'Star Trek 60th Anniversary' 👽 8 September

STAR TREK AT 60

Boldly Going Since 1966!

On 8 September 2026, Star Trek celebrates the 60th anniversary of its first television broadcast in America. Created by Gene Roddenberry, the original series introduced Captain Kirk,, Mr Spock, Dr McCoy and the crew of the USS Enterprise. Its optimistic vision of people working together to explore space has inspired generations of viewers, scientists and inventors - and developed into numerous television series and films.

We’ll begin with Star Trek at 60, discovering some facts about the original programme and its move from television to the cinema. We’ll also examine the Royal Mint’s two new commemorative 50p coins, entitled “Live Long and Prosper”and “To Boldly Go.”

Next, we’ll see who can make Mr Spock’s famous Vulcan salute, before sharing memories and opinions in Let’s Talk Star Trek. Did you watch the original series? Who was your favourite character, and would you have liked to travel aboard the Enterprise?

Our first picture challenge asks how many members of the original Star Trek crew we can recognise and whether we can remember both their character and actor names. We’ll then try to complete twelve famous Star Trek catchphrases, including “Beam me up…”, “Resistance is…” and “Space, the final…”

We’ll explore some of the imaginative technology featured in Star Trek, from the communicator, phaser and tricorderto the transporter, replicator and holodeck. How many can we identify - and how many of these once-futuristic ideas resemble technology we use today?

There is also a nostalgic Factoid about the much-loved Cadbury’s Smash Martians advert, including the happy accident that helped create its famous falling-about laughter.

Our music activity challenges us to complete the titles of 22 songs about space, stars, planets and space travel, featuring performers ranging from Frank Sinatra, Perry Como and The Beatles to David Bowie, Elton John and The Carpenters.

Finally, our CST Song of the Day is The Firm’s wonderfully silly 1987 comedy hit “Star Trekkin’.” The record spent two weeks at number one and introduced several lines that many people now mistakenly believe came from the original television series.

So, prepare to explore strange new worlds as we celebrate 60 years of Star Trek with memories, music, conversation, quizzes and fun. Set your phasers to stun - and get ready to boldly go where no CST group has gone before!

For a practical activity, why not have a game on an iPad or similar of the vintage game Space Invaders, which has recently been brought back to life by several app companies, most notably Taito.

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