Happy 49th Birthday, Star Trek
49 years ago today, “Star Trek” premiered on NBC with its first episode “The Man Trap” at 8:30PM on September 8, 1966. Following two pilot episodes, the series — created by Gene Roddenberry — would go on to run for three seasons, spur thirteen feature films and change the face of television forever. The show’s stars: William Shatner as Captain Kirk, Leonard Nimoy as Spock, DeForest Kelley as Dr. McCoy, James Doohan as Scotty, George Takei as Hikaru Sulu and Nichelle Nichols as Uhura have become household names.
As we look forward to next year’s 50th anniversary, let’s stop, reflect and salute the episode that beamed into living rooms and gave us all a glimpse into the 23rd century on that fateful day in 1966.
“The Man Trap” centers around the crew of the Starship Enterprise and a shapeshifting, salt-hungry creature on the alien planet M-113. First aired on September 8, 1966, the episode was written by George Clayton Johnson, directed by Marc Daniels and scored by Alexander Courage.
The episode has been released in physical media formats: VHS, DVD and Blu-ray. It is also available for streaming and digitally on Netflix, Amazon Instant Streaming, CBS All Access, iTunes and more.
So, 49 years ago? As a friend would say: fascinating! 👍🏻
— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) September 8, 2015
On this day in 1966, @StarTrek aired its first episode on @nbc. Happy 49th Birthday, Trekkies! ##LLAP
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) September 8, 2015
So, who else is watching "The Man Trap" tonight at 8 pm? #StarTrek #StarTrek49
https://t.co/AMAP3AhdsZ pic.twitter.com/NpTaIdYhkb
— TrekNews.net (@TrekNewsnet) September 8, 2015
Join us in celebrating Star Trek’s 49th birthday tonight as we live-tweet “The Man Trap” at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. You can follow us on Twitter at @TrekNewsNet and with the hashtag #StarTrek49.
What’s your first “Star Trek” memory? Tell us in the comments below.
