Star Trek: The Animated Series (TAS), is an American animated science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry. It originally aired under the title simply as Star Trek, subtitled Created by Gene Roddenberry, on Saturday mornings from September 8, 1973, to October 12, 1974, on NBC, spanning 22 episodes over two seasons. The second series in the Star Trek franchise, it features mostly the same characters as Star Trek: The Original Series. Set in the 23rd century, when Earth is part of a United Federation of Planets, it follows the adventures of the Starfleet vessel USS Enterprise as it explores the Milky Way galaxy. After the cancellation of The Original Series (TOS) in 1969, the live action show proved popular in syndication and generated significant fan enthusiasm. This resulted in Roddenberry's decision to continue the series in animated form. Much of the original cast returned to provide voice-overs for their characters. Show writers David Gerrold and D. C. Fontana characterized The Animated Series as effectively a fourth season of The Original Series. After the conclusion of The Animated Series, the adventures of the characters continued in live-action theatrical films, the first being the 1979 film Star Trek: The Motion Picture. The Animated Series was critically acclaimed and was the first Star Trek series to win an Emmy Award when its second season won the 1975 Emmy for Outstanding Entertainment – Children's Series. Premise Star Trek: The Animated Series is set in the 23rd century in the Star Trek universe, in which Earth is part of the multi-species United Federation of Planets. The Federation's military and exploration division, Starfleet, operates a fleet of starships that travel the galaxy establishing contact with alien races. It follows the adventures of the Starfleet vessel USS Enterprise under the command of Captain James T. Kirk as it explores the Milky Way galaxy. Voice cast and characters William Shatner as James T. Kirk, commanding officer of the USS Enterprise. Leonard Nimoy as Spock, first officer and science officer. DeForest Kelley as Doctor Leonard McCoy, chief medical officer. James Doohan as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, chief engineer. Doohan also voiced Arex, a navigator Nichelle Nichols as Nyota Uhura, communications officer. George Takei as Hikaru Sulu, helmsman. Majel Barrett as Christine Chapel, medical officer. Barrett also voiced M’Ress, a communications officer. Episodes Season 1 (1973–74) Season 2 (1974) Production Development Lou Scheimer of Filmation was in talks with Star