Four decades back on Sept. 8th, 1966, the sci-fi genre got a new weapon in its arsenal of entertainment options when Star Trek premiered on U.S. televisions. Well, maybe not a terrifying weapon at the time… more like a slingshot because it wasn’t really a runaway hit in the rankings during its original 3-year run.

But that little show developed into a nice franchise.

So, here’s to Captains Kirk, Picard, Sisko, and Janeway (okay, I’ll throw in Archer, too)… to Klingons, Ferengi, Vulcans, and Trill (and those cute little Tribbles)… to warp drives, transporters, phasers, and tricorders (and many a holodeck escapade)… to USS Enterprise, USS Defiant, USS Excelsior, and USS Voyager. To light-years of imagination…