Star Trek: The Animated Series were added to the cast—claiming that Sulu and Uhura were of importance as they were proof of the ethnic diversity of the 23rd century and should not be recast. Nimoy also took this stand as a matter of principle, as he knew of the financial troubles many of his "Star Trek" co-stars were facing after cancellation of the series. Koenig was not forgotten, and later wrote an episode for the series, becoming the first "Star Trek" actor to write a "Star Trek" story. Koenig wrote "The Infinite Vulcan", which had plot elements from the original "Star Trek" episode "Space Seed"
Cultural influence of Star Trek Cultural influence of Star Trek "Star Trek" is one of the most culturally-influential media franchises, and is often regarded as the most influential science fiction TV series in history. The original series, which aired in the late 1960s, has since spawned six successor series and thirteen movies , merchandise, and a multibillion-dollar industry collectively known as the "Star Trek" franchise. The franchise is owned by CBS Television Studios, which now owns television properties previously held by Paramount Pictures, the studio that produced "Star Trek" for many decades. CBS Paramount continues to hold DVD rights to the TV series, and the