Nominated for four Emmys, including Outstanding Dramatic Series two times in its short three-year stint, Star Trek is a true legend of television history. The brainchild of former L.A. policeman Gene Roddenberry, the show premiered in Fall 1966 only to be cancelled after three seasons due to lackluster ratings. But it may well have been NBC's network executives who were the cause of the low ratings as they allotted a less than desirable time slot for the show. When Star Trek moved into syndication, its reruns captured the science-fiction imagination of an entirely new audience, catapulting the Star Trek franchise to new heights. Its newfound popularity would, in the decades to come, spawn novels, comic books, six full-length feature films, and reams of merchandise as fans clamored for anything Star Trek-related. Beginning in the 1980's, spin-offs of the show began to appear such as Star Trek: The Animated Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, and Star Trek: Enterprise