Star Trek Creator Gene Roddenberry's First Show Was A Forgotten Military Drama

Legendary writer and producer Gene Roddenberry will always be best remembered for creating "Star Trek." The profoundly influential sci-fi franchise started with the original series, which aired between 1966 and 1969. Roddenberry would also go on to make one of the best sci-fi shows of the 2000s, but before that, he created a very different series, albeit with some clear similarities: "The Lieutenant." The first show Roddenberry created was an hour-long military drama that aired between September 1963 and April 1964, lasting only one season of 29 episodes. That's far below the 100 episodes traditionally needed for a show to enter syndication, which is why it's rarely been rebroadcast.

While a military drama and space-faring sci-fi show may not seem to have much in common, "The Lieutenant" set the stage for "Star Trek" in a couple of ways. The show featured guest appearances from actors who'd star in future Roddenberry projects, including "Star Trek" stars Leonard Nimoy, Nichelle Nichols, and Walter Koenig. Additionally, "The Lieutenant" lead character, William Tiberius Rice, shares his middle name with James Tiberius Kirk, played by William Shatner in the original series. More importantly, "The Lieutenant" was a precursor for Roddenberry's boundary-pushing handling of social issues in "Star Trek."

Several episodes of "The Lieutenant" address topics that were highly controversial in the midst of the Cold War and Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. None did so as explicitly and with more consequence than "To Set It Right." The episode, which also features Nichelle Nichols in her television debut, depicts a racist incident between a Black Marine and a white superior. The military, which had previously worked in cooperation with the series, objected to the episode's content and withdrew its support; NBC would cancel "The Lieutenant" shortly after.

That clearly didn't discourage Gene Roddenberry. "Star Trek" is known for its sharp social commentary, which remains relevant and evolves with the franchise. Though the show's original crew was changed by a sexist demand to cut a female lead, it also featured a diverse cast in a time when segregation was a recent memory. Famously, Nichols and Shatner shared the first scripted interracial kiss on U.S. television in an episode that aired in 1968 — just one year after the Supreme Court struck down laws banning interracial marriage.

Expecting backlash from Southern TV stations and audiences, NBC executives wanted to film an alternate version without the kiss. The actors had to fight for the historic moment, with Nichols admitting she and Shatner purposely ruined takes to force the network to air it. "Star Trek" is known for going where no man has gone before, but "The Lieutenant" shows that Roddenberry was already pushing the boundaries of TV.