In January 1969, NBC decided to not to renew Star Trek. The show was in the middle of its third season. Richard Nixon had just been sworn in as President, the nation had not heard the name "Watergate" yet, and over 500,000 troops were fighting a war in Vietnam.
When Star Trek was cancelled it was nearly $30 million in debt in today's dollars. It had no future, it was a dead hulk that no one thought anything of.
Yet somehow, this quirky little show made it into syndication where it resonated with another generation viewers. In just nine years, the show would be resurrected as a major motion picture and soon become a multi-billion dollar franchise.
It all starts at the end.
