Wikipedia:Main Page history/2016 September 8

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"The Man Trap" was the first episode to be broadcast in the American science fiction television series Star Trek, but the sixth to be filmed. It aired on NBC on September 8, 1966. The story was assigned to George Clayton Johnson; his first draft was entitled "Damsel With a Dulcimer", incorporating elements from his Twilight Zone episode "The Four of Us Are Dying". Series creator Gene Roddenberry, producer Robert H. Justman and story editor John D. F. Black all tweaked elements of the episode. The story, part of Roddenberry's original Star Trek pitch to the studio, was chosen for the first broadcast episode because the studio liked its horror-based plot. "The Man Trap" placed first in the timeslot with a Nielsen rating of 25.2 percent for the first half-hour and 24.2 for the remainder. After broadcast, reviewers criticized the violent scenes but praised the acting. More recent appraisals have been mixed; praise has been given to the plot and diverse cast, but Hollywood.com listed it among the worst episodes of the series. The creature, created by Wah Chang and William Ware Theiss, has been dubbed the "salt vampire" by fans. (Full article...)

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Leonard Nimoy as Spock
Leonard Nimoy as Spock

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An example of an eastern gorilla
Eastern gorilla

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September 8

Severn Bridge
Severn Bridge
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Space Shuttle Enterprise, with Star Trek and NASA staff

The NASA Space Shuttle Enterprise at the Palmdale manufacturing facilities with cast members from Star Trek and NASA staff. Shown, from left to right, are: James C. Fletcher (NASA Administrator), DeForest Kelley (Dr. "Bones" McCoy), George Takei (Hikaru Sulu), James Doohan (Montgomery Scott), Nichelle Nichols (Nyota Uhura), Leonard Nimoy (Spock), Gene Roddenberry (Star Trek creator), an unnamed official, and Walter Koenig (Pavel Chekov).

The naming of the space shuttle after Star Trek's lead ship is only part of the series' extensive cultural influence. The first American series to feature an interracial cast, it drew public interest to space travel, birthed a new language, and spawned five successor series, thirteen movies, a plethora of merchandise, and a multi-billion dollar industry.

Photograph: NASA

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