10 Star Trek Facts You Probably Didn't Know
One iconic Star Trek detail was made up on the fly...
In 1966 the first episode of Star Trek aired. Now a sci-fi classic, at the time no one was sure if it would even find an audience. Find an audience it did. But, despite its popularity NBC continued to have qualms about the quirky show. After two seasons NBC began acting on their doubts. They moved Star Trek to a 10 pm time slot and cut its budget: slowly killing any chance for a renewal.
That didn't stop the series. Syndication helped the show find a wider fan-base, and after rerunning for 17 years it had become the most popular show in syndication. A year later a new series would follow in the footsteps of the original and the franchise would continue to grow. Currently, there are two Star Trek series airing simultaneously.
Over the years, there have been seven live-action series, an animated series and a web-series. That's 769 episodes and thirty-five seasons of Star Trek shows. Plus thirteen films, six of which were nominated in the Academy Awards and one of which won an Oscar. It takes something special for a franchise to last over half a century and still be so well loved.
But, what happened behind the scenes? Here's a look at ten facts even hardcore Star Trek fans might not know.
10. Worf And Dax's Romance Was The Actors' Idea
Deep Space 9 is fondly remembered for many things, but the romance between Worf and Dax was a fan favorite. Surprisingly, it wasn't planned.
Originally from The Next Generation, Worf joined the cast of Deep Space 9 in season 4 to help give a ratings boost to the show. A romance for his character with one of the existing cast wasn't expected. Michael Dorn and Terry Farrell have said the idea was all theirs. Farrell had joked that she and Dorn's character should flirt together so they both would more scenes.
The first scene the two meet is also the first time Dax tries flirting with Worf. One of Dax's past hosts is revered by the Klingons. When Worf mentions this, Dax responds in Klingon, essentially saying, " Yes, but I'm a lot better-looking than he was " to which Worf awkwardly replies "I suppose so."
The chemistry between the two characters was apparent, two years later Dax and Worf were married, much to fans delight...until the tragic demise of Dax at the end of season 6.