Star Trek Turns 60: Cinematic Restorations, a World Record Attempt and a Planet-Wold Birthday Party
Star Trek turns 60 on September 8, the date in 1966 when the original series first aired on American television, and Paramount is marking the occasion with screenings, themed broadcasts and a Guinness World Record attempt spanning at least three countries.
More than 750 theatres across the United States will screen 4K restorations of classic Star Trek films paired with original series episodes from September 4–8, according to Variety. The Belcourt theatre in Nashville is among the participating venues, scheduling the first four original films with pre-show episodes across September 4–7 (Belcourt.org). The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum is hosting its own anniversary event, noting the same September 8 date (Smithsonian).
In Los Angeles, the Autry Museum will hold a free outdoor screening on September 8 — the original series episode "The Man Trap" alongside a new episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds called "Orders of Magnitude," with talent appearances, food trucks and giveaways (Variety).
The celebration also reaches London. On September 8, the Science Museum will host a free adults-only Star Trek Lates evening and serve as the site of an official Guinness World Record attempt for the most people performing the Vulcan Salute — the split-fingered gesture made famous by Spock — simultaneously (Variety). Samsung's King's Cross store will run themed screenings and activations in partnership with Paramount+ as part of the UK anniversary campaign. From September 7–8, King's Cross St Pancras and South Kensington Underground stations will feature Star Trek-themed takeovers marking key stops on a four-destination fan trail across the capital.
On the same day in Germany, Movie Park Germany will stage a Star Trek Day with live entertainment, cosplay, special guests, a props and costumes exhibit, and participation in the global Vulcan Salute attempt.
Television is getting in on the birthday too. Entertainment Tonight will air a special "ET Vault Unlocked" episode on September 7 featuring interviews with Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and cast members across the franchise, plus archival footage. On September 8, The Price Is Right and Let's Make a Deal will each broadcast Star Trek-themed episodes, and Nick at Nite will run a marathon of The Big Bang Theory's best Star Trek-focused episodes — that sitcom's characters being famously devoted fans of the franchise.
On Hollywood Boulevard, the Roddenberry family, the Hollywood Historic Trust and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce will partner to celebrate a restored "Star" plaque for Gene Roddenberry, first introduced in 1985 (Variety).
For those who want to track it all, the official Star Trek website hosts a "Star Trek Turns 60" content hub (startrek.com), and Paramount+ notes that the anniversary slate encompasses more than 10 Star Trek television shows and all 13 theatrical films (Paramount+).
Six decades after a three-season NBC series that struggled in the ratings, the franchise's anniversary is being treated as a global event — one that, at least for a few minutes on September 8, will ask hundreds of fans in London to raise their hands in unison and hold the salute.
