Sunday, September 11, 2011

LESS A TREKKIE (MORE A MAN?)

For someone who considers himself a Star Trek fan (original series only) it's pretty amazing that I had forgotten that the famous show was celebrating its 45th anniversary, on September 8th, until I picked up the Globe and Mail later that day. No folks, I did not have a calendar on the wall with a run-up or countdown to September 8th, 2011, marked in red ink. That surprises even me.

The first episode to air, even though it was not the first one of regular series production (after the two pilots), was "The Man Trap". With great journalistic integrity, not to mention a placement on 'page 2', the Globe printed a frame from the actual episode; and not from one of the movies, which can be the usual lazy photo editor's treatment. (Jeez, I know that but I cannot remember the anniversary. Sorry, my head's been in Jersey Shore these last few months.)

By the way, and it's a big one, although NBC premiered Star Trek on September 8th, 1966, in the United States, here in Canada, CTV beat them to the punch by running "The Man Trap" on September 6th. Americans living near the Canadian border could watch the exciting new NBC color series in "Colour".






A look at Star Trek's 45th...
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/09/08/scitech/main20103413.shtml

Nice timeline/historical graphic on Trek...
http://www.space.com/12858-star-trek-timeline-science-fiction-infographic.html

2 comments:

Jon said...

Love the zany illustration from the 'Star Trek I' story collection cover, especially the rocket trails and the two figures in the background -- "Dammit Jim, if you don't stop whining about that toothache, I'm gonna stick this probe up your nose!"

Barry Smight said...

I like that painting for its style, even if it is inaccurate. It was painted 'from' the second pilot.

The Outer Limits (1963 - 1965)had a cool promotional painting.