Real world article
(written from a production point of view)
There have been several anniversary events in Star Trek's history, which only became formalized by the Star Trek franchise in 1986 on the occasion of its 20th anniversary.[1]
7th anniversary[]
- Star Trek: The Animated Series debuts on NBC television seven years to the day after Star Trek: The Original Series debuted on the same network
10th anniversary []
- The Labor Day weekend convention at New York City's Statler Hilton Hotel was dubbed "Star Trek Bi-Centennial-10," celebrating both the nation's bicentennial and the tenth anniversary of the series debut. All the stars, with the exception of Leonard Nimoy, who was performing in "Equus" on Broadway, were in attendance. However, Leonard Nimoy DID briefly stop by to address the convention in the Grand Ballroom. Evidently someone sent him a nasty letter for not appearing at this major convention, accusing him of not caring about the fans, etc. Leonard came to the convention to read the letter, substituting the word, “bleep”, for whatever expletives where aimed at him in the letter.
- Star Trek: The Next Generation celebrates ten years
- Star Trek: Deep Space Nine celebrates ten years
- The Lives of Dax
- Prophecy and Change
- Rising Son
- The Left Hand of Destiny, Book One
- The Left Hand of Destiny, Book Two
- The novel Unity was slated for the 10th anniversary of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, but was pushed back to a 2003 release
- Star Trek Customizable Card Game releases its Energize set for DS9's 10th anniversary
- CCG: Tenth Anniversary Collection
- Star Trek: Voyager celebrates ten years
- Distant Shores, a 10th anniversary of Voyager anthology
- The alternate reality Star Trek films celebrate ten years
20th anniversary []
- Release of "The Cage", the original unaired Star Trek pilot episode, in the VHS, Betamax, and LaserDisc home video entertainment formats. This is the first time the complete episode was available to the general public. As a full color version was then unavailable, the video release is a combination of the color footage used in TOS: "The Menagerie, Part I", "The Menagerie, Part II", and a black-and-white print of the pilot.
- Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home premieres
- Cinefantastique, issue 63, Vol 17 #2 – 20th anniversary retrospect
- Star Trek Star Fleet Technical Manual 2nd printing
- Star Trek: The Next Generation is green-lighted and taken into production; this was not a coincidence as then Paramount Television CEO Mel Harris deemed the anniversary as the perfect moment for the relaunch of the television franchise.
- Star Trek: The Motion Picture celebrates twenty years
- Star Trek: The Next Generation celebrates twenty years
- TNG Complete Series Boxset (24 September)
- Star Trek - Next Generation Movie Box, Special Collectors Edition (26 October, Japan only 4-film DVD collection)
- Star Trek: The Next Generation celebrates twenty years in Japan
- Platz limited edition release of four The Next Generation related Star Trek model kits
Technical Manual without the official lustrum logo
Cinefantastique cover
Starlog's 20th anniversary celebration tribute
AMT Star Trek model kit with official lustrum sticker
25th anniversary []
- "Redemption", TNG's 100th episode, airs
- AMT/Ertl Star Trek model kit (re-)releases with new box-art
- Cinefantastique, issue 86, Vol 22 #3 – 25th anniversary edition with two alternative covers
- Estes Industries reissues of their rocket propelled Star Trek model kits
- Impel Star Trek 25th Anniversary - Series I and Series II trading card sets
- Star Trek: 25th Anniversary (PC)
- Star Trek: 25th Anniversary (Game Boy)
- Star Trek: 25th Anniversary (NES)
- Star Trek 25th Anniversary Audio Collection
- Star Trek: 25th Anniversary LCD Video Game
- Star Trek 25th Anniversary Special
- Star Trek Commemorative Checker Set
- Star Trek Commemorative Chess Set
- Star Trek postal envelope, created by Keith Birdsong and limited to 25,000 copies
- Star Trek: The First 25 Years (cancelled)
- Star Trek: The Movies - 25th Anniversary Collectors Set
- The Producers Building on the former Desilu studio lot, attended by the entire cast of both The Original Series and The Next Generation, is ceremoniously renamed to the "Gene Roddenberry Building" (6 June)
- Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country premieres; despite the film division of the studio experiencing financial adversity at the time, it was decided to produce a Star Trek film with the original crew for the anniversary after all. Such was the determination not to let the occasion go by unnoticed, that a cancellation decision well into the production for budgetary reasons by a lower echelon studio executive was overturned by conglomerate higher-ups a few weeks later. (see: The Undiscovered Country: Story and production)
- "Silver Anniversary" was the title of the first chapter of George Takei's autobiography, To the Stars.
- The Making of Star Trek reissues by Del Rey Books and Titan Books, the latter constituting the first and only edition of the book published outside the USA
- Star Trek: The Next Generation celebrates twenty-five years
- Star Trek: Deep Space Nine celebrates twenty-five years
- Star Trek: Voyager celebrates twenty-five years
- Star Trek: First Contact celebrates twenty-five years
- The Star Trek franchise institutes "First Contact Day" as an annual official real world public relations event (April)
- Star Trek: First Contact - The Making of the Classic Film (October 2022)
- The non-franchise docu-comedy film Trekkies celebrates twenty-five years
- Trekkies (24 May)
Cinefantastique cover A
Cinefantastique cover B
Star Trek 25th Anniversary Special logo
The Producer Building's renaming, 6 June 1991
30th anniversary []
- DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations"
- VOY: "Flashback"
- Actress Bibi Besch died one day before Star Trek's 30th anniversary
- AMT/Ertl Star Trek model kit (re-)releases with new box-art and complementary cut-away prints of either the USS Enterprise-A or the USS Enterprise-D, never again reissued afterwards
- Barbie & Ken Star Trek Giftset
- Cinefantastique, issue 118, Vol 27 #11 – 30th anniversary edition
- SciPubTech starship cut-away posters
- Star Fleet Technical Manual 3rd printing
- Star Trek 30th Anniversary Crossword Puzzles (1 January)
- Star Trek - 30th Anniversary Movies Box Set, UK VHS release (6 November)
- Star Trek 30 Years
- Star Trek Night (26 August, BBC2 UK)
- Star Trek: 30 Years and Beyond (6 October)
- Star Trek: Federation Passport
- Star Trek: These Are the Voyages... pop-up book
- Star Trek: The Next Generation celebrates thirty years
- Bif Bang Pow! The Next Generation-related merchandise releases
AMT/Ertl 30th anniversary cutaway print USS Enterprise-A
AMT/Ertl 30th anniversary cutaway print USS Enterprise-D
Cinefantastique cover
Star Trek 30th Anniversary Crossword Puzzles cover
35th anniversary []
- 2001
- Note: First time use of the actual Original Series title font for an official franchise anniversary logo.
- 35 Jahre Star Trek VHS release
- Star Trek: Enterprise debuts on UPN television
- Star Trek - 35th Anniversary Rittenhouse Archives trading cards set
- Star Trek Night (16 September, BBC2 UK)
- TV Guide celebratory cover variants (20 April) & July Star Trek 35th Anniversary Tribute special edition
- Star Trek: The Motion Picture celebrates 35 years
- Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan celebrates thirty-five years
- Limited (to six hundred screens) theatrical release of the 4K Ultra HD version of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (Director's Cut) (10 and 13 September [1])
- Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home celebrates thirty-five years
- Limited theatrical release of the 4K Ultra HD version of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (19 and 22 September [2])
40th anniversary []
- 40 Years of Star Trek (The Space Channel, Canada)
- 40 Years of Star Trek: The Collection (5-7 October, New York City)
- Art Asylum toys
- Corgi's "40th Anniversary Limited Edition" starship display model line
- Creation Entertainment official 40th anniversary Star Trek convention (17-20 August, Las Vegas)
- Master Replicas' limited USS Enterprise "Commemorative Edition" display model reissue
- Planet Xpo Star Trek: 40th Anniversary Gala Celebration and Conference (8 September)
- Ships of the Line
- Star Fleet Technical Manual 4th printing
- Star Trek - Celebrating 40 Years - Special Collection
- Star Trek: Legacy
- Star Trek: The Original Series novels reissues
- The Crucible trilogy
- The Mere Anarchy eBook miniseries
- The re-release of several classic Star Trek novels, with new cover art
- Several new books were also released with special "40th Anniversary Special" signage on them
- Remastered Star Trek: The Original Series returns to television
- Many TV events such as SciFi UK's week-long marathon of Star Trek films and episodes. This took place between Monday 4, and Friday 8 September. The best Star Trek episode was voted for by viewers at the end of the week.
Roddenberry Productions 40th anniversary logo
2019 NCM Fathom Events 40th anniversary limited theatrical re-release poster
- Star Trek: The Motion Picture celebrates 40 years
- Limited (to five hundred plus screens) theatrical USA-only release of Star Trek: The Motion Picture (15 and 18 September [3])
- The First Star Trek Movie (October)
- Star Trek: The Motion Picture - The Art and Visual Effects (September 2020, postponed)
- Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan celebrates 40 years
- Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan - Director's Cut individual 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release (September)
- Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan - The Making of the Classic Film (September 2023, postponed)
- External link
- 40th Anniversary at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
45th anniversary []
- Creation Entertainment official 45th anniversary Star Trek conventions
- Legacy – Star Trek 45th anniversary art exhibition (8-20 September, Manchester, UK)
- Trek Nation
Legacy: The Star Trek Fine Art Exhibition logo
50th anniversary []
- Star Trek Beyond premieres (22 July)
- 10 Movie Star Trek Collector's Set - Limited Edition Steelbook Collection (18 July, UK)
- 50 Years of Star Trek (14 August, The History Channel)
- AMT, Polar Lights and Revell Germany Star Trek model kit (re-)releases with new box-art.
- Bif Bang Pow! The Original Series-related merchandise releases
- The Captains: A Journey Through Time Australian/UK DVD releases (7 September/3 October)
- Creation Entertainment official 50th anniversary Star Trek convention (31 July–4 August, Las Vegas, USA [7])
- The Fifty-Year Mission: The First 25 Years (28 June)
- The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years (30 August)
- MAC Cosmetics release of a collection of Star Trek themed make-up (August).
- Star Trek: 50 Artists 50 Years (6 Septemeber)
- Star Trek: 50th Anniversary Cover Celebration (17 August)
- Star Trek: The Exhibition (8 July-4 November, Blackpool, UK)
- Star Trek: Legacies-trilogy release, featuring the main characters from Star Trek: The Original Series as well as Number One in a prominent role. (28 June – 30 August)
- Star Trek: The Original Series - The Roddenberry Vault (December)
- Star Trek: Ships of the Line (2017) (19 July)
- Star Trek: Ships of the Line Posters (22 September)
- Star Trek: Stardate Collection, UK 50th anniversary Blu-ray reissue
- Star Trek: The Starfleet Academy Experience (13 May, Ottawa, Canada)
- Star Trek: 50th Anniversary Collection (29 November)
- Star Trek 50th Anniversary Official Calendar (15 August)
- Star Trek 50th Anniversary Risk (June)
- Star Trek 50th Anniversary stamp releases by various Commonwealth postal services, among others those of Antigua & Barbuda, Australia, Canada, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, as well as Tuvalu, though not by that of the UK itself. Non-Commonwealth countries who have concurrently done so included Liberia and the Marshall Islands.
- Star Trek 50th Anniversary Special (September, TV Guide)
- Star Trek 50th Anniversary TV and Movie Collection (6 September)
- Star Trek Encyclopedia (18 October, 4th edition)
- Star Trek Online released the game's third expansion, Agents of Yesterday. This expansion saw the addition of a playable faction based on the 23rd century-era Starfleet and had players ally themselves with Montgomery Scott, Pavel Chekov, and Daniels in bringing a halt to the Temporal Cold War. This expansion added in a number of playable starships designed like they were in the TOS era and its first lockbox offered players a chance to own an alternate reality version of the Constitution-class.
- Trivial Pursuit: Star Trek 50th Anniversary Edition (May)
- Unendliche Weiten - Die William Shatner Edition für alle Star Trek Fans German Blu-ray/DVD releases (18 July)
- United States Postal Service Star Trek stamps (2 September)
- After a two-year restoration, the fully restored original eleven-foot USS Enterprise studio model was put back on permanent display in the National Air and Space Museum (NASM) on 1 July 2016, as planned
- Star Trek: The Animated Series celebrates 50 years
- The franchise's "Star Trek Day" was centered around the 50th anniversary of The Animated Series, with Star Trek: Lower Decks taking center stage in the celebrations in equal measure as well. The series Star Trek: very Short Treks was launched for the occasion. (8 September)
CBS Star Trek Day 2023 promo poster
Franchise promo poster
55th anniversary []
- Taking their cue from the "Marvel Cinematic Universe" (MCU) and DC Universe (DCU) concepts from competitors Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery, the overall "Star Trek Universe'" all-under-one-roof franchise umbrella concept was formally instituted by the Star Trek franchise by introducing its own dedicated, The Motion Picture film poster-inspired, logo which from then on was a mandatory requirement to have present in one form or another (most often by specifically using the logo's presentation of the three primary colors – command yellow, operations red, and sciences blue – as a theme throughout) on all merchandise packaging and/or promos, which befittingly included the official 55th anniversary logo as featured on the right. Eaglemoss Collections was among the very first merchandise companies to apply the new branding by concentrating all their then-current display model lines into the unified Star Trek Universe: The Official Starships Collection featuring the mandatory logo as its collection logo, albeit monochrome in their case, as one of the very few. (January)[3]
- For the occasion of both the anniversary and first time 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray September release of the first four Star Trek films, the franchise has commissioned new official promo poster art (typically for use by online Star Trek vendors, such as digital release companies among others), ordaining the thematic use of the three primary colors as employed in the Universe logo. New poster art for the last two original crew films were introduced a year later as the remastering work on these had not been completed in time for them to be included in the anniversary celebrations.
- Two theatrical showings of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home by Fathom Events in select North American cities. It concerned the new 4K Ultra HD version of the film, whose remastering had just been completed. (19 & 22 August)
- Star Trek: The Original 4-Movie Collection (7 September)
- Star Trek - The Original Series: A Celebration (21 September)
- Star Trek Official Calendar (2022) (7 October)
- DVD and Star Trek: The Original Series - The Complete Series Blu-ray reissues (26 October)
- Star Trek: Prodigy premieres on Paramount+ (28 October)
- The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek (The History Channel, 5 November)
Official "Star Trek Universe" logo
One of the earliest uses by a merchandise company (Eaglemoss)
Newly designed promo poster art for The Motion Picture
Newly designed promo poster art for The Wrath of Khan
Newly designed promo poster art for The Search for Spock
Newly designed promo poster art for The Voyage Home
Footnotes[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The first Star Trek anniversary for which the franchise took the initiative to introduce a formal anniversary logo, mostly featured as stickers on merchandise released in that year. Star Trek did not gather steam as a full-fledged multi-media franchise until well after the release of Star Trek: The Motion Picture in 1979, which is why there were no prior formal anniversary events, in the process also explaining why the first formal anniversary logo featured the title font of The Motion Picture instead that of the Original Series. Paramount Pictures had not taken any official interest in formally celebrating Star Trek previously; what rare events there were being predominantly "Trekkie" driven.
- ↑ By necessity, anniversary celebrations, particularly the public ones, were very limited on the 2021 occasion, due to the mandatory world-wide lock downs caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- ↑ Nothing more than a stillborn gimmick in the end, the entire "Star Trek Universe"-concept was dropped less than two years later due to the harsh economic realities Paramount+, the franchise's streaming service, in particular was facing, resulting in that the mandatory use of the logo was abandoned in the latter half of 2023. Its absence was glaringly obvious during the September Animated Series' 50th anniversary celebrations after Prodigy had been removed from the franchise shortly before on 26 June. Effectively, that removal had left the "Star Trek Universe"-concept completely in shambles (see also: main article).