Star Trek: The Original Series the 23rd century bearing a crew dedicated to exploring the Milky Way Galaxy. Roddenberry noted a number of influences on his idea, some of which includes A. E. van Vogt's tales of the spaceship "Space Beagle", Eric Frank Russell's "Marathon" series of stories, and the film "Forbidden Planet" (1956). Some have also drawn parallels with the television series "Rocky Jones, Space Ranger" (1954), a space opera which included many of the elements that were integral to "Star Trek"—the organization, crew relationships, missions, part of the bridge layout, and some technology. Roddenberry also drew heavily from C. S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower
Star Trek: The Original Series "TV Comic" reprinted serialized versions of the U.S. Gold Key comics. In 1977–1978, before home video was widely available, Mandala Productions and Bantam Books published FotoNovels of "TOS" that included direct adaptations of actual color television episode frames (with word balloons) in comics format. From February 1984 through February 1996, DC Comics held the license to publish comic books based upon the "Star Trek" franchise, including "Star Trek: The Original Series". The main DC Comics "Star Trek" title was published in two series, comprising 136 issues, 9 annuals, and a number of special issues, plus several mini-series that linked "TOS"