It’s September 8th, and do you know what that means? It’s Star Trek Day! So to start, Happy Star Trek Day—may you live long and prosper, ya’ll. 🖖 To celebrate this day, I’m sharing some of my Star Trek cosplay (cause I’m a nerd), but first, I want to share why I like Star Trek…cause that series is deep af…
I’ve loved Star Trek ever since I was a kid—specifically Star Trek: The Original Series, which first aired on September 8, 1966—55 years ago. I grew up with my dad watching Star Trek and my mom always told me she enjoyed watching the show when she was in high school, so I followed suit. I watched all three seasons back-to-back twice in my life—when I first moved to NYC back in 2011, and then again when the COVID-19 lockdown started back in March of last year. Ironically right when I moved to LA. I guess moving to a new city means Star Trek binge. Thank you, Netflix!
While I have (and do) watch the “newer” Star Trek movies and shows, specifically Star Trek: The Next Generation, the original series will always be my first love.
But why do I love Star Trek? Beyond just liking science fiction in general (space is cool, ya’ll), Star Trek: The Original Series was the first of its kind. It was very pro-woman (not a common “theme” in the 1960’s), the cast was very diverse (a first for national TV), and it was the first time there was an interracial kiss on American television. Yup…Star Trek did that.
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Here are some more in-depth Star Trek facts:
Fun (and important) Star Trek Facts
Star Trek: The Original Series was produced by a woman
Actually, not just any woman, Lucille Ball, to be exact. Like you need another reason to “love Lucy”. Lucille Ball was the first woman to ever run a major television studio. Bad. Ass.
To Boldly Go Where No (wo)Man Has Gone Before…
Star Trek was the first series to promote multiculturalism and racial diversity on National TV
Each series and film in the Star Trek franchise is diverse, but the fact that The Original Series was diverse is a big deal as it was unheard of for the time. Lucille Ball and her team at Desilu Productions had no problem dismantling white supremacy. Not only were there actors of both Asian and African decent, they were in leadership roles. Lieutenant Uhura is actually the fourth in command of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Bad. Ass.
Since Star Trek takes place in the very far future, the founder, Gene Roddenberry, wanted to create his ideal Earth which included world peace and racial harmony.
Star Trek aired the first interracial kiss in television history
In the third season (episode 10, Plato’s Stepchildren), there is an on-camera kiss between Captain Kirk and Lieutenant Uhura. What a beautiful moment in Hollywood history.
Martin Luther King Jr. was a Trekkie
Star Trek: The Original Series first aired in the height of the Civil Rights movement led by MLK. The actress who played Lieutenant Uhura, Nichelle Nichols, was thinking about leaving the show for another career opportunity on Broadway, but thankfully MLK convinced her otherwise. Learn more about it here.
He admired Nichols and even told her he was her number one fan. He also made it known that her leadership role as a Black woman on national television was important.
Star Trek may have helped encourage the anti-war/hippie movement during the Vietnam War
The US entered the Vietnam War in 1965, one year before Star Trek: The Original Series aired. As mentioned above, Gene Roddenberry purposely created an Earth that was free of war—a very bold move for the time.
Not only is Earth war free in 2151, but throughout the series the characters bring up past apocalyptic wars of Earth’s past as a reminder and a warning to change our ways as a society.
Star Trek influenced modern tech
Since the show always takes place in the future, there is advanced technology that at the time was only a pipedream. Google has actually created some of the tech found on the show. Learn more here. Google Earth definitely has some similarities to the Star Trek tricorder.
As you can see, Star Trek: The Original Series is a historically important as it was a show of many firsts and it helped pave the way for diversity in Hollywood. And now for some some other important dates for Trekkers.
Important Dates for Trekkies
September 8th isn’t the only day throughout the year that’s important for us Star Trek fans, here is a list of some of the most popular Star Trek dates:
- March 11th: The Day Gene Roddenberry first penned his rough draft for the series (1964)
- March 26th: This is the birthday of Leonard Nimoy, the actor who played Mr. Spock.
- April 5th: This is called First Contact Day and it’s an important date within the show. It’s the day that Earth first made contact with other beings—specifically the Vulcans 🖖 In the series, this day took place in 2063.
- September 8th: The day Star Trek debuted on national television (1966)
And…here is more Star Trek cosplay….because obviously that’s why you’re here 😂
All of these photos were taken by Christian Siguenza, a very talented photographer in Los Angeles.
Shop My Star Trek Cosplay Look
If you want to cosplay, or you want to have an awesome Halloween costume for 2021, you can shop my look below:
Have you ever wanted to cosplay but felt your friends and family would judge you? Do it anyway, Chica! Let that nerd flag fly!
Peace and long life,
Amanda Raye
