Star Trek celebrates its 45th anniversary today, September 8. The series’ first episode was aired on this date in 1966 — George Clayton Johnson’s “The Man Trap”.
Some people think sapphire is the appropriate gift for a 45th anniversary but, considering the plot of the first episode, a trufan will choose something made of salt crystals.
[Thanks to Michael J. Walsh for the link.]
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It should be noted that George should get credited for coining the phrase, “He’s dead Jim.”
…where no middle-aged series has gone before.
Actually, the pilot for the first episode was shown by Harlan Ellison to the assembled fans at the 1966 WesterCon in San Diego, at the infamous Stardust Hotel. That’s the same WesterCon that gave us the filk, “Bouncing potatoes”, and Rotsler’s sad little face drawn on a fried egg, which he entered in the art show…
And of course Gene Roddenberry showed “Where No Man Has Gone Before” at Tricon as well, just before the show’s premier on September 8th and perhaps “The Cage” as well. I wasn’t there, but I’ve heard different versions of the event, except the story always includes two things: Gene telling Isaac Asimov, not knowing who he was, that he and his group should either shut up or leave the film room as his show was on, and Isaac agreeing that he was being rude and apologizing, and that at the end there was a stunned silence and then a standing ovation.