It all began when Gene Roddenberry convinced Desilu to foot the bill for not one, but two "Star Trek" pilots; thanks to Desilu's boss, America's darling Lucille Ball, the world met Kirk, Spock and McCoy.

Plagued by fledgling UPN's under-performance, Enterprise's premise (a prequel about the Federation's founding) was undercut by the decision to make the third season a reaction to 9/11. Lackluster ratings meant Captain Archer and his crew would only get four seasons.