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Friday, September 9, 2016
Yesterday marked the 50th anniversary of the premiere of Star Trek.  Though the original series only ran for three seasons, the science fiction adventure made its mark on television, pop culture, and especially kids like me. I still remember the excitement of sitting in front of our black and white TV and hearing those words, "Space, the final frontier..." as the Enterprise streaked across a black field of shining distant stars.

I loved the high-tech gadgetry, unusual aliens, and the hostile planets, but Star Trek had something that no other science fiction series had at that time: really great stories.  That's what kept me and a lot of other people coming back every week.

Instead of the typical dystopian future envisioned by most science fiction writing at the time, Gene Roddenberry, the show's creator, had a completely different view.

William Shatner once said, “There is a mythological component...It’s people looking for answers – and science fiction offers to explain the inexplicable...all the stuff about going out into space and meeting new life – trying to explain it and put a human element to it – it’s a hopeful vision. ”

We don't know much about the new series, Star Trek: Discovery planned for CBS All Access this year. So far all we've been told is there will be "new crews, new villains, new heroes, and new worlds". But my guess is the "mythological component", the "human element" will stay true to Star Trek's long history.

It's the hopeful future Roddenberry envisioned that makes Star Trek one of the longest running and best-loved science fiction stories ever imagined. Even a half century later.

Posted by: Betty | 8:00 AM | permalink
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