The Last Voyage of the Starship Enterprise
1976 Saturday Night Live parody of Star Trek
"The Last Voyage of the Starship Enterprise" is a comedy sketch that first aired on May 29, 1976, during episode 22 of the first season of the NBC variety show, Saturday Night Live. The twelve-minute sketch was written by Michael O'Donoghue during a month-long process consulting with actor John Belushi. The sketch is a satire of the 1969 cancellation of Star Trek. The set design featured an effective replica of the bridge of the USS Enterprise. Dress rehearsal was difficult, with the writer doubting whether Belushi was able to pull off an effective parody of William Shatner's performance as Captain James Kirk. However, the result was a success, and O'Donoghue immediately congratulated Belushi after his performance and reflected that he had perfectly parodied Shatner as Kirk.
The sketch became a cult classic hit among Star Trek and science fiction fans. The 1977 book Saturday Night Live, edited by Anne Beatts and John Head, included a copy of a note from Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry praising the comedic bit. The sketch was released on a 1985 Saturday Night Live compilation VHS that featured The Best of John Belushi and re-released with the same title in DVD format in 2011. In his book Metapop, author Michael Dunne called the comedic bit among the most well-known of all Saturday Night Live routines.
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