Star Trek at 50: Where No Man Ever Went

Karen: As we have reached the mid-point of the first season, I thought it might be interesting to discuss some of the story ideas that didn't make it into episodes in this first season (or maybe ever). Many thanks to Marc Cushman and his excellent book, These are the Voyages, Vol. 1 (if you haven't bought it yet, what are you waiting for?), wherein he discusses many of these failed concepts.

Karen: Stories were rejected at various stages of development, and for many reasons. Writing for a show as novel as Star Trek was not an easy task. Writers familiar with science fiction often came up with concepts too big (and expensive) for the TV screen. Those writers used to handling Westerns or police dramas just couldn't wrap their heads easily around the futuristic concepts of the show. So it was not unusual for stories to require a lot of hands-on from the staff. Sometimes they could be salvaged, but other times they had to be let go entirely.

Karen: In the first season, there were more than a dozen such stories which were either completely discarded, or reworked and produced in later seasons. Often considerable effort went into developing these stories, only to have Roddenberry or Coon come to the conclusion that it simply wasn't working. But perhaps a bit of an idea might be salvaged to be used elsewhere.

Karen: From the first season, prominent scrapped shows include Roddenberry's own "Omega Glory" which he had pushed again and again, and no one but he truly seemed enthused with it. It would eventually get produced in the second season, but grudgingly.

Karen: Science fiction writer A.E. van Vogt came up with an idea called "The Machine that Went Too Far," but apparently his idea went too far, and this story about an android who tries to take over the ship was reworked but rejected, although the second season episode "I, Mudd" had some similarities.

From "Elaan of Troyius"

Karen: Likewise, "The Galatea Syndrome" by Alfred Brenner involved the Enterprise transporting a hostile planet's leader to peace talks with another planet, and the leader's mistress used an aphrodisiac to wreak havoc on board. Although this treatment was disliked by Bob Justman and others, and rejected, elements of it can be seen in the third season episode "Elaan of Troyius."

Karen:  "Rites of Fertility" by Robert Sheckley, another SF writer, had the Enterprise crew turning into plant people. This one was rejected for a variety of reasons, including expense. 

Karen: One of the most intriguing, and perhaps infamous rejected stories, is "Portrait in Black and White." Fans have heard tales about this one at conventions and through other means for years. In his book, Cushman gives a detailed rundown of how this idea came to be. My short version: Roddenberry came up with an idea about a parallel world resembling the pre-Civil War era South, with the twist being that Blacks were the ruling class and Whites were enslaved. He handed this off to writer Barry Trivers to flesh out. Associate Producer Bob Justman was very uncomfortable with the whole thing, which included breeding camps, and he felt they had to send it over to NBC before they got too far along with the project. NBC flat-out rejected it, despite Roddenberry's protestations, and it died...but by the third season, a different story would use a blatant make-up technique to address racial hatred in "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield."

Karen: George Clayton Johnson, writer on the episode "The Man Trap" and numerous episodes of

George Clayton Johnson

The Twilight Zone, as well s the film Logan's Run years later, received an assignment to develop one of Roddenberry's ideas, titled "Chicago II," but it went nowhere. Johnson submitted his own idea, "Rock-a-Bye Baby, and Die," which involved the Enterprise becoming 'impregnated' with a newborn soul. As the being becomes aware of itself, it wreaks havoc on the ship. Gene Coon felt the story was too out there, and he and Johnson couldn't see eye to eye. Johnson went to Roddenberry for help and Roddenberry essentially said Coon, his producer, had final say. Feeling Roddenberry had taken the easy way out, and just generally annoyed by the whole situation, Johnson withdrew his story. It was the end of his affiliation with Star Trek.

Karen: One of the stories I find the strangest was titled "The Squaw," and was pitched by Simon Wincelberg, who had worked on "Dagger of the Mind." Essentially it is a cowboys vs. Indians story, where the Indians on the planet are primitive Vulcans, and the cowboys are human survivors of a spaceship crash. Spock winds up with the 'Indians' and one of them, a woman named Missie, becomes smitten with him. No, I am not making this up. This actually got through two drafts, but bad blood between Wincelberg and Roddenberry over the rewrites of "Dagger of the Mind" put a stop to any chance of our seeing Kirk and Spock riding horse -although come to think of it, we'd see them with six-shooters in "Spectre of the Gun" and they would encounter Native Americans in "The Paradise Syndrome."

Karen: There were many more lost episodes but I think this is enough for now (the second season had some even more interesting ones!). One thing is for sure: no concept was ever wasted! Even if a story never made it into production, some concept could surely be taken and reworked for another episode.