Star Trek (TOS) Question (1 Viewer)

[ClassicTVMan1981X]

Does anyone remember watching Star Trek (The Original Series), whether on NBC or in syndication from 1969-1984 and noticing whether or not the Desilu logo appeared on these two 1968-aired episodes: "The Gamesters of Triskelion" (1/5/1968) and "A Private Little War" (2/2/1968)?

Production info:
"The Gamesters of Triskelion"
NBC air date: 1/5/1968
Episode number: 2x17 (production order), 2x16 (NBC)
Production code: 60346
Filming date: 10/17/1967-10/24/1967

"A Private Little War"
NBC air date: 2/2/1968
Episode number: 2x16 (production order), 2x19 (NBC)
Production code: 60345
Filming date: 9/29/1967-10/6/1967

If such is the case with these two, then it would officially mean "A Piece of the Action" (1/12/1968) was the first episode in order of broadcast to say "A Paramount Production in association with Norway Corporation" and to carry the Paramount Television "Rising Circle" closing logo, but in order of production "The Immunity Syndrome" (1/19/1968) has that honor. These episodes, in production order, were filmed on 10/25/1967-11/1/1967 and 11/2/1967-11/9/1967 respectively, which makes clear the transition to Paramount from Desilu occurred slightly less than four months after Gulf+Western's acquisition of the latter and the merger of it into the former was declared official.

The one exception is the episode "Bread and Circuses" since it was the next to last episode of the season when broadcast on NBC (3/15/1968). It was filmed between 9/12/1967-9/20/1967 but due to its super-late airdate the editing department had enough time to scrub the mention of "Desilu" at the end in favor of "Paramount" to say "A Paramount Production in association with Norway Corporation" here (as was officially the case starting with "A Piece of the Action" in order of broadcast), and thus the use of the Paramount Television "Rising Circle" logo.

~Ben

 

[younger1968]

I never notice the change in the copyright.

 

[Garysb]

Per this loop of Desilu and Paramount TV logos there was a period where Desilu was still used but the copyright was Paramount Pictures. So apparently they chose to keep Desilu as a subsidiary of Paramount in 1967 and per what you have said dropped Desilu at the start of 1968. One of the logos in the loop shows the copyright as Paramount and Norway Productions with the Desilu logo in 1967.

 

[Wiseguy]

Does anyone remember watching Star Trek (The Original Series), whether on NBC or in syndication from 1969-1984 and noticing whether or not the Desilu logo appeared on these two 1968-aired episodes: "The Gamesters of Triskelion" (1/5/1968) and "A Private Little War" (2/2/1968)?

If such is the case with these two, then it would officially mean "A Piece of the Action" (1/12/1968) was the first episode in order of broadcast to say "A Paramount Production in association with Norway Corporation" and to carry the Paramount Television "Rising Circle" closing logo, but in order of production "The Immunity Syndrome" (1/19/1968) has that honor. These episodes, in production order, were filmed on 10/25/1967-11/1/1967 and 11/2/1967-11/9/1967 respectively, which makes clear the transition to Paramount from Desilu occurred slightly less than four months after Gulf+Western's acquisition of the latter and the merger of it into the former was declared official.

The one exception is the episode "Bread and Circuses" since it was the next to last episode of the season when broadcast on NBC (3/15/1968). It was filmed between 9/12/1967-9/20/1967 but due to its super-late airdate the editing department had enough time to scrub the mention of "Desilu" at the end in favor of "Paramount" to say "A Paramount Production in association with Norway Corporation" here (as was officially the case starting with "A Piece of the Action" in order of broadcast), and thus the use of the Paramount Television "Rising Circle" logo.

~Ben

I've never watched Star Trek on NBC but I did watch it in early syndication which, as far as I know, showed the exact versions of the NBC broadcast including the original opening credits of early first-season episodes and the narrated bumpers of the third season. The episodes at that time were shown in production order. I can't say which episode was the first to show the Paramount logo but AS FAR AS I CAN RECALL once it changed to Paramount the Desilu logo was never seen again. This would seem to mean "Bread and Circuses" had the Desilu logo but I can't be sure. Also, on local station broadcasts on film, it's always possible the station ran out of time on some episodes and cut off the credits early before the logo was shown.

Even though the Paramount logo has been changed in reruns I believe the Desilu logo has been retained on those episodes that originally displayed it. I have no idea what's on the second season VHS/DVD releases but that might be a clue as well.

On the Mission: Impossible DVDs the Paramount logo appears with the first episode broadcast in 1968 (and the first 1968 copyright notice) and each succeeding episode. However, by that time, the production order and aired order was the same. Coincidentally (or not) the first episode with the Paramount logo was also the first episode not to show scenes from the episode during the closing credits.

What I DO remember was that the first-season and early second-season episodes had no copyright notice at all until the Paramount copyright notice began to appear under the Desilu logo after the first few episodes in production order. This would indicate that NBC showed whatever logo or copyright notice was on the original episode regardless of the NBC aired order. A 1978 copyright notice was later added to these episodes. (On Mannix five of the first episodes of the 1967-68 season now have a 1996 copyright notice. The first two episodes broadcast in 1968 still had a 1967 copyright date and the Desilu logo.)

Based on all this information I would say the Paramount logo appeared on those episodes of Star Trek with a 1968 copyright notice. I have no idea whether "Bread and Circuses" had a 1967 (when filmed) or 1968 (when aired) copyright notice.

 

[ClassicTVMan1981X]

I've never watched Star Trek on NBC but I did watch it in early syndication which, as far as I know, showed the exact versions of the NBC broadcast including the original opening credits of early first-season episodes and the narrated bumpers of the third season. The episodes at that time were shown in production order. I can't say which episode was the first to show the Paramount logo but AS FAR AS I CAN RECALL once it changed to Paramount the Desilu logo was never seen again. This would seem to mean "Bread and Circuses" had the Desilu logo but I can't be sure. Also, on local station broadcasts on film, it's always possible the station ran out of time on some episodes and cut off the credits early before the logo was shown.

Even though the Paramount logo has been changed in reruns I believe the Desilu logo has been retained on those episodes that originally displayed it. I have no idea what's on the second season VHS/DVD releases but that might be a clue as well.

On the Mission: Impossible DVDs the Paramount logo appears with the first episode broadcast in 1968 (and the first 1968 copyright notice) and each succeeding episode. However, by that time, the production order and aired order was the same. Coincidentally (or not) the first episode with the Paramount logo was also the first episode not to show scenes from the episode during the closing credits.

What I DO remember was that the first-season and early second-season episodes had no copyright notice at all until the Paramount copyright notice began to appear under the Desilu logo after the first few episodes in production order. This would indicate that NBC showed whatever logo or copyright notice was on the original episode regardless of the NBC aired order. A 1978 copyright notice was later added to these episodes. (On Mannix five of the first episodes of the 1967-68 season now have a 1996 copyright notice. The first two episodes broadcast in 1968 still had a 1967 copyright date and the Desilu logo.)

Based on all this information I would say the Paramount logo appeared on those episodes of Star Trek with a 1968 copyright notice. I have no idea whether "Bread and Circuses" had a 1967 (when filmed) or 1968 (when aired) copyright notice.

According to the "answer print" dates at the Star Trek Fact Check blog, I got word that...

"Wolf in the Fold" (ep. 2x14, prod. 5149-36, aired 12/22/67) was the first episode of Star Trek, in order of answer print date (or, 35mm first trial air date), to have the 1967 Paramount/Norway Corporation copyright under the Desilu logo. The answer print date was 9/19/67.

However, the very last episode to not carry the Paramount/Norway Corporation copyright under the logo, by order of answer print date, was "The Changeling" (ep. 2x03, prod. 5149-37, aired 9/29/67). Its answer print date was 9/13/67.

I was told at the TrekBBS site that "Bread and Circuses" (ep. 2x25, prod. 60343, aired 3/15/68) still had its original answer print dated 11/24/67 as late as February 1968 in an updated memo to NBC about said episode. Thus, that episode would have the Desilu logo at the end with the 1967 Paramount/Norway Corporation copyright underneath. On 1980s syndicated reruns and associated VHS tapes, the mid-1970s Paramount Television "Blue Mountain" logo is thus also seen.

~Ben