ON THIS DAY SEPTEMBER 8 2023

This Day in History: September 8

Featured Event

1966





The first episode of the sci-fi series Star Trek aired on American television.


Star Trek, American television science-fiction series that ran on NBC for only three seasons (1966–69) but that became one of the most popular brands in the American entertainment industry.



Nichelle Nichols in Star Trek



George Takei in Star Trek
Star Trek was created by American writer and producer Gene Roddenberry and chronicles the exploits of the crew of the starship USS Enterprise, whose five-year mission is to explore space and, as stated in the title sequence, “to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.” The series takes place in the 23rd century, after a benign and advanced alien people, the Vulcans, has introduced their technologies to Earth, allowing humankind to embark on intergalactic travel at speeds faster than light. Commanded by the blustering Capt. James T. Kirk (played by William Shatner), the Enterprise engages in an altruistic research mission intended to document and observe the far reaches of space. Its crew encounters various alien life forms, not all of them as friendly as the Vulcans, most notably the Klingons, bellicose adversaries who frequently cross paths with the Enterprise. Kirk’s principal confidante is Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy), a half-human, half-Vulcan whose actions are ruled by logic almost entirely unsullied by emotion. The pointedly multicultural crew also includes “Bones” McCoy (DeForest Kelley), the ship’s irascible doctor; Lieut. Uhura (Nichelle Nichols); Mr. Sulu (George Takei); Ensign Chekov (Walter Koenig); and Mr. Scott (James Doohan), the engineer who controls the Enterprise’s transporter (not to be confused with the transponder, a homing device), dematerializing and rematerializing his shipmates so that they can travel instantly through space.

Britannica Quiz
1960s TV Show Debuts Quiz






starship Enterprise



Vulcan hand salute
Although the series gained some critical notice, it was canceled after three seasons because of low ratings. However, Star Trek retained a core following of devoted fans (Trekkies) that multiplied as wildly as tribbles, the furry creatures at the centre of one of the series’ most beloved episodes, as reruns continued to air. Eventually, the series snowballed into a phenomenon and became one of the most recognizable science-fiction brands in history. The show spawned a number of spin-off series, including Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–94), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993–99), Star Trek: Voyager (1995–2001), Star Trek: Enterprise (2001–05), and Star Trek: Picard (2020– ). The franchise also yielded numerous feature films, among them Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), which was followed by five further movies featuring the cast of the television show; Star Trek Generations (1994), which was the first of four movies set in the world established by the Next Generation television series; and a series of films centred on reimaginings of the original characters, including Star Trek (2009), Star Trek into Darkness (2013), and Star Trek Beyond (2016)

Featured Biography

Peter Sellers, original name Richard Henry Sellers, (born September 8, 1925, Southsea, England—died July 24, 1980, London), versatile English comic actor whose astonishing range of characters earned him international stardom at a time when rigid typecasting was usual.
Sellers was a descendant of legendary Portuguese-Jewish prizefighter Daniel Mendoza and the son of British vaudeville performers. After winning a talent contest, he planned to become a professional drummer, and as such he was hired to perform in Ralph Reader’s “gang shows”—concert units that toured British army bases during World War II. He developed his mimicry skills while serving in the Royal Air Force and ultimately abandoned the drums in favour of comedy, performing celebrity impressions during a six-week run at London’s Windmill Theatre. In 1951 he teamed with Spike Milligan and Harry Secombe to create The Goon Show, a radio comedy sketch series. Emerging as the star of the series with his repertoire of eccentric characters, Sellers also dominated the Goons’ film projects, including the short subject Let’s Go Crazy (1951) and the feature-length Down Among the Z Men (1952).


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