Star Trek turns 50 this week, making those of us who grew up on the progressive, optimistic science fiction franchise feeling rather out of time in an increasingly non-progressive, unoptimistic era.
8 September 1966 was the date when Star Trek: The Original Series (or, as it was known then, ‘Star Trek’) first appeared on US television. Its utopian vision of the future was a space western stuffed with allegory, adventure and the occasional green slave woman.
Half a century on, the franchise has taken in assorted spin-off series, an animated version, 13 movies, and a collection of not very good video games. The latest Star Trek film, Star Trek: Beyond, came out this summer, and a new television series is planned for 2017.
We’d like to hear your Star Trek stories and see your Star Trek-related pictures. Do you have any models, costumes or other assorted memorabilia? Perhaps like me you have a shelf of old Star Trek novels and a model of the USS Defiant on your window sill. Or perhaps not.
We also want to know how the show shaped and influenced you. What series did you first fall in love with, and who was your favourite character? What do you think is the future of the show - and how do the themes of Star Trek stay relevant today?
As someone who rewatches Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in its entirety every 6-8 years (I’m due another binge), and is off to watch Star Trek II: the Wrath of Khan at the cinema this evening, rest assured that your stories are in safe hands.
We will put together an article featuring a selection of your Star Trek related responses.
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