Westerns have been a staple of cinema since the medium began. Saying the genre’s prevalence in the mid-20th century was akin to superhero movies now would be a vast understatement. There were many films of gunslinging heroes, rambling anti-heroes, and vicious bandits of the American frontier.
The original Star Trek series was revolutionary. It changed how people thought of sci-fi on television, and it pushed the envelope in other ways as well. It was social commentary, and it wasn't pulpy or campy like what had come before.