How "Star Trek" changed the world!

[JamesA1102]

The original “Star Trek” television series premiered on NBC in September 1966. It ran for three years with very low ratings and was canceled in 1969.

Upon it’s cancellation, the show went into local syndication where it gained a new audience becoming extremely popular. So popular that in 1975 Paramount decided to produce a “Star Trek” movie.

“Star Trek: The Motion Picture” opened in late 1979 and made over $150 Million at the box office, spawning a series of “Star Trek” films throughout the ‘80s.

Due to the popularity of the “Star Trek” film series, Paramount decide to produce a new “Star Trek” TV series and “Star Trek: The New Generation” hit the airwaves in September 1987.

“Star Trek: TNG” was very popular and became the highest rated show in Syndication by 1990.

In 1994 after seven successful season on the air, “Star Trek: TNG” ended its run. To replace the series Paramount produced a new series, “Star Trek: Voyager” which premiered in January 1995.

Unfortunately, “Star Trek: Voyager” was not as popular as its successor and after 3 seasons it was decided to spice up the show by adding sexy actress Jeri Ryan to the cast. Her first appearance on the show was in September 1997.

Jeri Ryan was the wife of former Goldman Sachs partner and GOP politician Jack Ryan. However, the separation required by Jeri having to live and work in Hollywood to appear on “Star Trek: Voyager” led to Jeri and Jack’s divorce in 1999.

A few years later Jack Ryan ran for the U.S. Senate. He easily won the primary for the Republican nomination in March 2004 and since the Senate seat was being vacated by a Republican incumbent, Jack Ryan was considered a shoo-in to win the election. He was such a favorite to win, no major Democrat in the state would run against him so the Democrats put up a little know state official as a sacrificial lamb.

However, after winning the primary salacious details of Jeri and Jack’s divorce, which had been previously sealed, were made public. This devastated Ryan’s campaign and he was forced to withdraw from the race in June 2004 ensuring a victory by the Democratic candidate.

This turn of events was so dramatic the Democratic candidate was asked to deliver the Keynote address at the 2004 Democratic Convention. Thus, launching the national political career of Barack Obama.

So if it had not been for “Star Trek”, Barack Obama would not be President. And that is how “Star Trek” changed the world.

[wyldwolf]

1. And now Obama can return the favor by giving a public thumbs up to the new movie!

:)

[roguevalley]

18. bwahahhahaha. I love star trek. It changed my life. It actually made it easier

for me to buy a cell phone for instance. :P

[Subdivisions]

22. This looks like it's gong to be a great movie...

http://www.startrekmovie.com/

[AntiFascist]

33. With a very handsome yet logical first officer....

he can mind meld with me anytime. :evilgrin:

[Gidney N Cloyd]

2. Meanwhile, over on the Star Wars set...

[Kolesar]

10. bush would not have gone into politics had he been appointed Commissioner of Major League Baseball

According to Molly Ivins and Lou Dubose. They called the presidency a "resume builder".

[1776Forever]

11. OOOOh that is sooo good! Wonder who would have played him or would he have just been himself?

:rofl: :popcorn: :rofl: :popcorn: :rofl: :popcorn:

[Norrin Radd]

32. "Obama: First Trekkie President?"

http://trekmovie.com/2008/11/06/obama-first-trekkie-president/

[eShirl]

3. nice :)

Incidentally, there were 3 Star Trek TV series in addition to those mentioned in the OP.

I have to bring that up or I lose geek points.

[1monster]

7. You still lose geek points if you don't mention their names...

ST: Deep Space Nine, ST: Enterprise, and ST: the annimated version...

[eShirl]

9. you ruined my trap!

:D

I was waiting for someone to say "No, there were only two other series!"

[1monster]

28. So sorry....

:rofl:

[Greyhound]

36. You missed that it was the next, not new, generation.

:P

[1monster]

47. I saw that, but assumed it was a typo and I'm not in the business of gratuitously correcting

minor errors...

[FatDave]

21. You count DS9?

:hide:

[Greyhound]

37. Worst series, but produced the best episode of all time.

Trials And Tribble-ations

Just awesome

[AsahinaKimi]

46. I was always moved..

by Nichelle Nichols story of meeting Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at time she was considering leaving the show.

[grantcart]

4. and all this time I thought it was Blazing Saddles that was responsible

sorry Mel.

congratulations Gene.

[Ichingcarpenter]

5. Jeri Ryan...... thank you!

In more ways than one.





BTW..... CBS has made available the original series in the Youtube HD format

I use Toobie, a free program that puts it into your iTunes in almost one click,
be sure to change the preference in toobie to high quality.

Youtube high quality link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MvNXg2n1-g&feature=channel

Toobie program ; http://www.chimoosoft.com/products/tubetv/

[mucifer]

6. you forgot to mention that the repub Obama ran against for senate after ryan

decided not to run was alan keyes :rofl:

[crimsonblue]

8. Jeri Ryan's appearance on Star Trek didn't cause their divorce

It was Jack Ryan's perverted sexual desires. So we have S&M to thank for Obama becoming President.

[RandomThoughts]

12. That assumes many things

First, you assume Jeri Ryan was telling the truth. In that case, I think she was telling the truth, in many others they are just smears, or tactics.

It is also wrong to say someones failures make another succeed. It could be said, his failures were always going to disqualified him. That known event was therefore used for good.

Darkness does succeed at causing some people difficulty, but in the wake of that, certain things can reroute it back for good. I think it would be better to say, again assuming Jeri Ryan is telling the truth.

Jeri Ryan's refusal to take part in the SM requests of Jack Ryan, led, in a very small part to Mr. Obama's win.

It is not the wrong of the husband, it was the right of the wife that could equally be a factor.

[crimsonblue]

19. Jack Ryan (btw, what an unfortunate name)

never really countered the airing of his dirty laundry after his divorce papers were unsealed. Therefore, we have bondage to thank for Obama. Anyway, I think it was Obama's speech that won him the Illinois senate seat. Why Kerry pegged Obama for it I don't know.

[Terran]

25. Jeri Ryan is Borg. Borg do not lie.

:scared:

[wyldwolf]

26. My favorite 7 Of 9 quote: Do you wish to copulate? Remove your clothing!

[RandomThoughts]

41. If I had to pick a side to believe

I would believe Jeri, I think she was telling the truth also.

[dansolo]

23. It wasn't S&M

Jack Ryan took her to sex parties, and wanted to have sex with her in front of other people. She wasn't into that. There wasn't anything like S&M involved.

[Frank Cannon]

34. Jack Ryan wanted Jeri to perform live sex shows for his buddies

I highly doubt the subject of Star Trek much entered into the problems between those two.

[volatileblob]

13. Dang. I thought you were going to mention how Star Trek...

was one of the strongest pop cultural influences that helped pave the way greater diversity, tolerance, and understanding of different "species" (read races and cultures). From Vulcans to black Klingons. It's all good.



But no matter, I'm glad Obama won in the Senate and the presidency in any case.

[merh]

15. Me too. Personally I think the first interracial kiss on television

between Kirk and Uhura has more to do with where we are and Obama's successes than did the Ryans.

[Radical Activist]

14. A small correction

The Party didn't decide to put up Barack Obama. Everyone knew it would be a closely contested election that either party could win. Some parts of the Chicago machine supported Dan Hynes, who was already a statewide office holder. There was also a self-financed millionaire in the race.

Obama did not have an easy primary and wasn't put up as a sacrificial lamb. It was a very hotly contested primary that he skilfully won as the underdog outsider against strong opponents. Let's give credit where credit is due. That hotly contested primary was the template for his well organized Presidential campaign.

[Lord Helmet]

16. Obama is a Vulcan.

[ddeclue]

27. Tuvok-Barack???

[reggie the dog]

17. fucking far out!!!!!!!!

I thought it was going to have something to do with captain Kirk punching an alien in the mouth and stealing his woman!

[Deja Q]

20. Uh, okay... most of the producers and suits did it for the prospect of making money, but whatever

It was a TV show. Was was "Room 222" and scores of others that tackled, get this, the same subjects.

By the time Voyager premiered (and Rick Berman axed a potential Sulu show in favor of it, a show rumored to have been the creation of some fan but who knows), people were already saying Bermantrek was tired and worn out (and it was). Jeri came in for two reasons, both of which to increase ratings.

And if it wasn't for "Star Wars" (whose effects were comparable to what "2001" and "Space: 1999" had already done but just not to that big of a scale), Paramount would not have bothered with Trek for the big screen...

Ever watch TNG season 1? It was criticized all over the place; rightly so - it sexed almost every episode up when otherwise being a pale shadow of TOS. Also made for the money given the height of the Kirk era movies, which were revitalized in "Trek II" - given the green light only because the suits wanted to recoup as much money from the original motion picture ((at the time, it made a profit, but the cost of it at the time was also unheard of.))

In short, you're putting way too much faith in "Star Trek".

[lumberjack_jeff]

24. That is completely awesome.

It's a new take on chaos theory. If a Borg flaps her eyelashes, a hurricane blows in Washington DC. :rofl:

[mkultra]

29. jerri ryan is hot

in a swedish massues kind of way.

[joshcryer]

30. You have just won the internet, sir.

[PatSeg]

31. In my heart I knew it must be true

I just didn't know how until you explained it!

[IDemo]

35. We all have communicators (cell phones) and fazers have become Tasers

[merh]

38. you know, no matter how hard I try though

I cannot get my razer phone to flip open the way the SG folks got their communicators to open.

I've practically sprained my wrist trying.

:silly:

[IDemo]

40. Leonard Nimoy said a pedestrian busted up laughing when he used his cell

[merh]

42. If I were Nimoy or any of the original cast

you can bet I'd have a cell phone that looks like the original communicator

[Uncle Joe]

45. We also have voice and mental recognition computers,

so in some respects we're already ahead of the Star Trek Vision.

Live long and prosper.

[blogslut]

39. Star Trek - The Little Show that Could

In the history of television, Trek is an anomaly. Considering that it barely made it to air, was almost canceled in its second season and suffered direct competition from Lost in Space, Star Trek should be as forgotten as The Real McCoys or My Mother the Car. Roddenberry left the show in its last year because the network suits cut his budget - slashes that resulted in lesser script, talent and technical quality. In short, the network literally killed the show.

Trek's original studio, Desilu, chose to film their programs as opposed to recording them, via kinescope. This resulted in nearly perfect prints and gave birth to the syndication model, of which, Desilu programs benefited greatly. Syndication gave Star Trek a second life and because of the high-quality of Desilu prints, a third and a fourth.

One could say that Star Trek changed the world but then, one must recognize that it was Desi Arnez and Lucille Ball who wrote the prime directive. :hi:

[Tiggeroshii]

43. You forgot to mention DS9, and misnamed "The Next Generation"

[Bucky]

44. its cancellation; not it's cancellation

Captain Kirk had men put in the booth of pain for lesser offenses.