By Lori Perkins
With almost no fanfare, I woke up to the news that September 8th is Star Trek Day (I guess kind of like May the 4th for Star Wars?) and it marks the 55th anniversary of the show’s premiere on television.
To celebrate, Paramount+ has put together a free live-streamed celebration for Star Trek Day featuring panels and special interviews that will be airing at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m., PT. The programming will be coming live from the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, where Star Trek Day will be hosted by Wil Wheaton and Mica Burton. It will also feature a live orchestra composed by Jeff Russo, back-to-back in-person conversations with cast members and creative minds from the “Star Trek” Universe, “legacy moments” with iconic cast, plus surprise announcements and reveals throughout. Promised panelists include Patrick Stewart, Rebecca Romijn and Jeri Ryan among other surprises. The events and panels cover all the Star Trek iterations from the William Shatner/Leonard Nimoy original through Voyager, Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Enterprise as well as Discovery, Prodigy, Strange New Worlds and even Lower Decks. It looks like the final event of the evening closes with Picard.
This year also marks the 100th birthday of the show’s creator (August 19th) which will be marked with a panel on Gene Roddenberry's life and impact on science fiction discussed by franchise heroes Gates McFadden, LeVar Burton and George Takei.
In addition, there is a fundraiser attached to the events to raise money for organizations that Paramount+ feels carry forward the Star Trek vision. If you tweet using #StarTrekUnitedGives and @ParamountPlus and @RoddenberryFdn, Paramount+ will donate $1 to orgs who champion equality, social justice, the arts and innovation. For more information, go to http://startrek.com/day.
In the northeast, we’re due for another storm, so tonight, stay in, and Live Long and Prosper!