“Star Trek” was the undisputed king of sci-fi television in the 1990s, but it lost that crown in the 2000s; prequel series “Star Trek: Enterprise” ended the franchise’s reign with an abbreviated four season run (2001 to 2005).
Different shows won the hearts of online fandom, including two contemporaries of “Enterprise” — “Futurama” and “Firefly.”The legacy of “Firefly” far outlasted its 14 episode run; fan demand led to the creation of the finale movie “Serenity” in 2005.
Meanwhile, “Futurama” enjoyed a respectable 72 episode run from 1999 to 2003, but enduring popularity has revived it twice, first from 2007 to 2013, and again for a new season which premiered this summer.
Short length doesn’t mean a show will be forgotten, especially when the Internet can sustain a fandom like never before.As detailed in “Star Trek” oral history book “The Fifty Year Mission” by Edward Gross and Mark A.
Altman, these three shows intertwined in an episode of miscommunication and Hollywood office politics.
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