Happy 48th Birthday, Star Trek!

 I thought it would be fitting to celebrate the occasion with a prediction from Walter Irwin and G.B. Love, editors of Best of Trek. This is from issue #1, from 1977:

Perhaps the why of Star Trek is better left to ... historians. Why historians? While our overview as editors hasn't given us the answer to why Star Trek is so enduring and popular, it has allowed us to see something which really can be called a phenomenon ... That phenomenon is the gradual absorption of Star Trek into our cultural heritage.

Characters, things, concepts, words from Star Trek have slowly become part of our everyday lives. It is an ongoing process, and one which seems to be picking up speed.

Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock are almost as well known as Tarzan, the Shadow, and Sherlock Holmes - a sure indication that they are about to join that exclusive club of characters who are instantly recognizable to the general public.

So, for bad or good, Star Trek is making a place for itself in our culture. It may not be as honored and exalted a place as many fans would like, but they can comfort themselves with this fact: There will always be a Star Trek.

Star Trek will live on, in one form or another, as long as our civilization does.