10 Notorious Star Trek Urban Legends
9. The Original Cast Didn't Get Any Royalties
Despite being - allegedly - the most widely syndicated series in television history, the cast of the original Star Trek series have - also allegedly - barely seen a single dollar from its success. Despite it being one of the most timeless shows ever made and still enjoying screenings to this day, this one looks like it might actually be true.
Speaking on the Transporter Room 3 podcast, William Shatner explained that the rules in place to ensure members of the cast were entitled to royalties for reruns came into effect before Star Trek was initially conceived. "That came into being about three years later", he lamented. "The series Star Trek that I was in, was so early on, there were no residuals. So none of us ever have received residuals".
It's crazy to think that for all the additional hours of broadcast the show enjoyed, and the millions of dollars it subsequently made in the process, none of the original cast were getting a cheque in the post for it. They were steadily becoming the most iconic TV characters to emerge from the 1960s, all while a network which cancelled them after only 3 seasons was reaping the financial rewards.