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The Lost Star Trek Series

© Tanya M. Blakeley

In 1977, Paramount Pictures announced plans for it's own tv network in which a brand new Star Trek series would have been the cornerstone. The series, entitled Star Trek: Phase II, would have reunited most of the original series cast except Leonard Nimoy.

In place of Nimoy's character, Spock, would have been a young Vulcan named Xon (pronounced Zahn). The series would have also contained the characters of Commander William Decker and Lt. Ilia.

Although the sets and props had been designed, scripts written and a special effects company had been hired, Paramount decided to scrap it's plans for the network and focus on feature films leaving the plans for Phase II behind.

However, from this decision came the first Star Trek movie, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, which reunited the entire cast of the original series.

The ideas behind a couple of the episodes for Phase II eventually became episodes for Star Trek: The Next Generation. Including "Devils Due" (Teleplay written by Phillip Lazebnik, Story by Phillip Lazebnik and William Douglas Lansford), in the ST: NG version, Captain Picard takes a "Devil" to court to decide the fate of a planet and Data takes on the role that would have been played by the Enterprise computer in Phase II.

In the Phase II version (Written by William Douglas Lansford) Kirk is the one taking on the "Devil" to free a planet and his crew (McCoy is trapped and Chapel's health is failing).

"The Child" (Written by Jaron Summers, Jon Povill and Marice Hurley) in the ST: NG version Deanna Troi is impregnated by an entity and has a child named Andrew. In the Phase II version, Lt. Ilia (the Deltan navigator from ST: TMP) is the one who's impregnated.

It's been speculated that had Star Trek's lost series aired there may not have been the movies, ST: NG, ST: DS9 or ST: Voyager and no Star Trek legacy. That may be true, but, from what I've read it would have been a great series.

This Week's Trivia Question:

Who played Commander Decker in Star Trek: The Motion Picture?

Last Week's Question:

What was the first episode of Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek?

The very first episode was called "The Cage". Starring Jeffery Hunter as Captain Pike. It was the original pilot for the series.

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