GOING BOLDLY ENGINEER PAUL STAMETS (ANTHONY RAPP) AND DR HUGH CULBER (WILSON CRUZ) IN STAR TREK: DISCOVERY.
IN THE 1960S, Texan-born TV producer and scriptwriter, Gene Rodenberry changed American culture forever with a simple idea: Star Trek. The revolutionary science fiction series, set in the 23rd Century, depicted the adventures of the starship Enterprise and its crew as they boldly went where “no man” had gone before. Out in space and, occasionally, on Earth in a different timeframe, the characters encountered “strange new worlds” and battled an assortment of weird aliens and other dubious humans – albeit with a high-minded colonial attitude. Star Trek was as ground breaking in the US as Dr Who was in the UK. Nonetheless, in 1969, after only three seasons, the show was jettisoned, cancelled by NBC due to low ratings.
Then, by a miracle almost as impressive as travelling at warp speed, Star Trek became a revered cult classic. Through the wonders of syndication, Star Trek repeats began screening nightly across the US and the show finally attracted a huge following, particularly on college campuses.