Where Did "The Original Series" Retronym Come From?

[Emperor Norton]

"Star Trek: The Original Series" was originally just "Star Trek", as there was nothing else, and it was labelled "The Original Series" to distinguish it from the overall franchise that followed. But where did that term "Original Series" come from, and when did it start being referred to as that? It's probably taken for granted that it was labelled "The Original Series"; it could have been called something else, albeit with the same idea (and amongst the ones I know is "Classic Star Trek"). So who is the guy or group that came up with and applied that term?

 

[LMFAOschwarz]

Beats me. But I know what you're saying. I always try to refer to it as the original series, or the original Star Trek. personally (and with all due respect to your link), I avoid the 'TOS' term like the plague. But that's me: I tend to steer away from abbreviations. Even with movies: abbreviated terms like BTTF, LOTR, AOTC are just distracting and (apologies in advance folks ) a bit lazy.

Your question is similar to one of mine, which is just when did the term 'World War I' kick in?

 

[scotpens]

Your question is similar to one of mine, which is just when did the term 'World War I' kick in?

From Wiki (emphasis added):

Speculative fiction authors were noting the concept of a Second World War at least as early as 1919 and 1920, when Milo Hastings wrote his dystopian novel City of Endless Night. In English, the term "First World War" was used in the book The First World War: A Photographic History, edited by playwright and war veteran Laurence Stallings and published in 1933. The term "World War I" was invented by Time magazine in its issue of June 12, 1939. In that same issue, the term "World War II" was first used speculatively to describe the upcoming war. The first use for the actual war came in its issue of September 11, 1939; one week earlier, the Danish newspaper Kristeligt Dagblad used the term on its front page, saying, "The second World War broke out yesterday at 11 a.m."

It also makes one wonder when the term "silent movies" began to be used, and "AM radio" (to distinguish it from FM). Or "landline phone," for that matter.

As for the initialism "TOS," it can refer to any television show that had a later "reboot" or revival. Was Star Trek the first series to be called "TOS"?

 

[Warped9]

For several years all the way back to during TNG's run my friends and I referred to original Star Trek as Classic Trek or Next Gen to distinguish the two in conversation. DS9 and Voyager were just that. ENT was referred to as Enterfake, seriously.

Online I often use the abbreviations for convenience (TOS, TWOK, TNG, etc...), but I didn't come across those abbreviations until I stated being online almost fifteen years ago.

As a longtime fan part of me is bothered by TOS or The Original Series being used as a descriptive or substitute for what should simply be Star Trek, but then I suppose it was inevitable after getting Star Trek - The Next Generation and folks looked for something to distinguish the two in conversation and online discussion. It didn't really bother me until I started seeing merchandise with "the original series" added to the packaging as if anyone could mistake it for anything else just by the photographs alone.

It's an interesting question, but I've no real idea when it started it or by whom.

 

[T'Girl]

Came across an old article in which the series of the time were referred to as First Trek, Next Trek and Deep Trek.

Have to admit, I like that better.

 

[Robert Comsol]

I think I remember, too, that "classic" Star Trek came first to distinct from TNG. A look at the video cover artwork may provide hints.

The first DVD release from 2001 referred to "the original series". IIRC before that we had the LaserDiscs and there it had just been "Star Trek" (already at a time when TNG aired).

Bob

 

[Marsden]

I don't know where it came from, but it seems like an extension of Star Trek The Motion Picture.

Even the first continuation series didn't bother with subtitles and was known as Star Trek. That one is now branded The Animated Series. Like you wouldn't know looking at that one, either.

 

[BeatleJWOL]

abbreviated terms like BTTF, LOTR, AOTC are just distracting and (apologies in advance folks ) a bit lazy.

So says LaughingMyFuckingAssOffschwarz.

'World War I'

Don't you mean World War One?

eye meen if abbreviating ees lazy...

 

[Lance]

As for the initialism "TOS" it can refer to any television show that had a later "reboot" or revival. Was Star Trek the first series to be called "TOS"?

Well no, as you say it's hardly unique (any show with follow-ups will usually be informally refered to as 'the original series' as a mark of distinction), but what the OP really seems to be asking is at which point it became a marketing tool for Star Trek. As in, the TOS DVDs actually have a specially designed logo which reads 'Star Trek: The Original Series', rather than simply taking it for granted that 'Star Trek' means the original series and that it is only the sequel shows which will have titles.

For what it's worth, the first time I personally remember the Retronym 'The Original Series' being used on packaging was the late nineties re-releases of TOS on videotape. Those had a brand new logo (the same one as later used on the DVDs in fact) which had the words 'The Original Series' incorporated into the logo title itself, whereas all previous video releases had always simply been called 'Star Trek' on the packaging.

So my assumption is that it was around this time that Paramount decided to mark 'The Original Series' as a "brand".

 

[Myko]

I first saw it used in the Star Trek Encyclopedia, which was released in 1994.

 

[Kevman7987]

As far as I can remember, I have always referred to it as Star Trek: The Original Series or TOS. I can remember back before Paramount started using The Original Series as part of the branding though.

 

[Christopher]

For what it's worth, the first time I personally remember the Retronym 'The Original Series' being used on packaging was the late nineties re-releases of TOS on videotape. Those had a brand new logo (the same one as later used on the DVDs in fact) which had the words 'The Original Series' incorporated into the logo title itself, whereas all previous video releases had always simply been called 'Star Trek' on the packaging.

So my assumption is that it was around this time that Paramount decided to mark 'The Original Series' as a "brand".

I think that's right. Also, the title Star Trek: The Animated Series didn't come into use until the first DVD release, I think; the original home video releases were The Animated Adventures of Gene Roddenberry's STAR TREK. And before that, I always thought of it as just "the animated Star Trek" or "the cartoon Star Trek." And its official title was simply Star Trek, like its predecessor. So the subtitles we use today for the two incarnations of Kirk's TV adventures were either introduced or standardized by home video.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Well no, as you say it's hardly unique (any show with follow-ups will usually be informally refered to as 'the original series' as a mark of distinction), but what the OP really seems to be asking is at which point it became a marketing tool for Star Trek. As in, the TOS DVDs actually have a specially designed logo which reads 'Star Trek: The Original Series', rather than simply taking it for granted that 'Star Trek' means the original series and that it is only the sequel shows which will have titles.

Yeah, there was a time when the original series was always referred to as Star Trek, much like the animated series was not Star Trek: The Animated Series or TAS, but Star Trek.

On the other side of the tracks in George Lucas-land, I still refer to the first film by its release name: Star Wars, not A New Hope (which was not on the 1977 print's opening crawl), but some latter-day fans only know the tinkered titles, so ANH or A New Hope is all they care to use.

 

[Melakon]

I think "the original series" phrase was originally a generic term for a while, as there was a brief flurry of properties based on old shows appearing-- Bonanza and Kung Fu, to name two I can immediately think of. But the 1950s version of Dragnet never got a TOS type handle as I remember, even in reference to the later 60's show, which teased us with "Friday is coming to Thursday on NBC."

In those days, shows in syndication were frequently rebranded with new titles-- Andy of Mayberry, Love that Bob, and Badge 714 as examples.

 

[Ssosmcin]

For awhile, my friends and I called it "Trek Classic" like "Coke Classic" but that was stupid. Classic Trek is pretty much what I always call it when talking about the franchise in general. When I'm talking about the original series, I'll say "yeah, I'm a fan of Star Trek." "The original or...?" "Yeah, always the original." Or something.

For the Animated Series, I was influenced by Bjo Trimble's Concordence and called it "Star Trek Animated" for a long time. But, like Christopher, it was "the Star Trek Cartoon" at first.

 

[Melakon]

Now though, thanks to a film released in 2009, you can't say you prefer Star Trek without people introducing JJ Abrams into the conversation.

 

[Warped9]

Now though, thanks to a film released in 2009, you can't say you prefer Star Trek without people introducing JJ Abrams into the conversation.

Yeah. Ain't that a conversation starter?

 

[Christopher]

In those days, shows in syndication were frequently rebranded with new titles-- Andy of Mayberry, Love that Bob, and Badge 714 as examples.

I gather that was generally a practice used when syndicated reruns were airing while the show was still in first run on the network, with the syndication title changed to distinguish the reruns from the concurrent new episodes. Syndicated reruns after the original show had ended would go back to the original title, I think. And eventually it became common enough to have new and syndicated episodes at the same time on different stations/networks that nobody bothered to change the rerun titles anymore.

 

[doubleohfive]

For what it's worth, the first time I personally remember the Retronym 'The Original Series' being used on packaging was the late nineties re-releases of TOS on videotape. Those had a brand new logo (the same one as later used on the DVDs in fact) which had the words 'The Original Series' incorporated into the logo title itself, whereas all previous video releases had always simply been called 'Star Trek' on the packaging.

So my assumption is that it was around this time that Paramount decided to mark 'The Original Series' as a "brand".

I think that's right. Also, the title Star Trek: The Animated Series didn't come into use until the first DVD release, I think; the original home video releases were The Animated Adventures of Gene Roddenberry's STAR TREK. And before that, I always thought of it as just "the animated Star Trek" or "the cartoon Star Trek." And its official title was simply Star Trek, like its predecessor. So the subtitles we use today for the two incarnations of Kirk's TV adventures were either introduced or standardized by home video.

"Classic" was also used on the Playmates toy packaging, which is where I first encountered it in my teens:

 

[J.T.B.]

I gather that was generally a practice used when syndicated reruns were airing while the show was still in first run on the network, with the syndication title changed to distinguish the reruns from the concurrent new episodes. Syndicated reruns after the original show had ended would go back to the original title, I think. And eventually it became common enough to have new and syndicated episodes at the same time on different stations/networks that nobody bothered to change the rerun titles anymore.

That is my understanding, also. The one I remember was "Emergency One!" which had a fairly short overlap with the first-run series, then the re-runs were just "Emergency!" though I don't think the change was immediate.