In December 1966, the NBC television series Star Trek had been on the air only three months. National ratings were low, and the sci-fi series had no national sponsors. But, RCA was NBC’s parent company, and RCA manufactured color television sets, which were becoming increasingly popular. A.C. Nielsen conducted a study of the popularity of color television series as opposed to other television series, and they reported to NBC that Star Trek was the highest rated color series on television. Star Trek sold color televisions, and that would not be forgotten by the executives, who would decide if Star Trek would continue to its second season.

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