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 television series, the film franchise, and further adaptations in several media. In creating "Star Trek", Roddenberry was inspired by the Horatio Hornblower novels, the satirical book "Gulliver's Travels", and by works of western genre such as the television series "Wagon Train". These adventures continued in the 22-episode "" and six feature films. Four spin-off television series were eventually produced: "" followed the crew of a new starship "Enterprise" set a century after the original series; "" and "" set contemporaneously with "The Next Generation"; and "" set before the original series in the early days of human interstellar travel. The