When was Star Trek made, and who envisioned it?
The science fiction series Star Trek: The Original Series was originally televised in America in 1966 and envisioned by TV screenwriter Gene Roddenberry. Roddenberry, who had previously worked on a number of TV series, wrote the script for a multiracial crew travelling through space back in March 1964, and NBC started filming in November of the same year. Fun fact: Gene Roddenberry is one of the few people whose ashes were carried into earth orbit.
I've heard the original first few episodes were less campy and overacted, specifically Captain Kirk (William Shatner) 
Do you know if this is true? If so, why would the producers and writers make that call?
Regarding the original Star Trek series, William Shatner's performance as Captain Kirk was sometimes described as overacted, but the show itself was generally not considered to be of a campy style. While there were a few lighthearted episodes, such as The Trouble with Tribbles, Spock's Brain, Star Trek was mainly a dramatic show. It had high production values for its era and was well-regarded for its storytelling and character development. Finally, it could be due to the changing cultural and aesthetic values of the time, which may have influenced the way that science fiction was produced and consumed.