Ah, the glorious original series of Star Trek. It all started with "The Man Trap", where the Enterprise visits an archeological expedition (staffed by a young lady with a history of romance with one of the senior crew) which is exploring a long dead civilisation, and ended with "Turnabout Intruder", in which the Enterprise visits an archeological expedition (staffed by a young lady with a history of romance with one of the senior crew) which is exploring a long dead civilisation. Poetic, right?
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Captain James T Kirk (William Shatner)
The man. The myth. The legend. If any one fella could truly represent Star Trek, it's this Canadian icon. You may well love him these days as the slightly insane Denny Crane in Boston Legal, but the dashing Captain James Tiberius Kirk is his defining performance, in the defining sci-fi show of all time. Bold, passionate, Kirk is a lover and a fighter, and his results speak for themselves.
Mr Spock (Leonard Nimoy)
The most famous alien (well, half-human, half-alien) ever? Probably. The ice to Kirk's fire, Spock was absolutely crucial to the success of the show. The embodiment of impeccable logic and the power of science over emotion, his human half nonetheless betrayed him from time to time, leading to some extraordinarily emotional scenes.
Dr "Bones" McCoy (DeForest Kelley)
McCoy, The eternally irascible ship's doctor, was originally going to be a background role - before DeForest Kelley sank his teeth into it. His enormous talent would become an albratross around his neck (a familiar tale for these actors), as be became irretrievably typecast and gave up acting altogether. He became a poet, and sadly died on 11 June 1999.
Montgomery "Scotty" Scott (James Doohan)
Another Canadian, James Doohan was a tremendously versatile young actor and WWII veteran when he landed the role of Scotty. An expert with accents, he was even responsible for coming up with the Vulcan and Klingon heard in the first Star Trek film. Just as impressively, his last child was born when he was 80! He, too, passed away, in July 2005.
Hikaru Sulu (George Takei)
Fencer, botanist, martial artist and so much more, Sulu remained an enigma for many years - we didn't even find out his first name until Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country! In that same film, we learn he has been promoted to captain and given command of the USS Excelsior. Nice work!
Nyoto Uhura (Nichelle Nichols)
Gifted singer/dancer Nichols was part of TV's first interracial kiss (with Kirk, naturally). There were protests (some stations refused to air that episode), but even more letters of support. Dr Martin Luther King Jr himself persuaded Nichols, doubtful about the depth of her character, to stick with Trek. Not just because of the exemplary role model she had become to millions of young black women, but because - well, he loved the show!
Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig)
It might not seem like a big deal these days to have a Russian character on a TV show, but back in '66 it was a tense global environment as the US was deeply embroiled in the Cold War with the USSR. Like many of his fellow crewmembers, Chekov represented the bold, progressive philosophy behind the show - a key element of it's enduring success.
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