HAPPY STAR TREK DAY!
That's right: 59 years ago the very first Star Trek episode, The Man Trap, was broadcast in the USA (those lucky hosers up inCanada got to see it two days earlier)!
While I strongly believe that The Corbomite Maneuver, the first episode produced, would have been a stronger opening for the series, television series were rarely ever broadcast in the order they were filmed.
Nevertheless, The Man Trap is still a strong episode, even if it played to the "monster of the week" mentality of the network hacks, who thought that was all science fiction should be about. Many of the Star Trek hallmarks - the transporter beam; hand phasers (on "stun" and "kill" settings); Spock's cold, logical, unemotional state; the friendship between Kirk, Spock and McCoy - were introduced to viewers in this episode.
And let's not forget that "monster of the week" - the M-113 salt vampire!
I'm sure that lovely mug gave plenty of kids the willies back in '66!
And with that, one of the greatest (in my opinion THE greatest) franchise in science fiction history began its long, sometimes very bumpy journey.
A journey which, thankfully, still continues to this day.