The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek

Season 1, Episode 3: Trekking Through the '70s: Phase II and The Motion Picture

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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.