For Star Trek's 60th anniversary, "The Monster Times"

Today is the 60th anniversary of the airing of the first episode of "Star Trek" on NBC. Last year, a poll estimated that 37% of Americans are Star Trek fans, which is kind of crazy when you think about it in conjunction with how far removed we are from the three seasons of the original series. And that's before you even get into the global reach and influence. 

It's very cool, also, that we still have William Shatner, George Takei and Walter Koenig with us from a TV show that debuted on Sept. 8, 1966, when Lyndon B. Johnson was president and we were still nearly three years away from the first humans landing on the moon. (See Papergreat's moon-landing clippings: 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5).

As my tiny contribution to this Star Trek anniversary, here are some images from a 1973 special collectors issue of The Monster Times that was devoted to Star Trek's growing momentum toward a revival.

This is an interesting-for-its-frankness passage from an article about Isaac Asimov's appearance at the January 1972 Star Trek convention in New York City: "The ST-Con brought from hiding that all-around Renaissance-man (lecturer, SF author, humorist, scientist, Biblical interpreter, literary expert and professional lecher), Issac [sic] Asimov. Dr. Asimov abdicated his Mysterious Hermitage (located somewhere between the baneful Black Forest and Santa's toyshop) to deliver a few sparkling one-liners about Mr. Spock's unique character, as well as to plug some of Dr. A's latest literary releases: 'Issac [sic] Asimov's Joke Book,' 'Issac [sic] Asimov's Annotated Bible' & 'The Sensuous Dirty Old Man.' This last he gave credence to by making numerous passes at the nubile nymphet teen 'Trekkies' (girl STAR TREK fans) who flowed in abundant abundance throughout the hotel."  

Asimov's creepiness is an unshakeable part of his legacy, but I found it interesting to see it called out publicly as early as a 1973 magazine article. And in The Monster Times, of all places.

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Getting back to the 60th anniversary, here are Papergreat's Star Trek-related posts from over the years:

• Snapshot & memories: Me in a Star Trek shirt
• RCA, NBC, Star Trek and color
• Not just any old Star Trek paperback
• 1975 Power Records recording with a trio of Star Trek tales
• Unfortunate apparel of 1980: The official Star Trek duty jacket
• Advertisements for a pair of 1980s Star Trek games
• Telegram: Sandra & Leonard Nimoy plead with JFK for a safer planet
• 2014 snapshots from Geppi's Entertainment Museum
• The Nimoy Award for 1967 goes to Miss Nancyann Hiera!
• From 1982: William Shatner peddles Commodore's VIC-20
• Illustration: "Revolving Poker Rack" from Pacific Game Company
• Very authentic Star Trek postcard for Annika in Sweden
• Some WKBS-48 nostalgia
• Papergreat's 3,000th post, with a special celebrity guest
• Stay-at-home shelfie #43