Sylvia Vale

STAR TREK: THE ULTIMATE VOYAGE Docks in Memphis

Gene Roddenberry had a bold vision when he pitched his inspiration to NBC as a 'Wagon Train to the Stars' in 1964. The first episode of Star Trek aired on Sept. 8, 1966. It was a show with unknown actors, and limited special effects, but what it lacked in flash, it made up for in sensibility. America was entangled in the Vietnam War, the Cold War was at its height, the Civil Rights Movement was battling the status quo, and pre-regulation smog was covering major cities with toxic gray clouds.