Thursday, September 8, 2011

T-Plus 45 Years

On September 8, 1966, Star Trek premiered on NBC with Captain James T. Kirk commanding the Federation starship Enterprise. The original series aired only three seasons, but that was long enough to build a fan base that demanded the show be continued in some way. It was, first as feature films starring the bridge crew of the television series, and later as several new television series. Star Trek: The Next Generation, like the original series, also had a good run in the movies.

The lasting appeal of the concept has been the subject of much discussion. Clearly, every television producer would love to hit upon a fictional universe that explodes into a multi-billion dollar industry encompassing television, films, novels, etc. Part of the appeal of the original series can be put down to the excitement engendered by the Space Race of the 1960s, but that wouldn't seem to account for the show's ongoing, worldwide popularity. That seems more due to the show's portrayal of an optimistic future in which mankind has come together to solve its myriad problems and is engaged, with other races, on a wonderful journey of discovery.

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