Happy 45th Birthday, Star Trek

It was 45 years ago today...

NBC promo art by Doc Savage artist James Bama

...that Star Trek debuted on NBC with the fifth episode filmed "The Man Trap", chosen by NBC execs because it had a "monster"!
(These were the same network executives who rejected the first pilot "The Cage", because it was "too cerebral"!)

"Too cerebral?"  Let's watch LOST IN SPACE!

With five spin-off tv series, eleven movies (and a twelfth in pre-production), innumerable books, comics, toys, and other paraphernalia, and a still-dedicated (some say obsessed) fanbase (one of the largest in science fiction/fantasy), Trek has become a permanent part of pop culture.