As popular as Star Trek: The Original Series was (and has always been), one wonders how come it only aired for three seasons. The fans protested of course, but NBC cancelled the show in February 1969 after just 79 episodes. The cancellation has been named one of the biggest TV blunders.

Still, we do get to enjoy the three seasons of the Original Series, and all the other subsequent Star Trek series. And the movies! We get to see the starship USS Enterprise and its crew on voyages across the universe. William Shatner’s voice-over introduction during each episode’s opening credits stating the purpose of Enterprise:

Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.

Around that same time (1965-1968), there was another popular space series for television audiences to enjoy: Lost in Space. It was aired by CBS that had actually turned down Star Trek in favor of Lost in Space. You might wonder if CBS would have had the foresight of not cancelling Star Trek. Probably not since they cancelled Lost in Space, also after three seasons. The competition of television viewership dictated the births and deaths of any shows, just like they do now. And like now, there was so much to see!

Well, here’s anyway the main cast for Star Trek: The Original Series. In chronological order, a la Journeys of Life. Note the proximity of births of the two leading characters, William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy.

1920-0120 DeForest Kelley* as Chief Medical Officer Leonard H. “Bones" McCoy. From Toccoa, GA, USA (1999/79)
1920-0303 James Doohan* as Chief Engineer Montgomery “Scotty” Scott. From Vancouver, BC Canada (2005/85)

1930-0401 Grace Lee Whitney* as Yeoman Janice Rand. From Ann Arbor, MI USA (2015/85)
1931-0322 William Shatner* as Captain James T. Kirk. From Montreal, QC Canada
1931-0326 Leonard Nimoy* as First Officer Spock. From Boston, MA USA (2015/83)
1932-0223 Majel Barrett* as Head Nurse Christine Chapel. From Cleveland, OH USA (2008/76)
1932-1228 Nichelle Nichols* as Communications Officer Nyota Uhura. From Robbins, IL USA
1936-0914 Walter Koenig* as Navigator_ Pavel Chekov_. From Chicago, IL USA
1937-0420 George Takei* as Helmsman Sulu. From Los Angeles, CA USA