Every September 8th is observed as Star Trek Day—a holiday for Trekkies to come together and enjoy the show that provided the world with an optimistic future where humanity had ventured out among the stars. It was a show that sparked the collective imagination and has inspired countless other television shows, movies, and games.

Now there’s a whole universe of entertainment that people can enjoy, a ton of different Star Trek merchandise for people to buy, and events all over the world for people to attend. Anyone and everyone who considers themselves to be a fan of this universe might want to take a moment to observe this holiday when it comes around each year.

The History Of Star Trek Day

The original Star Trek series premiered on September 8, 1966, on NBC. This series was created by Gene Roddenberry and followed the adventures of the starship USS Enterprise (NCC-1701).

It ran until June 3rd, 1969, when it was eventually canceled due to low ratings. However, the show would receive a second life in syndication and become extremely popular during the 1970s. It would eventually achieve cult classic status and have a dramatic influence on popular culture.

It would eventually spawn 11+ TV series, 13+ feature films, and countless toys, games, and books. It is now considered by most to be one of the most influential TV series of all time.

Some Cool Facts About Star Trek

Now that we’ve covered some of the basics about this holiday, we would like to take a moment to examine some of the facts that we learned about Star Trek as we traveled through this universe.

We hope that the following facts prove to be entertaining to everyone reading them, and hopefully quite informative as well. Of course, to most die-hard Trekkies, the following facts probably aren’t new to them. Even so, we still hope there are some surprises contained within them.

• Gene Roddenberry pitched Star Trek to network executives as “Wagon Train in space.”
• James Tiberius Kirk is based on the protagonist Horatio Hornblower, which can be found in stories by C.S. Forester.
• In the Star Trek pilot, Captain Pike was featured, not Captain Kirk.
• In 1986, almost 20 years after its initial run, the syndication of Star Trek was making Paramount $750,000 per episode.
• In 1985, a councilman of Riverside, Iowa, Steve Miller, proposed that Riverside be declared as the “Future Birthplace of James T. Kirk” after reading in The Making of Star Trek that Kirk’s birthplace was in Iowa.
• In 2009, J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek movie reboot made Riverside, Iowa, Kirk’s birthplace canon.

Observing Star Trek Day

Star Trek Day can easily be observed by enjoying some of the Star Trek media that exists. This can be one of the television series, books, games, or movies. People can also attend Star Trek conventions on this day.

It’s also common for Paramount Plus to offer people a chance to watch free Star Trek episodes through their service. Another way to celebrate this holiday is by spreading the word about it online using the hashtag #StarTrekDay.