Many people may be familiar with the annual Star Wars Day but avid Star Trek fans will be keen to remind you the rival space franchise has its own day too—today.
September 8 is officially known to Trekkies as Star Trek Day, and 2021 marks the occasion's 55th anniversary.
To celebrate, Star Trek fans are being invited to watch a free live-streamed celebration with plenty of announcements, reveals and big moments throughout.
What Is Star Trek Day and Why Is It Celebrated.
On September 8, 1966, Star Trek made its debut on television, forever changing the genre of science fiction as we know it.
On this day 55 years ago, James T. Kirk, Commander Spock and the rest of the USS Enterprise made their first appearance at 8:30 p.m. on NBC.
Star Trek: The Original Series, as it's now known, was on the air for just three seasons before being canceled, much to the heartbreak of its passionate fanbase.
The show made stars out of its actors William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and George Takei. Although it was taken off the air, the success continued with merchandise, movie, cartoons, TV spinoffs and more.
In recent years Star Trek Day has taken on more significance, and last year CBS hosted a 24-hour Star Trek marathon and online panels were held for fans to consume content from their favorite franchise.
How Is Star Trek Day Being Celebrated?
On Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. PT (8:30 p.m. ET) the Star Trek Day livestreaming event will kick off with hours of interviews, live performances, and surprise announcements.
Live from the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, Star Trek Day will be hosted by Wil Wheaton and Mica Burton. There are special guests planned with big reveals in store but there'll also be panels with classic Star Trek actors looking back on their shows. The likes of Patrick Stewart, Rebecca Romijn and Jeri Ryan are just some of the names scheduled to take part.
There are currently five Star Trek-based series on television and each one will have the spotlight throughout the event. The cast and team behind Star Trek: Prodigy, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Picard will all get their own respective panels.
In between each panel discussing a new show, there will also be legacy panels discussing the shows gone by. These Legacy Moments talks will include Deep Space Nine, Enterprise, Voyager, The Original Series and The Next Generation.
There will also be a special panel celebrating the original Star Trek creator's 100th birthday. Gene Roddenberry's life and impact on science fiction will be discussed by franchise heroes Gates McFadden, LeVar Burton, and George Takei.
You can tune in and watch the full Star Trek Day event at intl.startrek.com/day
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