First watched : 31 August 1974
The cartoon version of Star Trek arrived on a Saturday teatime while the live action repeats were still being broadcast on a Wednesday. Fan pressure was not enough to revive the show as a live action proposition but Filmation secured the rights to do an animated series which would carry on where the series left off.
It immediately disappointed me by replacing Chekov with a stupid-looking alien. Most of the original cast were back to do the voices and Leonard Nimoy had insisted that George Takei ( Sulu ) and Michelle Nicholls (Uhura) be included in that but somehow Walter Koenig had to be content with just writing an episode.
Animation in theory should have led to better depiction of alien beings and worlds but in reality budget constraints neutralised that advantage. Shots were re-used, mistakes were evident and the characters' blank expressions soon induced boredom. For Filmation it was actually a success, being their only cartoon series to be re-commissioned and winning an Emmy for one episode.
This series was my point of departure from the Star Trek universe. I've not seen any of the films or watched more than the odd snatch of the post-Kirk series.
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