makers have told many tales of its inception, its casting, its making, its struggle to stay on the air, its rabid fanbase, its life-after-death, its legacy, and its place in the broader landscape of TV history. Many such stories have been told and retold so often that they have taken on the veneer of fact and rarely, if ever, been challenged.