poe426 Review of Star Trek: The Animated Series

Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973–1975)

Surprisingly cerebral Saturday morning fare...

[10/10 · 15 January 2013]

With simple but effective economy of motion, STAR TREK: THE ANIMATED SERIES was light years ahead of the Special Needs programming doled out by most networks on Saturday mornings. (Not that it was limited to Saturday mornings: the live-action PLANET OF THE APES teleseries would've probably fared better had it aired on Saturday mornings as well: despite the superb production values- including fantastic makeup, on a weekly basis-, PLANET OF THE APES was written on a child's level, with often simplistic and sometimes downright embarrassingly stupid stories.) STAR TREK: THE ANIMATED SERIES often transcended the live-action limitations, venturing into uncharted territory. Action was minimal, but there were some interesting aliens throughout (and some familiar faces, and some recycled story lines). Of particular interest to me was the introduction (finally) of Captain Robert T. April, the first captain of the Enterprise. And the episode where the crew caught The Plague was definitely not the norm for Saturday morning cartoons of that period.