It was just over three decades ago that fans ventured into the final frontier. Today marks the 33rd anniversary of the original science fiction television series Star Trek. On Sept. 8, 1966 NBC aired the episode "The Man Trap" at 8:30 p.m and viewers heard the now famous prologue challenging the audience to dream of places "where no man has gone before." While the show struggled for ratings, a growing vocal fan base would keep the unique program on the air for three years.

Star Trek was the brainchild of Gene Roddenberry who produced and wrote for the series. His concept was to create a "Wagon Train to the Stars," but the series was considered too risky and expensive by most of the major studios. When production company Desilu decided to take a chance on the project, Roddenberry finally had the financial backing for the pilot "The Cage." Shot in nine days for the unprecedented amount of $630,000 NBC rejected "The Cage," calling it "too cerebral." Still the network called for a second pilot and after some cast changes, which included William Shatner as the young Captain James T. Kirk, Star Trek went on the air.

The show was revolutionary in many respects. It introduced a cast of characters unseen before in the annals of television. The crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise was a multi-ethnic group that offered a positive vision of the future during a divisive period in American history. The show envisioned a future where humankind not only prospers, but also fosters a world of peace and equality for all.

Even though the show had a strong following, the ratings never impressed the network. After the second season, the future of the program was in doubt. Fans started a letter writing campaign prompting NBC to keep the show on the air.

At the end of the third season, Star Trek was cancelled but the television show developed into the popular phenomenon we know today. Shortly after the show went off the air, Paramount decided to syndicate the series. As a result independent stations picked up the show and Star Trek became an enormous hit in reruns. Meanwhile fans published "fanzines," and as their numbers grew fan clubs and organizations formed. In January of 1972 the first Star Trek convention was held in New York City. These conventions assured that Star Trek would only grow in popularity, and the coming years would spawn one animated series, nine motion pictures, countless games, books, comics and three other highly successful television series based on the universe created by Gene Roddenberry.