Sino-Western trouble

Real world article
(written from a Production point of view)

At one point intended to be referenced in the Star Trek: The Original Series first season episode "The Corbomite Maneuver", the Sino-Western trouble was a conflict on Earth that Uhura described as "World War III, almost." Captain James T. Kirk commented about the conflict, "The world was lucky it was stopped in time. None of us here would be enjoying life today if…" though he then trailed off.

According to the same scene, the conflict inspired multiple movies that were released in approximately the mid-21st century. In those films, the villains were Orientals.

Earlier in the episode's development, NBC executive Stanley Robertson wrote about this conflict in a letter to Gene Roddenberry (it was dated 17 May 1966 and concerned the first revised final draft of the episode's script). In the letter, Robertson stated, "As we discussed, a suggestion would be that on Page 48 of this draft, it be made pointedly clear that there was no 'World War III' between the Sino-Western powers. Let's keep emphasizing with our writers, as we know you have been, that this is a topic we'd like to avoid."

However, the reference to the Sino-Western trouble (and the scene in which it was discussed) was later included in the second revised final draft script of "The Corbomite Maneuver" (dated 20 May 1966), and in a deleted scene (which can be viewed as part of "Inside the Roddenberry Vault, Part I", a featurette in Star Trek: The Original Series - The Roddenberry Vault).