When I was a kid growing up in Boston, I watched the syndicated reruns of the original Star Trek series and was entranced by the adventures the crew endured aboard the USS Enterprise. Though I loved all the characters, Spock was my favorite with his unflappable personality and logical way of thinking. In fact, somewhere there is a 5th grade class photo with a young Paul Lee sporting a Spock shirt complete with the Enterprise emblem and gold officer bands. Flash forward to 2016 and my addiction to Star Trek is back in full force. Star Trek Beyond, the 50th anniversary celebration and the new series have awakened my inner treckie. I am in the depths of an all out Star Trek binge, consuming all of this beloved sci-fi series properties including once again watching the original series in all its glory.

Star Trek

In September of 1965, Gene Rodenberry launched his masterpiece and the first Star Trek pilot aired on NBC, showing the world a science fiction series unlike anything TV viewers had ever seen before. The show broke new ground in numerous ways and even though it only lasted three seasons and 79 episodes it sent ripples through our universe. Star Trek was way ahead of its time and considered too cerebral for the general public in the 60s. But the serious sci-fi fans knew what was good and kept the fire burning as the reruns in the mid-70s garnered a whole new fan base.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary, Paramount Pictures is releasing loads of new merchandise. Box sets, new action figures, toy ships, bobble heads, t-shirts and plenty of other treckie swag is currently making its way to a collector her you. The celebrations even included a Star Trek 50th Anniversary Concert Tour. Featuring a symphony orchestra and a giant forty foot video screen, the tour hit one hundred cities around the globe and was a huge success.

It’s amazing how over the course of 50 years, Star Trek has planted an interstellar seed that continues to grow to this day and into new creative directions. With 12 Star Trek movies, 6 TV series including “Star Trek: The Next Generation”, “Deep Space Nine”, “Enterprise” and “Voyager”, the franchise continues to thrive. The 2009 reboot and its sequel by cinemas super geek J.J Abrams sparked a new generation of fans who are excited to see what new frontiers Kirk, Spock and the gang explore. Simon Pegg of the Cornettos Trilogy currently sits in the franchises captains chair and I know I’m not the only one rooting for his film to be the best one yet! Star Trek is an ever growing franchise and one about exploration and discovering new worlds. To all fellow treckie friends out there, Live Long and Prosper.

*** Bookmans is your store to explore. If you are interested in an item mentioned here, give your local Bookmans a call and one of our staff members would be happy to check our shelves.