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## Oscar Katz: The Man Who Made the Introduction
Oscar Katz’s role in bringing *Star Trek* to Desilu is one of the most underreported elements of the production history. His name appears in accounts of the period but typically as a minor figure — the person who facilitated an introduction — rather than as someone whose judgment and advocacy were essential to the show’s development.
Katz came to Desilu from a senior position at CBS. He had been CBS’s vice president of programs and had been responsible for major programming decisions at the network during his tenure. His background gave him an understanding of what networks would and would not fund, what kinds of shows had succeeded and failed in the recent past, and how to present a concept in ways that would resonate with the specific concerns of network buyers.
When Roddenberry pitched what would become *Star Trek*, Katz recognized something worth developing. His specific assessment — why he thought this particular science fiction concept had potential when many others had not — is not fully documented in sources available to this research. What is documented is that he shepherded the concept through Desilu’s development process and was involved in the initial pitch to NBC.
Katz left Desilu in 1964, not long after the initial NBC deal was made. His departure meant that the subsequent development — the first pilot, the rejection, the second pilot, the network negotiation over Spock’s ears, the board vote — all occurred after he was gone. The relationship between Roddenberry and NBC was managed primarily by Herb Solow during the critical period.