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Ever since its debut in the 1960s, the "Star Trek" franchise has been a beacon of social progressivism and inclusivity as its characters boldly forge ahead into the future. However, not all of its commentary and leaps forward have been met without controversy or widespread derision. For as groundbreaking as "Star Trek" is, not all of its stories have securely stuck the landing, stumbling in its handling of certain issues across its extensive history. Across the growing number of television series in the franchise, "Star Trek" has run into its fair share of controversy over the years, both with its fans and behind-the-scenes figures.

To be clear, what makes for a controversial episode isn't necessarily the episode's overall quality but the content within the episode itself. Several "Star Trek" episodes have quietly been omitted from their initial broadcasts or are noticeably edited in certain regions because of perceived sensitivities at the time.

Few names are more iconic than John Wayne, whose legendary status was solidified through countless acclaimed box-office successes. As perhaps the defining figure of Hollywood's Golden Age, Wayne’s work in Westerns and war movies made him a household name whose rugged charisma and heroic persona ensured his success from the silent era right through to the end of his career in 1979. With acclaimed collaborations with directors like John Ford and Howard Hawks, Wayne was one of the biggest box office draws from the 1940s through to the 1960s.

The best Wayne movies have truly stood the test of time, and much of his best work also hit it big at the box office. Whether a leading man, co-starring with legends like Maureen O’Hara, or as part of an ensemble cast, Wayne always stood out in every production he was a part of. While the box office takings of Wayne...

Gary Cooper is one of the most enduring and beloved figures in Western cinema, carving out a tenured career that saw him reach the pinnacle of the genre. He was best known for playing heroic roles that are morally complex, which added grandeur and dignity to the roles he portrayed and the films he starred in. Gary Cooper's films highlighted the intricacies of the Western lifestyle on the American frontier, and he cemented his status as a true icon in cinema.

Cooper was an extraordinary acting talent who also starred in many different genres of films, but his most famous works were iconic Westerns like High Noon and The Hanging Tree. His quiet vulnerability and ability to display a vast range of emotions in characters who would usually be played as black-and-white roles, influenced the next generation of both actors and filmmakers. His Westerns have gone down in cinematic history...

In the "Futurama" episode "Where No Fan Has Gone Before", the hapless Fry (Billy West) learns that "Star Trek" has been banned in the 31st century. He visits the severed head of Leonard Nimoy, kept alive in a jar of fluid, hoping to learn more about the fate of "Star Trek." Nimoy, knowing about the ban, initially pleads ignorance. Fry, trying to remind him, describes "Star Trek" as a 1960s TV that had "76 episodes. About 30 good ones."

Nimoy eventually confesses to remembering "Star Trek," but Fry's description of the show's quality isn't wholly unfair. Gene Roddenberry's original "Star Trek" series had many highs, providing popular sci-fi with some of its most indelible images. Additionally, its vision of a country-less, money-free, diplomacy-forward, anti-colonialist future inspired many to be optimistic about things to come. But it can also be true that the show churned out more than its share of stinkers.

Breakthrough was praised for its realistic portrayal of D-Day and the brutalities of war. The film featured actual American and British military films along with real-life WWII footage. Breakthrough was profitable at the box office, earning over $3 million against a $784,000 budget.

A classic 1950 war movie called Breakthrough was the first great film about D-Day. After World War II ended on September 2, 1945, several WWII films about D-Day were released soon after, particularly in the year 1950. D-Day took place on June 6 1944 and is widely regarded as one of the most significant days in American military history. According to BBC, "D-Day was the largest military seaborne operation ever attempted and marked the start of the campaign to liberate Nazi-occupied north-west Europe." Breakthrough is not currently available to stream but physical copies can be purchased online.

Breakthrough stars David Brian as Captain Tom Hale, John Agar as Lt. Joe Mallory, and Frank Lovejoy as Sgt.

The 1962 Western film "How the West Was Won" showcased a star-studded ensemble cast, including John Wayne, Henry Fonda, James Stewart, and Debbie Reynolds. The movie's unique structure featured five different stories following the Prescott family, allowing each actor to have their moment to shine. "How the West Was Won" was a major success, grossing $50 million on a $15 million budget, and was nominated for eight Academy Awards, winning three.

A 1962 Western put together an impressive cast that elevated the film and made it an instant classic that would also become a box office champion and a critically acclaimed hit. Casting has always been one major factor in a movie's success, not just in terms of what the actors can deliver, but also the star power that comes with them. It was no different for Westerns, a genre that shaped some of the greatest actors of all time. Likewise, the works of actors like John Wayne,...

Social media is always posting clips of belligerent airline passengers having meltdowns even getting into fisticuffs with flight attendants and fellow travelers. But today’s outbursts look positively tame to compared to the ill-behavior of the passengers and even the crew on a plane bound to San Francisco from Honolulu in “The High and the Mighty,” which opened in L.A. on May 27, 1954. The film went into general release in July. They drink, they cry, they fight and even restrain a passenger who has a gun.Meanwhile, the young pilot nearly loses it, the veteran pilot is haunted with memories of a crash, the navigator is a nervous wreck. Smoking, even by the crew, is allowed.

Directed by William A. Wellman, who helmed another airplane classic 1927’s Oscar-winner “Wings,” adapted by Ernest Gann from his best seller and produced by star John Wayne and his partner Robert Fellows, “The High and the Mighty...

In the "Star Trek" episode "Patterns of Force", Kirk (William Shatner) and Spock (Leonard Nimoy) visit the pre-warp planet of Ekos to find out what happened to John Gill (David Brian), an old history professor of Kirk's. Ekos, they find, has been culturally contaminated by Gill, as he taught them all about Nazi Germany in the 1930s, and the Ekosians have rearranged their society to match. They wear Nazi uniforms, praise John Gill as their Führer, and plan to exterminate their peaceful neighbor planet Zeon. The Zeon characters have names like Izak and Abrom.

There is also a secret resistance that Kirk and Spock can hide out with, and they eventually find a way to confront John Gill. Gill, they find, has been propped up by one of the more zealously Nazi Ekosians, and has been kept in line with drugs. Gill admits that he landed on Ekos finding it to be disorganized and chaotic,...

The Prime Directive serves an important purpose in the Star Trek universe, but circumstances sometimes require even this most important law to be broken. Originally referred to as General Order One, the Prime Directive states that Starfleet officers must not interfere in the development of other cultures and civilizations, especially if those civilizations have not yet discovered warp travel. While this order is a fundamental principle of Starfleet and the Federation, the interpretation of it can be somewhat flexible depending on the circumstances. Considering their mission to explore the unknown, Starfleet captains often have to adapt and reinterpret Federation rules to accommodate newly discovered planets and civilizations.

Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) became known for his tendency to bend the Prime Directive, while later USS Enterprise Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) was more of a stickler for the rules. Still, even Picard violated the Prime Directive on multiple occasions...

Two sheriff's deputies were fatally shot in the line of duty on Wednesday while responding to a call at a Panera Bread restaurant in Abingdon, Maryland, People confirms. After the shooting, the alleged perpetrator was tracked down by authorities and killed, a news release from the Harford County Sheriff's Office says. Senior Deputy Patrick Dailey and Senior Deputy Mark Logsdon of the Harford County Sheriff's Office responded to a call regarding a "suspicious circumstance, indicating a wanted person," according to the news release. Dailey and Logsdon were shot by David Brian Evans, 68, who was wanted in Florida for assaulting an officer,...

Two sheriff's deputies and an elderly man, presumed to be the suspect, are dead following a shootout at a Panera Bread in Abingdon, Maryland. According to a press release on the Harford County Sheriff Department's Facebook page, a suspect identified as 67-year-old David Brian Evans opened fire on officers when they arrived at the restaurant after being dispatched for an investigation. "While inside the Panera, the suspect fired at the deputy, striking him," the post reads. "The suspect then fled the restaurant, and was observed heading to the area of the Parkview Apartments. A second deputy attempted to make contact...

Joan Crawford Movie Star Joan Crawford movies on TCM: Underrated actress, top star in several of her greatest roles If there was ever a professional who was utterly, completely, wholeheartedly dedicated to her work, Joan Crawford was it. Ambitious, driven, talented, smart, obsessive, calculating, she had whatever it took – and more – to reach the top and stay there. Nearly four decades after her death, Crawford, the star to end all stars, remains one of the iconic performers of the 20th century. Deservedly so, once you choose to bypass the Mommie Dearest inanity and focus on her film work. From the get-go, she was a capable actress; look for the hard-to-find silents The Understanding Heart (1927) and The Taxi Dancer (1927), and check her out in the more easily accessible The Unknown (1927) and Our Dancing Daughters (1928). By the early '30s, Joan Crawford had become a first-rate film actress, far more naturalistic than...

Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson on the Oscars' Red Carpet Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson at the Academy Awards Eli Wallach and wife Anne Jackson are seen above arriving at the 2011 Academy Awards ceremony, held on Sunday, Feb. 27, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. The 95-year-old Wallach had received an Honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards in November 2010. See also: "Doris Day Inexplicably Snubbed by Academy," "Maureen O'Hara Honorary Oscar," "Honorary Oscars: Mary Pickford, Greta Garbo Among Rare Women Recipients," and "Hayao Miyazaki Getting Honorary Oscar." Delayed film debut The Actors Studio-trained Eli Wallach was to have made his film debut in Fred Zinnemann's Academy Award-winning 1953 blockbuster From Here to Eternity. Ultimately, however, Frank Sinatra – then a has-been following a string of box office duds – was cast for a pittance, getting beaten to a pulp by a pre-stardom Ernest Borgnine. For his bloodied efforts, Sinatra went on...

UKTV has commissioned a new variety show to air on pay entertainment channel Watch.

World's Most Talented - a five-part series from independent production company Renegade Pictures - travels the globe in search of talented people who can perform extraordinary feats.

Laura Jackson (Channel 4's Freshly Squeezed) and newcomer David Brian will present the series, and will visit a different country every week as they search for talent.

Each act is judged by a jury of one hundred online critics, who give their instant reactions to the performance, before voting for the winner.

Hilary Rosen, commissioning editor for UKTV, said: "This is the ultimate talent show for the 21st century. The jaw-dropping acts, and the hundred outspoken online critics from every corner of the globe, make the show part travelogue, part variety show.

"We're also excited to introduce two brilliant new presenters in David and Laura, who enjoy a light-hearted competitive rivalry.

Brian Austin Green finally got himself an acting gig, so I guess we can all stop calling him David Silver now. David Brian is finalizing a deal to join Desperate Housewives "for a major recurring role next season," reports Deadline Hollywood. Brian will "play Keith, a new contractor and charming playboy who turns up the heat on Wisteria Lane." He's set to appear in at least 8 episodes, but who knows, maybe Mr. Megan Fox can score a permanent gig. He landed the role after meeting with creator Marc Cherry last week. It would be great if Megan would...

TCM has put out some great vintage film collections in the last few years. The collections usually have a fair collection of winners and so-so contenders who need the better films to make them palatable and Esther Williams: Volume 2 is no exception. However, to the volume’s credit, it has a better ratio than most sets with 4 good to great films supporting 2 mediocre ones. The set could very well help reel in some younger viewers as the films in this volume have a surprisingly modern feel to them all. This one maybe good, but it might still qualify as “for collectors only”.

Thrill of a Romance (1945)

Directed by Richard Thorpe and written by Richard Connell and Gladys Lehman.

Co-starring Van Johnson and Henry Travers.

Summary: Two lovebirds get swept up in a whirlwind romance; one a girl looking for love and one a celebrated veteran, the two find their...