“Star Trek” is celebrating its 58th anniversary today. On September 8, 1966, the series premiered on U.S. television with “The Man Trap.” (It debuted in Canada two days earlier, but while the future of “Star Trek” may be internationalist, our present is still U.S.-centered).
“The Man Trap” may not have been the first choice for the public debut of “Star Trek,” but it still kicked off a prestigious legacy. That legacy extends well past the 78 more adventures that the original U.S.S. Enterprise went on from 1966 to 1969.
“Star Trek” begat modern fandom: conventions, fanzines, fanfiction, cosplay, and then internet forums in the 1990s during the “Next Generation” era. It’s even one of the earliest examples of a TV series being revived thanks to ardent fan demand, something quite common nowadays. Between that and the geekiness baked into science fiction, it’s no surprise that Trekkies remain a go-to stereotype for insufferable nerds. They’ve even claimed their own holiday, naturally on the day it all began, September 8.
It’s become common for different fandoms to claim a day as the holiday for their favorite series or characters. Some use the same basis as Trekkies do, marking down the series’ premiere anniversary. July 22 is “One Piece” Day because the first chapter of the “One Piece” manga was published on July 22, 1997. Batman Day (started by DC Comics in 2014) was originally held on July 23 — the 75th anniversary of Batman’s first appearance in “Detective Comics” #27. Since then, though, Batman Day has been moved to late September. Other fandoms get cheekier with their holidays. May 4 is “Star Wars” Day because, of course, “May 4th” sounds a bit like “May the Force [be with you].” Both “Mean Girls” fans and “Fullmetal Alchemist” fans commemorate their favorites on October 3, because that’s a significant date in both stories.
Since “Star Trek” Day fell on a Sunday this year (don’t you just hate it when holidays fall on days you already have off), how should you spend it?
How to celebrate Star Trek day
This year, the “Star Trek” website has announced the “Take the Chair, Make an Impact” campaign. The “Star Trek” franchise is making donations to Code.org (centered on spreading computer science education), the non-profit DoSomething.org, and the LGBTQ+ human rights group Outright International. Trekkies are encouraged to also “to embrace the optimistic vision of a brighter future.” 25% of sales on select “Star Trek” merchandise made during the month of September will be donated to these non-profits.
The Taste of Chicago fair (held from Sept. 6-8), the ALEXA Mall in Berlin, and Richmond Centre in Vancouver are also holding pop-up events this Star Trek Day where fans can sit in a recreation of the Enterprise’s captain chair.
For the Trekkies who prefer staying indoors, Paramount has made the pilots of each “Star Trek” show free to stream on Paramount+, Amazon, Apple, Roku, and Pluto TV until September 13. If you’re so inclined, you can do a whole “Trek” marathon (with /Film’s recs for the best episodes and which ones to avoid as your guide).
Happy “Star Trek” day to all, and to all a good (space)flight.
