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 by Checker. The Gold Key series had a run of 61 issues. Gold Key lost the "Star Trek" license to Marvel Comics in 1979 (although Marvel's license from Paramount prohibited them from utilizing concepts introduced in the original series). From 1969 to 1973, a series of weekly "Star Trek" comic strips ran in the British comics magazine eventually known as "TV Century 21". A total of 258 issues were produced, as well as various annuals and specials. All were original stories. Two more annuals, under the "Mighty TV Comic" banner, also produced original "Star Trek" materials. In addition, the weekly