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 Paramount by 2002. Since 1967, hundreds of original novels, short stories, and television and movie adaptations have been published. The first original "Star Trek" novel was "Mission to Horatius" by Mack Reynolds, which was published in hardcover by Whitman Books in 1968. The first publisher of "Star Trek" fiction aimed at adult readers was Bantam Books. James Blish wrote adaptations of episodes of the original series in twelve volumes from 1967 to 1977; in 1970, he wrote the first original "Star Trek" novel published by Bantam, "Spock Must Die!" Pocket Books published subsequent "Star Trek" novels. Prolific "Star Trek" novelists