User blog:ARTaylor/50 Years of the Premiere of Star Trek

Today is the fiftieth anniversary of the premiere episode of Star Trek titled "The Man Trap". It was actually the sixth episode produced, though the first to air, following four in the ongoing production and the original pilot. In the episode, the crew of the Enterprise must uncover a murderous alien that absorbs all the salt from its victims' body.

The episode launched the incredibly popular Star Trek original series. The series only lasted three seasons and was constantly threatened with cancellation. However, in its short time it literally changed the face of television. It was the first series to prove that television was not just for lowest common denominator entertainment and could be enjoyed by intelligent people, as the studio was bombarded with mail from highly intelligent people including professor and scientists. It inspired the people at NASA and attracted high profile talent like Harlan Ellison. Fans, dubbed Trekkies, were the ones to popularize the fan convention and inspire fan fiction.

The series only lasted three seasons, but continued to have an impressive following. It became extremely popular in syndication. Trekkies got the first NASA space shuttle to be named after the series' iconic ship. The series also holds the world record for most spin-offs having inspired an animated series, The Next Generation, Deep Space 9, Voyager, Enterprise, and an upcoming series named Discovery. The original cast returned for six films that was followed by four films for The Next Generation crew and three reboot films.

Numerous actors have appeared in the franchise over the years. Marvel actors who appeared in the premiere episode include George Takei as Sulu and Nichelle Nichols as Uhura.