On This Day 56 Years Ago, 'Star Trek: The Original Series' Airs its Final Episode
Most landmark multimedia franchises tend to have humble beginnings, and in many ways, it doesn't get any humbler than NBC's genre-defining space opera series,Star Trek: The Original Series.
Originally designed as a more intellectual approach to the sci-fi genre than anything that had come before it, Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek: The Original Series ran for a short but impressive three seasons on NBC throughout the late 1960s.
Initially arriving in September 8, 1966, the series spanned a total of 79 episodes, each of which followed the intrepid crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise spaceship, "bolding going where no man has gone before."
Starring an ensemble that included the likes of William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Nichelle Nichols and George Takei, Star Trek enjoyed middling success upon its initial debut to NBC, notably failing to draw strong ratings from the network's core viewership.
Following its three seasons on primetime, NBC decided to cancel the series following the release of its third season, with Star Trek: The Original Series formally concluding on June 3, 1969.
In the years that followed, Star Trek slowly took a more enthusiastic contingent of fans thanks to its broadcast syndication, eventually becoming a cult success and a major staple of science fiction from the 1970s onward.
In the decades that came after, the show provided the basis for a total of 13 different television series and 14 feature films, many of which have enjoyed serious success among mainstream viewers.
Along with the dozens of books, video games, toys and other media tied to the franchise, Star Trek: The Original Series commonly ranks as one of the most popular and important TV shows to ever premiere. For example, Empire hailed the series as one of the greatest shows of all time, writing, "Sci-fi on the small screen wouldn't be what it is now had Roddenberry not boldly gone there first all those years ago."
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This story was originally published June 3, 2026 at 12:17 PM.