snl star trek last voyage

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Flashback to 5/29/76 – Watch SNL’s “The Last Voyage of the Starship Enterprise” Skit

| May 29, 2010 | By: Anthony Pascale 67 comments so far

SNL Flashback – The Last Voyage of the Starship Enterprise Via HULU (USA only – sorry)

This skit was from the first season of Saturday Night Live in 1976, airing on NBC just seven years after the network cancelled Star Trek . It is possible SNL was taking a poke at the net, as Star Trek had become a rerun hit in the 1970s. The script was written by Michael O’Donoghue, who was reportedly a big fan of Star Trek . According books about the history of SNL, Jon Belushi was also a huge fan, and he was determined to get the role as Kirk ahead of Chevy Chase. Belushi went as far as shaving his sideburns to match Kirk’s.

For more info on the sketch and a transcript visit snltranscripts.jt.org

Loved this back in 75!

This was the first time I saw anyone imitate the Shatner delivery (every. word. is. its. own. sentence).

Apparently the non intelligent networks have spread. UPN canceled enterprise for low ratings in spite of the fact that it had high ratings on DVRs. I can’t think of anything on UPN i would actually watch now. NBC is still unintelligent. They canceled conan when leno was the problem. I don’t watch NBC anymore either.

NBC = No brains channel

@1 “Loved this back in 75”

Time Travel? It aired in ’76.

@4 “NBC = No brains channel”

And here I thought they manufactured cookies!

crap only for US folks…

I meant – only people in the US can watch this…

I remember my stepmother telling me about this skit the day after it aired. At the time I was 13, and apparently was already in bed for some reason. I wasn’t really interested in SNL at the time and wasn’t watching it . My stepmother described some of the skit, and said she and my Dad were tempted to wake me up to see it. I was heartbroken that they hadn’t, but I finally got to watch a videotaped copy of it a couple of years later, and I loved it. I now have that first season SNL set, just for that skit ( got it as part of a buy one get one free sale ).

You can definitely tell that O’Donoghue was a Trekkie…I mean, who else but a hrdcore trekker would have references to “the flying parasites of Ingraham B” ( “Operation Annihilate” ),”the vampire clouds of Argos 10 ( “Obsession” ) and “the sandbats of Manark IV” ( “The Empath” ). Great stuff.

You also have to love the extra effort put into the sound effects. Somebody obviously audiotaped “The Lights Of Zetar” and they created loops of bridge and computer sounds.

Also nostalgic are the Remco phaser gun toys. I had one of those big goofy beeping toys.

I wonder how many people now get the reference the ‘Promise Margarine’ commercials that Shatner did in the ’70s?

” George, Nichelle, let’s go…I’m gonna tie one on!” – LOVE it!

3 — “I can’t think of anything on UPN i would actually watch now. ”

err, that might be because UPN folded in 2006.

Can’t watch it in UK….. boooo.

Frankly Captain I’m exhausted…

yah that skit is a classic…some of belushis best work…and yah even back then you could tell they all liked star trek…It was probably easier for them to get the sound effex n stuff cuz they were also on nbc as was star trek–also one of the FEW snl sketches that blatantly said that the decision makers who cancelled trek were not very intelligent, insightful or right when it got cancelled….I also loved the way the two leads stayed in character the whole skit til the end. that was funny….like they didnt want to believe the reality and were trying to make their own reality….kinda deep for snl hahaha

Belushi was brilliant much of the time but I really loved his Kirk….my 2nd fave Belushi was when he imitated Joe Cocker….gawed that was funny to see Belushi next to Cocker doing his routine….incidentally Joe Cocker was on the American idol finale and was awesome….

SNL has had the two key “Trek” comedy sketches: This, and Shatner’s ‘Get a Life.’

Belushi is one of the best Kirk imitators I’ve ever seen, and having three legends-to-be play the Big Three is amazing to watch.

This was during TOS’s big revival in syndication, too.

Gotta love the evasive action sequence.

I remember seeing this live and eating up every line.

I have the original script from an old SNL book released around the same time. The love put into the script is evident. Great stuff. Thanks Anthony!

That, my friends, was right up at the top of SNL’s greatest moments.

Not just a network skit, but actually a very good fan-type production, in the best sense of the term.

SNL was so good in its prime.

“Via HULU (USA only – sorry)”…..Blaaaaa,blaaaaa !Cabrones¡

I remember this from when it first aired. I was 12 and just getting into Trek in syndication. It’s classic! Absolutely hilarious stuff. John Belushi was a comic genius.

Aykroyd’s line:

“But we’re on five year mission to explore space! We’ve only been out here three years!” really resonates.

I’ve worked with Nielsen in several countries as a producer of Consumer Goods. Their methods were flawed, and they are LAZY. Their estimate of a given product’s sales volume was always around 50% of reality, so we always needed a secondary source of information. Problem is, shareholders recognize the ‘Nielsen’ brand as a large 3rd party auditor, as do advertisers.

Well, Trek won out in the end, didn’t it?

Sniff!!! ….I can’t see it!

#12,13 & 16. Yeah US only – but they’ll still push their ads onto us before they tell us.

This is the first time I have seen this. I was in the Army, Over Seas when this aired. I didn’t even know about it. It is funny and poignant.

I appreciate Hulu letting us non-Americans watch their advertisement before denying access to the video. Ugh. This one IS a classic though!

You guys are so lucky, being in Canada we get to watch so few of these great clips. Awesome SNL amazing time of the whole “Star Trek Lives” period of Star Trek history.

John was so much funnier than Jim

I know it’s just for laughs, but Belushi was a pretty decent Kirk, and Chase, if he’d tried a little harder, kinda works for Spock…..

Just think how many times they could update that last joke.

Great stuff from a time when SNL didn’t take itself so seriously.

Gene said it best when he first saw it — DELICIOUS!

This was a classic!

Truly sums up the brilliant cheese of TOS & network stupidity all in one!

Now if Hulu would only make itself available to Canada, I could have enjoyed this once more.

Wow, I was born five days before they aired this back in 1976.

This was funny but the skit with Lorne Michaels offering the Beatles something like 3500 dollars to reunite is something that really sticks in my mind. I remember hearing George, I believe, say he John and Paul were in NY watching that night and actually considered coming down to the studio. SNL seemed to be a little more relevant back then.

What’s great here is that Belushi isn’t “doing Shatner” – he drops a few bits in but for the most part he’s actually playing the character – and he’s terrific! He could easily have had a dramatic acting career. He *owns* this part!

The guy playing Sulu would play him again when Shatner hosted a decade later!

Well, it is obvious what Star Trek has over NBC.

Fans, fans in every corner of this globe upon which we live. Star Trek lives and Star Trek will live long beyond US Network Television’s days – WHICH are numbered.

One day soon there will be ONE deliver mechanism for entertainment in the home – a broadband delivery media with the capacity to deliver entertainment from myriad sources and producers NOT the select few.

Just examine the trend to diversified entertainment sources during the past 25 years! More producers, more channels, more cable channels, over-the-air, cable, satellite, DSL and 3G/4G systems.

Look at the diversity of cities and nations where US delivered entertainment now is created.

The entry barriers have been vastly altered and the costs dramatically lowered. Some web series draw larger audiences than any US network draws today.

Hurrah for the entertainment diversity!

ahhh…the good old days….when SNL was acually funny!

They couldn’t post in on you tube?

only in the US?!?! WTF??? I’m seeing this more and more on this site and it’s getting annoying. Couldn’t you guys find this anywhere else for your fans in the rest of the world?

For the people in the UK, try this Link and see if you have better luck . . .

IMDb Video Star Trek – The Last Voyage of the Starship Enterprise http://uk.imdb.com/video/hulu/vi3436183577/

My friends loved ribbing me when I was a kid for being a Trek fan, and they felt that this SNL skit gave them ammunition for their sometimes relentless taunts. What they didn’t get though was that I thought it was a pretty damn funny skit myself, so my friends were only making idiots of themselves actually when they brought it up as though it was proof of something when it wasn’t proof of anything other than the SNL cast and writers knowing how to come up with a good skit and knowing how to perform it well. Belushi was actually a big Trek fan I believe –I’m pretty sure I saw him alluding to it in more than one interview way back then, and I wouldn’t have been surprised at the time if he actually served as the inspiration for their doing that skit.

Well, almost. George Harrison wasn’t there. You might be thinking of George’s later appearance where he was in a scene w/Lorne Michaels, or his duet with Paul Simon, which was outstanding.

But Paul and John were, amazingly, both in New York and saw the show, and almost came down. There were two factors: they were tired, but mainly, they hadn’t prepared anything and weren’t going on national television without rehearsal.

One of THE classic SNL sketches. Michael O’Donoghue was a great writer, and Belushi’s Kirk is where all the other Shatner impressions sprung from.

Right on about the beatles reunion details-it was just john n paul toogether watching that night-i think the amount offered was much lower than 3500 i think it was around 500 or maybe 1000 giving each beatle 250 heheh–that was another great snl moment–those were the days-really smething-despite many talented people the first snl is still the best-

That was from the time when SNL was funny? How bad is it now?

That was ok but it was summer camp skit night level.

I’m SO TIRED of this USA only – have you heard of world wide web?? If it’s not visible to everyone – don’t put it here! Same crap with Bones, NCIS etc on Facebook!!!

This was certainly one of the most memorable skits SNL ever did, and the “Belushi era” was, IMO, the best cast ever… although the “Eddie Murphy era” was pretty good, too.

As an aside for the Beatle folks, Eric Idle was behind the “well, we couldn’t get the Beatles, but we got the Rutles” skit, and the subsequent Rutles tv special. Word has it that the Beatles loved being made fun of by a Python-er, and Harrison was in it, to boot.

does anyone recall that not only the shat’s “get a life” SNL but they also did this type sketch again AND the dude that played Sulu played him again? think it’s on youtube

i recall reading the SNL that Shatner hosted was one of the highest rated one’s up to that point

The sad thing is: Shatner was probably as big in Season Three as Belushi is in that skit!

Awesome skit, haven’t seen it in years. You can tell Belushi really liked the show. They put a lot into it!

LOL!! By the way, I still hope somebody from “The Supreme Court” has been reading these posts. I don’t know how much it would mean since I guess I’m the only one who’s said so (and I’m only one person out of how many thousands?), but I would still very much like to see Bill Murray have a role in the next movie.

Blows me away that this is considered funny by anyone. TV in the U.S must be pretty low level.

I would love to see the Jonas Brothers do a Star Trek parody on SNL one day. That would be fun and totally rock! Joe can be Kirk, Nick can be Spock, and Kevin can be Bones! What do you think? Can Joe pull off a Shatner impression?

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WATCH: “Star Trek: The Last Voyage” – SNL – Original Air Date May 29, 1976

Posted By Bob Reno on 03/17/2020

Another classic sketch from the early days of Saturday Night Live! This time, poking fun at their own network, NBC, for cancelling the popular “Star Trek” TV series.

Capt. Kirk (John Belushi), Spock (Chevy Chase) and Dr. McCoy (Dan Aykroyd) encounter network executives (Elliott Gould, Garrett Morris) who announce Star Trek is cancelled.

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SNL Transcripts Tonight

For Die Hard Saturday Night Live Fans

SNL Transcripts: Elliot Gould: 05/29/76: The Last Voyage of the Starship Enterprise

Mr. Spock…..Chevy Chase Captain Kirk…..John Belushi Mr. Sulu…..Akira Yoshimura Lt. Uhura…..Doris Powell Voice of Mr. Scott…..Dan Aykroyd Dr. McCoy…..Dan Aykroyd Herb Goodman…..Elliot Gould Curtis…..Garrett Morris

Announcer : The following program is brought to you in livingcolor by NBC.

Mr. Spock : Captain Kirk to the bridge! Captain Kirk to the bridge!

Captain Kirk : Yes, Mr. Spock?

Mr. Spock : Sensors are picking up an unidentified vessel, Captain, headed straight for us.

Captain Kirk : Range, Mr. Sulu?

Mr. Sulu : .43 light years, sir, and closing fast.

Captain Kirk : Lt. Uhura, open a hailing frequency.

Lt. Uhura : I’ve been trying to reach them, but there’s been noresponse, sir.

Captain Kirk : [ into microphone ] This is Captain James T. Kirk of the Starship Enterprise. Identify yourself. [ to Uhura ] Put them on the viewscreen, full magnification.

Lt. Uhura : Aye aye, sir.

Captain Kirk : [ into microphone ] Repeat. Identify yourself.[ viewscreen shows a maroon 1968 Chrysler limo flying behind them ] What kind of ship is that, Mr. Spock?

Mr. Spock : Fascinating, Captain. It would appear to be an earlygas combustion vehicle, at least two or three hundred years old.

Captain Kirk : Run it through the computer. Find out what thoselittle numbers mean. I want answers.

Mr. Spock : Process visual feed. Analyze and reply.

Captain Kirk : I have a hunch, Mr. Spock, that we are about to face a menace more terrifying than the flying parasites of Ingraham B; more insidious than the sand-bats of Manark 4; more bloodthirsty than the vampire clouds of Argus 10. I have a hunch that “thing” out there is deadlier than the Romulans, the Klingons, and the Gorns all rolled into one.

Mr. Spock : Here is the readout, Captain. The computer has identified the alien vessel as a 1968 Chrysler Imperial with a tinted windshield and retractable headlights.

Captain Kirk : And the little blue and orange numbers?

Mr. Spock : That’s called a “California license plate”, and it’sregistered, or was in 1968, to a corporation known as “NBC”. Wait.. there’s something more.. The computer isn’t sure, but it thinks this NBC used to manufacture cookies.

Captain Kirk : Could that be some sort of illusion, Mr. Spock?

Mr. Spock : It’s no illusion, Captain. Scanner readings indicate two life forms inside that craft.

Captain Kirk : Mr. Sulu, increase speed to Warp Factor Eight.

Mr. Sulu : But, sir, that’s only for the most extreme emergencies. The ship can’t take it.

Captain Kirk : You heard my order, Mr. Sulu.

Mr. Sulu : Aye aye, sir.

Captain Kirk : [ recording Log ] Captain’s Log, Stardate 3615.6. On a routine delivery of medical supplies to Earth Colony 9, we are being chased through space by an automobile three centuries old, owned by a company that manufactured cookies. It would all seem silly if it weren’t for this feeling of dread that haunts me, a sense of impending doom.

Mr. Sulu : They’re right behind us, Captain.

Captain Kirk : Let’s lose them, Mr. Sulu. Prepare for evasive action. Helm hard to port! ..Hard to starboard! ..Hard to port!

Mr. Spock : Frankly, Captain, I’m exhausted.

Captain Kirk : Me, too. Stabilize, Mr. Sulu.

Mr. Sulu : Look, Captain, it’s no use. We can’t shake them.

Captain Kirk : Then we’ll give them a fight they won’t forget. [ into intercom ] All hands! Man your battle stations! This is not a drill! Red alert! Man your battle stations! Red alert!

Mr. Spock : But, Captain..

Captain Kirk : Lock phasers on target, Mr. Sulu.

Mr. Sulu : Phasers locked on target, sir.

Mr. Spock : But, Captain, you can’t..

Captain Kirk : Stand by to fire.

Mr. Sulu : Phasers standing by, sir.

Mr. Spock : But, Captain, we don’t know who the aliens are, or what they want. To kill them without warning would be highly illogical.

Captain Kirk : Fact: their intentions are unknown. Fact: I amresponsible for the lives of 430 crewmen. And, fact: I can’t afford totake any chances. Fire main phasers! [ nothing happens ] I said, “Fire main phasers!”

Mr. Sulu : I’m trying, sir. Nothing is happening.

Captain Kirk : Arm and lock photon torpedoes, Mr. Sulu.

Mr. Sulu : They’re not working either, Captain.

Captain Kirk : Deflectors up.

Mr. Sulu : Captain, the helm does not respond. The controlsare dead.

Mr. Spock : We’re slowing down, Captain. We’re stopping.

Captain Kirk : Bridge to engine room, acknowledge.

Voice of Mr. Scott : [ through control panel ] Scotty here, Captain.

Captain Kirk : What in blazes is going on, Scotty?

Voice of Mr. Scott : I dinna know, Captain. We’re losing power, and I don’t know why!

Captain Kirk : Well, do something, man! Go to manual override. Cut in auxilery systems.

Voice of Mr. Scott : Saints preserve us, Captain, but even theemergency systems are out.

Captain Kirk : Well, fix it, Scotty. I don’t care how, but fix it! The lives of 430 crewmen hang in the balance.

Mr. Spock : Life support system are still operative, Captain.

Captain Kirk : But for how long, Mr.Spock? For how long?Lieutenant Uhura, inform Starfleet Command of our situation.

Lt. Uhura : All communications are dead, Captain.

Dr. McCoy : Jim, Jim.. I.. I.. Jim..

Captain Kirk : Great God, man, spit it out!

Dr. McCoy : The aliens have boarded us, Jim, and they’re headed this way!

Captain Kirk : But how, Bones? How did they get on board? Did they beam on? Did they suddenly materialize?

Dr. McCoy : No, they just sort of stepped out from behind thecurtains.

Mr. Spock : Describe them, Doctor.

Dr. McCoy : There’s two of them. Bipeds, humanoid in appearance.Their clothing is drab except for a bright piece of cloth worn around the neck of the leader.

Mr. Spock : Was their anything else odd about their clothing?

Dr. McCoy : I’m a doctor, not a tailor, dammit! Wait, there was one other thing about them that seemed a bit strange. They spoke English! Quick, Jim, I hear them coming up the Turbo-lift! They’ll be here in seconds!

Captain Kirk : We’ll be ready for them, Doctor. [ they all pointtheir phasers at the entranceway as two executives enter ] Welcome aboard the Starship Enterprise. I’m Captain James T. Kirk, representing the United Federation of Planets.

Herb Goodman : Hi, I’m Herb Goodman, head of programming for thenetwork.

Captain Kirk : Stand back, I won’t hesitate to shoot!

Herb Goodman : Can I have your attention. Curtis, you want to turn off those sound effects?

Herb Goodman : Everyone, please, can I have your attention? I have an announcement to make. Due to low Nielsen ratings, we at NBC have decided to cancel “Star Trek”.

Captain Kirk : Fire at my command!

Herb Goodman : On your way out, stop by the cashier’s office andpick up your checks.

Captain Kirk : Set phasers on “stun.” Fire!

Dr. McCoy : They’re not firing, Jim!

Captain Kirk : Try “kill!”

Dr. McCoy : Nope, still nothing. Herb Goodman : You’ll make sure the property department gets those things back ,won’t you, fellas?

Mr. Spock : Most peculiar, Captain.. I can only conclude that they possess some sort of weapons deactivator, in which case I shall merely render him unconcious with my famous Vulcan nerve pinch.

Dr. McCoy : For God’s sake, man, we’re on a five-year mission toexplore space, the final frontier, and dammit, we’ve only been out three years!

Herb Goodman : Sorry, but it’s those Nielsens. If it was up tome, of course..

Captain Kirk : What are these “Nielsens” that the alienkeeps mentioning, Mr. Spock?

Mr. Spock : If I remember my history correctly, Captain, Nielsenswere a primitive system of estimating television viewers once used in the mid-twentienth century.

Dr. McCoy : If Man were meant to fly, he’d have better ratings, is that what you’re saying, Mr. Goodbody, whatever your name is? Come on, George, Nichelle.. let’s go tie one on.

Lt. Uhura : I’m with you, Kelley.

Mr. Sulu : Maybe I’ll just go home..

Captain Kirk : Belay that kind of talk, Dr. McCoy.

Dr. McCoy : Forget it, Bill. We lost. It’s over. Are you coming, Leonard? [ Spock attempts nerve pinch on Dr. McCoy ] Knock it off, you joker!

Captain Kirk : Wait, Mr. Spock! We have yet to try Vulcan mind meld, where you actually enter the alien’s brain, merge with his intelligence and read his thoughts.

Mr. Spock : I entered Mr. Goodman’s mind while you were talking to Dr. McCoy, Captain. [ Curtis enters and pries the set apart with a crowbar ] It was all.. all dark and empty in there. And.. and there were little mice in the corners and spiders had spun this web..

Captain Kirk : Spock!

Mr. Spock : I kept bumping my head on the ceiling, and once..

Captain Kirk : Snap out of it, Spock!

Mr. Spock : [ with a shudder ] It’s okay, Captain.. I’m alright now.

Herb Goodman : What do you think, Curtis? Any chance we can sell this junk to “Lost in Space”?

Curtis : Well, it all comes apart..

Captain Kirk : Hey, get away from there!

Curtis : Right on, Buck Rogers! Is that an order?

Captain Kirk : No, it can’t end like this! I won’t let it! This is my ship! I give the orders here! I give the commands! I am responsible for the lives of 430 crewmen, and I’m not going to let them down! There’s got to be a way out!

Curtis : Let’s go, boys.

Mr. Spock : You are becoming quite emotional, Captain. Needless to say, my trained Vulcan mind finds such open displays of emotion distasteful. Emotion, you see, intereferes with logic, and it is only by dealing with problems in a logical, scientific fashion that we can arrive at valid solutions. Now, with regard to the alien takeover of the Enterprise, I would suggest that we seek some new alternative, based upon exact computer analysis, of course, and taking into consideration elements of.. [ suddenly breaks into a weeping lunatic ] .. Oh, God! I don’t believe it! We’re cancelled! How could they do this? Everyone I know loves the show! I have a contract! What about my contract! I want my ears back!

Herb Goodman : Curtis, can you give me a hand here?

Curtis : I have a couple Valium in my tool box, maybe that’ll help.

Captain Kirk : So, it’s just me, is it? Well, I’ve been in tougher spots. Surrender? No way. I’d rather go down with the ship!

Herb Goodman : Oh, Shatner, your agent called you. Something about a margarine commercial. He said he’d call back.

Captain Kirk : Captain’s Log, final entry. We have tried to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before. And except for one television network, we have found intelligent life everywhere in the galaxy. Live long and prosper. Captain James T. Kirk, SC 937-0176 CEC.

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Author: Don Roy King

Don Roy King has directed fourteen seasons of Saturday Night Live. That work has earned him ten Emmys and fourteen nominations. Additionally, he has been nominated for fifteen DGA Awards and won in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020. View all posts by Don Roy King

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The Last Voyage of the Starship Enterprise – Episode 72

The Last Voyage of the Starship Enterprise skit was a parody performed on Saturday Night Live.  It let the country know that Star Trek was cool!

1976 was the year America celebrated its Bicentennial.  It was also the year that a small movie called Rocky captured our hearts, and a computer company, Apple, was born in a California garage.

This was also the year that Star Trek reached it apex in terms of popularity.  Its audience had grown considerably since entering syndication and now it was a firm part of American culture.

This fact was further illustrated when President Ford renamed the first NASA space shuttle  Enterprise  after the iconic starship from Trek.

• The Last Voyage of the Starship Enterprise

But Star Trek got a further nod that it was reaching new heights when the late night comedy show, Saturday Night Live , did a sketch that parodied the show.

It featured John Belushi as Captain Kirk, Chevy Chase as Spock and Dan Aykroyd as Dr. McCoy and is called  The Last Voyage of the Starship Enterprise.

Guest host Elliot Gould plays a NBC executive boards the Enterprise and tells the crew that Star Trek had been cancelled.  It’s all done for laughs, with a little message thrown in, as well.  SNL writers  pointed out the illogic of NBC cancelling what had become a popular show because of its ratings.

Giving It to the Man

Of course, the show was broadcast on NBC, the same network that cancelled Trek.  So it was a moment of youthful rebellion by the cast and crew.  They were “giving it to the man” for making a stupid mistake!

Belushi ends the bit as Kirk reading an entry into the Captain’s log.  “Except for one television network, we have found intelligence everywhere in the galaxy.  Live long and prosper.”  Then the comedian added with a little wry smile, “Promise,” which was a nod to Shatner’s early 70s commercials for Promise margarine.

The Last Voyage sketch is classic SNL and is probably some of the best work by Belushi, Chase and Aykroyd.  It is remembered by critics, entertainers and authors as one of the best skits ever performed on the show and also the best work on SNL by Belushi.

Co-hosts Bob Turner and Kelly Casto give us the history of the show and this skit.

To listen to this episode click the Play button.

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Categories: Star Trek

• John Belushi
• Saturday Nioght Live

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Saturday Night Live

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Saturday Night Live , or SNL for short, is an American late-night television comedy show featuring various comedy sketches, involving both a regular cast and celebrity guests.

SNL has parodied Star Trek many times over the years in addition to appearances by many Trek actors. Since its beginning in October 1975, SNL is produced for, and airs on NBC , the network that had been the original broadcaster of Star Trek: The Original Series .

• 1.1 "The Last Voyage of the Enterprise "
• 1.2 " Star Trek V: The Restaurant Enterprise "
• 1.3 "Get a Life!" sketch
• 1.4 Star Trek Democrats
• 1.5 " Love Boat: The Next Generation "
• 1.6 Rescue 911 spoof
• 1.7 Nerd Chatline
• 1.8 Quinto, Pine, and Nimoy on "Weekend Update"
• 1.9 Worf, M.D.
• 1.10 Star Trek : The Lost Episode
• 1.11 Starcharter Andromeda
• 1.12 Star Trek: Ego Quest
• 1.13 Other mentions
• 2 Star Trek and SNL connections
• 3 External link

Sketches [ ]

"the last voyage of the enterprise " [ ].

John Belushi gives the Vulcan salute

SNL first featured a Star Trek parody in 1976 entitled "The Last Voyage of the Enterprise ". It starred John Belushi as Captain Kirk, Chevy Chase as Spock, and Dan Aykroyd as Dr. McCoy and the voice of Montgomery Scott, with actress Doris Powell as Uhura and SNL set designer Akira Yoshimura in the first of several appearances on the show as Sulu. The premise of the skit finds the Enterprise being pursued through space by a 20th century automobile , "owned by a company that manufactured cookies" (a play on the fact that the full name of NBC – the network that airs SNL – is the National Broadcasting Company, whereas the "cookie company" in question is Nabisco , whose name is short for National BISCUIT Company). A passenger from the vehicle, NBC executive Herb Goodman (played by host Elliott Gould ), boards the Enterprise and informs the actors that Star Trek has been cancelled. Goodman has his assistant Curtis ( Garrett Morris ) and an NBC stage crew break down the set, while Spock (now out of character as Leonard Nimoy and hysterically bemoaning his lost job, as quoted below) frantically wandering the set looking for his ear tips that Goodman has pulled off. McCoy, Uhura, and Sulu (now also having broken character and speaking as DeForest Kelley , Nichelle Nichols , and George Takei ) leave the set despondently. Kirk, sitting in his chair on the now-disassembled bridge, makes one final log entry (quoted below).

• " Most peculiar, captain. I can only assume that they possess some sort of weapons deactivator, in which case I shall merely render him unconscious with my famous Vulcan nerve pinch. " - Chevy Chase (as Spock)
• " I don't believe it! God!!! Everybody I know loves the show when I see the show, huh? I have a contract! I have a contract! I want my... Where's my ears? I want my ears back! I want my ears back! " - Chevy Chase (as a breaking-character Leonard Nimoy)
• " I'm a doctor, not a tailor, dammit. " - Dan Aykroyd (as Dr. McCoy) [a parody of McCoy's famous phase " I'm a doctor, not a... "]
• " Captain's Log, final entry. We have tried to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before. And except for one television network, we have found intelligent life everywhere in the galaxy. Live long and prosper... Promise! Captain James T. Kirk, SC 937-0176 CEC. " - John Belushi (as James T. Kirk ) [ NOTE: This is the above-mentioned final log entry depicted in the photo at right; it references Shatner's Promise margarine ads, which aired around the time the sketch was made. ]

" Star Trek V: The Restaurant Enterprise " [ ]

Another parody was aired on 20 December 1986 , when William Shatner hosted. The sketch, which posited what the plot of the fifth movie might be, finds The Enterprise bought out by the Marriott corporation and turned into a seafood restaurant. The crew is threatened when Khan Noonien Singh brings a health inspector to the restaurant, though Kirk resolves the situation by slipping the inspector a bribe. Shatner, of course, played Kirk, Kevin Nealon played Spock, Phil Hartman played McCoy, Victoria Jackson played Janice Rand (now a waitress instead of a yeoman ), and Dana Carvey played Khan and voiced Scott and Chekov. SNL cast members Nora Dunn and Jan Hooks played patrons, as did comedian Kevin Meaney, who played a choking victim who is saved by a "Vulcan Heimlich Pinch" delivered by Nealon's Spock.

Perhaps the most memorable exchange is this one, referring to Meaney's character:

Another memorable quote is as follows:

"Get a Life!" sketch [ ]

The most infamous Star Trek sketch was also featured during Shatner's 1986 appearance on the show. Not so much a parody, it featured Shatner as the guest of honor at a Star Trek convention. After being asked a barrage of trivial questions by the audience, Shatner finally berates them to "get a life!", telling them it was only a TV show. After finishing his rant (and being reminded of his contractual obligations by the convention manager) Shatner quickly explains the rant was a reenactment of the "evil" Captain Kirk from " The Enemy Within ".

The scene apparently caused some fans to believe these were his true feeling for Star Trek fans, though he has assured them it was only a sketch. The sketch did, however, inspire the title for his book Get a Life!

In the intro to this edition of SNL, Shatner quipped that he hopes the Trekkies out there have a sense of humor or " I'm in deep trouble! "

• See Get A Life!

Star Trek Democrats [ ]

The cold open of the 14 March 1992 episode did a combined parody of Trekkies and American Presidential campaigns, as the remaining Democratic candidates, former California governor Jerry Brown (Dana Carvey), former Massachusetts Senator Paul Tsongas ( Al Franken ), and William J. Clinton (Phil Hartman), visit a Star Tre convention, hoping to sway the audience (led by Chris Farley and Mike Myers ) to support them by telling them what great fans they are – but when told that Leonard Nimoy has endorsed Tsongas, Clinton breaks into a rage, screaming " He no better than Shatner!!! " and breaking the podium.

" Love Boat: The Next Generation " [ ]

Patrick Stewart and Rob Schneider

Yet another was done in 1994, when Patrick Stewart hosted, in a skit called "Love Boat: The Next Generation" (parodying both TNG and The Love Boat ). Essentially, it involved the USS Enterprise -D crew running the " Galaxy -class Cruiseship Pacific Princess". (The sketch involved a model of the Enterprise -D with a model cruise ship as part of the saucer section.) [1]

Stewart, of course, played Captain Picard . Chris Farley played Riker , Rob Schneider played Data , Phil Hartman played Worf , Tim Meadows played Geordi La Forge (although he acts more like the character of Isaac from The Love Boat , with his catchphrase, "outta sight!" a double entendre towards La Forge's blindness ), Julia Sweeney was Deanna Troi , Ellen Cleghorne was Guinan (acting more like Whoopi Goldberg than the character), Melanie Hutsell was regular "Love Boat" guest star Charo , Al Franken was Tog the Ferengi (Charo's estranged boyfriend), Adam Sandler was David Brenner, and David Spade was Joan Rivers . Instead of Dr. Crusher, however, the sketch featured a cameo by actor Bernie Kopell , reprising his role as Dr. Adam Bricker from The Love Boat .

The show had also begun with a Trek spoof: Stewart's opening monologue had been a laughably inaccurate "tribute" to TOS. [2]

Rescue 911 spoof [ ]

Another semi-parody, also aired in 1994 involved a spoof of Rescue 911 which was hosted by William Shatner at the time. Michael McKean played Patrick Stewart, filling in for Shatner. Host Roseanne Barr played a 911 operator who keeps blowing off callers. The sketch also featured a brief appearance and the end of the sketch by Tim Meadows as Geordi La Forge.

Nerd Chatline [ ]

In a 2005 episode with guest host Paris Hilton , SNL featured a sketch spoofing erotic chatlines with an offer of "nerd chatlines" for fans of various franchises including Star Wars , Dungeons & Dragons , Lord of the Rings , Doctor Who , and Star Trek .

The Star Trek portion featured Maya Rudolph as Candy, with a " massage license from Rigel VII ", wanting " to go where no man has gone before ". Candy, dressed in a TOS operations division uniform, claimed that it was the time of the Vulcan mating season of pon farr and that she wanted to do something logical to the caller. She also stated that like the eel-bird of Regulus V she needed to find a mate or die. The caller, dressed in a TOS command division uniform, responded that he was "giving himself the Vulcan nerve pinch " and displayed the Vulcan salute .

Quinto, Pine, and Nimoy on "Weekend Update" [ ]

On the 9 May 2009 episode, Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto appeared on the "Weekend Update" segment of SNL. They tried to explain that the new film fit flawlessly into Star Trek canon, though two Trekkies in the audience (one, played by Bobby Moynihan , wearing a red TOS-uniform shirt with commander 's stripes, the other a t-shirt with McCoy and Uhura and fake Vulcan ears) are clearly skeptical. Quinto, for instance, mentioned that the movie took the time to explain the origins of the Kolinahr ceremony as it is connected to the fascinating pon farr marriage ritual.

Finally, however, after Pine attempts to explain how the transporter uses the Heisenberg compensator , just as previous Trek transporters did, but is unable to pronounce "Heisenberg", they admitted they actually had no idea what they were talking about. They also mentioned having been harassed by angry fans and having received threats in a language they could not decipher – either Vulcan or Hebrew. Quinto mentioned having found decapitated action figures in his mailbox every morning, and Chris Pine complained about having received notes tied to rocks that were thrown at his windows, but only scratching them, not breaking them, since they didn't throw hard enough – all of which has resulted in death stares from the insulted Trekkies. Finally, they simply express hope that these fans will still come to see the movie.

In the background, a rather familiar voice assures the two that "they will come", and Leonard Nimoy appears – at which point the two previously angered Trekkies are visibly overcome with joy (combining Vulcan salutes with a rather un-Vulcan like display of emotion) – and states that in time Chris Pine will be accepted as equal to the original Kirk, while Zachary Quinto will be viewed as "slightly less" than equal to the original Spock, but "ultimately OK".

Nimoy attempts to assure Quinto that fans will like the movie because to not like it would not be "illogical" as host Seth Meyers suggests (having interrupted Nimoy, beaming at the idea of beating Spock himself to the logic-based punchline), but rather "would make them dickheads" – a sentiment that, coming from their hero, the Trekkies in the audience heartily accept. The appearance ends with Nimoy, Pine, and Meyers doing the Vulcan salute.

Worf, M.D. [ ]

On the 28 February 2015 episode, there is a skit featuring cast member Kenan Thompson as a doctor attempting to get closer to his wife – a Trekkie – by attending Star Trek conventions. He later goes straight from the convention to go and operate on a man while still dressed up as Lt. Worf . After various other off-color gags, he ends up causing the patient to go into cardiac arrest and die due to being unable to have the other doctors look at him with a straight face or without laughing at his ridiculous costume. It ends with NBC announcing a new show called " Worf M.D. "

The skit was subsequently followed by a card paying tribute to Leonard Nimoy, who had died the preceding day.

Star Trek : The Lost Episode [ ]

Kirk and Spocko

Broadcast 6 May 2017 , this sketch features host Chris Pine as Kirk (from TOS instead of the Kelvin timeline), and is presented as a documentary by Neil deGrasse Tyson (Kenan Thompson) on a missing TOS episode titled "Spock's Secret". It depicts the introduction of Bobby Moynihan's Spocko, Spock's stereotypical Italian-American half-brother who was fathered by Sarek with a Human hostess. Tyson closes out the sketch by remarking that at least it was better than Star Trek V: The Final Frontier . (As with the sketches listed above, Akira Yoshimura once again plays Sulu in the sketch, although for the first time, he is not wearing glasses.)

Starcharter Andromeda [ ]

Broadcast 10 April 2021 , this sketch (introduced as a " Star Trek prequel" airing on Paramount+ ) depicted two entitled "rich white kids" (played by guest host Carey Mulligan and Mikey Day ) who are more focused on their own interpersonal drama than the actual crisis onboard the "USS Andromeda ".

Star Trek: Ego Quest [ ]

Broadcast 2 October 2021 , this sketch mocked the recent billionaire space projects by depicting a trailer for a new Star Trek show called " Star Trek: Ego Quest " starring Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos (played by guest host Owen Wilson ) exploring the galaxy on his penis-shaped starship, the SS New Shepard and battling rival billionaires Elon Musk and Richard Branson .

Other mentions [ ]

On the 12 October 2013 episode, SNL spoofed both the film Gravity and the 2013 US government shutdown . In the skit, two astronauts lost in space contact NASA to find that the only remaining employees are two janitors . One of the janitors claims her son can help rescue the astronauts because he is always watching Star Trek: Deep Space Nine .

In a November 2015 episode of SNL, the show presented fictional auditions for the upcoming Star Wars movie Episode VII: The Force Awakens , with an introduction by J.J. Abrams . One of those auditions featured cast member Leslie Jones , in Klingon makeup, reporting that the ship had entered the Neutral zone , although the shields were down to 12%. Jones was then informed her performance was Star Trek , while the audition was for Star Wars .

Star Trek and SNL connections [ ]

Roy Orbison and the Beastie Boys , whose music has been played by Trek characters, have also appeared on SNL.

Teri Hatcher , Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (once as "The Rock", four times as "Dwayne Johnson"), Kirsten Dunst , Winona Ryder (Dunst and Ryder hosted consecutive episodes), and Seth MacFarlane have also hosted.

External link [ ]

• Saturday Night Live at Wikipedia
• 3 ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

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Star Trek: The Last Voyage – SNL

A classic sketch from Saturday Night Live.

With John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Dan Akroyd, Elliott Gould and  Garrett Morris.

I do not know who is playing Uhura or Sulu.

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Akira Yoshimura

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He is one of only three original staff members to remain with SNL; SNL creator/executive producer Lorne Michaels , and crane camera operator John Pinto . Michaels was not working at the show between 1980 and 1985 , making Yoshimura and Pinto not only, the only crew members to work on every season of the show, but the show's longest tenured staffers as well.

Onscreen cameos [ ]

• October 11, 1975
• December 20, 1975
• May 29, 1976
• September 24, 1977
• April 8, 1978
• December 15, 1979
• January 26, 1980
• February 9, 1980
• February 16, 1980
• May 17, 1980
• May 24, 1980
• April 10, 1982
• April 17, 1982
• May 22, 1982
• March 22, 1986
• April 12, 1986
• December 20, 1986
• May 9, 1987
• May 16, 1987
• November 18, 1989
• September 29, 1990
• November 10, 1990
• March 16, 1991
• February 5, 1994
• May 2, 1998
• April 20, 2002
• December 6, 2003
• December 12, 2015
• May 6, 2017
• January 20, 2018
• May 22, 2021
• January 21, 2023

Gallery [ ]

External links [ ]

• Yoshimura's appearances at the SNL Archives
• 2 Harper Steele
• 3 Kristen Wiig

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

The Last Voyage

After a boiler explosion aboard an aging ocean liner, a man struggles to free his injured wife from the wreckage of their cabin and ensure the safety of their four-year-old daughter as the s... Read all After a boiler explosion aboard an aging ocean liner, a man struggles to free his injured wife from the wreckage of their cabin and ensure the safety of their four-year-old daughter as the ship begins to sink. After a boiler explosion aboard an aging ocean liner, a man struggles to free his injured wife from the wreckage of their cabin and ensure the safety of their four-year-old daughter as the ship begins to sink.

• Andrew L. Stone
• Robert Stack
• Dorothy Malone
• George Sanders
• 70 User reviews
• 16 Critic reviews
• 2 nominations total

• Cliff Henderson

• Laurie Henderson

• Captain Robert Adams

• Second Engineer Walsh

• Hank Lawson

• Chief Engineer Pringle

• Third Officer Ragland
• Third Officer Osborne
• 3rd Engineer Cole

• Quartermaster

• Radio Operator
• 2nd Mate Mace

• Jill Henderson
• Ship's crew member
• (uncredited)
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Did you know

• Trivia The ship used by the filmmakers was the SS Ile de France, the famous French liner that cruised the Atlantic from 1926-59. She was leased for $4,000 a day. After shooting completed, she was re-floated (having been partially sunk for the film) and towed to the scrap yard. She has a more heroic place in history, however. It was she that played a major role in the rescue of the passengers from the Italian liner Andrea Doria in 1956, after the latter ship collided with the Swedish ship Stockholm and sank off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts. She was the first ship to arrive at the scene of the collision and immediately began taking aboard the Andrea Doria's passengers.
• Goofs When the Captain finally gives the order to send out an SOS, the radio operator says the wrong name of the ship twice.

[Last line]

Cliff Henderson : This is one guy I'm gonna help aboard personally!

• Connections Edited into Death Ship (1980)
• Soundtracks March: News of the Day (uncredited) Music by John Rochetti

User reviews 70

• May 7, 2005
• How long is The Last Voyage? Powered by Alexa
• What is 'The Last Voyage' about?
• Is 'The Last Voyage' based on a book?
• Is it true that they destroyed a real ship in order to film this movie?
• February 19, 1960 (United States)
• United States
• Die letzte Fahrt der Claridon
• Sea of Japan, near Osaka, Japan
• Andrew L. Stone Productions
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $1,370,000 (estimated)

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 31 minutes
• 1.37 : 1 (original ratio)

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