Star Trek is...

Star Trek is... was the first draft proposal for Star Trek that Gene Roddenberry created on. It was presented to the Desilu executives (and executives of other production studios which turned Roddenberry down) to pitch the series. It led to the production of the first pilot. According to the draft, Star Trek is...
 * "A one-hour dramatic television series.
 * Action-Adventure-Science Fiction.
 * The first such concept with strong
 * central lead characters plus other
 * continuing regulars.''"

The draft included the famous faux-Drake equation. It also claimed, famously, in reference to the long-running western television series Wagon Train that "Star Trek" was a "Wagon Train to the Stars" type of show.

The setting
The transportation was the SS Yorktown (later renamed the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)). The SS Yorktown was described as a "cruiser class" with a 190,000 ton gross. It had a crew complement of 203, and used space-warp drive ("maximum velocity .73 of one light year per hour"). It had a range of 18 years and was registered as a United Space Ship with Earth. The date was stated to be sometime in the future, possibly between 1995 and 2995. One of the key concepts of the show would be the "parallel worlds" concept. This stated that most of the planets would have a similar physical and social evolution to Earth. This concept was used in The Original Series as Hodgkin's Law of Parallel Planetary Development. Because of the "parallel worlds" concept, they would be able to use existing studio sets, props and costumes.

The characters
Many of the characters were used by TOS and "The Cage":
 * Robert M. April: The 34-year-old "skipper" of the SS Yorktown. He was described as "a space-age Captain Horatio Hornblower." He was headstrong and believed in taking risks himself. However, unlike other great explorers he had great compassion for all, alien and Human alike. He evolved into Christopher Pike by the time of the first pilot, . James T. Kirk was also described as being a "Hornblower-type" personality.


 * Number One: The mysterious female executive officer, she was described as a slim, Nubian woman of uncertain age. She was expressionless, highly intelligent, and always cool under pressure. When Captain April left the ship, she would serve as "Acting Commander." She appeared in the first pilot, but her mannerisms were assumed by Spock in the second pilot, . The moniker "Number One" was later used for Commander Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation.


 * José Ortegas: The South American navigator. He was tall, handsome, about twenty five years old and maturing. Famous for his Latin temperament, he has trouble with the navigation equipment, and believes that life itself is in a conspiracy to make his life difficult. He also tries and mostly fails to keep up the historical repute of Latin men as "lovers." His character was adapted, loosely, into José Tyler in the first pilot.


 * Philip Boyce: The 51-year old ship's doctor, "Bones" Boyce is described as the only "realist" aboard the Yorktown. He's known for cynicism and worldliness. He is more annoyed than excited by the crew's adventures. His character was directly adapted into the first pilot, and indirectly adapted into Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy in the series.


 * Mr. Spock: The alien "Mr. Spock" is the Yorktown's first lieutenant. He is the "working-level" commander in charge of overseeing and supervising the crewmen. His appearance is described as potentially frightening, with a heavy-lidded and somewhat "satanic" face, with a reddish hue and pointed ears. He might have been half-Martian. Despite his look, he had a quiet temperament. His only weakness would be his extreme curiosity to all things he considers "alien." His personality was combined with that of Number One in the second pilot and the series.


 * Yeoman Colt: The captain's yeoman, she was a blonde with a very womanly body shape. She wasn't dumb, but she was "disturbingly female" (or, as the Talosian Keeper put it, as possessing "unusually strong female drives"). She appeared in the first pilot, and was adapted into Yeoman Rand for the series.

Captain's orders
Captain Robert M. April was assigned to the SS Yorktown, Cruiser-class, for a five-year mission of galactic exploration and Class M investigation. He was to patrol the "ninth quadrant" which began at Alpha Centauri and extended to the "Pinial Galaxy Limit." The reasons for the patrol given were Earth security, scientific investigation, and assistance or aid to Earth colonies.

Technology
Landings could be done using a small "recon rocket vehicle," and the audience would view them through "telescreens." A "telecommunicator" device would be used for communication between alien species and Humans. The cruiser would be armed with laser beams. The crew would be armed with special rifles and pistols that shot simple bullets, explosive projectiles, or hypodermic pellets which stun or tranquilize.

The episodes
Many of the episodes evolved into the episodes used by TOS and later series:
 * The Next Cage: Captain April is caged like an animal, and offered a mate. This was adapted into.
 * The Day Charlie Became God: A normal man accidentally gains infinite powers. It was adapted into and.
 * President Capone: A "parallel world" set on a Chicago where Al Capone won the presidency. This outline was the basis of, and went through several versions (including George Clayton Johnson's treatment, "Chicago II") before the actual episode was developed.
 * To Skin a Tyrannosaurus: A modern man is reduced to stone-age level. This concept later appeared in and.
 * The Women: Some "hanky-panky" occurs when escorting a cargo ship of women to a deep space colony. This outline was the basis of . Also, vaguely similar to.
 * The Coming: A parable about an alien condemned to crucifixion and his dignity around the subject. The idea of a religion parallel to early Christianity was used in . The plot of is similar.
 * The Perfect World: The SS Yorktown lands on a supposed "perfect world," which appears similar to Earth c. 1964. Only later do they realize that it is ruled by an authoritarian, Big Brother type. Vaguely similar to.
 * Mr. Socrates: The SS Yorktown discovers a planet which duplicates famous Humans, and then forces them into gladiatorial combat. This concept was used in.
 * The Stranger: A "strange" alien intelligence begins to take over the minds of key crewmembers, in an attempt to fight a rival civilization. While similar to, this story much more closely resembles the later TNG and DS9 story concepts for and.
 * The crew lands on a seemingly harmless planet, and begin to see apparitions. Eventually, they find that their wishes are being fulfilled in deadly ways. Despite the title, this storyline had more in common with than with the episode of the same name.
 * Camelot Revisited: On Hermes II, a modern society exists, yet they contain many medieval characteristics, such as knighthood. Similar to and.
 * 100 A.B.: An exploration of a parallel world 100 years after an atomic holocaust. The Enterprise visited a post-atomic war civilization in . One of the three story drafts written by Roddenberry for the second pilot,  was based on 100 A.B., and by the end of the second season of TOS, "The Omega Glory" had been written by Roddenberry into a series episode.
 * Kentucky, Kentucky: An Earth colony in the Sirius group is reduced to fighting Viking-like savages in a "frontier" like community.
 * Reason: The crew visit the Isaac IV group, where they discover a group of sentient robots. Shares similarities with.
 * Reason II: The story of the last Human survivors of the Isaac IV group, trying to take back control over the robots. Similiar to.
 * A Matter of Choice: A world where the natives have the power to relive any portion of their lives over again. The implications of such a concept are explored, albeit in a radically different way, by.
 * The Radiant One: A love story with a woman from a "Garden of Eden" planet, except, because of her body chemistry, anyone who becomes her lover will die. Similar to in plot.  Also, thematically similar to  in that death awaits those who find the Garden of Eden.
 * The Trader: The crew visit the oriental planet Satunii, that is strangely similar to the court of Genghis Khan. Though the plot itself was not used, Genghis Khan did appear in the series, in . The notion of a rogue space traveler setting himself up as a leader over a world's natives appears in, , and
 * A Question of Cannibalism: The crew discovers that the colonists on Regulus are actually herding sentient beings, and face angry settlers when trying to free the "cattle." The idea of colonists accidentally destroying sentient beings is re-used in and . Also, the idea of sentient beings used as a commodity by others appears in . Roddenberry wanted to use this story outline as the basis of the first Star Trek feature film, when he approached Paramount with such an idea as early as . Herb Solow commented, "Gene's story premise would have been rewritten, because it did not foreshadow an enjoyable night at the movies." (Inside Star Trek: The Real Story, pp. 420-421)
 * The Mirror: The Yorktown discovers a duplicate Yorktown. Now, they have to decide whether or not to destroy their counterparts. Somewhat similar to and . A similar concept was also used in.
 * Torx: A strange alien being "devours" intelligence, and is headed straight for Earth. Somewhat similar in concept to and.
 * The Pet Shop: A world similar to St. Louis, 1910, except women are the masters and men are womens' pets. The concept was revisited much later in as well as in Roddenberry's 1974 pilot Planet Earth and a similar idea, regarding Orion slave girls, was established in.
 * Kongo: A planet where the "Ole Plantation Days" still occur, yet the racial roles are reversed. Worse yet, the crew find themselves stranded on the planet as runaways.


 * The Venus Planet: The crew discover a planet of women. The men become increasingly attracted to the women, and almost too late do they realize that there are no more men on the planet. The story bears a striking resemblance to both and.
 * Infection: A female crew member discovers that she may be pregnant, with an alien larva. Likely formed the basis for the Star Trek: Phase II premise "The Child", which was itself then recycled into.

Memorable Quotes

 * Star Trek offers an almost infinite number of exciting science fiction stories.


 * Star Trek is a "Wagon Train" concept – built around characters who travel to worlds "similar" to our own, and meet the action-adventure-drama which becomes our stories.


 * ...far enough into the future for galaxy travel to be thoroughly established (happily eliminating the need to encumber our stories with tiresome scientific explanation).


 * ''The "Parallel Worlds" concept is the key..."


 * ...something like three million worlds with a chance of intelligent life


 * (referencing April) But, unlike most early explorers, he has an almost compulsive compssion [sic] for the plight of others, alien as well as human, must continually fight the temptation to risk many to save one.


 * His name is "Mr. Spock". And the first view of him can be almost frightening – a face so heavy-lidded and satanic you might almost expect him to have a forked tail.


 * Except for problems in naval parlance, "Colt" would be called a yeowoman; blonde and with a shape even a uniform could not hide.


 * (from April's orders) ...and the enforcement of appropriate statutes affecting such Federated commerce vessels and traders as you might contact...


 * Where required, "alien" variations will be obtained via padding, wigs, and simpler makeup devices.


 * Now and then, of course, we may spring a surprise variation, such as a fairly advanced civilization which clings to feudal armor and swords as a way of life.


 * Crew uniforms are 'naval' in general appearance, attractively simplified and utilitarian.

External link

 * : includes .pdf file to original "Star Trek is..." pitch.