Star Trek Is ... 60 Years Old

"Live long and prosper” — Spock’s iconic parting phrase, first spoken in Season 2 of Star Trek: The Original Series, easily describes the beloved franchise. Sixty years after its TV debut, the Star Trek universe continues to expand as Paramount’s creative team introduces new stories, revisits beloved characters, and upholds its vital messages: help others, aim for unity, honor diversity, and boldly go where no one has gone before. 

Creator Gene Roddenberry’s initial and undeniable call to action and barrier-breaking storylines resonated with fans of all ages — and, eventually, across all continents — resulting in numerous books, toy collections, and more than 25 movies and series. Star Trek fans, or Trekkies, are now celebrating six decades of their favorite (and least favorite) moments through fan events and merchandise.

Star Trek’s story is widely known: a three-season run, cancellations, fan letter-writing campaigns, reruns, a fan convention, and a new animated era. Paramount’s decision to license the original series to other networks paved the way for the franchise to continue past a simple three-season stint into the powerhouse brand it is now. 

While the scientific advancements and complex gadgets portrayed in Star Trek TV series and films are enticing, the unapologetic heart of the franchise — and what sustains its staying power — is its idea of tomorrow. Glyn Morgan, principal curator and head of collections at the Science Museum, notes that “one of the things that particularly has always drawn people to Star Trek is that optimistic vision of human potential.” 

Morgan, who helped curate the London museum’s new Star Trek gallery, says, “From the very beginning, Gene Roddenberry is presenting a society that has moved past the challenges of today to a more outward-looking, united future … Star Trek offers a vision of a future where we make it, we get past all of the challenges, and we move together into the future in a positive and optimistic way. And I think that is the main appeal of the franchise for people.”

Six decades after the show’s initial release, and several evolutions later, merch makers continue to release Star Trek figures, models, apparel, home goods, and more. By expanding their collections with replicas of obscure ships, shoes worn by Starfleet commanders, or a glassware set seen on the Enterprise, Trekkies can incorporate a sliver of their favorite stories into their Earth-side lives. 

It can be difficult to sift through decades of merchandise, so collectible companies like Nacelle embody Captain Kirk’s idea that “taking risks is our business” and will provide unique offerings for fans. 

The Trekkie-heavy team at Nacelle will launch action figures featuring obscure characters with under-the-radar accessories. Soon, Trekkies can display Valkris, who appears in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock for less than five minutes; Bem, who appears in one episode of Star Trek: The Animated Series; and many more. 

Nacelle founder and CEO Brian Volk-Weiss’ intimate knowledge of the franchise led to a unique relationship with Paramount, allowing Nacelle to make untraditional choices when creating the action figures, including the Captain Jellico figure (Wave 1), which comes with a fish tank, a nod to his hatred for Captain Picard’s office decor. Jellico only appeared in one two-part episode. 

“I have a massive Star Trek collection, and I mix and match all my different toy companies that make Star Trek,” Volk-Weiss mentions. “I knew that even if people didn’t want Jellico, really, they would buy him to get the fish tank to put with all their Picards that other companies had made.” 

Nacelle’s Wave 4 of its Star Trek action figures will pay homage to the two most important people in Star Trek history: creator Gene Roddenberry and Lucille Ball. According to Volk-Weiss, “Gene had the vision, but you need money to make a vision become real. And Lucille had his back. She backed Star Trek [financially], and that is why she was included.” While Ball was a crucial figure in the franchise, she’s frequently dismissed in documentaries or collectible lines. Volk-Weiss adds that “It’s been a lifelong thing for me to make sure she gets the credit that she deserves for all this.”

Most pop-culture enthusiasts are familiar with ships like the Enterprise and futuristic storylines, such as the time-travel dilemma in “The City on the Edge of Forever.” But for Nacelle and merch makers like Fanhome, it’s the fandom’s interest in smaller moments and sequences that makes Trekkies stand out from other fan bases — and what makes Fanhome’s new collection of replica ships so detailed. 

The company has a catalog featuring more than 300 die-cast ships, all hailing from Paramount’s 60 years of Star Trek content. To create a collection for such a dedicated fanbase, Fanhome looks to its internal team of Trekkies, social media chatter, fan surveys, and Star Trek expert and author Ben Robinson. Whether it’s for a prominent favorite or a fleeting ship, Fanhome utilizes Robinson’s extensive knowledge alongside blueprints and designs from Paramount, resulting in models with extreme details.  

According to GianLuca Latini, the De Agostini North American and UK managing director at Fanhome, the company serves as “an encyclopedia of every single ship, almost, that has appeared even in three seconds on a screen.”

Every month, fans who invest in Fanhome’s Star Trek Starships subscription package receive one die-cast ship and a magazine that includes exclusive details about the ship’s canon history, Fanhome’s creative process, and more. With 32 featured models and magazines, this package delivers a full collector’s experience to each Trekkie’s porch. 

Later this year, fans can preorder a limited-edition, collectors’ edition ship in honor of the 60th anniversary. In the future, fans can expect different scales, features like sound and light effects, and returning ships.

For more hands-on interactions with the galaxy’s best ships, fans can turn to Carrera-Revell’s Build + Paint collection. As indicated in the product name, Trekkies can build models of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701, U.S.S. Voyager NCC-74656, the Klingon Battle Cruiser D7, and more, then paint the models with the included art supplies. 

Fans can also integrate Star Trek into their everyday lives with Paramount’s 60th anniversary lines, which include totes, cups, shirts, sweatshirts, blankets, and more featuring the Star Trek 60 logo. If a fan is more interested in a specific piece of content, like the newly released Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, they can upgrade their looks with Fluevog Shoe’s wearable replicas of the Tall Zip-Up Boots and Zip-Up Ankle Boots seen on the cadets in the streaming show. 

Paramount’s merch lineup for Star Trek also infiltrates the gaming department, with new role-playing games and puzzles on the way. Fans can put their hands and minds to the test with Fun in Motion’s Star Trek Shashibo and a Star Trek-inspired Magic: The Gathering set from Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast, both set to hit retail this fall.

BOLDLY GO … TO FAN-FOCUSED SPACES

The 1966 series paved the way for modern science-fiction stories, changing how fans interacted with what was unfolding on-screen. Viewers began writing fan fiction of the characters (particularly Spock and Kirk), crafting their own Bridge costumes, and organizing fan meet-ups. 

There are several online fan communities dedicated to Star Trek, including the United Federation of Planets and the Trek Federation. The former, which was founded in 2002, began as a role-play group for Bridge Commander. Now, with nearly 17,000 registered users, the site offers forums for fans to connect, features Star Trek-focused news articles, and provides a space for text-based role-play. Rena Hobden, head of press and community leader of the United Federation of Planets website, notes that, while the number of active users remains steady, it ebbs and flows in tandem with news surrounding the brand.

Throughout the past 60 years, there have been multiple opportunities for fans to engage with the franchise — online and offline. Star Trek is often associated with the rise of convention culture in 1972, despite fandom gatherings predating the series. Through star-studded panels, cosplay sessions, or galactic activations, Star Trek frequently has a heavy presence at comic cons worldwide — and at sea. 

Put on by Entertainment Cruise Productions, Star Trek: The Cruise lets fans embark on a voyage to tropical destinations like Jamaica and Mexico while enjoying themed game nights, cosplay contests, trivia discos, and appearances from Star Trek celebrities. The week-long event approaches its 10th annual expedition next year, and it remains focused on strengthening bonds within the growing Star Trek community. 

Robb Pearlman, author of several officially licensed Star Trek books like Fun with Kirk and Spock, served as a Federation Advisor on the February sail, which celebrated the 60th anniversary. According to the author, the cruise is “a completely immersive full ship charter during which you can leave your regular life on land and live your authentic Trek-loving life on board, surround yourself with thousands of people who love Star Trek as much as you do, get up close and personal interactions and experiences with the franchise stars, and enjoy everything a traditional cruise can offer.” 

Pearlman, who moderates parties, panels, games, and more on the cruise, is currently planning events for next year’s voyage, as well as the launch of his new Star Trek titles and card games. Fans can expect Star Trek: The Ultimate Trivia Deck, Star Trek: Warped Phrases, and Star Trek: Once Upon a Stardate: Fairy Tales and Fables from the Final Frontier. 

While born in the U.S., Star Trek has infiltrated science-fiction communities across the pond. In London, fans can celebrate the 60th anniversary of Star Trek at the Science Museum until Sept. 8 with the Star Trek at 60 event, which includes a screening series and the Star Trek Warp Trail. On this artifact trail, visitors can discover 28 items from the franchise’s long history, each prop seamlessly integrated into the museum’s existing galleries.

Visitors can view communication devices from the franchise, like the flip communicator and badges, in the museum’s Age of Information gallery; a silicon mold of Data’s (portrayed by Brent Spiner) head in the Engineer’s gallery, just a few steps from a display covering language models and artificial intelligence; and Zefram Cochrane’s ensemble from Star Trek: First Contact in the Flight gallery, which Morgan highlights as a connection between the first flight and the future of flight. 

For Morgan, the licensed collaboration between Paramount and the Science Museum was a natural fit. The museum strives to help visitors feel comfortable with science, to increase their comfort with and access to the subject, and to inspire futures. As a result, working with Paramount’s archive team to integrate a science-forward and digestible series like Star Trek into the museum’s offerings during its anniversary was a no-brainer. 

“I am a big proponent of the idea of science fiction as a tool that allows us to access scientific ideas and inspire ideas around our future,” Morgan explains. “[Star Trek] has always had this really important role in the scientific world, both in terms of its effect on people and the way it inspires people who’ve gone on to excel and participate in science and technology and medicine and engineering, but also in the way that it just introduces concepts to people.”

The museum is also hosting the first-ever screening of all 13 Star Trek films in a single consecutive season (which might come as a surprise to fans who consider their home marathons as official screenings). Visitors can experience the full saga on the big screen and, at certain screenings, enjoy a panel featuring Star Trek experts and content contributors, like SFX legend Paul Franklin. 

Whether fans are honoring Star Trek’s 60th anniversary on a boat, at a convention, in a museum gallery, or by curating a scene-accurate display with figures and model ships, one thing remains true: They’re all celebrating the same themes of unity, curiosity, and forward thinking.

The anniversary — which comes as the world shows renewed interest in space exploration, thanks to the release of Project Hail Mary and NASA’s Artemis II mission — will bring the already tight-knit community of fans even closer. With new shows, movies, books, games, and of course, merchandise, these celebrations will likely continue for the next
60 years. After all, it is the order of things.