10 Times Star Trek Gave Fans EXACTLY What They Wanted
2. TOS Season 3
After the cancellation of the Original Series at the end of its second season, the future of Star Trek looked dire. This was a time when there were no movies to fall back on nor internet forums to gather the fans together. Betty JoAnne Trimble, who would come to be known universally as Bjo Trimble, together with her husband, came up with an idea.
They were instrumental in saving Star Trek. They began a letter writing campaign that inspired NBC to save Star Trek. As thanks for this, Bjo, John Trimble and many other fans were featured in the Rec Room scene in The Motion Picture, cementing their contribution both on and off the screen.
However, the saving of Star Trek came at a drastic price. The budget for each episode was slashed, though the stars salaries increased. Time slots became an issue and Star Trek was given the death slot - Fridays at 10pm. Gene Roddenberry threatened to resign over this but his threats were ignored and when he followed through and left, the studio had to scramble to hire replacement teams. One script consultant was even quoted as asking 'what does that transporter thing do again?'
While Star Trek may technically have been saved by the network, it was really just a drawn out funeral. The franchise wouldn't truly be safe until the release of the Wrath of Khan, capitalising on the enormous box office success of the Motion Picture, which occurred over a decade later.