Tag Archives: walter koenig

Star Trek’s Cosmic Anniversaries

One of my earliest memories of any television show was watching an episode of the original Star Trek called, “Balance of Terror” co-starring Mark Lenard as the Romulan adversary to Captain Kirk. Of course, Lenard later went on to play Spock’s father, Sarek, as well as the Klingon Commander in Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

For Star Trek fans such as myself, 2016 marks not one, not two, but three milestone anniversaries for the franchise.

On September 8, 1966, Star Trek took to the airwaves for three seasons.

Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek: The Original Series

On November 19, 1986, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home was released to box office success.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

On December 6, 1991, the final film starring the entire cast was released, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

I owe a lot to Star Trek, and many other SF and space opera films and shows. They inspired me to become a writer, beginning in fan fiction before exploring the strange new worlds and characters of my own creation. My love for, and wonder of, SF brought me to the convention scene over 30 years ago, where I’ve forged lifelong friendships with so many wonderful and talented people.

Now, as I attend the cons—sometimes as a writer guest, sometimes just going because I love the con scene—I’m excited to see Star Trek continuing to live long and prosper through new generations of fans.

James Doohan
James Doohan
George Takei
George Takei
Walter Koenig
Walter Koenig
Nichelle Nichols
Nichelle Nichols
Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Nimoy