I recently wrote an article about the wonderful Trek Bloopers album in which I mentioned that the blooper reel from the third season is rarely seen. Then I heard from Star Trek fan David Penn, who has an old video tape packed with vintage ads, interviews, TV features — and all three blooper reels.

And David, who I have never met, was willing to mail the tape from Florida to Toronto, and trusted that I would send it back to him. Which, of course, I did, once I digitized all that old VHS goodness. I will post most of that content on this site.

About the bloopers

The blooper reels were not created for public consumption. The producers and editors collated flubbed scenes to show at season-end wrap parties, and the reels were apparently a hit. 

But then Gene Roddenberry started screening the goofs at conventions and during his lectures in the 1970s, and reportedly some of the actors were not thrilled about this. Leonard Nimoy in particular. He felt that showing the clips diminished the craft of acting and the dignity of the characters. In a letter to Gene Roddenberry dated July 6, 1676, Nimoy wrote:

You must be aware that I have long held certain, very strong negative feelings about the use of the “blooper reel” in public. I personally expressed those feelings to you a year and a half ago…

My objections to its use are two-fold:

1. The artistic question of the characters being exposed in less than an ideal light.
2. The unauthorized use of an actor’s work without payment where there is a financial gain involved for the user.

Copies of the reels began to circulate, however, and became a standard feature of conventions in the 1970s and 1980s. Typically, though, fans like me who packed con screening rooms typically saw footage only from seasons one and two. Season three was rarely shown. 

It’s also interesting to note that there are no official or authoritative versions of the bloopers. A quick look at YouTube shows different edits and even different clips. 

On with the show

Here then are the doors that didn’t open, the words that got mixed up, and at least one wardrobe malfunction. 

Season one

Season two

Season three

At time of writing, the video above is the only season three reel online. It was on YouTube but the service removed it for unspecified copyright reasons, so now it only exists on this site.

Thank you, David, for trusting me with your tape and for sharing this content with us. More videos are coming.