Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of 'Star Trek TOS' – Main Cast Members

 

The main cast members of Star Trek: The Original Series are beloved by Trek fans of all ages. They have an indelible place in pop culture. For example, I can't tell you how many times I've heard someone say "Beam me up, Scotty." They helped make the show endearing  to fans, and they led the way for all of the iterations of the Star Trek universe to come.

I feel like saying this cast was "beloved" doesn't truly capture the totality of the impact these characters had on the lives of fans. For those of us who first watched the show as a kid like I did, they were idolized as heroes who were brave and followed a code – the Prime Directive! Gene Roddenberry well understood that policy set parameters for a starship that controlled its tremendous power and capabilities. We kids understood this innately because our parents set rules we had to follow, so it just made sense.

All these years later as I watch the show over again, I feel such a deep and abiding love for it, and much of this has to do with the characters played by the main cast members. So now, let's take a look at the people who made the show worth watching again and again because of their talent, good will, and welcome sense of humor. 

1. Lt. Commander Montgomery Scott

James Doohan's portrayal of this character is iconic, but he almost didn't make it past appearing in the second pilot – "Where No Man Has Gone Before."  It is hard to imagine the U.S.S. Enterprise without its stalwart engineer, but after the pilot was approved by NBC, series creator Gene Roddenberry was second guessing a need for an engineer. He even sent a letter to Doohan saying as much, but Doohan's agent lobbied for him to be in the show, and it all worked out.

Doohan decided on the first name of the character – Montgomery – in honor of his maternal grandfather. He also believed that Scotty should have a Scottish accent based on his notion that the Scots made the best engineers. Scotty was also second officer, and when he was in the command chair he wouldn't let anyone mess with the ship. 

Scotty was affable enough with his crewmates, but he also took his job seriously. The Enterprise was his baby, and he loved her. His technical know how and innate skills made him something of a wizard when it came to repairing the ship. Sometimes Captain Kirk (William Shatner) would expect miracles from Scotty, which he somehow was able to accomplish – many times under severe time restraints. 

It was often implied that Scotty was an accomplished drinker, and in "The Trouble with Tribbles" (Season 2, Episode 15) he was responsible for starting a barroom brawl with the Klingons. When one Klingon was trying to goad him into a fight, he resisted even when the Klingon insulted his captain but, when he insulted the Enterprise, Scotty went ballistic. It is also in this episode when Scotty had his funniest line of dialogue. When Kirk asks what happened to all the tribbles, Scotty says that he beamed them all onto the Klingon ship, where he said, "They will be no tribble at all."

Doohan appeared in 66 of the show's 79 episodes.

Please watch this best moment of Scotty video.

2. Lt. Nyota Uhura

Nichelle Nichols played the communications officer of the Enterprise with grace and style. When Roddenberry sought to have a multiracial cast plus one alien, Uhura was purposely placed on the bridge behind the captain's chair. Uhura comes from the Swahili "uhuru," which translates to "freedom" in English. Nichols had the book Uhuru by Robert Ruark with her on the day she auditioned, and it inspired Gene to name her character this when he learned what the word meant. 

Uhura is depicted as a highly efficient communications officer who frequently multitasks in the background when she is not directly in the scene. When needed, Uhura would be able to take the control of the helm, navigation, or Spock's (Leonard Nimoy) science station with ease. When a situation arises, she is handy and can take down a panel and make repairs to her station. She also handles a phaser with the best of them. Uhura always speaks her mind, and she will even question the captain if she is concerned about something. 

One of my favorite Uhura moments takes place in "The Savage Curtain" (Season 3, Episode 22). The likeness of Abraham Lincoln – created by an alien race from all available data in the Enterprise's files – is beamed onto the ship. Kirk is giving him a tour of the decks, and when they come onto the bridge Lincoln encounters her and says, "The Charming Negress." He then promptly apologizes, but Uhura responds eloquently, telling him "In our century, we have learned not to fear words." Uhura shines brightly here, and it is a powerful moment that reminds viewers that in the future world depicted in Star Trek race will not matter at all. 

It's frightening to think that Nichols almost quit Star Trek because there had been some negativity about her role in fan mail, and she did want to get back to musical theater which she loved, but a meeting with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. changed her mind. He told her about how his children loved the show and her in it, but she told him that she was leaving the show. Dr. King insisted that she change her mind. He said, "You don't have a Black role. You have an equal role." Thankfully, Nichols changed her mind. 

Nichols went on to appear in 69 of the show's 79 episodes. 

Please watch this amazing moment with Lt. Uhura. 

3. Lt. Hiraku Sulu

In keeping with his vision for a multiracial cast, Roddenberry was looking to add an Asian character, but he didn't want to be too specific. According to George Takei, who would go on to play Sulu, he wanted the character to represent all of Asia. Despite the Vietnam War and tensions with Communist China, Roddenberry wanted to show that in the future we would all be at peace. Takei said Gene looked at a map of Asia and saw the Sulu Sea in the Philippines, and that is how he came up with the name.

Sulu's backstory is that he was born in San Francisco and is of Japanese descent. In the second pilot he was named Physicist Sulu and is head of the Astro Science Department. During the rest of the series, Sulu was third officer and the helmsman on the bridge. His interests included fencing and botany, and he was fascinated with old weapons – like the revolver he discovered in "Shore Leave" (Season 1, Episode 15).

Sulu would take the command chair when he had to, and he was a dependable officer. His work as helmsman got the Enterprise through the many challenges that space has to offer. And, when needed, he could play a convincing villain as he did in "The Enemy Within" (Season 1, Episode 5) when he played the evil version of his character.

Takei would appear in 52 episodes, missing a number of episodes during the second season because he was away filming the movie The Green Berets with John Wayne.

Please check out one of Sulu's iconic Trek moments when crew members start acting strangely.

4. Ensign Pavel Andreievich Chekov

Walter Koenig came on board in the second season. Gene wanted to add a younger cast member to appeal to a younger audience – like the kids watching the Monkees TV show. There was also a story – never corroborated – that the Soviet newspaper Pravda had criticized Star Trek for not having a Russian character. Chekov's youth and hairstyle lend credence to the Monkees story more than the Pravda one.

Gene crafted Chekov's back story as being born in Russia and that he was an honor student at Space Academy. He is brilliant in the field of science, and he would on occasion take over for Spock as science officer when needed. Slight in stature, Chekov will not back away from a fight, but in a number of episodes he is seen as losing to a bigger opponent – like in the bar brawl in "The Trouble with Tribbles" (Season 2, Episode 15).

There were moments too when Chekov had chances for romantic scenes, and this played into Gene's motive to attract younger viewers. Overall, Chekov is a highly likeable character, and his insistence that Russia invented things first or accomplished more than other countries is a running gag. He even insists that the Garden of Eden was located just outside of Moscow.

Koenig appeared in 36 of the show's 79 episodes.

Please check out this video featuring classic Chekov moments. 

What's Next?

In my next post, I will be focusing on what I like to call the Trek Triumvirate – Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, and Dr. McCoy. Until then, Live Long and Prosper!