Pastiche and nostalgia: the 1980s movie series

Abstract

Although there was to be a gap of an entire decade before the first Star Trek movie was released, the ‘legendary’ status of the series continued to build throughout the 1970s. After cancellation the series was sold into syndication on the American and international markets. Though most shows at this ‘repeat’ stage would be seen by ever-declining audiences, Star Trek’s ratings actually increased over the years. Evidence began to emerge of the existence of a huge and dedicated fan base. In June 1972, 2000 people attended the first Star Trek Convention, a forum for star guests and series-related merchandise. By 1975 conventions were attracting numbers of up to 8000. A series of novelisations of episodes of the series sold extremely well, and many fanzines began to circulate among the audience. The market for Star Trek ‘spin-offs’ continued to increase. Clearly, although Star Trek’s initial ratings had not put it in the front rank of popular shows, it had attracted a fan base large and dedicated enough to preserve it as a continuing phenomenon. The long hiatus in production between the original series and the movies only encouraged the development of a ‘cult’ audience, as each re-run episode became well known to fans.