But That's Not REAL Star Trek! 7 Reviews That Judged Star Trek Too Quickly
6. I Hope It Doesn't Turn Out Like All The Rest Of That Filmation Sh*t!
Filmation was the company who took on the task of bringing Star Trek back, in animated form. They had almost total creative control, working closely with Roddenberry to bring something to the screen that was not simply another children's show, though the announcement that the series was going to air on Saturday mornings did nothing to quell this worry.
The quote in the title came from a very worried fan who attended a panel at a Star Trek convention in 1973. They were not at all excited about this show, feeling it was going to dull down what made Star Trek special. Filmation Studios was a small studio founded in the early '60s by Lou Scheimer, Norm Prescott and Hal Sutherland. Together, they worked closely with Roddenberry to make the show as adult as possible.
One technique was rotoscoping the Enterprise from the Original Series, along with much of the interiors. This removed the fear of 'campy' animation styles. Original writers David Gerrold and D.C. Fontana were also involved and vocal about the quality of the show, imploring audiences to give it a chance. Most of the actors returned, with the exception of Walter Koenig (though he did write an episode).
The show debuted to strong reviews.
The L.A. Times wrote in 1973 - "Star Trek is as out of place in the Saturday morning kiddie ghetto as a Mercedes is at a soapbox derby"
It was a head and shoulders above the cartoons surrounding it, going on to win Star Trek's first Emmy award.