The Monkees at 50

Mickey Dolenz

Peter Tork

Davy Jones

Mike Nesmith

Yes, Star Trek was making an impact on the airwaves . . .

Star Trek Aliens: The Gorn

Star Trek Aliens: The Andorians

Chekov

Sulu

Uhura

Scotty

Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy

Mr. Spock

My favorite Star Trek character.  Leonard Nimoy's portrayal of the half-Vulcan, half-human first officer limited his acting career for some time, but only a talented actor could pull off such a natural & likable performance so easily.  Having worked to eliminate his heavy Boston accent, Nimoy also appeared as a regular on the original Mission: Impossible and eventually became a feature-film director (Three Men & a Baby), a fine art photographer, and joined another world-wide Sci-Fi juggernaut.  He lent his distinctive voice to the Transformers universe; first as the voice of Galvatron, in Transformers: The Animated Movie and then as Sentinel Prime, in Transformers: Dark of the Moon.  Leonard Nimoy sadly passed away last year, but his & Spock's popularity continue to soar. Since the series' inception, Spock is the single most merchandised character in the world of Star Trek.

James T. Kirk

One of my favorite characters from the initial series, the actor who originated the part of James Kirk has been maligned for decades by some of his former cast-mates.  George Takei (Mr. Sulu) has been particularily vocal about exposing his former compadre's "bad behavior".  I've read Mr. Takei's comments on forgiving those who imprisoned his family during the Japanese-American interment during the Second World War.  So, if he can absolve the people and community which essentially destroyed his family's way of life, he can't forgive William Shatner for some crummy behavior because Shatner was the star of a T.V. show?  A wise woman recently said to me, "You can forgive, but don't forget.".  Well, I agree.  So, the guy may have not been the nicest person to work with (I don't know; I wasn't there & I don't know either gentleman), but forgive him.  Stop talking about how lousy he may have been.  I don't think Star Trek would have resonated with people if the head of the cast sucked at his job.  His success insured the show's longevity in this creative team effort.  Forgive him.

Gold Key Logo

Not used on the original series opening, this logo was utilized for the covers of Gold Key comics' adaption of the show.  It was frequently seen on 1970s "rack toy" packaging and I like it better than the official Star Trek logo because of that association.  Rack toys were the "cheap shit" that was poorly made but could easily be bought by any kid without financial assistance from their parents. These toys were often: 1. Eaten by the dog, 2. Broke quickly & were then thrown out, or 3. Somehow ended up lost in your home's gutters, never to be seen again.  They were not high-priced items but they were some of my favorite toys when I was growing up.

A 1979 trip to the Air & Space Museum . . .

In 1979, my family and I took a trip to Washington, DC where one of our stops was to the National Air & Space Museum.  I was floored when I looked up and saw this, the actual model of the Enterprise used in the filming of the original series.  In less than ten years, this poorly rated show went from sliding off the Nielsen ratings chart to becoming part of a national institution.  After being displayed for years in the open air,  this massive model has since been fully restored and now resides in a glass display case.

Interstellar acting . . .

The singular acting commentary on Star Trek is usually reserved for William Shatner and the ammo his style has provided comedians for decades.  But, I'm a fan of Mr. Shatner and the intense, flop sweat-filled performances of so many actors that appeared on the original series.  In my opinion, its not Star Trek unless you have a near, over-the-top performance that is dramatically lit. . .

A major creative influence . . .

Star Trek was an incredible visual influence on me when I was a child.  The strong colors, dramatic lighting, music, and character design grabbed my attention immediately and got me hooked right away.  Only when I was older did I appreciate the morality plays and social messages it extended to its audience.  From the quasi-operatic theme song to the sexy green woman at the end of the credits, I was a fan . . .