WI: The Enterprise completes its five year mission (Star Trek survives for 5 seasons)

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JUSTMAN TRYING TO FIGURE OUT STAR TREK BUDGET AFTER GRANT, BERLE, ANN-MARGRET GUEST APPEARANCES

June 15, 1969

Star Trek show runner Robert Justman is reportedly having trouble with the budget for yet another season. After a highly successful third season where ratings improved to challenge Gunsmoke, Gene Roddenberry demanded more star power on the show, and he got it. He miraculously pulled Cary Grant out of retirement which was thought impossible, and cast Milton Berle for an episode. Although Grant is reportedly working the show just to get the feel for acting again, Berle is a huge Star Trek fan and always wanted to make a guest appearance, so Roddenberry's task for getting the famous comedian on the show was far easier. To top it off, NBC was able to pull Ann-Margret out of the movies to become a guest star at the suggestion of William Shatner, who wanted to work with a leading lady at least once in the fourth season.

Justman's problem is twofold. He was almost fired by Paramount executive Douglas Cramer for running over budget last season and ending up an episode short of the full 26 show complement for season three. Now, he faces the cross-currents of Roddenberry placing demands on the budget with superstars appearing in guest roles. When asked for comment, Justman said, "What else is new? I always managed the budget somehow in the first three seasons, and I'll pull it off in season four." What Justman is underestimating, potentially, is the salary demands superstars making one-time appearances will place on the show, which is still on a relatively limited budget, even with the 15% increase from last season.


CARY GRANT AND STAR TREK? THIS IS AN ODD COUPLE TO SAY THE LEAST

(letters to the editor), June 15, 1969

Gene Roddenberry acquiring Cary Grant's services for Star Trek is one of the greatest coups in Hollywood history. The fact that Cary Grant would appear on Star Trek is astonishing in itself, but I wonder, how is it going to work? He's a leading man, and Shatner is a leading man. Will there be an episode where the leading men clash over a woman? If so, Shatner's definitely got the short end of that stick, because nobody is more of a ladies' man than Cary Grant, that's for sure.

Justman:

Gene mismanaged the budget and made it virtually impossible for me. This eventually forced Doug Cramer's hand, and I had no more lives, like the famous cat, so to speak. He got his star power, the ratings remained high, but it changed the show's character. We liked the show to revolve around Bill, Leonard, and Dee Kelley, with an occasional show for Jimmy, George, Walter and Nichelle to show off their acting chops. We were still able to pull that part of the series off, but I was eventually called into that Paramount office one last time and Cramer told me, "We need a different show runner. You can't manage the budget, and we're putting Gene and Fred (Freiberger) back in charge."

 

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Gene Coon says goodbye:

One more bonus update for today:

DOOHAN, TAKEI, KOENIG WANT TO LEAD AT LEAST ONE EPISODE OF TREK

June 22, 1969

Star Trek co-stars James Doohan (Scott), George Takei (Sulu) and Walter Koenig (Chekov) have complained to Star Trek showrunner Robert Justman that they are being under utilized in their roles and would like to gain star billing for themselves for one episode for each of the three actors. Doohan was pleased with his role in the Romulan episodes "All The Devils are Here" and "They Shall Not Pass," but would like an episode where he is in command of the Enterprise, like Nichelle Nichols got in "The Y Virus" last season. Takei also voiced similar desires for his character because in the show, Captain Kirk often asks Mr. Sulu to sit in the captain's chair when he leaves the bridge. Takei would like a deeper dive into Sulu's role when he is placed in temporary command of the Enterprise. Koenig, as the newest of the co-stars and the lowest ranking character of the cast, would like to be portrayed in a less comedic manner and be given an opportunity to save the Enterprise as well. The three actors are willing to keep their pay the same in order for the show to stay within budget, but they are concerned that William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley are taking up all the screen time and they are being reduced to further irrelevance.


GENE COON PLANNING TO LEAVE STAR TREK

June 23, 1969

Gene Coon, a constant in the Star Trek script writer's room for the first three seasons, is leaving the show for health reasons. Coon was diagnosed with lung and throat cancer, and could no longer continue his duties as he tends to his health. Gene Roddenberry, Robert Justman and D.C. Fontana are considering elevating David Gerrold, Theodore Sturgeon, and even Norman Spinrad to main writers for the series' fourth season. Coon wrote 16 episodes for the show before splitting his time between Trek and It Takes a Thief, and wants to spend more time on the less stressful set of Thief writing stories as he begins cancer treatment. Gene Roddenberry said, "Gene Coon is the underrated 'Gene' of Star Trek, and we will miss him very much." Bob Justman said, "Gene Coon invented the Klingons and wrote great allegory for us. He is a tough man to replace, but he is a tough man and he'll beat cancer too."

Doohan:

George, Walter and I felt that we deserved a turn in the captain's chair after Nichelle got her turn. Nichelle did beautifully and we held no ill will towards her, but we didn't want our roles reduced further in case Bob and Dorothy wanted to elevate her further. So we reached out to Bob, and he told me that I was placed in command of the Enterprise on previous shows, so they did not have it in mind to do so again. So I pressured Bob and Dorothy again, and they eventually relented. I got my chance to lead the Enterprise and sit in the big chair.

Takei:

I planted an idea in Bob's mind. If Uhura was promoted last season, why couldn't Sulu save the ship this season and get his promotion? Bob really liked the idea and we produced a show called "Japan Triumphs," where I have to save the Enterprise because the rest of the main crew gets captured in a parallel universe where the Japanese won World War II. So I got to play the role of a Japanese imperial officer and save my shipmates.

Koenig:

They were never going to put me in command of the Enterprise, Mr. Justman told me. But they did remove some of the over the top comedic aspects of Chekov constantly saying everything was a Russian invention, and I got to be a serious officer like the rest of the crew. That was good for my character. What did the show in were the movie stars coming in as guest stars. We barely had any money to work with towards the end of the fourth season and they asked us to take a pay cut for the final five or six episodes. As co-stars, Jimmy, George, Nichelle and I weren't going to do it so it had to come out of Bill, Leonard and DeForest Kelley. Leonard and DeForest didn't hold it against us, but Shatner snarled at us for most of those last six weeks of production.

Justman:

Coon was a great loss. Nobody could write and re-write scripts at his speed, and his sense for allegory and connecting the issues of the day to a future setting was unmatched. I think the show suffered in his absence, but it was unfortunate because his health was starting to spiral downhill. He was a three pack a day cigarillo smoker, and that contributed to him getting cancer young. That's why I didn't smoke a lot, at least nowhere near as much as he did.

 

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Updates for today include a Life Magazine interview with Cary Grant and a Nichelle Nichols interview with Ebony. Plus, a special on the moon landing, which occurs at the same time (July 20, 1969) as IRL.

CARY GRANT: MY DAUGHTER WANTED TO SEE ME WITH MR. SPOCK

July 7, 1969

Cary Grant surprised us all by announcing that he would leave retirement for a brief television excursion on the NBC hit Star Trek. Why Star Trek instead of a more conventional show, America wonders? Grant is one of Hollywood's leading men and can take any job he wants in the movies, but he chose to return to the small screen instead of where we are used to seeing him romance women, on the silver screen. So why did Grant make this decision? In this tell-all interview with Life, Grant opens up on his personal life, his daughter Jennifer, his business interests, and his unexplained support for Star Trek.

Life: First of all, thank you for granting us this rare interview.
Grant: It's a pleasure to talk with Life Magazine.
Life: Why are you coming out of retirement to appear on Star Trek, of all shows? Couldn't you choose a more popular television show like Gunsmoke or return to the movies?
Grant: Well I haven't seen a script that I liked for the movies, so that is why I have not returned to the silver screen. Plus, I am 65 years old, with different interests, such as controlling a seat on the board of Faberge, and returning to the movies and keeping up my previous schedule would be impossible considering my age. Star Trek is a fun show, and they gave me a role as a President where I can boss around Captain Kirk and be a lead, at least briefly.
Life: You're going to be President Nixon?
Grant: It's a little more complicated than that, but the character has some Nixon-like mannerisms.
Life: We know you are a Gunsmoke fan and watch it most of the time on the television. So why not Gunsmoke?
Grant: I am a serious fan of Gunsmoke, but the producers always wanted me to play a Western villain, and I feel like that is out of my character. Plus, I am too old to play a convincing, dashing hero in a Western.
Life: We understand that you wanted to watch Gunsmoke, but your daughter Jennifer had other ideas.
Grant: Yes, Jennifer got to the television first one Monday night and switched it to NBC instead of CBS, where I usually have the television tuned. Jennifer pointed to Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock) and said, "That's Mr. Ears Guy! I love Mr. Ears Guy!" I told my daughter, "Jenny, he's known as an alien. That's why he has the weird looking pointy, spiked ears."
Life: So your daughter fell in love with Mr. Spock.
Grant: "My daughter was insistent! I was going to switch the television back to Gunsmoke, but my daughter kept on saying, "I want to see pointy ears guy, I want to see pointy ears guy, Daddy." And she put up such a fuss, and started crying when I switched my television to Gunsmoke. My daughter threw a tantrum. "Where is pointy ears guy, Daddy!" So I turned the channel back. I'm not that big a Star Trek fan, but Dyan [Cannon], my ex-wife, liked the show and often saw it with Jennifer.
Life: So Jennifer got her way. It seems that daughters always get their way with their fathers.
Grant: A daughter melts a man's heart like no other person in the world. This is for any father who has a daughter out there, it is a fact of life. Daughters always seem to win their fights with their fathers.
Life: Then something really funny happened.
Grant: My daughter said, "Can we meet pointy ears guy? Can we meet the alien?" I said to Jenny, "No, he's an alien from another planet, there is no way we can meet him, Jenny." But Jenny was never going to give this fight up. "Can we meet pointy ears guy, I want to meet pointy ears guy." So I told my daughter, "Down in Hollywood, I know the studio that makes this show. We can meet pointy ears guy there." My daughter loved it, and said, "I love you, Daddy."
Life: Then the phone rings.
Grant: The next day, I received an unusual call from Mort Werner at NBC. I knew Werner because he tried to get me on Johnny Carson's show, so I thought he was asking me to appear with Carson. But Werner shocked me with the idea that I could play a President on Star Trek. He said, "We have a distinct role for you, with your own dressing room, your own makeup and everything. The cast on the show loves you, looks up to you and would love to learn from you."
Life: So Werner somehow pulls off the sale.
Grant: I told Mort, "Well of course the cast looks up to me, everyone looks up to me in Hollywood. I am fascinated by Bill Shatner though. His acting is a little bit unrefined, but he could become a Hollywood great with some work. He has some classic acting skills from the old silver screen. Maybe I could teach Bill some of my finer points." Mort then said, "I bet your daughter is a big Star Trek fan, even though she's three. Little kids love our show." I then told Mort, "My daughter and I had this argument just last night. I wanted to watch Gunsmoke, and she wanted to see Mr. Spock. She won out, of course." So Mort said, "Do you want to join our cast for two or three episodes?" I thought about it for a moment, and said, "Why not? I get to have some fun for once in my life. I take myself too seriously sometimes."
Life: What do you think about the silver screen and the small screen and their relationship?
Grant: I think the quality of full length movies on the silver screen has deteriorated significantly from when I was the leading man in Hollywood. I never thought the small screen television programs would become of equal or higher quality than the movies, both in production quality and in script writing. But it has amazingly turned out that way. I want the younger generation to see a little bit of Cary Grant, like the World War I generation did, like the World War II generation did, and lots of youth watch Star Trek. So they'll get to see me for a brief time and make some judgments about my abilities.
Life: Thank you for talking to us. It seems like your daughter won this round.
Grant: Like I said, daughters always win their battles with their fathers. We have a soft spot for them like nobody else in this world.


NICHELLE NICHOLS OPENS UP ABOUT COMMANDING THE ENTERPRISE, THE BLACK COMMUNITY, HER CO-STARS AND LIFE ON STAR TREK

July 15, 1969

Ebony: Nichelle, it's great to have you back. You've become a huge star since we last interviewed you two years ago.
Nichols: I'm glad to share my thoughts with the magazine.
Ebony: So how was your experience commanding the Enterprise? I know it was a massive talking point in the black community that an African-American woman got to play Captain Kirk's role for one episode.
Nichols: Well I asked Dorothy Fontana, the woman in charge of creative control on the show, how about an episode where I have to command the Enterprise? Dorothy loved the idea as a woman herself, and even had me leading the Enterprise into battle! It was so fun sitting in the captain's chair. William Shatner told me he was afraid I would take his job, I did so well as acting Enterprise captain. In the episode (The Y Virus), I received a promotion to Lieutenant Commander, so I became the fifth-highest ranking member of the Enterprise crew.
Ebony: The show caused African-American viewership for Star Trek to skyrocket. We were represented as powerful and appreciated on that show. How do you feel about African-Americans embracing Star Trek?
Nichols: I know. Star Trek is a hit in our community now! Roy Wilkins, who runs the NAACP, asked me to appear as a major speaker at the annual NAACP convention. The ovation I got from the crowd was tremendous! I knew I made it as a person everyone looks up to in the community. I think to make my position as Lieutenant Commander Uhura a reality in the future, major changes need to occur in real life.
Ebony: Such as?
Nichols: Segregation is no longer the law of the land, but educational opportunity for African-Americans remains substandard compared to white Americans. We must improve our school system, especially in the major cities, such as Chicago, my hometown, and New York, for more black people to gain opportunity. I fear that a new form of segregation is occurring in our schools, where white families flee to the suburbs with all the resources, leaving poor, marginalized members of our community to fend for themselves with little funding. We must also improve our ability to attain high ranks in the professions, such as doctors, lawyers, engineers and scientists. We are not doing well enough in those aspects.
Ebony: I hear you, Nichelle, and completely agree. What do you propose?
Nichols: More funding for schools in urban areas which are being depopulated and have been depopulated by white Americans at an alarming rate.
Ebony: I see. You feel very strongly about that, and we do, too. So how are your fellow cast members treating you?
Nichols: They are a joy to work with! Even Bill Shatner, who gets on my nerves a little bit, is his jolly old self, cracking jokes, which are only sometimes funny. Leonard Nimoy is almost like an older brother on the set. When he laughs in the Spock costume, it's so funny because he leaves character and just becomes silly Leonard. DeForest Kelley got a little bit of getting used to because he's a white Southerner from Georgia and I'm a black lady from Chicago, but he's a sweet soul without a single racist molecule in his body. George Takei is so fun and also gets in on cracking jokes. Jimmy Doohan has about 100 different accents, and can talk in jive better than some of us! And Walter Koenig, he's like the young man on the set, so he never has to buy dinner for himself. We always take care of Walter because we feel like he has the worst role in the cast.
Ebony: Doohan is an Irish Canadian, and he can talk jive better than some of us?
Nichols: It's astonishing but true. Jimmy is ridiculously talented with his accents. In real life he doesn't talk like a Scotsman, like in the show. That's an accent he puts on, and it's totally convincing.
Ebony: So what about Cary Grant making his presence known on the show?
Nichols: Cary Grant walks on water. We couldn't believe it when we saw him on set. He came to the set with his young daughter, and asked where Leonard Nimoy was. So Leonard comes out, and Cary says to his daughter, "This is pointy ears guy, Mr. Spock." His daughter jumped in Leonard's arms and said, "I love you, Mr. Spock." Leonard loved that moment. We all look up to a man like that, of course. He's a god in Hollywood. We all tried to talk to him but he seemed to only be interested in Bill and Leonard.
Ebony: I wonder if old Cary wanted to kiss all the women on the set.
Nichols: That was the only other time Cary opened up to us! He was talking to Shatner about kissing a woman, and how Shatner was too crude with it. Cary wanted to demonstrate to Bill how it was properly done. So Cary walks up to Arlene Martel, who was guest-starring as a Vulcan character, and gives her this suave kiss.
Ebony: That's amazing. Did Cary kiss you?
Nichols: Yes he did! When Cary kissed Arlene, she broke her Vulcan character which she tried to keep, being cold and logical and all that jazz. Arlene screams, "Cary Grant kissed me, Cary Grant kissed me! I'm going to tell my grandchildren someday that he kissed me!" All in the Vulcan ears, no less. Everyone was in stitches. So I ask Cary, "Can you kiss me too?" So Cary said, "I heard you were a good kisser, so I'll show Bill how to kiss a woman the right way." So we have this amazing smooch, and I told Bill, "Cary's definitely a better kisser than you!" (chuckles)

 

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APOLLO 11 ASTRONAUTS LEAVE AMERICAN FLAG, STAR TREK FIGURINES ON MOON

July 27, 1969

When Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins became the first men to land on the moon, they carried seriousness and a sense of humor with them. The astronauts packed an American flag to proclaim that the United States won the space race against the USSR, and planted it on the moon's surface in perpeuity. The Apollo 11 goodwill messages from various world leaders were left on the moon, as a memento of history and potential future amicable communications with an alien race. But Aldrin, with his sense of humor, brought figurines of Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock and Dr. McCoy of Star Trek fame to also leave on the moon, next to the American flag. "Buzz is a bit of a prankster at heart, and we let him indulge himself," said Thomas O. Paine, NASA administrator. "We saw no harm in Buzz doing that, as Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock and Doctor McCoy are symbols of our potential future as a space-faring people."

 

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Updates for today include the cost of the guest stars appearing on Star Trek's fourth season, and another argument between Douglas Cramer and Robert Justman over the budget.

PARAMOUNT FORCED TO CUT $200,000 CHECK TO GUEST STARS, MOST OF IT TO CARY GRANT

August 4, 1969

If you thought Cary Grant would do any project for cheap, you are kidding yourself.

After Cary Grant shot his two episodes of Star Trek, he marched into Paramount's offices and demanded that Paramount executive Douglas S. Cramer cut him a check of $180,000, or $90,000 for each appearance. Grant reportedly enjoyed his experience on the show working with the cast and said that William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy were fantastic actors, but was upset with some of his lines and his portrayal as a villainous President of the Federation, angry that it lowered his stature as a Hollywood star. Cramer, a notorious penny-pincher, refused at first to pay Grant the enormous sum. Grant threatened to sue Paramount, and Cramer was forced to back down. "I'm going to have a word with Gene and Bob over this," said Cramer. "They wasted Paramount's money and I'm really upset with them." Additionally, Cramer was forced to pay Milton Berle and Ann-Margret $10,000 each for their single guest appearances on the hit TV series. Cramer is reportedly so upset with Roddenberry and Justman that he wants to remove them both from day-to-day operations and replace them with Fred Freiberger, a showrunner known for executing series on a shoestring budget. Star Trek's highly awaited fourth season begins on Monday, September 15, 1969 at 8:00 PM on NBC.


CRAMER PLANNING TO AXE JUSTMAN FROM TREK; CAST WALKS OUT OF SET

August 11, 1969

Paramount executive Douglas S. Cramer, in a meeting with Gene Roddenberry and Robert Justman, the showrunner for Star Trek, has told Justman he is no longer in the show's plans and will terminate him on September 10. Cramer is furious with both men about the Cary Grant fiasco, where Grant asked for $180,000 for his two appearances, or almost an entire episode's budget. Roddenberry was able to sweet-talk Cramer into keeping him around the series since he is the show's creator, and promised to get the show back on track from a budget perspective. Therefore, Justman was the odd man out. The Star Trek cast, upon hearing this news, went on a wildcat strike, furious with Justman's removal from the show. "Bob Justman is the best executive producer I have ever worked for," said William Shatner, the star of Trek. "I told the rest of the cast, if Bob goes, we all go with him. So once we heard that Bob was getting fired, we stopped shooting the episode we were working on and marched right to Cramer's office." Leonard Nimoy said, "The entire cast was enraged. Bob was the man who held the show together all these years, and we were getting him ripped away from us. He knew Trek better than all of us, even Gene Roddenberry, and we were going to stand up for Bob." DeForest Kelley said, "I'm a nice guy not prone to anger, but I wanted to punch Cramer right in his mouth for what he did to Justman. That was wrong, completely wrong."

Shatner, in his book:

Leonard, the rest of the cast and I were not putting up with that garbage. Bob Justman was our man, the man who protected us from the Machiavellian nature of the studio executives both at NBC and Paramount. So when Bob told us the news he was taken off the show, we made a beeline straight for Cramer's office and almost knocked his door down. I almost did some Kirk-Fu on Cramer before Leonard calmed me down. There were a few choice unprintable expletives between the cast and Cramer. Even Nichelle's bad side came out, and she is by far the sweetest soul on Earth. I think her language for Cramer was the filthiest of all.

Nimoy:

I threatened to quit on the spot. I was already eyeing the role on Mission Impossible at the time and this incident just pushed me further in that direction. It played a role in me leaving the cast for a few episodes in the fifth and final season. Herb Solow (our former showrunner) gave me a call from MGM and asked me again about joining Mission, and I told him if the chaos and drama continued in the Paramount boardroom, I would quit Star Trek after season four and join Herb's show, because I know Herb wouldn't run a business like that.

Justman:

The crew saved my bacon, at least for most of the fourth season. Cramer fired me in the middle of the fourth season. That was my last life, so to speak. In December, with about 5 episodes left to shoot, Cramer finally got his way and got me out. Even though people say Gene was involved in the firing, he always tried to defend me, and I got no sense at the time that he was planning with Cramer to push me out.

 

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September 15, 1969

Star Trek's highly awaited fourth season premiere, PEACE OR WAR, airs on NBC. This episode was relentlessly hyped up all summer by NBC as Cary Grant's comeback to show business, and it did not disappoint, easily winning the Nielsen ratings battle against Gunsmoke because of the interest around Grant's role. The Enterprise is called back to Earth and its crew sits in on the debate to attack Romulus and resolve the Orion crisis on the edge of its borders. Cary Grant plays Federation President Robert Matthew Norman, which is a play on the initials of President Nixon. Byron Morrow appears as the militaristic Admiral Komack, and we also get to see the reappearance of a Vulcan of Spock's acquaintance.

Captain's log, stardate 6583.2. We have been called back to Earth as Starfleet's flagship to provide strategy and insight into Romulan defenses for a potential attack on Romulus. Starfleet Command is evaluating Romulan strength in their territory and their defense posture. We have forced the Romulans back into their territory after their incursion into Federation space and Starfleet Command's posture is to retaliate. I am, to say the least, uneasy.

Kirk: "What do we know of this Federation President Norman, Mr. Spock. I haven't been focusing on the political affairs of the Federation with all the missions we've been through lately."
Spock: (A picture of Cary Grant appears on the viewer). "President Norman was recently elected on a platform of providing law and order to the Federation core worlds. He promised to prosecute the end of the Romulan conflict and a successful completion to the Orion civil war, where we are supplying one of the two factions."
Bones: "Spock, so we're going to be involved in more warfare, great. Starfleet is up to its neck in nastiness and dirty dealings, fighting the Romulans, fueling the Orion war."
Kirk: "We are Starfleet officers, Bones, and we usually follow their orders. By the way, I thought the Romulan conflict was largely over. They retreated back to the Neutral Zone after a certain Lieutenant, now Commander, destroyed their flagship."
Uhura: "Yes Captain, I saved everybody's bacon, don't let anyone forget it."
Kirk: "Yes, Commander. I was afraid you'd take my job full time after that."
Uhura: "You know I'm in love with this console, sir. That chair is nice (points at captain's chair) but it's still your chair, sir. But I might get a chair of my own like that someday."
Spock: "The Romulans have retreated inside their borders, Captain. Starfleet has commenced engagement in conflict inside Romulan space, with some success. There is talk that Starfleet plans to launch an attack on Romulus, and our insight is needed on their capabilities."
Bones: "That is suicidal, Spock! Who knows how many ships the Romulans have inside their borders?"
Spock: "Starfleet Intelligence knows, Doctor."
Bones: "What good is Starfleet Intelligence? As far as I'm concerned, they're not very intelligent. But I'm a doctor, not a secret operative, so what do I know?"
Sulu: "Entering Earth orbit, sir. I'm wondering if they laid out the welcome mat for such an important meeting."
Chekov: "I'm very uneasy about this, sir. This reminds me of an old Russian Politburo meeting where they already decided the outcome before a debate was even held."
Kirk: "Ensign Chekov, my feelings are similar, and your concerns are noted. Uhura, contact Federation headquarters. Inform the Federation President and Starfleet Headquarters that Captain James T. Kirk and his crew are ready to beam down and attend the conference."
Uhura: "Aye, sir."

Kirk, Spock and McCoy beam down to Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco to attend the strategy meeting. We see Admiral Komack sitting in a chair in front of the meeting hall. President Norman (Cary Grant) begins to walk into the scene, wearing a suit.

Komack: "The Federation President, attention! (All rise to attention)."
President Norman: "At ease, ladies and gentlemen, and take your seats. We are here to debate two points of order. The Romulan situation and the Orion civil war. My position on both of these is clear. I believe we should attack the Romulan homeworld and continue supplying the Orion Prime faction in their continuing civil war against their enemy. Any objections?"
(Kirk rises) Kirk: "Mr. President, I do not believe we can prosecute both wars successfully. Starfleet will be drawn too thin and I fear another Romulan counterattack in Federation space. We barely repulsed the first Romulan attack at Altair VI."
Komack: "We have the Romulans on the retreat, Captain. Our best chance to strike at the heart of the Romulan Empire is now, Captain Kirk."
Kirk: "Admiral Komack, are we sure of the strength of the Romulan forces inside their territory? We know the Romulans have a large number of vessels, but we do not know how many, sir."
Komack: "The Romulan posture indicates that they are on the defensive, and the President agrees. Your own actions contributed to our current success in the conflict, and for that, we applaud you."
President Norman: "I trust my admiral implicitly, Captain Kirk. I believe they are an aggressive people and would continue attacking if they were able to attack. I sense weakness in their actions."
Spock: "Mr. President, perhaps the Romulans intentionally want to draw us into their territory. They would lure us into a trap and destroy most of our fleet, leaving us defenseless from a second Romulan offensive."
President Norman: "I believe I have an answer for that. Another Vulcan acquaintance, an operative, has some very valuable information for us."

(T'Pring enters the room)

T'Pring: "Mr. President, I have very valuable information for the Federation cause."
President Norman: "Let me see it, my lovely Vulcan operative." (T'Pring carries a stack of papers to the President's table. The President kisses T'Pring's hand).
T'Pring: "I have the schematics for the Romulan Bird of Prey and the Klingon D7 battlecruiser, Mr. President."
President Norman: "Excellent, my Vulcan beauty, excellent."
Kirk: "T'Pring! She's a double agent!"
Spock: "It appears so, Captain."
Bones: "That two-timing, villainous Vulcan hobgoblin, Spock. You sure know how to choose them."
Spock: "Vulcans are not 'hobgoblins,' Doctor. And I did not choose T'Pring, my family chose her when I was a seven year old child."
Bones: "But what is her angle, Jim? She stole the workings of our ships, and now she's stealing the workings of their ships."
Kirk: "This is a mystery we have to unravel." (In the meantime, Komack pores through the stack of papers provided by T'Pring).
Komack: "This is the key to the castle. We attack Romulus at the soonest possible opportunity! T'Pring, you have most likely won us the war."
T'Pring: "I am honored, Admiral. Mr. President, you will go down in history as a legendary figure."
President Norman: "You are bold, my lovely Vulcan operative. We need more fearless, daring people in this Federation."
Kirk: "Spock, you must intercept T'Pring again. I need to know what her motives are. She is up to no good again, I am sure of it."
Spock: "Yes, Captain."
President Norman: "This meeting is dismissed." (Admiral Komack calls everyone to attention, and people depart the room).

In the next scene, Spock finds T'Pring.

Spock: "I find your actions in these matters highly illogical, my old bondmate. Why are you supplying war secrets to both the Federation and the Romulans?"
T'Pring: "We Vulcans must reunify with the Romulan people. They are our cousins and we must teach them the ways of logic they rejected long ago. This war is the best opportunity to forge one Vulcan people under one Vulcan flag, like in our distant past.
Spock: "Our distant past was full of war and barbarism, T'Pring."
T'Pring: "Vulcan will be a galactic power again with the Romulans on our side, either in victory or defeat. I preferred that the Romulans win the conflict with the Federation, but this appears unlikely, so I supplied their warship blueprints to Starfleet."
Spock: "So you want a Vulcan empire to eventually dominate the quadrant. We will be no better than the Romulans."
T'Pring: "When the Romulans were at an advantage, Vulcan and Romulus would be unified, and we would eventually infiltrate their culture with our logic and telepathic abilities, while the Romulans have the humans at our command. With the Federation at the advantage, Vulcan and Romulus will be unified under a Vulcan flag, and we will eventually overthrow the Federation and control it, with the humans at our command."
Spock: "Flawlessly logical, from your perspective, T'Pring. But illogical from Surak's perspective. Vulcans are supposed to be a peaceful people, and not involved in subterfuge."
T'Pring: "It is too late. You will launch the attack on Romulus, according to the Federation president. It is inevitable."

Back on the Enterprise, Kirk, Spock and McCoy debate their next course of action.

Bones: "So it's done, we will attack the Romulans and get trapped in Romulan space, most likely."
Kirk: "It appears so, but there is one other option available to us. Spock, what did you find out from T'Pring?"
Spock: "T'Pring is a Vulcan nationalist. She wants the Vulcans to dominate the galaxy, either through the Romulan side or our side."
Kirk: "So T'Pring is providing the President false information?"
Spock: "No, Captain. The blueprints she gave the Federation president were authentic, sir. She wants the Vulcans and Romulans to undergo reunification, at any cost."
Kirk: "Geographically, that's impossible. Vulcan is only 16 light years from Earth, and the Romulans would control a core world."
Spock: "Or we would control the Romulan core world and the Vulcans would eventually take control of their empire as a unified people."
Kirk: "So that's why T'Pring is playing both sides. She wants Vulcan to come out of this with greater power and potentially create an empire of their own. We must tell the President this. Spock, do we know the disposition of the Romulan fleet within their borders."
Spock: "Unknown, Captain, but it is believed they have at least 200 vessels to protect their homeworld."
Bones: "Like I said before, an attack on their homeworld is suicidal. Starfleet cannot organize a 200 ship fleet to attack Romulus."
Spock: "Starfleet can, Doctor, but we would be providing the Romulans more time to gather their defenses."
Bones: "This will just lead to more needless bloodshed, Spock. Will there be another meeting of the Federation Council."
Kirk: "Yes, tomorrow. They will decide whether to attack Romulus."
Bones: "We must stop the President from attacking Romulus."
Spock: "I find that possibility very unlikely, Doctor. This President is set in his ways, and apparently, T'Pring works for him."
Kirk: "We all work for him, not just T'Pring. We will make our case and hope for the best."

Back on Earth, the second meeting commences. As President Norman makes his decision to attack Romulus, Kirk, Spock and McCoy arrive in the Federation Council and interrupt.

President Norman: "What is this commotion?"
Kirk: "It's a trap, Mr. President. The attack on Romulus will be a trap."
President Norman: "How is it a trap. I have their warship blueprints, I have a large fleet at my disposal, and I have the better intelligence. We will attack the Romulan homeworld and achieve total victory."
Spock: "Mr. President, the Romulans have at least 200 warships available to defend their homeworld. Even if we won the battle, the Enterprise's wargame scenarios indicate that we would lose well over half our fleet, leaving us vulnerable to potential attacks from the Klingons and the Orion enemy faction. We cannot proceed with an attack on Romulus, Mr. President."
President Norman: "Your opinion is noted, Vulcan."
Bones: "Don't you remember old Earth history, Mr. President! In 20th century Korea, the United States of America bit off more than they could chew with the Chinese. They had almost unlimited numbers of men and dragged that war into a bloody stalemate. Our starship computer predicts a similar outcome because the Romulans have too many ships."
Kirk: "My doctor and science officer are correct, Mr. President. We must make peace with the Romulans in some way. I was responsible for the war's outbreak."
President Norman: "I believe we will achieve final victory against the enemy, Captain Kirk. What else do you have to say, before I give the order to attack."
Kirk: "There is also a Vulcan plot, within the Federation, Mr. President."
President Norman: "I want to hear this out, Captain Kirk."
Kirk: "Your lovely Vulcan operative who gave you the blueprints wants this war to continue because she wants Vulcan domination of the Federation. She correctly calculates that the Federation would not be able to control a restive Romulan people and that would lead to them joining the Vulcan nationalists, who would then turn on the Federation. We would be in a terrible spot."
President Norman: "Now that is something I have to think about."
Kirk: "Your options are different now, Mr. President. The game is different than you thought it was."
President Norman: "I will offer a truce to the Romulan homeworld. Due to our advantage in the war, we will ask for more territory from the Romulan Empire because they were the aggressors. The Neutral Zone will be reestablished, but closer to the Romulan homeworld, at the current front lines between our fleets."
Kirk: "Now that's a solution that makes sense, Mr. President. You will be known as a great peacemaker who won a war."
President Norman: "I will go to the Romulan homeworld myself under a flag of truce and negotiate the armistice. I will communicate to their leadership my willingness for peace. The Enterprise, as the flagship of the fleet, will convey me to their homeworld."
Kirk: "With pleasure, Mr. President."

At the end of the episode, Kirk, McCoy and Bones wonder how they were able to change the President's mind. Spock says that we appealed to his human instinct for human control of the Federation. Spock continues, "He feared that his own seat of power was at risk, from a Vulcan, perhaps T'Pring, and calculated logically that a truce was the only course of action." Kirk replies, "Well I'm glad we appealed to his sensibilities," and the show concludes.


Fontana:

Wow this episode was tense! Cary Grant was phenomenal to work with, and we were in awe of him. He wore his suit like he did in a lot of his silver screen roles and carried all of us on that shoot. I just wish the money situation with him didn't transpire, but he's Cary Grant and I guess he was entitled to whatever he wanted, due to his reputation. This was one of the highest rated episodes of all time, not just on Star Trek, but on any NBC show. President Nixon then appeared on Laugh-In the next hour and NBC had an all-time night. There was so much hype, and it delivered. Plus we brought T'Pring back, which Arlene Martel loved. She always wanted to do Trek, and we always gave her the opportunity.

Shatner:

Working with Cary Grant was one of the highlights of my career. I looked up to him ever since I was a little boy and always wanted to be the star he was. Maybe I didn't get to his level, but I wasn't that far off, with all the roles I played in the movies. He played a convincing President, and taught me how to act that little bit better. I don't say that often of many actors that they taught me how to act, with the possible exception of Christopher Plummer, who I later worked with so wonderfully on Star Trek VI, but Cary Grant was a positive influence on my career.

Roddenberry:

This was the highest moment of Star Trek's five year run. We got the biggest Hollywood star in the world to play a starring role on our show, and he pulled it off as we knew he would. The culminating scenes between Cary Grant and Shatner was some of the best television ever produced, I think. I was willing to pay whatever it took for that moment, and I don't regret it in the least.

Mort Werner, NBC executive:

Cary cost a ton, but I would pay anything to have him on one of our programs. Cramer threw the fit though, and although we hit a high point, it turned out that it was the beginning of the end of the series.

 

[dsp19]

Updates for today:

SHATNER, NIMOY LAWYERS ENTERED PACT FOR EQUAL SCREEN TIME, FUTURE ROLES IN TREK

September 18, 1969

In a previously unknown legal filing, Star Trek stars William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy negotiated a detente of sorts through their lawyers in 1967. The agreement was created because of the unexpected popularity of Nimoy's Mr. Spock character in Season 1, which threatened to overshadow Shatner's Captain Kirk character, the intended star of the series. The armistice between the two stars is believed to have Shatner elevated to a slightly higher profile than Nimoy, with a few more lines and a fraction more screen time than Nimoy in each episode. In exchange, Shatner and Nimoy were allowed to each direct two episodes in future seasons of the series if the show became a major success. Now that the series is one of the highest rated shows on TV, Shatner wants to cash in with his first director role, in a script he originally wrote and submitted to Gene Roddenberry in season 1. It is unknown whether Nimoy has angled for a seat in the director's chair as well, but this appears likely to happen because of the pact between the two men. Nimoy is reportedly pleased with the money and attention he is garnering with playing Mr. Spock, but fears being typecast and is believed to want to split his time between Star Trek and Mission Impossible next year. Nimoy is a fan of Mission and wants to help the struggling series since Martin Landau and Barbara Bain are about to leave the series.


NEW YORK TIMES TV REVIEW: CARY GRANT GOES TO ROMULUS ON STAR TREK

September 24, 1969

The second episode of Star Trek's fourth season, NORMAN GOES TO ROMULUS, was an unintended comedy as Cary Grant wanted to be his old romantic self again, and he got the opportunity to with the female members of the Enterprise crew. In the episode, Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock and the rest of the crew were ordered to transport President Robert Norman to Romulus under a flag of truce to end hostilities between the fictional Federation and the Romulan Empire. Instead, we received a barrel of laughs as Norman (Grant) tried to smooch up the Enterprise women and was continuously rejected. In one extremely funny scene, Norman attempts to romance Lieutenant Commander Uhura as she is singing a song to Spock on the bridge. Uhura replied, "Nobody interrupts my singing, not the Captain, and not the President of the Federation." Eventually, the Enterprise reaches Romulus, and Cary Grant's President negotiates the armistice with the Romulans. Kirk ends the comedic episode with the following words: "This is why I'm a starship captain, not a diplomat." The episode won the Nielsen ratings for the second straight week, the first time that Star Trek has led two straight weeks for the opening two episodes of a season.

Air date: September 22, 1969

Shatner:

That pact about me and Leonard, well the public was not supposed to know about that at the time. I blame the media for airing out our dirty laundry. Leonard wasn't pleased with it either, as I recall. It soured a bunch of relationships, and the remaining cast wondered why Leonard and I were hogging all the screen time. That made them envious, that's for sure.

Nimoy:

I didn't like the fact that Bill and I had our business known to the fans either. But we had to make the deal because Bill would have completely dominated the show with no other input from the rest of the cast. I was protecting Dee Kelley, James Doohan, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols and Walter Koenig just as much as I was protecting myself. Bill got a little too big for his britches, especially when Cary guest starred. His ego exploded after that because he got to share TV time with Hollywood's biggest celebrity.

Nichols:

Nobody interrupts me when I'm singing, not even Cary Grant! I made that point clear in the episode.

H.R. Haldeman, Nixon's chief of staff:

Nixon wasn't a fan of Star Trek, but he did watch the two episodes that Cary Grant appeared in because he considered Cary a personal friend. I think two weeks after the episode aired, Nixon got the idea, "Why can't I go to China? If Cary Grant could make peace with an enemy on a TV show, I can do it in the real world." Nixon did appreciate the work that Star Trek put into its politics. He understood that the Klingons were like the Russians and the Romulans were like the Chinese, and both were opposed to the Federation, which was like the United States. So in the real world, Nixon thought of the idea to separate Communist China from the Soviet Union, partially from the episodes of Star Trek where Cary Grant played a guest role.

 

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Update for today...

The next five episodes of Season 4 are as follows, with summaries of the stories if they were unmade IRL. The first two episodes of the fourth season were PEACE OR WAR and NORMAN GOES TO ROMULUS.

Episode 3: MUDD'S PASSION: Air date, September 29, 1969. Written by Stephen Kandel, directed ITTL by John Meredyth Lucas. The script is similar to the TAS episode IRL, but extended to an hour for live action. Mudd brings a love potion onto the Enterprise and hilarity ensues, with McCoy and Scotty attempting to flirt with everyone aboard the ship. Nielsen rating: 1st in timeslot. Critical reviews at the time indicated that "Star Trek had two straight comedic episodes and needed to return to being a serious sci-fi series."

Episode 4: THE MARK OF GIDEON: Air date, October 6, 1969. Written by George F. Slavin and Stanley Adams, directed by Jud Taylor. This was a 3rd season episode IRL, but they had the script already ITTL and used it in the 4th season. The story is unchanged from TTL. Nielsen rating: 2nd to Gunsmoke.

Episode 5: JAPAN TRIUMPHS: Air date, October 13, 1969. Written by Gene Roddenberry and Gene Coon (as one of his last scripts for TOS), directed by John Meredyth Lucas. In this episode, the Enterprise is transported into an alternate timeline after entering an anomaly. Japan has won World War II and the crew is captured, except for Sulu, who uses all of his ingenuity to save his shipmates. There are lots of choreographed fight scenes in this episode, including one where Takei performs his own stunts and acts as the star of the show. At one point, Takei finds a sword and starts to defeat the Japanese guards who are imprisoning Kirk, Spock and the rest of the crew. At the end of the episode, Takei is promoted to Lieutenant Commander, and Uhura says, "I still get to tease you and pull rank on you, even though you saved us, Commander Sulu." Nielsen rating: 1st in timeslot. Critical reception to this episode was largely positive, and Takei's performance was especially acclaimed, with the New York Times saying, "Takei has the ability to lead his own television series, Star Trek or otherwise, in the future."

Episode 6: THAT WHICH SURVIVES: Air date, October 20, 1969. Written by DC Fontana and John Meredyth Lucas (who is getting a lot of burn this season), directed by Herb Wallerstein. This was a 3rd season episode ITTL, but they had the script already ITTL and used it in the 4th season. The story is unchanged from TTL. Nielsen rating: 2nd to Gunsmoke.

Episode 7: HE WALKED AMONG US: Air date, October 27, 1969. Written by Norman Spinrad, directed by Marvin Chomsky. Spinrad is able to develop his original script into a shoot because Gene Coon is no longer on the show to rewrite it. IRL, Spinrad complained that Coon rewrote the episode to make it a comedy, and he wanted a serious episode with Milton Berle appearing as Kirk's adversary. In this episode, the Enterprise encounters a race called the Jugali, who are manipulated by Mr. Byrne, a Federation sociologist (played by Milton Berle in his guest Star Trek appearance). The Prime Directive becomes a key part of this episode, as Kirk and Byrne engage in arguments about its importance. They accuse each other of violating the Prime Directive (Kirk on other occasions, Byrne on this occasion). IRL this script was found in 2012 and placed on Amazon for a brief time before CBS demanded its removal. Nielsen rating: 1st in timeslot. Critical reception to this episode was somewhat positive, but Milton Berle was not fully acclaimed for playing a straight man, where he was known as a comedian. The New York Times wrote that "Milton Berle's guest appearance on Star Trek was strange, because he was not the comedic figure America knows him as. He played the straight, serious man as effectively as he could, but it was hard to suspend disbelief from the Berle we know in our world."

Takei:

I finally got to star in one of the episodes, Japan Triumphs. I got so much fan mail for that show, and got to display all of my acting abilities instead of constantly saying "aye, sir" to William Shatner. This episode inspired me to go to Paramount almost 25 years later and get my own series with Captain Sulu leading the Excelsior. It extended my Star Trek career, even though I left Hollywood to go into local politics after the original series run ended.

 

[dsp19]

Update for today is short, but is important because it adds a plot line to Season 4 that the producers initially did not plan for.

Episode 8: REQUIEM FOR METHUSELAH: Air date, November 3, 1969. Written by Jerome Bixby, directed by Murray Golden. This is a 3rd season episode IRL which was shifted to Season 4 ITTL and the story is unchanged. Nielsen rating: 2nd to Gunsmoke.

Then Star Trek takes a week off to catch a breather on November 10. Three days later, this happens:

LIEUTENANT ACCUSED OF MURDERING 109 CIVILIANS

By Seymour Hersh (Published in the Chicago Sun-Times, November 13, 1969). The link to the original story is here...

The Pulitzer Prizes

www.pulitzer.org

Justman:

We had already shot the majority of our fourth season episodes when I read about what Lieutenant Calley did in Vietnam. So I immediately called Gene and DC together and said, could someone write a script quickly that can be put into production as soon as possible? This would be a great allegory for Star Trek to play out. Gene agreed, because we had done Day of the Dove, putting our stance on Vietnam in clear view in the third season. So Gene and Dorothy collaborated and wrote this script called THE MASSACRE, and everyone knew what it was about. We used the pretext of an Orion civil war in our fictional universe as the Vietnam War instead of using a primitive civilization. We had the Federation arming one side of the Orion civil war, which happened to be corrupt. A Federation starship captain conducts a massacre on Orions he deems to be untrustworthy, and the Enterprise stumbles upon it. Kirk, Spock and the rest of the crew have to break down the conspiracy and bring the rogue Federation starship captain to justice.

 

[dsp19]

Short update before the main one today:

STAR TREK CAST PLAYING BASEBALL IN A LOS ANGELES LOT?

November 15, 1969

Two months ago, an intrepid observer caught the Star Trek cast, including William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, playing baseball in Los Angeles in their Star Trek uniforms with batting helmets. The observer reported that James Doohan was playing right field, George Takei was playing center field, Walter Koenig was playing third base, Nimoy was playing first base, Shatner was playing shortstop, and DeForest Kelley was pitching. Nichelle Nichols was sitting in the dugout, presumably playing the role of baseball manager for the cast. The observer was not able to recognize the three other actors playing in the field with the main cast, or the actors playing on the other team. TV Guide was able to confirm with Robert Justman, showrunner for Star Trek, that a baseball episode was placed into production and the cast were allowed to wear their favorite team's baseball caps to the set. The observer saw Nimoy wearing a Red Sox cap with his pointed ears, Kelley wearing an Atlanta Braves cap, Koenig wearing a Chicago Cubs cap, Takei wearing a Los Angeles Dodgers cap, and Shatner wearing the cap of the new team in Canada, the Montreal Expos. How Shatner got an Expos cap so quickly, we'll never know.

 

[dsp19]

Main update for today: TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME was the 9th episode of the 4th season. Written by D.C. Fontana and directed by Joseph Pevney, it aired on November 17, 1969. In the episode, the Enterprise gets a week of shore leave at Starbase 12 near Delta IV, where they encounter the USS Potemkin crew, who challenges them to a game of baseball. Hilarity ensues as some of the Enterprise crew learns how to play the game and attempts to understand its arcane rules. In this episode, members of the production cast, including Matt Jefferies, Jerry Finnerman, Gregg Peters, John Dwyer, and Jim Rugg, appear as extras, playing baseball for the Potemkin crew. John Winston (Lt. Kyle), Frank da Vinci (Lt. Brent), and William Blackburn (Lt. Hadley) fill out the Enterprise starting nine. Michael Witney, who appeared in "A Private Little War" in season 2, plays Potemkin Captain Whitney.

Captain's log, stardate 6854.1. The Enterprise is getting upgrades to its scanning system and deflector dish at Starbase 12, orbiting Delta IV. We have received a communication from the new captain of the USS Potemkin, about an archaic game called baseball. It appears as if the Potemkin bridge crew want to play the Enterprise in a game of baseball on the planet's surface.

Kirk: "So I wonder why they want to play baseball with us? It's an old game, and I haven't played it since I was a teenager, and only for fun."
Bones: "Baseball is a wonderful old game, Jim. I have a really good pitcher's arm, and if you need a pitcher, you've got the old country doctor to throw you some strikes and keep the other team off the bases."
Spock: "What is this game of baseball you are talking about?"
Kirk: "It's an ancient Earth game, going back to the 19th century. You play with a small ball, four bases arranged in a diamond, a pitcher's mound, a catcher to catch the pitches, an infield, and an outfield."
Spock: "I shall look up the specifics of this game of baseball on the computer memory banks to get myself acquainted. No such game existed on Vulcan."
Bones: "You mean the Vulcans didn't play baseball? We humans have something to teach you green blooded Vulcans after all."
Spock: I will glean my information from the Enterprise's computer, Doctor, and report my findings back to the Captain."
Bones: "Jim knows baseball, Spock. He just hasn't played the game in a while."

Spock goes to the computer in the conference room to look up baseball. He raises an eyebrow and says, "Fascinating. A very compelling, sometimes irrational, and sometimes violent game played professionally mostly on Earth's North American continent, but also in Japan and the Far East, in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. Some of the most famous baseball players were among the most famous individuals of the 20th century Earth era."

Kirk: "Mickey Mantle."
Spock: "Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, I can go further."
Bones: "Now Hammerin' Hank Aaron. He played in my home state of Georgia 300 years ago. He was as good as it got in baseball. Hank was an all time great home run hitter. There's still a statue of him in Georgia."
Kirk: "Yes, Hank Aaron was a great player. I remember the moment when he was challenging Babe Ruth's home run record. It was taught in elementary school."
Bones: "I remember the New York Mets, an expansion team, beating Aaron and my Braves in the history books as well."
Kirk: "It was considered the greatest surprise in sports history, the Mets winning the World Series that year."
Spock: "How was the game violent? Did the players hammer each other with the bats instead of hammering the baseball?"
Bones: "On rare occasions, yes. Very rare occasions. Baseball used to have fights, which usually happened when one pitcher threw at the other team's best player and the other team had to respond back in kind, Spock."
Spock: "Very irrational and illogical behavior, Doctor."
Kirk: "Let's hope this game doesn't have that kind of behavior in it. Let's contact the Potemkin."
Uhura: "Captain, a message from Captain Whitney of the Potemkin."
Kirk: "I'll be on the bridge."

Kirk and Whitney exchange pleasantries and Kirk apologizes for the incident that occurred in The Ultimate Computer. Whitney challenges Kirk and the Enterprise crew to the baseball game on Delta IV, and Kirk accepts. Kirk gathers the crew, plus Lieutenants Kyle, Brent, and Hadley, in the conference room.

Kirk: "Now baseball requires 9 players, plus a few bench players and extra pitchers in case of an injury, and a manager. I will play shortstop, because it was my position when I played the game as a youth. Dr. McCoy has volunteered to pitch, so that leaves seven other positions and a manager."
Bones: "I'm getting my old right arm ready to pitch all 9 innings, Jim."
Kirk: "I need someone very reliable at first base who is athletic and won't drop the ball. Spock, you're my first baseman."
Spock: "Yes, Captain."
Bones: "Spock has never played baseball and you're putting him at first base, Jim? What are you thinking?"
Kirk: "Mr. Spock is a very quick study, Bones. I trust him with first base."
Spock: "I can calculate the trajectory of a moving baseball very quickly so I will make no errors in the field and hit the ball at a high rate of speed with power, Captain."
Kirk: "That's why I'm relying on you, Mr. Spock. Lieutenant Kyle, you will be my catcher, and Lieutenant Brent, you will play second base. Lieutenant Hadley, you will play left field, that's an outfield position."
Kyle, Brent and Hadley: "Aye, sir. We are familiar with the game and we'll do a good job with it."
Kirk: "Ensign Chekov, ever played baseball before?"
Chekov: "No, baseball vas not a Russian inwention."
Kirk: "Get up to speed with third base, quickly. I need someone with fast reflexes there and you've got very quick reflexes, among the best on the ship."
Chekov: "Aye, Keptin. I wish we were kicking around a round ball instead. That's vhat the rest of the vorld did in the 20th century, Mother Russia included."
Kirk: "Scotty, what about you."
Scotty: "We never played this sport in Scotland and kicked that round ball around like Chekov. Although they played a version of this sport in England called cricket."
Kirk: "I'll hide you in right field, just make sure you catch the ball when it's hit to you."
Scotty: "Aye, sir. You're always asking miracles of me, Captain."
Sulu: "I was an excellent baseball player as a kid, Captain. Played outfield like the best of them."
Kirk: "Exactly, and you're going to be my centerfielder, hitting in the middle of the lineup, to anchor the team."
Sulu: "Aye sir, I can't wait to hold a bat again and whack that baseball."
Uhura: "What about me? I've never played before and never heard of the sport before, but I'd like to participate too."
Kirk: "You are going to be our manager. You are going to sit in the dugout and direct all of us on how to do things."
(Uhura pouts): "No room for a lady on the diamond. I can command a starship to victory over the Romulans but I can't play a game of baseball. You'll need me at some point during the game, sir."
Kirk: "I bet I will, Commander Uhura. Keep yourself ready to pinch hit in case someone gets injured."

Both teams meet on Delta IV and the baseball game starts. Bones strikes out the side in the first, and the Enterprise team takes a quick 2-0 lead on back to back home runs by Spock and Sulu. The Potemkin crew evens the score in the 2nd, on a 2 run HR by Captain Whitney, hitting 6th in their lineup. The Enterprise is retired in order in the 2nd inning, and Bones retires the Potemkin team in order in the top of the third. In the bottom of the third, Spock homers again with two outs to give the Enterprise a 3-2 lead. Bones says, "That Vulcan is a natural at baseball. He's really good." McCoy gets in a groove and retires the Potemkin in order in the 4th as well, striking out two.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, with the Enterprise up 3-2, Matt Jefferies (playing the Potemkin pitcher) hits Kirk with a pitch on the shoulder to lead off the inning. Kirk drops his bat in anger and threatens to charge the mound, but is held back. The benches clear but nobody fights yet. In the dugout, Bones threatens to get even.

Bones: "They hit the Captain with a pitch, Uhura. I have to retaliate."
Uhura: "I don't think I agree with that, Doctor."
Bones: "But we can't let them think we can keep on hitting our guys. Soon they'll hit Sulu, and they'll definitely throw at Spock because he's homered twice already."
Spock: "Retaliation is illogical, Doctor. We are ahead in the game and your job is not to allow any more batters from the Potemkin crew to score."
Bones: "I'll take care of who I put on base when I hit their guy, Spock."
Uhura: "I won't let you hit one of their players with that baseball, Doctor McCoy."
McCoy: "I have to do it. There has to be a response."

In the top of the fifth, McCoy hits Captain Whitney and all hell breaks loose. Whitney charges the mound and a full fledged brawl breaks out. Kirk does his Kirk-Fu on a couple of Potemkin crewmembers, while Spock does a mild Vulcan nerve pinch on Whitney just as he is about to hammer McCoy. Chekov and Scotty also get involved in the melee. The fight scene goes on for about 2 minutes, and then everyone takes a break.

We move to the top of the 7th inning. Whitney singles and Rugg doubles, scoring the Potemkin captain and tying the game at 3. Jerry Finnerman (playing a Potemkin crewmember) singles in Rugg and the Potemkin leads 4-3. During this time, Matt Jefferies, playing the Potemkin pitcher, gets into his own groove and figures out that nobody on the Enterprise can hit a curveball, so he continuously strikes out the Enterprise lineup on curves.

In the top of the 9th, the Potemkin, still leading 4-3, loads the bases with two outs, with Dwyer batting. In the previous at-bat, Lieutenant Brent at second base injures himself diving for a baseball, and cannot continue. Uhura puts herself into the game at second base, as the manager. Dwyer hits a hotshot in the 1st base hole and Uhura miraculously makes the diving catch. She tells Kirk, "I told you that you needed me out there."

In the bottom of the 9th, Sulu (hitting cleanup, or fourth) and Kirk (hitting fifth) lead off the inning with singles, figuring out Jefferies' curveball. Uhura, who had to replace Brent, hilariously holds the bat with Kirk yelling at her to bunt. Fortunately for Uhura, Jefferies is tiring and throws a straight fastball; Uhura puts down a perfect bunt, advancing Kirk to 2nd and Sulu to 3rd. Chekov comes up with one out and the infield pulled in. Chekov thinks he has the winning hit but Rugg makes a diving catch in right field to rob him. Sulu scores on the sacrifice fly to tie the game at 4. With Kirk on 3rd, Scotty comes up with two outs. Scotty runs the count to 3 and 2. Jefferies throws another one of his curves, but it hangs, and Scotty gets bat on it and hits it up the middle into the outfield to drive in Kirk and win the game for the Enterprise, 5-4. The Enterprise crew celebrates, almost burying Scotty in bodies. At the end of the episode, Kirk says, "Well that was a fun outing and a fun game of baseball."

Justman:

I wanted to do a baseball show at some point because I was a big baseball fan. I originally was a Brooklyn Dodgers fan, having grown up in Brooklyn and seeing Jackie Robinson, Pee Wee Reese, Gil Hodges and the rest. When they moved to Los Angeles, I couldn't stay a Dodgers fan, even though I also moved to Los Angeles. Southern California was where I worked, but Brooklyn and New York was home. I was never going to be a Yankees fan, being a Brooklyn boy, so I followed the new team in New York, the Mets. When the Mets made their run at the pennant, I decided to put the baseball show idea into production. Everyone loved working on it. We gave Jefferies, Rugg, Dwyer, Finnerman and Gregg Peters SAG credits for appearing in the episode. They all wanted to play baseball too, and this show actually ran well under budget, because we only had to shoot at an empty baseball field in Los Angeles for most of it. We actually shot a scene of the show where McCoy and Kirk mention the Mets winning the World Series after the rest of the show was completed, just to remind the audience.

Fontana:

I'm not a big baseball fan so Justman and Gene helped me with some of the terms and rules of the game, but I loved shooting this episode! The cast did too. Fortunately, nobody hit William Shatner with a bat, although Nimoy jokingly took a swing at him.

Shatner:

If you want to know how I got the Montreal Expos cap, Rusty Staub gave me one that he didn't use, knowing that I was a fan of the new Expos at the time. It actually fit my head fairly well, which was surprising, because Rusty had a large head.

Nimoy, while shooting The Voyage Home in 1986:

There were times where I wanted to whack Bill with the bat, but I didn't want to hurt him that bad. So I plunked him with a baseball a couple of times on set. I also played baseball as a kid on the streets of Boston, and Ted Williams was my favorite player. We all wanted to be Ted. I could swing the bat from both sides of the plate, being ambidextrous, so I sometimes posed as Ted, or as Yaz (Carl Yastrzemski). At the time, Boston hadn't won a World Series in half a century, and those damn Yankees won almost every year in my younger years. Even the Mets winning in 1969 wasn't a relief. My Red Sox have to win it all at least once before I die.

Kelley:

I got to show off that pitcher's arm really well in that episode. It was a joy to shoot and as it turned out, I was the winning pitcher.

Doohan:

I wasn't much of a baseball player growing up, and didn't hold a bat that often. So we had to retake the final scene about 8 times before I hit that ball up the middle to win the game for the Enterprise.

Takei:

California kids love baseball, and I wanted to play baseball professionally before going into show business. I got to hit a home run in the episode, which was nice.

Koenig, on the Search for Spock set in late 1983:

I'm a Cubs fan, so 1969 was a bummer. I can't believe we lost to the Mets of all teams in the division. We'll never win the World Series, or even get to a World Series. But it was funny playing the Russian Chekov who had to play an American game. He was a fish out of water.

Nichols:

I told Shatner the crew would need me to win the game, and that's how it played out.

Jefferies:

Rugg, Finnerman, Dwyer, Gregg and I loved the opportunity to get on screen. We were always behind the scene, but that SAG credit will always be on my record. Shame that I had to be the losing pitcher, though.

 

[dsp19]

Short updates for today because I'm back at work in my office and won't have time for the longer ones until the weekend:

SHATNER, TAKEI CAUGHT IN HEATED ARGUMENT ON STAR TREK SET

November 20, 1969

Star Trek lead star William Shatner and co-star George Takei, who play Kirk and Sulu respectively, almost came to blows on the Paramount set where shooting for the fourth season of the show continues. The argument stemmed from Shatner being displeased with Takei being elevated on the show, having gained more screen time on several different episodes this season and featuring in the episode Japan Triumphs. Shatner appeared to be sitting in the director's chair when the fracas began, presumably over Takei getting his scenes and lines cut, and Leonard Nimoy had to break up the two actors on at least two occasions. Shatner has voiced his desire to direct one or two episodes in the fourth season, and it seems that he got his wish, because during other parts of production, Shatner was instructing the other actors on how to say their lines and holding the clapper board usually reserved for show directors. It is also reported that James Doohan was upset at one point with Shatner's directorial abilities, complaining that "he doesn't know how to do this. Bill should stick to acting, where he's a star. This directing business is not for him."


NIMOY TALKS TO SOLOW ABOUT MISSION IMPOSSIBLE ROLE

November 21, 1969

Leonard Nimoy appears to be looking for a way out of Mr. Spock's costume and ears. He phoned Herb Solow, the former Desilu executive and Star Trek showrunner who is now working as an executive producer at MGM, previously in charge of Mission Impossible. Nimoy maintains a relationship with Solow from his old Star Trek days and considers him a reliable leader to work for. Nimoy has also befriended Martin Landau and Barbara Bain, the Mission stars who are looking to leave the CBS hit series for the movies, and is working behind the scenes to persuade them to stay because he wants to work with both of them at some point in the future. Star Trek fans will be displeased with Nimoy potentially leaving the hit science fiction series, but friction between Nimoy, leading star William Shatner, and the boardroom at Paramount, led by Douglas S. Cramer, is forcing his hand. Nimoy believes that Cramer is more of a fan of Mission than Star Trek, and will be safer from the boardroom shenanigans and upheaval occurring on Star Trek at the moment.

 

[dsp19]

Later night update to get us through the first half of the 4th season, or through the 13th episode of the 4th season.

Episode 10: YESTERYEAR. Air date: November 24, 1969. Written by D.C. Fontana, directed by Herb Wallerstein. This story is similar to the TAS episode Yesteryear, where Spock is studying an Orion civilization but is replaced by an Andorian first officer when he goes through the Guardian of Forever. Spock must fix the timeline to ensure that he isn't erased. We get a guest-starring role from Mark Lenard, who obviously plays Sarek. Spock corrects the timeline eventually, and we see him as a boy on Vulcan getting bullied. Nielsen rating: 1st in timeslot.

Episode 11: THE JOY MACHINE. Air date: December 1, 1969. Written by Theodore Sturgeon and Meyer Dolinsky, directed by William Shatner. This was supposed to be the 25th episode of OTL's 3rd season of Star Trek, but IOTL, Turnabout Intruder is the 24th and final episode produced. Scotty falls in love after encountering the joy machine, and the Enterprise must figure out how to deactivate it before everyone on the ship is affected. With the joy machine's assistance, Scotty seduces enough crew members to take command of the Enterprise against Kirk's orders. This is the first time we see Scotty and Uhura interact in a flirtatious way. James Doohan in a future convention remarked that he got to sit in the captain's chair, but did not like how he was portrayed, because he felt the Enterprise was his first love. However, the Scotty/Uhura thing is explored further and the fans liked that pairing. Nielsen rating: 2nd to Gunsmoke.

Episode 12: THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR. Air date: December 8, 1969. Written by Jeremy Tarcher and Shari Lewis (yes, that Shari Lewis of Lamb Chops Play Along), directed by Herb Kenwith. This was a 3rd season episode IOTL but is shifted to the 4th season ITTL. The story is largely unchanged from OTL. Nielsen rating: 2nd to Gunsmoke.

Episode 13: DEEP MUDD. Air date: December 15, 1969. Written by Stephen Kandel, directed by Marc Daniels. Kandel wanted Daniels to direct this episode as a method of creative control for the Mudd character, and Bob Justman agreed to the request. Roger C. Carmel comes back to play Harry Mudd for a fourth time on the series, and a second time this season, because Justman found more availability for Carmel. In this episode, Mudd attempts to bribe the non-Federation Orion faction with very advanced weaponry to fight the Federation Orion faction during their civil war, which is a modification on Kandel's original script. This is the first time we see the Orion civil war played out on camera, because it was mentioned in PEACE OR WAR, the first episode of Season 4. Mudd eventually gets into trouble of his own doing because he and the Orion faction he is attempting to arm cannot work with the weaponry, allowing the Enterprise to win a firefight with the enemy Orion vessels. We see an Orion corvette for the first time, designed by Matt Jefferies, and we see Orion women dancing in this episode at Mudd's direction in order to seduce the Enterprise crew. Nielsen rating: 1st in timeslot, because everyone loves a Harry Mudd episode.

 

[dsp19]

Short update tonight, but it leads to major fireworks very soon:

RODDENBERRY, CRAMER MEET AT PARAMOUNT OFFICES OVER TREK FUTURE

December 18, 1969

Gene Roddenberry unexpectedly traveled to Douglas Cramer's office at Paramount to discuss Star Trek's future as a television series. Shooting for the fourth season is nearly complete, with about 6 weeks remaining, but Roddenberry reportedly wants full control of the series back, with an arrangement similar to his and Gene Coon's producer relationship during the first two years of the series. Cramer is unhappy with the amount of money Star Trek has spent on Paramount's ledger, and is threatening to cut the budget down to almost impossible levels for a 5th season, despite the show's success. Cramer is considering pairing Roddenberry with Fred Freiberger, a showrunner for The Wild Wild West during its first season. Roddenberry is not fully approving of Freiberger, but Cramer wants to remove Robert Justman from the showrunner position as soon as possible and Roddenberry sees this as the only opportunity to regain control of his creation. Cramer already attempted to fire Justman earlier in fourth season production, but the Star Trek cast walked off the set and demanded Justman's return, saving his job. At this point, Justman is experiencing fatigue and burnout while working on Star Trek and is eyeing other projects, such as Mission Impossible, the series Leonard Nimoy is also considering.


FIRST STAR TREK "CONVENTION" DRAWS 3,000 "TREKKIE" FANATICS TO HOTEL FIGUEROA

December 21, 1969

A gathering of devoted Star Trek fans organized at the Hotel Figueroa in Los Angeles to display their undying love of the series. The "Trekkies" were pleased to see most of the cast in attendance, including stars William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley. Fans chanted at Nimoy to stay on the show, having heard rumors that he is splitting time between Star Trek and Mission Impossible in the future. Shatner was absolutely mobbed by the throng, and although he loved the fans, was almost afraid of what they could do if they became too riled up. DeForest Kelley stayed to sign autographs for almost all of the fans in attendance. The other cast members, including James Doohan, George Takei, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols and Majel Barrett also spoke to the energized crowd, promising them more exciting episodes in the future. Doohan, in his speech, said, "My first loves are now the Enterprise and the wonderful fans of our series." Nichelle Nichols commented on a female fan in a Starfleet uniform wearing three gold wristbands, saying, "I see someone liked the job I did as captain." Walter Koenig got to talk as his normal self, not in his Russian accent, and George Takei told the crowd that with this support, he'd "definitely win an office someday in Los Angeles if I ran for something." Gene Roddenberry closed the convention with a surprise appearance, saying, "We are only on the air because of the power of you, the fanbase. We've produced almost 4 years of Star Trek, which is 3 more than I thought we'd make, and I hope we make many more years of episodes for all of you."

 

[dsp19]

Short update for tonight.

EPISODE 14. It's a third season episode, with a major character change as Ann-Margret guest stars to play Dr. Janice Lester in TURNABOUT INTRUDER. Written by Gene Roddenberry and Arthur Singer; directed by Herb Wallerstein. Air date: January 5, 1970. The story is largely the same as OTL except that Ann-Margret is Kirk's old love interest. Nielsen rating: 2nd to Gunsmoke. Critical reaction to the show was mixed, unlike ITTL when it was negative, because Ann-Margret played a convincing Dr. Lester and the episode was changed, taking out some of its worst anti-feminist elements, instead becoming more comedic. So this episode is not remembered as poorly ITTL. Star Trek then takes a hiatus for the Christmas holiday.

Now for the big news:

CRAMER FIRES JUSTMAN FROM STAR TREK; JUSTMAN AGREES TO MOVE ON

January 4, 1970

As Star Trek treks into a new decade, Robert Justman won't be there to produce the show.

Douglas Cramer, the Paramount executive who has an on and off relationship with Trek, has finally fired Justman from his role as showrunner. Although shooting for season four of the series is not complete (there is approximately one month left of shows to produce), Justman will no longer be involved in the day-to-day operations of the show. Justman previously did not appreciate his job being at risk, but was at peace with the news, citing exhaustion and the need to take a vacation for a couple of months before joining the Mission Impossible production crew as an associate producer. Cramer, in a press statement, said the following: "Robert Justman has left Star Trek on amicable terms, after almost four years of excellent service for both Desilu and Paramount studios. Fred Freiberger will take Justman's place as the executive producer of Star Trek, with Gene Roddenberry in a higher profile role." Upon hearing the news, the Star Trek cast threatened to walk off the set again, but Justman told them, "It was a mutual decision. I'm really tired at this point, and I need a break. Fred (Freiberger) will take over and do an excellent job, and the show will remain a success." There was no angry march to Cramer's office this time from Shatner, Nimoy and company; they simply took the news as best they could and continued completing season four.

Doohan:

Justman was hoping for the best for all of us when they brought Fred Freiberger in, but I knew we were in trouble. Although Freiberger was a good producer on other shows, he didn't know Star Trek and didn't relate very well with the cast. We were all thinking about going our separate ways at that point, but we decided to stick it out for one more season, for our devoted fans.

Roddenberry:

I thought we had four or five more good years in us, even with Bob no longer on the show. But Bill, Leonard, Dee Kelley and the rest were looking for other work, and we were about to lose Leonard for part of our fifth season. I blame that, as well as Cramer forcing Freiberger on me, for the end of the series. I also didn't know how much the rest of the cast didn't get along with Bill. That's why I had so much trouble bringing them all back together towards the end of the 1970s for our movie run. I'm glad that 8 years of the actors being away from each other were able to cool tensions so we could shoot the movies, which were almost all critically acclaimed successes.

Shatner:

Once Justman left, we knew Star Trek was on the chopping block. I sent my resume to anyone who would accept it. I feared that everyone would only know me as Captain Kirk and I would get no more work in Hollywood.

Nimoy:

Cramer firing Justman just hastened my leaving the show in the middle of the fifth season. I came back for the series finale once the rest of the cast told Cramer they weren't going to produce a 6th season of the show. That's why you see Spock in the first half of the fifth season. They wrote in the story that Spock took shore leave on Vulcan to take care of the Vulcan secessionist movement. I was glad to be elsewhere.

Kelley:

Justman protected us from what the NBC and Paramount suits were planning. Once he was gone, I knew that I had to polish up my acting skills in Westerns, like I did before I played Dr. McCoy. The problem was, I was typecast as Bones, and I couldn't find work initially after the series ended. I'm glad Peter Falk gave me a call to be his partner in solving crimes on Columbo.

Takei:

Freiberger just didn't know how to handle our show. That was the problem. We were placed in an impossible position and forced to make chicken salad from chicken you know what.

Koenig:

I was out of work for four years after Star Trek ended, except for the occasional guest role which I got on Columbo, with Dee. That was one of the worst moments of my professional career, losing Bob Justman.

Nichols:

I don't blame Freiberger, like most of the rest of the cast. He did the best he could in a horrible situation. I absolutely blame Cramer. To this day, I am repulsed by him and I'm glad he left Paramount before we made the movies, otherwise there would have been no movies. The whole cast swore never to work together for Cramer, except for Leonard who was insulated from him a bit on Mission Impossible.

Justman:

When I was fired from Star Trek, I didn't know if I had another year of producing the show in me. Four years of making that level of TV was so intense. It was the hardest four years of my life, but I'll never trade them for anything. In a way, I was glad that Cramer finally let me go. I wanted to work on other shows, and in a less stressful environment, and was able to do so for most of the 1970s.

 

[dsp19]

News article updates for today:

STAR TREK WINS SURPRISE VOTE AS MOST POPULAR TV SERIES OF THE 1960s, ACCORDING TO US AUDIENCES

January 6, 1970

In a major upset, Star Trek won a fan vote as the most popular television series of the recently concluded decade. Star Trek beat out other famous shows, such as Bonanza, which finished second, Gunsmoke, which finished third, and The Andy Griffith Show, which finished fourth. Rounding out the top ten in the voting were The Beverly Hillbillies, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Ed Sullivan Show, Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C,, The Dean Martin Show, and Bewitched. TV Guide believes that fervent Star Trek fandom contributed to the vote, as well as an improved showing among general audiences in its third season, which built on the widely acclaimed first two seasons of the show. Gene Roddenberry said, "We are not surprised that Star Trek won this vote. We have the most devoted, wonderful fans of any series on television, and we made their dreams come true with the best science fiction series of all time." William Shatner, the star of the show, said, "We are proud that our fans stepped up to the plate and came through for us in this vote. We want to make as much Star Trek as possible for them." Leonard Nimoy said, "I am glad to be an integral part of the show's success, along with the rest of the cast. I never worked on a TV or movie project for more than two weeks before Star Trek, and I am humbled that we have received such a positive, sometimes overwhelming reception."

Star Trek has also given opportunities to its co-stars. DeForest Kelley, who previously made a career of playing heavies in Westerns, is considering playing older Western heroes when the series ends its run. He was also humbled that Buzz Aldrin placed a figurine of his on the moon along with Kirk and Spock. "I didn't know Buzz was such a big fan of the show," Kelley said. "I'm a big fan of his as well, and when the series ends, I'd like to meet him over a couple of mint juleps." James Doohan (Mr. Scott) feels he can make a career in Hollywood as a lead after many years of toiling as a co-star. "I finally got to work with Cary Grant, and some fans say I look like him," Doohan said. "Hopefully I'll garner a fraction of his success in the movies after the series is over." George Takei (Mr. Sulu) has seen his profile on the show rise significantly in the fourth season, and hopes to make his own series someday. "I think I can be a leading man at some point, but if I'm not, I'll make lives better for the people of Los Angeles, with my activism and political aspirations. I might also run for office at some point." Walter Koenig (Ensign Chekov) also hopes to build his profile as an actor and earn some roles where he does not have to use a Russian accent. Koenig said, "I know Chekov is popular with the fans, but that Russian accent is hard to use everyday!" Nichelle Nichols, who has broken barriers for the African-American community on the show, believes that Star Trek reached a wider audience when she was placed into command for an episode. "We really locked in our female and African-American fans when I got to be acting captain, fighting the Romulans off," Nichols said. "That contributed to us winning this honor from TV Guide."


NIMOY FAMILY OVERWHELMED WITH FAN RESPONSE; NIMOY FEELING STRAIN OF PLAYING MR. SPOCK

January 7, 1970

Leonard Nimoy is reportedly "overwhelmed" with his role as Mr. Spock on Star Trek, and is looking for an out. He, not William Shatner's Captain Kirk, is the most popular character among the series' most committed fans, and the amount of fan mail and attention he is receiving is "soul-consuming." His wife, Sandra, said that "We are spending all day, myself, Julie (Leonard's daughter) and Adam (Leonard's son) answering fan mail so Leonard can simply eat dinner at night once he comes home from the set. There is no way he can meet the demands of all the fans."

A typical day for Nimoy starts at 5 AM, when he wakes up, and drives to the studio in Hollywood for shooting the series. He has to enter the makeup tent at 6:30 AM to be fitted for his Vulcan ears, and leaves the tent forty-five minutes to an hour later. He then spends up to twelve hours a day shooting an episode, with various scenes where he has a lot of dialogue. This includes several takes, re-takes, and more re-takes. Leonard does not finish the job until 6:30 or sometimes 7 PM in the evening, with a short break for lunch. He then returns to his house at 8 PM, where he attempts to wind down with dinner and a couple of beverages. He usually does not get to sleep until near midnight. Said Sandra Nimoy, "I see the strain on Leonard's face every day. He sometimes acts as Spock towards the family, and has little time for Julie and Adam. He is completely consumed in the job and it is negatively affecting the family at times. There are days where he barely sleeps. I am worried for my husband."


NIMOY COLLAPSES AT HOME, AMBULANCE CALLED

January 9, 1970

Star Trek star Leonard Nimoy was reportedly found unconscious with several empty bottles of beer and a martini nearby in his Los Angeles home. An ambulance was called, and Nimoy was admitted to the hospital. The Nimoy family refused to be interviewed for this article as Leonard's condition is expected to improve in the hospital over the coming days. In a Boston Globe article, Leonard's wife Sandra said that Leonard was overwhelmed with playing Spock, and was on the brink of breakdown with the grueling schedule he was placing himself through. From the Los Angeles Times, we wish Leonard well and hope for a full recovery, both physically and mentally.


Sandra Nimoy:

I knew that Leonard was reaching breaking point. Spock consumed him for four years, and he simply could not take it anymore. He couldn't break his Spock character at home, and simply played him for 24 hours a day. That can be disastrous for an actor, and on that January evening, it proved to be disastrous for Leonard. Our marriage suffered as a result of Leonard's schedule and drinking. Fortunately, he sought help right away, and entered a 12-step program. Leonard got better, and refused to touch a drink after that.

Note: IRL, Leonard Nimoy started drinking while shooting TOS and became a heavy drinker in the 1980s and had to go to AA. So ITTL, Nimoy stops drinking and limits his smoking at a much earlier period in his life, and takes up Oriental meditation as a means to calm himself when he is tempted to drink or smoke cigarettes. Therefore, he lives a little bit longer ITTL.

 

[dsp19]

Longer update for today: The 15th episode of the 4th season of Star Trek is RETURN TO ORGANIA. it aired on January 12, 1970. In this episode, Starfleet Command wants a peace summit with the Klingons, because President Norman now fancies himself as "the great peacemaker," like President Nixon. The Enterprise returns to Organia and is confronted by the Klingons top commanders, Kor (John Colicos), Kang (Michael Ansara) and Koloth (William Campbell). Korax (Michael Pataki) also makes an appearance, primarily to call the Enterprise crew nasty names.

Captain's log, stardate 6735.7. The Federation has tasked the Enterprise to enter peace negotiations with the Klingon Empire, by directive from President Norman. We have been sent back to Organia, where we encountered the Klingons almost three years ago, to determine if we can come to a settlement. The last time we were here, the Organians stopped both sides from fighting, but I am curious as to what will happen on this occasion.

Sulu: "Standard orbit around Organia, sir."
Kirk: "Check for any Klingon guests. I want to see what we are dealing with."
Chekov: "I wonder how many Klingon guests are waiting for us, Captain."
Kirk: "Let's hope there aren't too many, and they learned their lesson from the Organians last time. Spock, give us a scan of Organia to determine whether anything has changed from our encounter three years ago."
Spock: "Scanning, Captain. No changes from our previous scan. The Organians, although godlike, live in a medieval setting as they did when we were last here."

A Klingon D7 battlecruiser appears on the screen.

Sulu: "Klingon battlecruiser straight ahead. Should we go to red alert?"
Kirk: "No, Commander. Uhura, ship to ship."
Uhura: "Hailing frequencies open, Captain."
Kirk: "Klingon vessel, this is Captain Kirk of the starship Enterprise. Identify yourselves and your reason for orbiting Organia."

Kor, Kang, Koloth and Korax all appear on screen.

Kirk: "So the Klingons brought their best, all on one ship." (sarcastically)
Kor: "The Organians won't let us fight, so we might as well talk it out. Why are you claiming this area of space? Everyone in this sector wants to speak Klingonese."
Kirk: "The Federation explored this area of space first, so it is our claim that is legal."
Kang: "We take whatever we want, Captain, you know that. So any planet that is near us, we simply subjugate to our will."
Koloth: "What did you do with your slime devil, Captain? I think my side did better with the slime devils than you did."
Scotty: "What did you do with the tribbles we beamed aboard your ship, Koloth? You're glad I never got the chance to punch you out."
Korax: "The Federation sent their garbage scow to negotiate with us!" (All the Klingons laugh). "Commanded by the Denebian slime devil and his crew of Regulan blood worms."
Scotty: "If I ever see you again, I'll knock your head off, just like on that space station with the tribbles."
Chekov: "I kind of enjoyed that fight, Mr. Scott."
Kirk: "Calm yourself, Mr. Scott."
Uhura: "This 'garbage scow' defeated lots of Romulan vessels."
Koloth: "Who commanded the Enterprise against the Romulans, you, lady? Because Captain Kirk can't beat any Romulans. He can't even control his crew."
Uhura: "As a matter of fact, I did."
Kirk: "Well, both of us did, Uhura. We'll meet you on the surface. My crew will talk it out with your crew. Mr. Sulu, you have the conn. The rest of you, even you, Uhura, come with me to the transporter room."

Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty, Chekov and Uhura beam down to Organia. They are met by Kor, Kang, Koloth, Korax and several Klingon guards. The Organians are there, led by John Abbott (Ayelborne) and Claymare (Peter Brocco).

Ayelborne: "So I see you have returned to Organia to discuss terms of peace. We Organians are pleased that both the Federation and Klingons have come to the negotiation table so quickly. We thought it would take 25 years, in your Earth years."
Kirk: "We would like to negotiate a peace, but I am not sure the Klingons are here for peace."
Kor: "If it weren't for you Organians, we would be fighting and conquering the Federation. I am repulsed by you Organians."
Claymare: "Why are you angered by us? All we want is peace between you two peoples. That is the only way you can evolve beyond what you are right now."
Kang: "Klingon 'evolution' involves taking what we want, Organian. If we cannot take Organia, we will take all the planets around Organia and defeat the Federation, regardless of what you think."
Ayelborne: "My Klingon, we can stop both of you sides from fighting whenever we want. I believe you have not learned your lesson." (Kang's hands turn hot and he screams).
Spock: "Fascinating. The Organians are taking a more active posture in this encounter than they did the last time we met them. Perhaps they will force a settlement."
Bones: "I'd like peace between us and the Klingons but I don't even think these guys with all their powers can simply force a peace, Spock."
Spock: "They are as powerful compared to us as we are to a bacteria, Doctor. They can force anything they please upon us."
Bones: "If two sides want to fight, they are going to find a way to fight, regardless of what they want. We can't stop bacteria from eating each other, Spock."
Spock: "But the Organians can, Doctor."
Koloth: "Why are you talking about bacteria, Doctor? I thought you had trouble finding the cure for our mustard gas."
Bones: "Well we solved that, Klingon, and we'll solve anything else you barbarians come up with."
Koloth: "You can't solve our cloaking device."
Scotty: "We solved the Romulan cloaking device and we'll solve yours too, I guarantee it."
Korax: "We are Klingons, not weak, pointy eared Romulan dogs. Besides, how is the garbage scow doing, since you are its chief engineer."

Scotty tries to punch Korax but his hand turns hot; the Organians stop him.

Claymare: "They still have so much to learn, Ayelborne."
Ayelborne: "So much indeed. Sometimes I think the only recourse is simply to let them fight."

In the next scene, the Enterprise crew and the Klingons are seated at a table, with the Organians presiding.

Kirk: "I think we should air our grievances all out here, right now. This is the only way we will find common ground."
Kor: "There is no common ground between an expansionist Federation and the Klingon Empire. You imperialist scum will take any planet you reach, in the guise of "peaceful exploration."
Spock: "I believe that is the Klingon way, Kor. The Federation has a Prime Directive that forbids us from providing advanced technology to pre-warp civilizations, so that they can proceed normally with their development as sentient species."
Kang: "Like you did on that planet where you gave those primitive people flintlock rifles."
Kirk: "The planet Neural, I remember. We were just evening up the score with you. I remember when you, Kang, and I had to act friendly to prevent an alien being from sapping all our power on another planet, remember?"
Kang; "But that was just a ruse to save both of us. In the real world, we are deadly enemies, with the Klingons the stronger side."
Ayelborne interrupts. "You have a lot of grievances, keep discussing them. Eventually you will find at least one agreement."
Kirk: "I'm not exactly sure with these Klingons. They are predisposed to violence and brutality."
Bones: "Like they did with those slime devils. They created a chemical weapon to fight the Federation with."
Koloth: "We pacified three more planets with it, in Klingon space. Soon we will pacify some Federation planets with it as well."
Bones: "Klingon monsters."
Koloth: "As I recall, you lost your inhibitions with that slime devil."
Chekov: "Tell me about it, Klingon. Denebian slime devils are disgusting, vile creatures."
Korax: "Like your captain, Ensign."

Chekov threatens Korax but is held back by Scotty. "Calm yourself, Ensign," Scotty says. "We're not going to be able to fight anyway on this planet with these super powerful beings controlling everything we do."

Uhura: "This is completely pointless. We should beam back to the Enterprise and leave this planet to the Organians. They have the situation under control."
Kirk: "I have to find a settlement somehow with the Klingons, Uhura. Starfleet Command tasked us to do so."
Spock: "Commander Uhura, the Captain is correct. Starfleet Command gave us our orders and we are to execute them as properly and efficiently as possible."
Korax: "It is impossible to negotiate with a slime devil and blood worms."
Kirk: "Shut your filthy mouth, Korax. All you have is insults. If I recall correctly, Scotty taught you a lesson in that fight. You should have learned your place."

Korax lunges at Kirk but the Organians stop him; he is zapped almost unconscious but regains his balance.

Ayelborne: "How much longer should we put up with this?"
Claymare: "We cannot let them fight on our planet. They are barbaric species, both of them."
Ayelborne: "We have to allow natural development to occur. Even if there is warfare between them, there is no way they can hurt us or damage our planet."
Claymare: "They are so primitive, but I guess they have to learn. At some point they will see that fighting is pointless and they will make a true peace."
Ayelborne: "I believe the Vulcan will eventually be the individual that brings the two empires to a peaceful settlement. But it is impossible now. We will allow them to go about their development as a barbaric species, in the hopes they shall become more enlightened."

Ayelborne tells Kirk and the Klingons that they will leave, because there is no way the sides can come to a settlement. Almost instantaneously after the Organians exit, Korax punches Scotty and a pier-six brawl breaks out. Kirk beats up Kang and Koloth, Spock nerve pinches Kor and an unnamed Klingon, McCoy uses a neural paralyzer on another. Scotty and Chekov are in one-on-one confrontations with Korax and another unnamed Klingon. Uhura knees a Klingon in the nether regions. Scotty eventually lands a punch on Koloth.

Kirk: "Uhura, I didn't know you could do that, kneeing the Klingon like that. Were you taking fighting lessons?"
Uhura: "I was, Captain."
Scotty: "I knew Uhura could do that."
Kirk: "I wonder how, Mr. Scott."
Scotty: "Well the lass and I got into an argument one time and she threatened to knee me down there."
Uhura: "I have Mr. Scott twirled around my finger and eating out of my hands, Captain."
Bones: "At least the Klingon anatomy is the same in that location as our anatomy, Jim." (Everyone laughs)

Sulu communicates to Kirk. "Sulu to the surface. Klingon battlecruiser preparing to attack."
Kirk: "Red alert, battlestations. We are beaming up now."

The Enterprise crew beams back and a brief space battle ensues, where the Enterprise chases off the D7. Sulu leads the Enterprise into battle before Kirk arrives on the bridge and gets some of the credit for repulsing the D7. Kirk ends the episode with the following words. "Uhura, Tell Starfleet Command, Klingons are impossible to negotiate with. Kirk out."

Roddenberry:

Star Trek is not about Klingons! Or so I thought. The fanbase wanted to see more Klingon episodes so we produced them. The Klingons were cartoonish, mustachio twirling villains, which I guess the fanbase loved at that point. This recurring story arc with the Klingons eventually got into our first movie. I wanted the first movie to be about the Enterprise encountering a god-like computer that we created, which was searching for its creator, but Barry Diller (Paramount chief executive) and Michael Eisner (his assistant) wanted a big space battle with the Klingons instead, so I grudgingly agreed to that. Jeffrey Katzenberg helped put these ideas into movie form, eventually. I still don't think Star Trek should be about Klingons, though.

Justman:

Gene Coon and Gene Roddenberry confined us a lot with the Klingons because the Organians could magically prevent confrontations between the Federation and the Klingons from Errand of Mercy. We unshackled the writers and they were able to produce some Klingon stories after I left the series, which was the only saving grace of the final season, apparently. I wasn't on production for the final season after Cramer fired me, and Gene Roddenberry wanted to make these high-minded stories about the Enterprise meeting these all-powerful aliens and learning from them, but our larger fanbase wanted to see Klingons instead. The franchise finally got its payoff with the Klingons in its first movie, and you could say that three or four of the six movies comprised one long Klingon story arc because the Enterprise fights the Klingons in The Motion Picture and The Search for Spock, captures the Klingon Bird of Prey for the Voyage Home, has to explain its behavior with the Klingons in Spock's World, and eventually makes peace with the Klingons in the Undiscovered Country. This episode helped set up our movies very effectively.

Matt Jefferies:

We started to think with these stories, that there would be an arms race between the Federation and the Klingons. So it was explained in the future movies that the Constitution class refit and the Miranda class were developed to fight the Klingons, who improved upon their D7 battlecruiser by adding aft torpedoes and wing disruptor rays. We actually started to come up with ideas for redesigning the Enterprise and developing the Miranda class and improved Klingon D7 after this episode.

Shatner:

Nichelle Nichols once kneed me in the nether regions after I got into an argument with Doohan while directing another episode. It wasn't a pleasant experience. I liked the fact that we developed a concept where we tried to make peace with the Klingons, but it proved impossible at the time. That opened up the universe for more stories, and we were starting to run out of ideas late in the fourth season.

Nichols:

The story about me kneeing Shatner in the genitals is true. This was after Jimmy Doohan cracked him a good one after Shatner wanted Doohan to act completely out of character in an episode he was directing. Leonard wasn't on set much at the time and had a limited role in this episode, as I recall, because he was going through his difficulties.

 

[dsp19]

Shorter update:

SHATNER, DOOHAN BRAWL ON STAR TREK SET

January 14, 1970

William Shatner and James Doohan were involved in a fistfight and melee on the Star Trek set. Shatner was directing his second episode of the season, when he and Doohan reportedly started to argue. The words suddenly escalated into violence, and Doohan easily got the best of Shatner, throwing several punches and giving Shatner a bloody nose and two missing teeth. Shatner was rushed to the hospital for surgery on his broken nose and got emergency dental surgery to replace the two teeth. Frustrations boiled over because Shatner reportedly wanted the rest of the cast to act completely out of character. Nichelle Nichols also reportedly landed a blow on Shatner after Doohan staggered him with two punches. Nichols was reportedly very upset with how Shatner treated her in the first season and wanted to leave the series, but was persuaded to stay by the late Martin Luther King Jr., who was a fan of the show. The frustrations among the cast makes it possible that the series will not last too much longer, although it is extremely popular and winning ratings battles.

Kelley:

Everyone got sick of each other by that point, and especially Bill. Bill was usually a nice guy to me but he treated the co-stars very poorly at times. I was not surprised that they eventually had enough of him and took it out on him physically.

Koenig:

George Takei and I thought that it was part of the script initially, the fight between Shatner and Doohan. But then we saw Shatner with a bloody nose, and we said, "This is for real." We didn't jump in because we just wanted to keep our heads down, because George had a blowup with Bill earlier in the season. But Nichelle was apparently furious with Shatner from the beginning of the series for how she was treated, and decided to take it out on Bill in her own special way. This was eventually known in fandom as the "nutshot heard around the galaxy."

Doohan:

This is how the fight started. Bill wanted me to go into another romantic angle and act all amorous, and I didn't want to. Bill insisted on it, and I said, "I'm the ship's engineer. The Enterprise is my first love." Bill wasn't having it, and started arguing with me. Well I'm a war vet, so I wasn't having his mouth, and I socked him a few. Nichelle got him as well after I did, because she didn't like being called "the hailing frequencies girl" every day by Bill.

Nichols:

I'm always asked to simulate what I did to Bill at conventions. But I never actually did that to a fan! Bill treated me like I was a maid during the first season, and I wanted to leave the show because of his treatment. But I stuck it out and made a career as Lieutenant, and later Commander Uhura. In the Sulu series, they even made me an admiral, so I ended up with the same rank as Bill.

 

[dsp19]

Episode updates and the news article about Shatner's press conference:

Episode 16: THE PIRATES OF ORION. Air date: January 19, 1970. This is an Animated Series episode in OTL, but becomes a live action shoot in this timeline. In the episode, Spock falls ill and the Orions have hijacked a shipment of the cure that is required to save his life. We see another Constitution class vessel in this episode, the USS Huron. The episode was popularly received ITTL and reviews were strong. Nielsen rating: 1st in timeslot.

Episode 17: AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD. Air date: January 26, 1970. This is a 3rd season episode in OTL, but becomes a 4th season episode ITTL. The episode is widely panned, as it is scarcely believable that Captain Kirk would let children onto the bridge of the Enterprise. Nielsen rating: 2nd to Gunsmoke.

Episode 18: THE PROTRACTED MAN. Air date: February 2, 1970. Written by David Gerrold, directed by John Meredyth Lucas. This was an undeveloped episode IRL that Gerrold wrote the script for in 1967. ITTL, Gerrold has a more prominent role in the writing department, so he gets this episode into production. In this episode, the Enterprise is testing a warp corridor that the Federation has placed into experimental development that can transport ships light years in seconds. They attempt to place a shuttlecraft through the warp corridor with Spock, McCoy and Chekov in it, but they get trapped in the warp corridor and the Enterprise has to spend the entire time trying to retrieve them from oblivion. This episode was very well received ITTL, with the NYT calling Gerrold "a young, science fiction genius. He adds to his tribble episode hits with The Protracted Man, which is extremely high-minded science fiction. Spock and McCoy are caught in a bad situation on a shuttlecraft, and the Enterprise has to save them. It had all the positives of the Galileo Seven, with none of the negatives, and great character interaction between Spock, McCoy and Chekov, who finally has something to do and figures out the solution." Nielsen rating: 1st in timeslot.


SHATNER TO CALL PRESS CONFERENCE WITH REST OF STAR TREK CAST

February 4, 1970

William Shatner is planning a press conference with the rest of the Star Trek cast, scheduled for Friday, February 6, at noon. The Star Trek star, through his agent, is reportedly aggrieved with some of the treatment he has been receiving both from the other members of the cast, the executives at Paramount and to a lesser extent, NBC with his contract. Star Trek recently wrapped up shooting for its fourth season last week and this press conference places into question a possible fifth season. NBC would like to bring the show back, as it is a major hit for the network, but Paramount is very upset with the amount of money they had to spend on guest stars such as Cary Grant, Milton Berle, and Ann-Margret in the past six months. Despite the series' success, Paramount, led by Douglas S. Cramer, is lobbying NBC to move Star Trek to Friday night at 10 PM, the traditional time slot where series go to die. NBC is not fully on board with this idea, because Star Trek is bringing them excellent ratings on Monday, and would like the series to continue. It is interesting to hear Shatner's point of view on the state of affairs of Star Trek, whether he wants to remain as Captain Kirk or whether he wants to move on to other projects. The Los Angeles Times will print a summary of Shatner's remarks in its Saturday edition.

 

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THE SHATNER PRESS CONFERENCE: February 6, 1970

Shatner reads a prepared statement...

Shatner: We, the cast of Star Trek, are pleased to gather with you at this press conference this afternoon. We are speaking out for a variety of reasons. First, we want to show the world that the Star Trek family is a close-knit, and like any family, fights happen. We have patched up the differences between ourselves and are ready to move on. Our reason for calling this press conference today is to discuss the mistreatment the cast has faced during our four years of creating the show. On a shoestring budget, we have produced one of the greatest hits on television. In a recent TV Guide poll, American audiences voted Star Trek as the top television series of the 1960s. We have done so despite major obstacles at boardroom level, such as the mistreatment of our longtime producer, Robert Justman, who was recently let go from our series. We deserve higher salaries, a better budget, and more support from Paramount, otherwise we will move our separate ways relatively soon and work on other projects. We, the cast of Star Trek, have even been asked to give back our hard earned money this season to make budget. Leonard, DeForest and I will not take comments on that issue, as we will leave that with our lawyers and the Screen Actors Guild for arbitration purposes. We will take questions now.

--Why are you upset with Paramount? Paramount produces your show and can remove you from the air at any time.
Shatner: Paramount is traditionally a great company and when we were taken over by them from Desilu, we expected more support. Instead, our support from Paramount has been uneven, while NBC was glad to continue taking a chance on us. NBC's instincts have proven to be better than Paramount's in this case.

--Is Leonard Nimoy OK?
Shatner: I will not comment on Leonard's situation. Leonard is doing his best to handle it, and if he wants to comment, the podium is his. (Nimoy says nothing).

--Did you, James Doohan and Nichelle Nichols mend fences?
Doohan interrupts: Yeah, after I thumped him a few times (everyone laughs).
Nichols: I got a shot in too (everyone laughs).
Shatner: I realized that I had to treat my co-workers better, and I am doing everything in my power to do so.

--Why are you going public with these complaints? Usually this is handled privately.
Shatner: Our wonderful producer, Robert Justman, got a really raw deal from Paramount. He was our ace in the hole on Star Trek and we are at a huge loss without him. He was as important as Gene Roddenberry himself for the show's success. We saved Justman's job once in Doug Cramer's office, and we considered his treatment unfair. Bob became a friend to all of us and it was horrible what he was put through, and I need to expose how Paramount treated him.

--Did Gene Roddenberry approve of you going public?
Shatner: No. We felt that this was a decision for the cast to make.

--Are you angling for a higher salary for you and your castmates?
Shatner: Yes. We have produced NBC's biggest hit other than possibly Bonanza, and we deserve to be treated as such. We have done our bit for NBC and Paramount, putting NBC back on top of the ratings, and we feel they should back us up. NBC gave us a chance after season 2 to shine, and we came through for them with shining colors. We trust Mort Werner at the network to do right by us. We are less trusting of Doug Cramer at Paramount.

--Are you looking at other roles, besides Captain Kirk?
Shatner: I'll play Captain Kirk as long as Star Trek is made, as long as NBC wants to broadcast us, and as long as Paramount wants to produce us. However, if we are not treated like the top show that we have become, I will look for other opportunities after a possible fifth season of Star Trek.

--Do you fear retaliation from Paramount for calling this press conference?
Shatner: Of course! Nobody has spoken out against a studio in public before, aside from maybe Cary Grant. However, we've not been treated fairly despite being part of Paramount's revival as a studio. Doug Cramer called us one of the "jewels in Paramount's crown" in a Variety article, but he's not treating us like one of the jewels in Paramount's crown. No further questions.


Kelley:

I told Bill, none of us will ever work in Hollywood again after this. But Bill played some of his cards correctly. He realized that the fans had a lot of leverage and there would be huge backlash if Paramount decided to dispose with us. Unfortunately, this led to the decision by NBC to move us to Friday nights at 9 PM, because we rebelled against the suits. We won our ratings every week in the fifth season, but by that point, we all had enough and wanted to do other things.