{"product_id":"what-is-the-story-of-captain-kirk-isbn-9781524791155","title":"What Is the Story of Captain Kirk?","description":"\u003cb\u003eYour favorite characters are now part of the Who HQ library!\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eJourney to deep space and learn how James Tiberius Kirk became one of the greatest space heroes in the \u003ci\u003eStar Trek\u003c\/i\u003e universe in this addition to the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling series.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom appearances in live action and animated television shows, a series of films, comics, video games, and more, James T. Kirk is an established space captain in pop culture. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eStar Trek\u003c\/i\u003e remains one of the most popular science-fiction series of all time, and Captain Kirk is one of the most famous and highly decorated captains in the history of Starfleet. As the commanding officer of starships like the \u003ci\u003eU.S.S. Enterprise\u003c\/i\u003e, viewers follow his adventures through space. But did you know that Kirk wasn't even the show's first Captain? And that the \u003ci\u003eStar Trek\u003c\/i\u003e series almost didn't happen? \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAuthor M. D. Payne takes readers aboard Starfleet starships as Kirk explores new worlds, encounters new villains, and \"boldly goes where no man has gone before.\"M. D. Payne wrote his first books, the gross-out horror series MONSTER JUICE, from 2012 until 2014, and then became involved in the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e Best-Selling Who Was? series, tackling spooky subjects like \u003ci\u003eWho Is R. L. Stine? \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eWhat Is the Story of Scooby Doo\u003c\/i\u003e? He lives in New York City.\u003cb\u003eWhat Is the Story of Captain Kirk?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e On the evening of September 8, 1966, people all around the United States tuned in to the NBC network. They were about to experience a historic moment in TV history: the very first episode of the new science fiction series, \u003ci\u003eStar Trek\u003c\/i\u003e. It was called “The Man Trap.”\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Viewers saw a spaceship orbiting a red planet. Then they heard a commanding voice say: “Captain’s log, Stardate 1513.1. Our position: orbiting Planet M--113 . . .”\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e The voice they heard belonged to Captain James Tiberius Kirk.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Captain Kirk and viewers alike were soon thrown into a space mystery. A species that can look like anyone impersonated one of the spaceship’s crewmen, and, hungry for salt, sucked the life out of some of the crewmembers!\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e In order to protect his crew, Captain Kirk had to put the pieces together, solve the mystery, destroy the invader, and save the ship from doom—-all before the episode ended.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e The show was packed with action.Unfortunately, though, reviews of the first \u003ci\u003eStar Trek\u003c\/i\u003e episode weren’t great. Some said that the sets, costumes, and even the acting seemed fake. But some viewers were drawn to the characters, especially Captain Kirk! He was tough and smart. He wasn’t afraid to show his emotions. He was in charge, but he knew when to ask for help. He was a space explorer who was still very human. He and the rest of the \u003ci\u003eStar Trek\u003c\/i\u003e crew instantly connected with viewers at home.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Because of that connection, \u003ci\u003eStar Trek\u003c\/i\u003e would soon become one of the most popular science fiction television series of all time. And Captain Kirk would become one of the most famous characters of any television series.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e But did you know Kirk wasn’t even the show’s first captain? And that the \u003ci\u003eStar Trek\u003c\/i\u003e series almost didn’t happen?\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e This is the story of how Captain Kirk was created and touched the lives of millions of fans around the globe through television, movies, and more.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eChapter 1:\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eAdventure in the Stars\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e During World War II, Gene Roddenberry was a bomber pilot who flew the B--17 Flying Fortress. After the war, he continued his career as a pilot. But on June 18, 1947, the engines of Pan American World Airways Flight 121 caught fire over Syria. The plane crash--landed, and the pilot died. Gene was the third pilot on that flight. He broke two ribs, but was still able to save a few passengers onboard before the whole plane burst into flames.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e After that crash, Gene wondered if he should even be a pilot anymore. So in May 1948, at the age of twenty--six, he decided to pursue a new career: writing.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Gene had always dreamed of being a writer. He thought he could make money writing poetry. That was his dream—-until his friend bought a new (and very expensive) piece of technology—-a television set! In 1948, very few people could afford a television. Television stations were just getting up and running. There were only four hours of shows a night! But Gene saw something special on his friend’s television, and it wasn’t long before his dream changed again: He wanted to be a television writer.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e He started writing scripts for different television shows, including police dramas like \u003ci\u003eHighway Patrol\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eDragnet\u003c\/i\u003e, one of the most popular television shows of the 1950s. Many of the television episodes he wrote were Westerns, for shows like \u003ci\u003eHave Gun—-Will Travel\u003c\/i\u003e. Westerns told stories about the experiences of pioneers in the Old West of the United States.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e By the end of the 1950s, televisions were in almost every home—-some of them now in color! Gene had become a well--respected, award--winning writer.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e And now Gene had a new dream: He wanted to create his very own television show!\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e In 1963, he created a television series called \u003ci\u003eThe Lieutenant.\u003c\/i\u003e The show followed the career of marine officer Second Lieutenant William Rice. Gene used his own military experience, through which he had achieved the rank of captain, to write a realistic show.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Unfortunately, \u003ci\u003eThe Lieutenant\u003c\/i\u003e was canceled after a year. Gene had plenty of other ideas, though. In fact, he was working on something big! He planned to take what he had learned about writing adventure, justice, military, and drama stories and giving it all a science fiction twist.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Gene’s new television series idea was simple but groundbreaking at the time—-a ship would explore space in the twenty--third century. His show would be filled with a diverse crew on a space mission. He would call his series \u003ci\u003eStar Trek.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Having a diverse crew was very important to Gene. At the time, television shows only hired white actors for starring roles. He believed in a future in which all cultures worked together and wanted to show that possibility on TV screens across America.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e But first, Gene needed to sell the show to the network executives—-the people in charge of television stations. In his pitch, he described \u003ci\u003eStar Trek\u003c\/i\u003e using a popular TV show, \u003ci\u003eWagon Train\u003c\/i\u003e, as an example: \u003ci\u003eWagon Train to the Stars\u003c\/i\u003e. The crew of \u003ci\u003eStar Trek\u003c\/i\u003e, like the pioneers who first explored the American West, would make space discoveries while facing danger along the way.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Television network NBC was interested in Gene’s \u003ci\u003eStar Trek\u003c\/i\u003e idea and asked for a television pilot. A television pilot is an episode that is created for the network to decide if they want to add a new series to their channel.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e In 1965, Gene created the pilot and called it “The Cage.” It told a space story starring the captain of the \u003ci\u003eU.S.S.\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eEnterprise\u003c\/i\u003e, Christopher Pike. He was trapped by strange life forms known as the Talosians on their planet, Talos IV. The crew had to save their captain!\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e NBC liked the pilot. The science and technology were like nothing they had ever seen: transporters to beam people down to a planet’s surface, force fields used to trap the captain, and aliens who could speak with their minds. But the network worried that the show didn’t have enough action for the audience\u003ci\u003e,\u003c\/i\u003e so they rejected “The Cage” and asked Gene to give them \u003ci\u003eanother\u003c\/i\u003e pilot, one with amazing science and technology, but even more action and interesting characters. They needed a show that would attract both viewers and the advertisers that helped pay for the show.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Gene had to figure out how to make \u003ci\u003eStar Trek\u003c\/i\u003e work.","brand":"Penguin Workshop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46300920119525,"sku":"NP9781524791155","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781524791155.jpg?v=1742922070","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/what-is-the-story-of-captain-kirk-isbn-9781524791155","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}