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Last Updated:
Tuesday, 5 September 2006, 11:16 GMT 12:16 UK
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Star Trek timeline
19 August, 1921
Gene Roddenberry born
LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0The creator of Star Trek Eugene Wesley Roddenberry was born in Texas in 1921. He flew bombers during World War II and served as both an airline pilot and a police officer before becoming a writer. During the 1960s he contributed scripts to popular TV series such as Dragnet and Dr Kildare and developed the idea for Star Trek in 1964. LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 ISuggested by Matthew Cherrill Chatham UK I
27 November, 1964
First ever Star Trek scene filmed
LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0The first pilot episode of Star Trek started filming on 27 November 1964 at Desilu studios in California. Called The Cage it does not feature Willam Shatners character Captain Kirk at all. Instead the lead character is Captain Christopher Pike played by Jeffrey Hunter. The Cage was not broadcast on television until 1988. LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 ISuggested by Allan Glasgow Scotland I
8 September, 1966
First Star Trek episode broadcast in the US
LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0The Man Trap was the first episode of Star Trek to be shown on US television on 8 September 1966. In it the crew of the Starship Enterprise is terrorised by a "shapeshifter" a creature which disguises itself by taking on the appearance of other people. LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 ISuggested by "Herman Munster" London UK I
29 March, 1968
NBC threatens to cancel Star Trek
LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0At the end of the second season of Star Trek television network NBC threatened to cancel the series prompting a massive letterwriting campaign by fans of the show. The network relented and the series returned for a third and final season in October that year. LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 I I LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 ISuggested by Sarah Ruth Paltiel Concord California USA whose mother wrote one of those letters I
22 November, 1968
First interracial kiss on US television
LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0Captain Kirk kissed Lieutenant Uhura in an episode called Platos Stepchildren shown on 22 November 1968. Many believe it to be the first interracial kiss on US television. William Shatner says producers insisted his lips never touch those of actress Nichelle Nichols. LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 ISuggested by Michael Paitich Canada Roy Germany Graeme Leggett UK Pekka Siltala Finland I
January, 1972
New York hosts first Star Trek convention
LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0According to actress Nichelle Nichols "After the show was cancelled in '69 a group of people in New York got together and they were lawyers and brokers um Wall Street people and they put some money together and said 'Let's get some friends together and celebrate how wonderful it was'." Carl from Nevada also wrote in to mention the first Los Angeles convention held in 1973. LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0
8 September, 1973
Star Trek The Animated Adventures begins in US
LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0Star Trek The Animated Adventures ran for two seasons in 1973 and 1974. Almost all of the original actors returned to provide voices for the cartoon including William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. Despite winning an Emmy award for best childrens animation in 1974 the series is not considered part of the official Star Trek storyline. LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 ISuggested by "Herman Munster" London UK I
October, 1974
First European Star Trek convention held in UK
LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0According to Rebecca who wrote to us from Leicester in the UK the first ever Star Trek Convention in Europe was held in Leicester in 1974. Called Midcon it featured appearances from George Takei and James Doohan Sulu and Scotty in the TV series. Rebeccas parents also attended. LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 ISuggested by Rebecca Leicester UK I
17 September, 1976
Nasa names space shuttle in honour of Star Trek
LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0Nasa's first space shuttle orbiter was originally due to be called Constitution. However Star Trek fans started a letterwriting campaign to have it renamed Enterprise after the Star Trek spaceship of the same name. It worked and the cast of the TV series even got a tour of the shuttle when it was dedicated on 17 September 1976. LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 ISuggested by EC London UK I
7 December, 1979
Star Trek The Motion Picture opens
LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0A decade after the TV series was cancelled the first Star Trek film hit the big screen. It reunited the original cast and was directed by Robert Wise who won Oscars for West Side Story and The Sound Of Music. In the film the crew of the Enterprise attempt to stop an alien entity which is approaching Earth destroying everything in its path. LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 ISuggested by "Herman Munster" London UK I
4 June, 1982
Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan hits cinemas
LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0The second Star Trek film is considered by many fans to be the best in the series. In it Khan who had appeared in the original TV series is resurrected to wreak revenge on Captain Kirk now an admiral at the Starfleet Academy. Kirk returns to the Enterprise to defeat his old foe but Spock has to pay a terrible price to save his former Captain. LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 ISuggested by "Herman Munster" London UK I
1 June, 1984
Third Star Trek films opens in cinemas
LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0In Leonard Nimoy's directorial debut we find out that Spock is not dead after all he has just transferred his living essence to Dr Leonard McCoy DeForest Kelley. Kirk hatches a plan to steal the Starship Enterprise and travel to the planet Genesis where he can recover Spocks body and reunite it with his soul. LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 ISuggested by "Herman Munster" London UK I
26 November, 1986
Star Trek IV The Voyage Home is released
LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0The fourth film in the Star Trek series is more lighthearted than previous instalments. It pokes gentle fun at the aging crew of the Starship Enterprise who voyage to 1986 to save the humpback whale. It proved to be the most popular Star Trek film at the box office and prompted the return of the series to television. LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 ISuggested by "Herman Munster" London UK I
28 November, 1987
Patrick Stewart debuts in The Next Generation
LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0The new Star Trek TV show ran for seven years and starred Patrick Stewart as Captain JeanLuc Picard. As with the original it followed a crew of space explorers seeking new worlds and civilizations. It received an Emmy nomination for best drama in 1994 and featured guest appearances from Mick Fleetwood and Stephen Hawking. LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 ISuggested by "Herman Munster" London UK I
9 June, 1989
Star Trek V The Final Frontier opens in cinemas
LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0After Leonard Nimoy directed the third and fourth Star Trek films William Shatner decided to have a go for the fifth. The movie won him three Golden Rasberry awards for worst picture worst director and worst actor. The plot sees Spock's halfbrother hijacking the Enterprise to pursue his visions of God. LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 ISuggested by "Herman Munster" London UK I
24 October, 1991
Gene Roddenberry dies
LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry died on 24 October 1991 aged 70. His ashes were later sent into space. LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 ISuggested by Andrew and Rob Windsor I
6 December, 1991
Original cast make final film adventure
LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0Star Trek VI The Undiscovered Country saw the return of Wrath of Khan director Nicholas Meyer. In the film Kirk and Dr McCoy are accused of assassinating Klingon Chancellor Grokon as they escort him to Earth for peace negotiations. After being imprisoned they must escape to track down the real killers. LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 ISuggested by "Herman Munster" London UK I
3 January, 1993
Star Trek Deep Space Nine comes to television
LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0Deep Space Nine was the first Star Trek series not to be created by Gene Roddenberry and the first set on a space station. A fan favourite it has longer more involved stories than the previous series. Benjamin Sisko played by Avery Brooks was Star Treks first AfricanAmerican captain. LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 ISuggested by "Herman Munster" London UK I
18 November, 1994
Star Trek VII Generations goes on general release
LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0The seventh Star Trek film sees the original crew hand over the baton to the cast of The Next Generation. In the movie Captains Kirk and Picard join forces to defeat an evil scientist before he wipes out civilization. LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 ISuggested by "Herman Munster" London UK I
16 January, 1995
Fourth Star Trek TV series Voyager makes its debut
LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0Star Trek Voyager features actress Kate Mulgrew as the series' first female captain Kathryn Janeway. Set in the 24th Century the programme finds the crew of the USS Voyager stranded more than 70000 light years from home. Over the next seven series they attempt to find their way back. LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 ISuggested by "Herman Munster" London UK I
22 November, 1996
Star Trek VIII First Contact is released
LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0Star Trek actor Jonathan Frakes who played Commander William T Riker in The Next Generation directed the eighth film which is considered to be among the best in the series. Loosely based on Moby Dick it sees Captain JeanLuc Picard travelling back in time in pursuit of his archnemesis the Borg. LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 ISuggested by "Herman Munster" London UK I
11 December, 1998
Ninth Star Trek film Insurrection opens in the US
LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0In the ninth Star Trek film Captain Picard and his crew defy orders to protect a planet which holds the secret to eternal life. Featuring the crew from The Next Generation the film was the second to be directed by Jonathan Frakes who played Commander William T Riker in the TV series. LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 ISuggested by "Herman Munster" London UK I
4 June, 1999
DeForest Kelley dies
LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0Deforest Kelley played chief medical officer Dr Leonard McCoy in the original Star Trek television. Born in Atlanta in 1920 he appeared in many Westerns before taking the role of Bones McCoy. According to legend he chose the role over that of Mr Spock because he felt his livedin features better suited the role of the oldfashioned doctor. LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 ISuggested by Andrew I
26 September, 2001
Star Trek Enterprise begins on US television
LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0The most recent Star Trek television series starred Scott Bakula as Captain Jonathan Archer and Jolene Blalock as TPol. It is set more than 100 years before the original Star Trek and follows the crew of the first human spaceship to achieve warpspeed five. The show suffered poor viewing figures and was cancelled after four years. LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 ISuggested by "Herman Munster" London UK I
April, 2002
Star Trekthemed episode of Futurama broadcast
LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0The original Star Trek cast was reunited on a special episode of the spaceage cartoon Futurama. The show poked fun at obsessive Star Trek fans but at the same time features many injokes and lines of dialogue from the original series. It also featured William Shatner performing Eminems The Real Slim Shady. LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 ISuggested by Seraphin Penzance UK I
13 December, 2002
Star Trek X Nemesis is released
LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0The most recent Star Trek film is potentially the last to feature the crew of The Next Generation. Featuring Captain Picard battling a cloned version of himself it was neither a commercial nor a critical success and was the first in the series not to enter the US box office charts at number one. LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 ISuggested by "Herman Munster" London UK I
20 July, 2005
James Doohan dies
LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0James Doohan played chief engineer Montgomery Scott in the original Star Trek series and became synonymous with the line "Beam me up Scotty" although it was never actually said in the series. In accordance with his last wishes Doohan's ashes are due to be sent into space in December 2006. LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 ISuggested by Andrew I
April, 2006
Eleventh Star Trek film announced
LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0In April Paramount films announced that an eleventh Star Trek movie was being developed with JJ Abrams creator of TV show Lost set to produce and direct. The film set for release in 2008 will focus on the early days of Captain James T Kirk and Mr Spock telling the story of their first meeting and their first outer space mission.
4 April, 2063
Humans make first contact with extraterrestrials
LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0When scientist Zefram Cochrane makes his first flight using a warp drive engine it is noticed by a Vulcan survey ship leading to humanitys first contact with the alien race. This paves the way for the formation of a unified world government and later the federation of planets. LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 ISuggested by Reed Aiken Virginia USA and Peter Liverpool UK I
12 April, 2151
Launch of Starship Enterprise NX01
LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0The Enterprise NX01 is one of the most important ships in the Star Trek universe. It is the first human ship to have an engine capable of achieving warpspeed five and establishes Earth as a legitimate interstellar power. The first missions of this ship are the subject of the fifth Star Trek TV series also called Enterprise. LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 ISuggested by Noah KristulaGreen Chicago USA I
11 October, 2161
United Federation of Planets is founded
LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0The United Federation of Planets is a federal state of more than 150 planets and thousands of colonies. It is created in 2161 probably in October by humans Vulcans Andorians and Tellarites. The federations common goals are universal liberty equality peace and cooperation. Its headquarters are in Paris France. LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 ISuggested by "Ace" Manchester and Stewart Birch I
2230
Spock is born
LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0One of the key characters in the Star Trek universe Mr Spock was born in 2230 the exact date is unknown. HalfVulcan halfhuman he faced a constant internal struggle between his logical alien side and his emotional human side. He dies at the age of 55 in Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan but is "reborn" in the following film. LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 ISuggested by Patel London UK I
2363
First contact with The Borg
LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0In 2365 the Federation makes first contact with its greatest foes the Borg. Similar to the Cybermen in Doctor Who the Borg are living creatures fitted with cybernetic implants this process is known as assimilation. The Borg first appear in the episode Q Who from The Next Generation. LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 ISuggested by Cath Coventry UK I
2369
Bajoran Wormhole discovered
LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0This massive hole in space crosses 70000 light years. It is discovered in the first episode of Star Trek Deep Space Nine and becomes a focal point for the series. While at first it is used to discover new planets and establish new trading routes it later becomes a way for enemy ships to attack the Federation during the Dominion wars I. I LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 ISuggested by Noah KristulaGreen Chicago I
2373
Dominion War begins
LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0The Dominion War 23732375 begins when the ruthless and sadistic Dominion state attacks the Deep Space Nine space station. The war forms the backdrop to the final three series of Deep Space Nine and results in billions of lost lives. LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 ISuggested by Noah KristulaGreen Chicago I
2378
USS Voyager returns home
LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0The USS Voyager which had been stranded 70000 light years outside the Federationcontrolled Alpha Quadrant returned home in the final episode of Star Trek Voyager. Although the journey was expected to take 75 years the crew managed it in just seven thanks to various new technologies they discovered on the way. LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 LETTERSPACING0 KERNING0 ISuggested by Noah KristulaGreen Chicago I
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