The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek

It all began when Gene Roddenberry convinced Desilu to foot the bill for not one, but two Star Trek pilots. Thanks to Desilu's boss-America's darling Lucille Ball-the world met Kirk, Spock and McCoy.

The cartoon version of Star Trek in the early 1970s was great, and had creator Gene Roddenberry, writer D.C. Fontana and all the series' original stars on board.

Paramount wanted to launch a fourth network with the new Star Trek series Phase II as its flagship. It initially appeared doomed-until Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind proved hits.

The 1980s saw Paramount release three linked Star Trek movies to huge box-office success. The first, The Wrath of Khan, saw Ricardo Montalban as Khan, a villain from the original series, return.

In 1987, Paramount decided Trek should return to its roots: television. ST: The Next Generation would become the first hour-long scripted show sold directly to the syndicated television market.

After Gene Roddenberry's death, Trek ventured into yet another incarnation. Deep Space Nine was different from its predecessor in many important ways.

1995 brought another Trek series. This one featured a new starship, a return to episodic storytelling and Trek's first female Captain, Kathryn Janeway.

The list of great Trek characters is incomplete without the Enterprise, Starfleet's flagship vessel. But Enterprise isn't alone-there's a whole list of under-appreciated Federation vessels.

Plagued by fledgling UPN's underperformance, Enterprise's premise (a prequel about the Federation's founding) is undercut by the decision to make the third season a reaction to 9/11.

From series regulars and recurring roles down to the guest spots, thousands of actors have brought the characters of Star Trek to life. Hear them tell their story.