On September 8, 1966 the first Star Trek television episode was broadcast in the U.S. (making the ‘multiverse’ 50 years old). The adventures of Kirk, Spock, McCoy and others abroad the star ship Enterprise were soon shown around the world and the show, with its utopian vision of a united Earth society, became a worldwide hit. This led to a strong movie franchise and various spin off shows: if you count the animated series, there have been six television shows, 726 total episodes, 13 movies, and one reboot).
The series is still going strong, with the third Star Trek movie on the alternate timeline — Star Trek Beyond — being a commercial hit. Next year sees the release of a new television series, called Star Trek Discovery, which is said to feature a strong female lead).
Rus McLaughlin (@rusmclaughlin) Trek was a first love, something that opened up the possibilities of “If…” in my mind. It helped to put me on my path.#StarTrek50#LLAP50
Matt Perrin (@mattperrin) Very thankful to have grown up with Star Trek in my life. It was one of the rare things that my Dad and I enjoyed together. #StarTrek50
Facebook has decided to mark this big pop culture event by adding some redesigned “like” buttons. These buttons are only available in certain countries (like Canada and the U.S.) and will only appear for a limited time. According to Lindsey Shepard, Facebook Messenger’s marketing lead, the company has designed like buttons that show off Spock’s signature Vulcan salute, Kirk (Haha), Spock (Wow), Geordi (Sad), and a Klingon (Angry).
Trekkies (or Trekkers) and causal fans can now comment on a series of Star Trek related posts (or any other subjects) in a Star Trek themed way.
