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.

Paramount wanted to launch a fourth network with the new Star Trek series Phase II as its flagship. When the network proved unworkable, Phase II appeared doomed--until Star Wars and Close Encounters Of The Third Kind proved box office hits. Phase II became the 1979 blockbuster Star Trek: The Motion Picture.